To hear the difference. The art of audio

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To hear the difference

The art of audio

The desire to always be with music is inherent in many, and, undoubtedly, first of all, young people. A sign of our times is the unsurprising army of player owners with small but powerful headphones. The purpose of this article is not to analyze the technical features of audio players or headphones.

We'll talk about... ears. Yes, yes, it is about the ears, the ears of the listener, because without them the process of communicating with the world of sounds and receiving true pleasure from the realm of music is impossible. Moreover, the conversation will be about caring for this delicate tool of nature. Unfortunately, the impact of very loud acoustic signals on the human ear, in addition to strong psychophysiological sensations, can also cause the so-called hearing loss (more precisely: a shift in the hearing threshold). Distinguish between irreversible hearing loss, for example, due to age, and temporary hearing loss, which disappears after the end of exposure to a sound signal immediately or after a while.

The number of users of portable cassette players with headphones (headphones) has been steadily growing in recent years, and mainly at the expense of young people. The increase in the number of music listeners using such devices is determined by objective reasons. First, we've seen significant improvements in the performance of players that often take advantage of digital recording methods, as well as improvements in the quality of headphones that often use anatomically shaped design elements such as earplugs. Secondly, modern music recordings are distinguished by a wide dynamic range, which makes it possible to provide high sound pressure levels at the output of devices with low signal distortion.

All these circumstances led to a significant increase in the time of use of modern equipment of this class compared to older models. Over the past decade, interesting sociological and medical studies have been carried out in a number of countries related to the influence of modern players on the hearing of young people when listening to music. It is noted that the level of sound pressure generated in the area immediately adjacent to the eardrum can vary for various models of portable equipment from 70 dB to 128 dB (scale A). Interestingly, in a survey of listeners of modern rock music, there was a tendency to increase the sound signal level necessary for comfortable listening to programs by 35-45 dB (approximately 100 times) compared to the level of normal speech perception.

Studies on a group of subjects showed that the majority had a temporary hearing loss of the order of 5-10 dB (2-3 times) at one or more frequencies after listening to players at their usual volume level. It should be noted that after 24 hours of rest, audiometric indicators returned to normal in all subjects. In another group, when listening to music for an hour with sound pressure levels from 90 dB to 106 dB, hearing loss at certain frequencies reached 30 dB! A survey of a large group of young people showed that certain age groups use portable cassette players for more than four hours a day at levels in the order of 94 dB and even up to 112 dB ...

Taking into account the fact that age-related changes in hearing in a person on average begin at the age of 30, the above data allow us to ask the question: is it worth artificially accelerating this process? And although today there is no unambiguous data indicating irreversible changes in hearing when listening to portable players through headphones, a reasonable approach to this problem is fully justified. Therefore, at present, many developers include systems in their portable cassette, compact and minidisc players that automatically limit the volume level (AVI-S, Ear Guard).

Do not neglect the opportunity to protect your hearing from sonic booms, do not turn off the automatic safety and do not force the volume of your favorite players! In one of the audio magazines, I saw a beautiful advertisement for a new amplifier. The catchy inscription read: "For those who hear the difference." So let's preserve this ability for as long as possible - to feel the difference and listen to music in all its diversity and richness.

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LCD TVs are ready to push the plasma 20.12.2004

Sharp Corporation announced the creation of an LCD TV with the world's largest screen. Its diagonal is 65 inches (1,64 m).

Apparently, the plasma panel market will have to face a new competitor. Sharp promises to sell a new model called Aquos at a price comparable to the cost of plasma panels. Sharp launched the world's first 14-inch LCD TV in 1988.

In 2000, the company launched a 28-inch LCD TV, a 30-inch device appeared in November 2001, and a 37-inch device in November 2002. The market for TVs with a diagonal of more than 40 inches was recently completely owned by manufacturers of plasma panels.

Sharp and Samsung Electronics were the first manufacturers to release LCD models larger than 40 inches. In August, Sharp announced a 45-inch LCD TV, and now a new 65-inch model is ready. Its screen size is 1428x804 mm, and the diagonal size is 1639 mm. The resolution of the new TV is 6,22 million dots (1920x1080).

In the race for the largest LCD screen, Sharp managed to break away from its longtime rival Samsung, which holds the current record - a model with a 57-inch screen. Simultaneously with the Aquos TV, the company intends to release another model in the near future - with a diagonal of 50 inches. The full production cycle of Aquos TVs - from the production of LCD panels to final assembly and adjustment - will be carried out at the plant in Japan.

Company director Takashi Okuda believes that the advent of large TVs will significantly change the perception of the possibility of using LCD displays. He did not give an exact price for the new TVs. Recall that the previous Sharp model with a diagonal of 45 inches was recommended for a little less than 1 million yen ($9017). Sales of Sharp LCD TVs have grown by 90% over the past six months.

The company estimates that the global market for color TV sales is estimated at 130 million a year, while LCD TVs account for only 7,5 million. Sharp believes that the share of LCD TVs will grow steadily.

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