The Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers Foundation (H.E.A.R.) gave the thumbs up at the NAMM music show for XtremeMac’s new FS1 earphones. H.E.A.R. is a non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention of hearing loss and tinnitus among musicians and music fans.
The FS1 was developed by professional earphone company Future Sonics and is being distributed by iPod peripheral-maker XtremeMac.
“While Future Sonics has always included H.E.A.R. in their product manuals and marketing, their new FS1 is the first consumer earphone to produce a really outstanding quality of sound at lower volumes,” said H.E.A.R. Founder/Director, Kathy Peck.
The problem of hearing loss due to high volume music is not new, but the issue resurfaced recently when legendary Who guitarist Pete Townsend spoke out on his Web site about his own hearing loss.
Townsend said it was not the Who’s loud live shows that caused his hearing loss, but rather the earphones used in the studios.