EU Seeks to Regulate MP3 Volume iPods & MP3 Players Should Have Volume Limit Says European Commission

Audioholics beware. The days of blasting your iPods and your Zunes at
ear piercing volumes may just be over. ย Why you may ask? Well that s
what the Powers of Be at the European Commission have decided. The
European Commission has issued new volume standards that ensure that the
MP3 touting generation don t end up losing their hearing while grooving
to their favourite tunes. This means that now companies that manufacture
music players ย like Apple, Sony and Creative have to make small
technical changes to their devices that will ensures they don t exceed
the programmed safe volume.

However this new standard will not be adopted immediately as the
European Commission is required to follow a 24-month consultation
procedure with scientists, the music industry and of course the all
important consumer.

So what made the European Commission take such a step? Well according to
the findings of an EU scientific body, around 5 to 10 percent of MP3
users risk permanent hearing loss if they listen to their devices at
high volumes for more than 1 hour per day, each week over a period of 5
years.

Says European Union Consumer Affairs Commissioner Meglena Kuneva:

�The evidence is that particularly young people, who are listening to
music at high volumes sometimes for hours each week, have no idea they
can be putting their hearing at risk �.

While there is one school of thought that believes that the EC has no
right to regulate the public s music habits, ย I personally think this
is a good step. Especially since now MP3 players are not just restricted
to adults, as every kid on the block has a personal music player and
they may not know better.