The calendar marks March 3 as a must-attend event for our ears. Since 2007, the World Health Organization has designated March 3 as a day to promote hearing health and prevent hearing-related diseases.
According to the WHO, about 1.1 billion people between the ages of 12 and 35 are putting their hearing at risk due to excessive noise. Meanwhile, data from the multinational company GAES indicates that more than half of young people use headphones for up to three hours a day, and a significant number use them for more than five hours. Most concerning is that four out of ten users admit to turning the volume up above the recommended 60 decibels.
Given this situation, it is advisable to follow the 60/60 rule, which involves never exceeding 60% of the device’s power or using it for more than 60 consecutive minutes. Therefore, it is recommended to take frequent breaks and keep the volume moderate to prevent auditory fatigue. In fact, according to Teufel, a renowned European manufacturer of audio equipment with more than four decades of experience in the industry, it’s important to take care of your hearing so you can enjoy superior sound clarity in any situation—whether on a subway car or in your living room.
Sound Clarity vs. Raw Power
When engineering is put to work for our well-being, useful tools like noise cancellation emerge. High-fidelity audio allows you to distinguish every nuance without straining the system or turning the volume up to harmful levels.
For example, the Real Blue TWS 3 models—which, by the way, are now 45%off—and the NC 3 block out external noise, allowing the user to keep the volume at safe levels. They also come with a transparency mode so you don’t lose touch with your surroundings without having to take off your earbuds.
Moving on to other examples—but in this case for the home environment—we find systems like the Cinebar One or the Cinebar 22, both of which feature surround sound. It doesn’t seem necessary to turn the volume all the way up to hear what’s happening on screen when the system is properly calibrated.
Sandra Aguilar, head of Teufel in Spain, insists that musical quality and physical design must go hand in hand. The idea is for every note to sound exactly as it was intended in the studio. Even with more common speaker models like the Ultima 25 Active or the Theater 500 floorstanding speakers—which we had the opportunity to test extensively and, honestly, I was blown away by their quality—the use of internal processors helps the music retain its body and brilliance without straining the eardrums.
And that is why the 60/60 rule is recommended; ultimately, it comes down to understanding that the pleasure of listening does not depend on how much noise we make, but rather on the subtlety with which we perceive each sound vibration.
