Dear Steve: I've noticed that for a day or two after I attend loud concerts my ears "ring" or I hear weird buzzing sounds. From what I've read on the internet, I assume that's symptomatic of tinnitus. I really like loud music, I'm only 20, but I don't want to permanently damage my ears. What do you recommend?

Steve answers: Exposure to loud sounds, anything over, say, 100 dB for more than an hour can be hazardous to your health; revel in 110 dB for more than few minutes and you'll be sorry. I'll cut to the chase, if you occasionally experience ringing in your ears after exposure to loud music, take heed, that's nature's way of telling you to turn it down. If you continue, you will lose some portion of your hearing. And once it's gone, you'll never get it back. Pete Townshend of the Who knows all about the ravages of loud, "I have severe hearing damage. It's manifested itself as ringing in the ears at frequencies that I play guitar. It hurts, it's painful, and it's frustrating." The word is getting around, so the situation is improving. Even Metallica dons earplugs and the guys mixing the their sound aren't stupid enough to subject themselves to this noise without taking precautions. And so should you--or those subtitles on your TV will start to come in real handy.

I've worn ear plugs at concerts and on the subway over the last 25 years. So I can tell you that sticking almost anything in your eara is a sure-fire way to reduce the loudness to acceptable levels. The differences between different models of ear plugs have mostly to do with comfort, and how much they screw up the sound. You can pick up E.A.R. disposable foam plugs at your local drugstore, and I also recommend Howard Leight's Max Lites. Etymotic, manufacturer of my favorite in-ear headphones offer ER-20 High Fidelity Earplugs for $12. These plugs reduce noise, but preserve sound quality.


Dear Steve: I was all set to buy a SACD player, but now that I?m reading about the next generation Blue-ray and HD DVD players I'm confused again. I'm not all that interested in high definition video, I just want to be on board for the next high definition audio format.

Steve answers: I understand where you?re coming from, but we're at least three or four years away from audiophile Blue-ray and HD DVD players or software. As it stands, the new players aren't compatible with SACD, so go ahead and buy a high-end SACD player right now. That's what I did, an Ayre C-5xe stereo SACD/DVD-A player, and love it. Fred Kaplan favorably reviewed the new Krell SACD Standard multichannel player in the April/May 2006 issue of The Absolute Sound.

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Steve Guttenberg is a regular contributor to CNET.com, Home Theater, Robb Reports Home Entertainment, and Stereophile magazines.