Now Hear This!

I wanted to take time out from the Holiday Gift Guide just to highlight this one product because I think it's really beneficial, especially to parents of teens.

If you've been watching the news lately, you know that there is a disturbing connection between kids listening to loud music for as little as an hour a day and permanent hearing loss.

This is an issue that especially concerns me, as my teen listens to his iPod non-stop before and after school. He uses his earphones, so I can't tell how loud the music is most of the time, and I am always worried that he is listening at too loud a volume, while he feels there's no point listening to his music at all if it isn't "loud enough to hear."

So, I could be the Dragon Lady and tell him well, then, don't listen to your music at all!--but he loves it, and I don't want to do that. So I was pleased to hear that a company has responded to the concerns I have with a product that's not only high-quality, but good for my son's hearing, Audéo Perfect Fit Earphones.

Audéo Perfect Fit Earphones are available from Phonak, the largest hearing device and hearing aid company in the world, and they recently received high marks from a reviewer from Scholastic, too, for the product’s quality and sound safety levels for children.

The earphones have a custom fit, so they're comfortable. And they really do provide excellent sound quality--I was fortunate to be able to test a set out myself to discern this. But what's most important to me, and probably to you if your kids listen to loud music, too, is that kids can use them without sacrificing the health of their ears.

I'm going to quote the makers themselves here, because I want to get the technology behind the earphones, which makes them better for kids' hearing, down right:

The earphones provide ambient noise attenuation, allowing users to listen to lower volumes and hear the intricacies of their favorite sounds, without subjecting their ears to loud, damage-causing sound levels – and without letting the outside sound environment interfere with their favorite music.

So, if you are looking for another product for your Music Lovers at home, and want the added benefit of one that is also good for their hearing, I highly recommend these new Audéo Perfect Fit earphones, which are available exclusively on pfe.audeoworld.com.