Consider This: An Entire Generation of Deaf People

By Ian S. Port Tue., Oct. 12 2010 at 9:18 AM

Categories: Tech, Video

They actually reproduce music the way it's meant to sound!

There are several fascinating, sound- and music-related issues discussed in sound designer Julian Treasure's recent TED talk: the reality that musicians' brains are bigger than non-musicians' brains, the cost of compressing music, the truly awesome perceptive capabilities of your ears, and the fact that your body is a chord.

But as someone who spends most of their days ensconced in headphones, what hit me hardest was what he had to say about those of us in the iPod generation. Or more specifically, about our ears. Treasure mentioned a study that found that 61 percent of American college freshmen have screwed up their ears by listening to music at too-loud volumes for long periods. And to cure this, he suggests not just turning it down -- though that helps -- but listening on something other than cheap white iPod headphones.

Not to get all mommy on your asses, but ear health isn't the only reason to drop some green on solid cans. The other reason: IT MAKES YOUR MUSIC SOUND BETTER.

Or perhaps not: Reader @PeteVonPetrin points us to this article indicating that maybe noise-related hearing loss isn't as bad as Treasure makes it, um, sound.