The Ear Monitors

04/06/2023

Loud noise can cause hearing loss within seconds and is preventable with proper hearing protection. Custom-fitted hearing protection offers the greatest defense against damaging noise or loud music. 🗨️ or 📞 us today to learn more about our products!

03/04/2022

We celebrate WORLD HEARING DAY on March 3rd with this year’s theme being “To hear for life, listen with care!” We encourage safe listening practices to protect our hearing with these key messages from the WHO:
✅ It is possible to have good hearing throughout our lives through proper ear and hearing care
✅ Many common causes of hearing loss can be prevented, including hearing loss caused by exposure to loud sounds
✅ ‘Safe listening’ can mitigate the risk of hearing loss associated with recreational sound exposure

02/02/2022

Make sure to use wear ear protection when working outside or with loud equipment to help maintain hearing health! And be sure to talk to your audiologist about musicians' earplugs and in-the-ear monitors. 👂

07/20/2021

Musicians are more likely to develop hearing loss than people who live quieter lifestyles. Protect your most important instrument by having your hearing health monitored. Call us at 1-888-757-4327 to book your hearing exam today.

05/19/2020

Tinnitus (ringing ears) is much more common among musicians.

01/13/2018

"When I lost my hearing, I lost a passion. Until I received my hearing aids…"

As a child, I grew up in a house filled with music. Being born in the early 1960’s was the perfect time to experience the emerging styles of what would become much of the foundation for modern music.

09/24/2017

Audiologists use bone conduction as part of hearing assessments. I like the concept of these bone conduction headphones. They don't plug your ears so you can still communicate and be aware of your environment. Plus the volume has limitations compared to sound which passes through air like standard headphones. Check it out:

07/21/2017

Some Canadian research worth a quick read:

Can singing help you hear conversations in noisy places better? A new study suggests it can. Learn how music training can benefit your hearing and your social life.

07/07/2017

Broadband Isolation Study Proves
Sensaphonics Silicone Superiority

Sensaphonics users are well aware of the superb isolation, seal, and comfort that our proprietary soft silicone earpieces provide. But how much true broadband isolation are you getting? Isolation varies with frequency, materials, and fit, so the single-number isolation number shown in specifications can be misleading. So we contracted an independent psychoacoustics laboratory to perform a scientific study of exactly how well our earpieces isolate across all key frequencies.

The isolation study was conducted by Michael & Associates of State College, PA. All study participants wore custom-fit Sensaphonics earpieces for three separate live listening tests, with the lab measuring isolation from ambient noise across 9 key frequencies from 125 Hz to 8 kHz. Notable results include group attenuation figures as high as 45.5 dB at 8 kHz. Critically, the study also documented a minimum isolation of 29.6 dB in the difficult-to-block low frequencies. All tests were performed in accordance with American National Standards Institute specifications (ANSI S3.19-1974).

The full results are summarized in this chart:

broadband isolation study

By publishing these independent test lab results, Sensaphonics is raising the bar for transparency and truth in isolation specifications for IEMs.

“Isolation is the key to being able to monitor clearly at safer levels with IEMs. Without it, any promise of hearing health benefits is meaningless," notes Dr. Michael Santucci, Sensaphonics President. "Until now, no IEM company has documented the science behind their isolation specs. We're all about the science, and this independent study proves that our proprietary soft silicone formula produces the most isolating in-ear monitors on the market.”

Why broadband isolation is key

The reason isolation is so important is basic acoustics: By blocking outside sound, the noise floor is reduced, improving the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio, allowing the user to hear the IEM monitor mix more clearly at lower, safer listening levels. With our proprietary soft silicone formula that flexes with the ear canal to maintain a full seal (and thus, full bass response), Sensaphonics IEMs create a quieter listening environment that allows the accuracy of the audio to shine. The hollow plastic used in most earpieces just doesn't measure up.

Details within the Michael & Associates study were revealing, with an overall average was 34 dB of attenuation across the 9 test frequencies. Frequencies above 1,000 Hz averaged an outstanding 41.8 dB of isolation, from 37.3 at 2 kHz to 45.5 dB at 8 kHz. As expected, low frequencies were the most difficult to block, yet still achieved an average of 31.6 dB of isolation across the range. The study's accuracy is validated by the small variance across all measurements, with standard deviations ranging from just 3.2 to 4.6 dB. This indicates excellent consistency despite the inevitable variation in individual subjects’ fit and insertion technique.

“We used to work in hard acrylic back in the mid-90s, but as an audiologist, I knew that soft silicone would make a better product,” notes Dr. Santucci. “This independent scientific study proves it. Acrylic may be cheaper and easier to manufacture, but it just doesn’t provide the isolation, comfort, and seal of our proprietary silicone formula. That’s why you never see hard materials used in earplugs.”

A focus on health-conscious design and innovation is Sensaphonics’ signature contribution to music industry. By applying our deep knowledge of hearing loss prevention techniques and consulting with touring musicians and sound engineers, our products address their monitoring needs without the hearing health risks inherent in massive multi-driver designs.

“We have always known that our soft silicone formula was the most isolating, but that fact has gotten lost in a sea of undocumented claims," notes Santucci. "This independent scientific study provides the first truly transparent explanation of how well our soft silicone IEMs isolate across all frequencies, and how that translates into an in-ear experience that no other company can match.”

03/25/2017

No matter what type of music, exposure to loud noises will cause hearing damage all the same. Make sure to keep the volume at a comfortable level.

03/13/2017

A great perspective on how getting to the root of the cause of tinnitus is so crucial.

My hearing aids helped my tinnitus by increasing sound from the real world, allowing my brain to no longer have to generate sound from within.

03/07/2017

This musician shares his story of how regaining better hearing has allowed him to make his music even sweeter by hitting all of the rights notes.