Sound Advice for All. (Off Topic)

by GC, Sunday, March 13, 2005, 04:57 (6976 days ago)

Hi Everybody,

I reread the post I just posted in response to JBryan's inquiry, and it occurred to me that some might wonder if I've been critically listening for forty years how can I still hear high frequency details such as details of the sound of the rivets in cymbals. Therein lies the advice I wish to give to others, especially young audiophiles.

In 1962 when I was twelve years old I saved up money from my paper route and bought the first firearm I owned alone. It was a fine 20 gague shotgun. The sound of its report bothered me terribly. My father told me to push the bullet end of a couple of live .22 rifle cartridges into my ears. This helped a great deal. By the mid sixties good quality compressible foam ear plug and ear muff noise suppressors were commonly available to me. Ever since then I have used them on a daily or near daily basis.

I always wore ear plugs or muffs (or both) not only when shooting large bore firearms, but also anytime I attended a rock concert or visited a noisy night club or mowed grass or or ran an electric drill (much less a table saw) or rode in a convertible or even used a blender to make frozen daquiris at a party, etc. etc. I still do.

Yes, you have to be rather obsessive to begin and continue for life a habit such as this. Yes, people will sometimes make fun of you, but if you would like to end up being a fifty-five year old who can still hear fine detail of recordings of rivets in cymbals this is not a good way, it might be the only way.

Sincerely,
Don Reid

Tags:
0