Effects of listening to music with headphones on hearing--especially under noisy conditions.

The purpose of this experiment was to clarify the effects of exposure to music using headphones under noisy conditions on hearing. The most comfortable loudness (MCL) for three kinds of music (Rock, Popular, Japanese songs) decided by two normal hearing subjects was measured under 6 noisy conditions (Train, Subway, Tram, Bus, Underground, Street) in a soundproof room. In the same manner, the MCL of favorite tunes of five subjects were measured. Temporary threshold shift 2 min after exposure (TTS2) to music for 30 min at the highest MCL was obtained. Furthermore, the characteristics such as spectral structures in one-third octave band or level fluctuations (coefficient of variation) were obtained for noise and music and compared. Statistical analysis revealed that MCL in Street was significantly higher than under other conditions and there was no significant differences in MCL among the various types of music. However, the highest MCL was found for Rock. About 20 dB of TTS was observed in one ear and the hazardous of headphones use in noisy conditions was suggested.