Dad’s Ears Will Thank You
This Father’s Day, give dad the gift that truly keeps on giving — recreation that’s easy on his ears! These gift ideas are sure to make him, and his ears, happy.
Headphones
Dads love their earbuds, whether listening to music, streaming the game on a smartphone, or enjoying an audiobook. But headphones are better for his hearing health.
Earbuds allow sound to sneak in around the edges. The natural reaction is to turn up the volume to beat back the extra sounds. That can be a recipe for hearing damage. Plus, earbuds send audio directly down the ear canal — any fluctuation in volume is delivered right to your eardrum!
Headphones, however, create a seal around your ears. This lets far less environmental sound in to compete with what you’re trying to listen to. And sound coming from headphones must travel a short distance just to reach your ear canal, so the force of the sound has a chance to dissipate a little.
Specialty Earplugs
These earplugs are more robust and specialized for certain kinds of activities. You can get good, dependable, inexpensive versions or go all out and spend hundreds of dollars, depending on Dad’s needs.
Shooting (or hunters’) earplugs protect you against the sudden, dangerous impulse noise of gunfire but allow you to hear the movements and voices of anyone nearby. And high-fidelity earplugs let you hear the tonal nuances of music while dampening the high volume — ideal for musicians and avid concertgoers.
Sound Hole Cover for Acoustic Guitar
Even if he’s great at guitar, that doesn’t mean you want to hear Dad’s acoustic arrangement of the metal hit “Crazy Train” yet again coming up the basement steps.
Sound hole cover to the rescue! This is a disc that nestles easily into the sound hole of most models of acoustic guitar to dampen the sound. There are price ranges for every need — and it shouldn’t cost more than three to five dollars to keep Dad quietly shredding while saving his hearing.
Drum Practice Pad
Maybe Dad went the even noisier route of taking up the drums. But don’t worry — your days of hearing him loudly practice the opening staccato raps of Paul Simon’s “Obvious Child” are numbered!
Enter the humble drum practice pad. Though not as inexpensive as an acoustic sound hole cover, it still won’t break the bank. When played, it simulates the same feeling of give as a real snare drum, but it’s much, much quieter. He’ll know it feels and sounds right, but his hearing won’t pay the price.
A Book
What could be better for his ears than a physical copy of a book? If he’s an avid reader, you can’t go wrong, whether he’s eagerly awaiting the next Patterson thriller or has once again spilled coffee all over his copy of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass.
Contact us to learn more if you’re interested in hearing-protection options for Dad this year!