Turn down the volume!

What was that? If CES is anything, it’s loud. So it felt appropriate to meet with DB Logic, an audio company that makes headphones and earphones designed to preserve your hearing. Regular headphones and earphones can get as loud as 120 dB or so, which can be damaging over time, causing hearing loss. (Not to mention, that loud volume is a major annoyance to those around you.) DB Logic’s headphones top out at 85 dB, a safer volume, as recommended by the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and ASHA (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association), the latter of which has a campaign called “Listen to Your Buds,” that encourages kids to turn down the volume.

DB Logic showed off 4 products at CES: headphones, earphones and two accessories, an SPL Meter and the SPL2 Adapter. The SPL (Sound Pressure Level) Meter measures the decibel output of your earbuds and is geared toward hobbyists, while the adapter is a cable that connects to your existing earbuds and limits volume using DB Logic’s proprietary SPL2 technology. The cable has a small monitoring circuit that regulates the volume. I had a chance to give a listen to the headphones and earphones and came away impressed. The company also gave me a pair of earphones to test out; I will report back soon with the results.

The folks at DB Logic also worked with Ultimate Ears on their Loud Enough earphones, which use a similar, but less sophisticated technology. A small company called I Hear Safe also makes “safe” headphones and earphones, geared toward kids. The founder, Christine Ingemi, created them with her own children in mind. All of this is a step in the right direction; at ConsumerSearch,  we're happy to see fewer gimmicks and more practical features in consumer electronics.