Do you use hearing protection while commuting / taking transit? If so, how?

[ENEN]

I'm a young man in my mid-twenties who loves music so much. No matter how busy I am, I always make time to listen to music. IMO my hearing is pretty good, but I have some hearing sensitivity and have had high-frequency tinnitus since childhood (around 16000 Hz, which is very torturous, but I've gotten used to it). It's hard to imagine how I could continue this hobby if I get more hearing loss. Last month, due to an accident, I lost hearing above 14 kHz in my left ear. Clinically, it might not be serious, but it's very difficult for me to accept because I can no longer use masking therapy to cover up the tinnitus in my left ear. Since then, I've become extremely careful about hearing protection, especially in my daily life where I have frequent long commutes. I even sold my modified Skyline R34 imported from Japan (it was super noisy, the idle noise reached 80-85 dB(Z), averaging over 95 dB(Z) at 3000 RPM, and even exceeding 120 dB(Z)+ during backfire. It wasn't very friendly to others as well and it was only suitable for track driving).

Recently I did a simple test (Some photos weren't taken on the same day as the screenshots):

The average noise level of non-articulated buses in Greater Vancouver area where I live is about 86.9 dB(Z), with a peak of up to 104.8 dB, especially loud when the doors open.

The SkyTrain (Expo Line, Model: Mark III) averages about 83.3 dB(Z), with a peak of up to 111.8 dB, and the noise is particularly noticeable when cornering.

For reference, according to my Apple Watch records, the average sound level on the Shanghai Metro (Airport Link Line, Model: CRRC CCD2031) in my hometown is about 73 dB(A). While this is within a relatively safe range, it's still quite noisy to me.

Prolonged exposure to such an environment will inevitably affect hearing to some extent. I'm curious how everyone protects their hearing? Or do you think I worried too much about this?

For further reference: I previously used the Sony WF1000XM4 ANC headphones during commuting, only as earplugs, without noise cancellation, not playing music. However, I found that for aesthetic and convenience reasons, it's nice, but for sound isolation and hearing protection it wasn't perfect, even using the noise cancellation mode couldn't completely mask high-frequency harsh noises. Recently I've switched to Mack's 33dB NRR earplugs, which are quite effective, but I can't hear station announcements and surrounding very clearly (for my regular fixed route commute, it might not be a big issue).

 

[Chrispy]

Interesting question. Never a worry when I worked, and when I used BART somewhat (mostly just drove my own car) it wasn't as horrible when I worked as when I rode in in more recent years in retirement (so much louder now....I'd consider earplugs/headphones for sure). Many years now I'm trying to be nicer to my ears in general, wasn't really aware of much of the dangers in my youth

 

[Devnull]

I would never wear hearing protection or listen to music on public transportation. It takes away from situational awareness. You're locked in a metal box with limited egress points, every second counts should something go wrong.

 

[GD Fan]

I agree re situational awareness and depriving yourself of one of your senses.

But having recently become an occasional subway commuter for the first time it is sorely tempting to so deprive myself just to drown out the strenuous efforts so many put forth to set new records for public obnoxiousness.

 

[Tell]

Of course limiting the noise levels from being out in public among cars, busses etc is very, both for your ears and your mind. Being in loud environments (and not only cars etc, but just people) can be _very_ tiring! And that in itself is also bad for those very few moments when something might ho wrong.
So tbh I find it a bit strange to say to someone to not use noise reduction while commuting, you still have eyes so use them. I've done it the last 20 years and my sanity has thanked me for it.

But I got to ask, are those measured noise levels in or outside the bus/train? Because over 100dB from a bus sounds quite extreme, but then that bus looks very old. Where I live we have electric busses which is nice and quite, but of course I still have my music in my ears to block out everything.

 

[Trdat]

I totally get you mate.

I have a lot of pain in my ears not sure what from probably some minor form of Eustachian tube disorder. I have had sinus hematoma in the past. Can't go to any concerts and even though I have hectic sound system I have to listen at low volumes.
I use a metro to get to work, an old Soviet Metro I haven't measured but something near 100DB. What do I do? Well, I try and find a seat and just cover my ears.

Always protect my ears when DIY'ing. Other times I'm limited in what can be done so I generally I just play it by ear, pardon the pun.

 

[respice finem]

I would never wear hearing protection or listen to music on public transportation. It takes away from situational awareness. You're locked in a metal box with limited egress points, every second counts should something go wrong.

This, and sadly, more often than not it doesn't hurt to be ready to defend oneself... The worst situation would be public transit as a workplace, esp. when trains are involved. If I were in this situation, I would probably have to wear basic protection, like simple low-tech earplugs, which would just partly filter the elevated background noise. The good thing about them: they don't filter too much, and never run out of power.

https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0FNQV14YS/ref=sspa_dk_detail_3?aref=78KeiHRmyI

 

[somebodyelse]

I'd second the use of musicians' earplugs as having less effect on situational awareness (hearing announcements etc.) than the basic ones.

 

[respice finem]

I'd second the use of musicians' earplugs as having less effect on situational awareness (hearing announcements etc.) than the basic ones.

I only know the basic ones like some shooters use, but they have the same requirement (must have a tunnel to allow commands to be heard, at the same time allowing for some ventilation). The "luxury class" are the thick active over-ear Peltors, but to wear them all day, plus glasses, would be masochism...

 

[ENEN]

But I got to ask, are those measured noise levels in or outside the bus/train? Because over 100dB from a bus sounds quite extreme, but then that bus looks very old. Where I live we have electric busses which is nice and quite, but of course I still have my music in my ears to block out everything.

The test was conducted inside the bus / train, and during the measurement, I placed my phone on a soft jacket to minimize friction between the mic and my hand

I use a metro to get to work, an old Soviet Metro I haven't measured but something near 100DB. What do I do? Well, I try and find a seat and just cover my ears.

Just looking at the text makes my ears hurt a little

If I were in this situation, I would probably have to wear basic protection, like simple low-tech earplugs, which would just partly filter the elevated background noise.

I'd second the use of musicians' earplugs as having less effect on situational awareness (hearing announcements etc.) than the basic ones.

Great suggestion! I actually have a Sennheiser SoundProtex Plus set (Musicians' Earplugs), tried the Full Blocker. I don't know if it's a fit issue or what, but it felt like I wasn't wearing anything at all (maybe it's due to the flat sound signature, but the sound level difference wasn't significant)

 

[respice finem]

A fit issue IMHO. But "fully sealing" protectors are probably only for the ones who can't sleep at night and such...

 

[Pareto Pragmatic]

I would never wear hearing protection or listen to music on public transportation. It takes away from situational awareness.

Deaf people manage. Hearing people manage driving cars where danger can be seen way before it is heard.

That said, I would not wear anything either. My ears have saved me too many times on the road when bicycling.


Something that would chop 20dB off ambient would give you enough protection to stay out of the damage zone, but leave enough hearing to pick up environmental cues. OSHA says 80dB for 8 hours or 1 hour at 90dB requires hearing protection for workers (IIRC). So -20dB given the measures in the OP makes sense as a target. What product would do that? Dunno, but the there seem to be many with a noise reduction rating of 20-30dB. So check for the NRR.

 

[sigbergaudio]

Noise cancelling, overear headphones would be a natural choice? Even when they're not active they will dampen some of the higher frequencies.

With regards to your measurements, a lot of the energy is likely relatively low frequency content and not damaging for limited periods. But not necessarily comfortable to listen to, so may still be a good idea to dampen it.

 

[EJ3]

Of course limiting the noise levels from being out in public among cars, busses etc is very, both for your ears and your mind. Being in loud environments (and not only cars etc, but just people) can be _very_ tiring! And that in itself is also bad for those very few moments when something might ho wrong.
So tbh I find it a bit strange to say to someone to not use noise reduction while commuting, you still have eyes so use them. I've done it the last 20 years and my sanity has thanked me for it.

But I got to ask, are those measured noise levels in or outside the bus/train? Because over 100dB from a bus sounds quite extreme, but then that bus looks very old. Where I live we have electric busses which is nice and quite, but of course I still have my music in my ears to block out everything.

That level: is that due to noisy people inside a tin can?

 

[AnalogSteph]

I would never wear hearing protection or listen to music on public transportation. It takes away from situational awareness. You're locked in a metal box with limited egress points, every second counts should something go wrong.

Point taken, but first of all public transport does tend to be quite safe at least where I live (there is the occasional accident involving a bus or tram but it's but no means frequent; the biggest incident I was personally involved in was when my bus got overtaken by one of its own wheels just after tire changing season, I guess someone forgot to torque a few bolts...), plus nobody was asking for infinite isolation or aiming to listen at deafening volumes (which would defeat the entire goal of trying to protect your hearing in the first place).

When your mode of transportation doubles as a schoolbus, personal audio will be high on your list of priorities in no time. That brought me to my first set of IEMs back in 2006-ish, Etymotic ER-6... they sounded like a$$ but the isolation was a godsend. When my Shure SE420s called it quits years later while I was unemployed and broke, I switched to boring old dynamic driver in-ears... isolation not as good but better sound and substantially cheaper (I've been making my own tips, too). Those have generally gotten the job done since.

Something that would chop 20dB off ambient would give you enough protection to stay out of the damage zone, but leave enough hearing to pick up environmental cues. OSHA says 80dB for 8 hours or 1 hour at 90dB requires hearing protection for workers (IIRC). So -20dB given the measures in the OP makes sense as a target. What product would do that? Dunno, but the there seem to be many with a noise reduction rating of 20-30dB. So check for the NRR.

Etymotic ER-20s carry their rating right in their name, and I've been using a set of those for concerts for years now. Mind you, my ears have never been a great fit for triflanges, and they often seem to unearth a disconcerting amount of earwax, so I don't think I would want to wear them on a daily basis.

Side note - OP reminded me of NotJustBikes' videos on why public transport in North America tends to suck. Good channel. Mind you, I do have my gripes about noise levels on public transport over here as well, although on buses it's generally fine as long as you don't sit too far in the back and subways and trams tend to be OK as well... it's mostly diesel railcars that have a habit of getting annoyingly loud. Looks like the Class 611 (note: English-language article outdated) has finally been retired, good riddance... the passenger cabin always had bone-rattling levels of engine noise. 612s are decently quiet at the ends at least. One of the more important train lines in the area is of the non-electrified single rail variety still while simultaneously being very busy. The problem has been recognized as such but changes obviously are not coming overnight.

 

[CT Man]

I'm a young man in my mid-twenties who loves music so much. No matter how busy I am, I always make time to listen to music. IMO my hearing is pretty good, but I have some hearing sensitivity and have had high-frequency tinnitus since childhood (around 16000 Hz, which is very torturous, but I've gotten used to it). It's hard to imagine how I could continue this hobby if I get more hearing loss. Last month, due to an accident, I lost hearing above 14 kHz in my left ear. Clinically, it might not be serious, but it's very difficult for me to accept because I can no longer use masking therapy to cover up the tinnitus in my left ear. Since then, I've become extremely careful about hearing protection, especially in my daily life where I have frequent long commutes. I even sold my modified Skyline R34 imported from Japan (it was super noisy, the idle noise reached 80-85 dB(Z), averaging over 95 dB(Z) at 3000 RPM, and even exceeding 120 dB(Z)+ during backfire. It wasn't very friendly to others as well and it was only suitable for track driving).

Recently I did a simple test (Some photos weren't taken on the same day as the screenshots):

The average noise level of non-articulated buses in Greater Vancouver area where I live is about 86.9 dB(Z), with a peak of up to 104.8 dB, especially loud when the doors open.
View attachment 491566View attachment 491567

The SkyTrain (Expo Line, Model: Mark III) averages about 83.3 dB(Z), with a peak of up to 111.8 dB, and the noise is particularly noticeable when cornering.
View attachment 491568View attachment 491569

For reference, according to my Apple Watch records, the average sound level on the Shanghai Metro (Airport Link Line, Model: CRRC CCD2031) in my hometown is about 73 dB(A). While this is within a relatively safe range, it's still quite noisy to me.
View attachment 491570View attachment 491571View attachment 491572

Prolonged exposure to such an environment will inevitably affect hearing to some extent. I'm curious how everyone protects their hearing? Or do you think I worried too much about this?

For further reference: I previously used the Sony WF1000XM4 ANC headphones during commuting, only as earplugs, without noise cancellation, not playing music. However, I found that for aesthetic and convenience reasons, it's nice, but for sound isolation and hearing protection it wasn't perfect, even using the noise cancellation mode couldn't completely mask high-frequency harsh noises. Recently I've switched to Mack's 33dB NRR earplugs, which are quite effective, but I can't hear station announcements and surrounding very clearly (for my regular fixed route commute, it might not be a big issue).

I frequently ride around 2 hours on commuter rail. I listen to podcasts, news and music with my Etymotic earphones using their barrel-shaped memory foam tips. The noise isolation is excellent, which protects hearing not only from ambient noise but also by making much lower audio volume settings usable. I find the Etymotic tips provide significantly better isolation than others, but something like Comply tips probably are sufficient.

I also always carry Etymotic ER20XS earplugs for when I'm in very noisy environments. In subway stations I usually just use fingers to block my ears when trains arrive or pass by. I use Microsonic custom molded ear plugs with 15 db filters for live music, but Etymotic ER20XS earplugs work pretty well for that too without excessively muffling the music if you don't want the expense of custom molds.

Protecting your hearing when young is very important if concentrated music listening is a high priority. There are so many choices available now. Wish I knew enough to protect my hearing when I was young.

 

[babayaga]

Protect it now! I'm pushing 70 and worked in fossil/nuclear power plants when i was young. Never wore hearing protection until it was required. Now I have tinnitus. I use ear plugs whenever I mow the grass, snowblower, or any kind of power tool. Just my 2 cents.......

 

[CT Man]

I frequently ride around 2 hours on commuter rail. I listen to podcasts, news and music with my Etymotic earphones using their barrel-shaped memory foam tips. The noise isolation is excellent, which protects hearing not only from ambient noise but also by making much lower audio volume settings usable. I find the Etymotic tips provide significantly better isolation than others, but something l e Comply tips probably are sufficient.

I also always carry Etymotic ER20XS earplugs for when I'm in very noisy environments. In subway stations I usually just use fingers to block my ears when trains arrive or pass by. I use Microsonic custom molded ear plugs with 15 db filters for live music, but Etymotic ER20XS earplugs work pretty well for that too without excessively muffling the music if you don't want the expense of custom molds.

Protecting your hearing when young is very important if concentrated music listening is a high priority. There are so many choices available now. Wish I knew enough to protect my hearing when I was young.

Also, forgot to mention that I have good situational awareness with Etymotic ER20XS earplugs. I have no problem with speech intelligibility in noisy restaurants, subway trains, city streets, etc. They work well for live music, too. There are many brand choices available for "musician ear plugs" that are probably equivalent.

 

[donjoe0]

But I got to ask, are those measured noise levels in or outside the bus/train? Because over 100dB from a bus sounds quite extreme

Yeah, those all look uncalibrated at first glance. But I will say I've also measured those kinds of values touching 90-94 on some new trams, while running on a certain section of track that makes the tram vibrate like crazy, and at those levels I could barely talk to other passengers at normal distances, like we were in a nightclub with dance music blasting. Wonder if that was the case here, as a sanity-check of the meter calibration.

I would probably have to wear basic protection, like simple low-tech earplugs, which would just partly filter the elevated background noise.

Last month when I decided I'd had enough of surprise noises in public spaces (ambulances passing by me, psycho motor bikers, having to pass near construction sites, occasionally some plastic-trumpet-voiced mommy's treasure deciding to blow everyone's eardrums out, and yes, the odd un-maintained bus or tram sounding like an industrial platform on wheels) I went for weakly-isolating TWS that allow me to easily (de)activate a hear-through function so I can talk to people when needed, without constantly taking them out and putting them back in (rather deal with the earwax at home, not out in public).

My choice were the Sony Linkbuds S because they're tiny and comfortable for multi-hour use, have the hear-through function that can be controlled with a simple tap, also allow adjustment of hear-through amount from the app, but also they're an old enough model that can be had quite cheap these days (got them open-box and opted for 2 years extra warranty for a total of ~100 USD). Only thing is they're finicky about turning on/off - you have to take care to manually turn them off from the app when you're done using them for the day; if you just rely on the timed auto-off you could wake up the next day having one side completely drained, and lose the benefit of stereo hear-through until you recharge it.

 

[Philbo King]

This is why I live out in the country. City noise is very stressful without you even realizing it.