Listen to live music without losing your ears
Here you will get 4 good tips on how to take care of your ears when listening to live music at concerts and festivals.
Then your ears can last longer - and with quality earplugs it sounds good.
Concerts often have a volume of 102-103 decibels. Your ears can only stand that sound level for approximately 5 minutes a day on average without being overexploited.
That is why earplugs are a really good idea. And they can have good sound.
Quality earplugs, which cost a little more than the cheap ones, reproduce the whole sound image much better, and do not remove as much treble and midrange.
The earplugs we sell dampen the sound approximately 19 decibels to a harmless level. They can be reused and have ventilation in them, which makes them comfortable for the ears over a longer period of time.
NOTE: If the sound is too loud at a concert and you don't have earplugs, you can use your headphones if you have them with you. They also dampen sound, although not as well as earplugs.
As an alternative, you can also use over-ear hearing protection. It is the best sound protection for children.
To loudspeakers, shouting friends and other powerful sound sources.
Loudspeakers for live music and DJs at larger venues are powerful. If you get close to the speakers, the volume is often loud, so keep your distance when you can.
Some venues have elevated speakers, and this creates a more uniform sound pressure, but it can still be louder directly under a speaker than elsewhere.
NOTE: Shouts, screams and whistling from concertgoers makes very loud sounds, so be careful not to be hit directly in the ear by it from a short distance - and also try to avoid exposing others to it.
If you are curious about how loud the sound is at the concert and elsewhere, you can download a sound meter app, e.g., Noise Exposure, which the Swedish environmental authorities use, for Android here, and for iPhone here.
Because silence is good after concerts – your ears also need to relax.
It is not only loud volume that strains the ears, but also how long and how often you listen to loud sounds e.g., at a concert. If you do not let your ears relax, they can get damaged, just like muscles that become overloaded.
Therefore, try to rest your ears after and between concerts. Seek out quiet places and let your ears rest and refresh.
NOTE: If you hear a hissing, screeching tone or the like in your ears after concerts or festivals, this is a sign that your hearing has been overloaded. Often the sounds will disappear again after some time or a few days, and you do not need to be afraid of them. But if the sounds continue, then it might be a good idea to see an ear, nose, and throat doctor and be examined.
In situations where you can adjust the volume yourself, it may be a good idea to decrease it
In some situations, you have the option to turn down the volume yourself, and this is particularly important during periods when you are exposed to loud sound and noise. Especially at festivals, in addition to the powerful sound at the concerts, there is also plenty of sound and noise in camp areas and other places - but there are often situations where you can adjust the volume yourself. Use them!
At concerts, your hearing is exposed to strong sound pressure over one to several hours, so consider whether you and your friends can turn down the volume a little on your equipment in the camp and when you listen to music on your headphones. Your ears need rest between the strains they get at the concerts in order to recover. And even if you only decrease the volume a little, it means that your ears can tolerate listening to the music for a longer time.
See more good advice, campaign videos and much more here - Lyd på livet
The effort is a collaboration between Høreforeningen and Oticon. It is part of the Lyd på livet project, which is supported by William Demant Fonden, GN Foundation, Den A.P. Møllerske Støttefond, as well as the Aage and Johanne Louis-Hansen Fond.
