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 they’re listening to music, streaming the game on a smartphone, or enjoying an audiobook. But headphones are the better choice when it comes to hearing health.

Earbuds allow sound to sneak in around the edges. A person’s 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 in far less environmental sound to compete with what you’re trying to listen to. And sound coming from headphones has to travel a short distance just to reach your ear canal, so the force of the sound has a chance to lessen 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 earplugs (also known as hunters’ earplugs) protect you against the sudden, dangerous impulse noise of gunfire, but they 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” coming up the basement steps yet again.

Sound hole cover to the rescue! This is a disc that nestles easily into the sound hole of most acoustic guitar models to dampen the sound. There are price options for every need — and it shouldn’t cost more than three to five dollars to keep Dad quietly shredding while also preserving 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 “The 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 ‘give’ sensation as a real snare drum, but it’s much, much quieter. Dad will know it feels and sounds right, but his hearing won’t pay the price.

A Book

What could be better for Dad’s ears than a physical copy of a book? If he’s an avid reader, you can’t go wrong with a book, 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.

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Contact us to learn more if you’re interested in hearing-protection options for Dad this year!