Billiards and hearing loss

D

dearnold

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Do you think it is possible that playing in pool halls for a long time (or just playing pool in general) can lead to hearing loss because of the noise? Has anyone ever recorded the decibel level of pool balls colliding. Break shots? I have slight tinnitus and have noticed that loud shots can really set my ears off ringing.
 
dearnold said:
Do you think it is possible that playing in pool halls for a long time (or just playing pool in general) can lead to hearing loss because of the noise? Has anyone ever recorded the decibel level of pool balls colliding. Break shots? I have slight tinnitus and have noticed that loud shots can really set my ears off ringing.
Click to expand...

How about some type of protection for your ears or in ear monitors with music of your choice at low volume?
 
Kim Bye said:
How about some type of protection for your ears or in ear monitors with music of your choice at low volume?
Click to expand...

Yes, there are lots of effective protection options out there, I'm just curious if there is a pattern of hearing issues that others have experienced with the frequent, loud percussive sounds of the balls.

By the way, the irony is that once you have tinnitus, the last thing you want is to drown out all the noise around you, because then the ringing really gets noticeable. If you lookup treatments for tinnitus, you'll see "make sure there is background noise present". . .like a pool hall!!
 
My ears can get disturbed by the break as well. Another reason to play straight pool ;)
 
I wear hearing aids. The balls banging gets amplified. Loud gets louder. And the damage goes on.
 
I'd say it's a better chance the loud music has affected your hearing, rather than the click of the balls.

All the best,
WW
 
download a db reading app for your smart phone and see how high it goes on a break shot. I'd be curious about the reading.
 
Any noise above a certain threshold will damage your hearing to some degree. The collision of pool balls is certainly above that threshold. Does that mean playing pool will make you deaf? No it does not, but it certainly will contribute to some degree of hearing loss. I think some might underestimate how loud the collision of pool balls can be because it happens very quickly.

I have high frequency hearing loss in both ears. I also have some tinnitus in both ears, more so my right ear. I use foam ear plugs cut in half when i shoot. It allows enough ambient noise to come through but keeps my ears from ringing. If i even just sit in the pool hall while others shoot, without ear plugs, my ears will for for days. With ear plugs there is no noticeable difference in the tinnitus, which i don't really ever notice that much any more.
 
When I was practicing my break shots years ago on an 8 footer with a big cueball, a guy came over from a booth and asked me to not break so hard as it hurt his wife's ears.

I didn't know whether to be happy for my good breaking or concerned for her health, but I did quit.

I wish I had that break shot nowadays.


Jeff Livingston
 
Think about when you watch a match on YouTube. The balls don't sound the same as they do in person. That is because the collision is loud enough to clip the mic, not all of the sound energy makes it onto the recording. That is the reason why the break shot does not sound that much louder than any other shot, once the sound source passes the sensitivity of the mic it isn't picked up. A person standing at the table yelling as loud as they can may not clip the mics as much as the balls do.
 
Poppycock.

PERHAPS the dB level at the balls or inches away is within damage threshold, but feet away, in a large room?no way.

IMO, it is analogous to shooting a bullet into a pond. It sure as hell hits the water hard, but the impact force dissipates very quickly, as it travels from center.

I shall assume we aren't discussing a person placing his ear within inches of the rack.

erhino41 said:
Think about when you watch a match on YouTube. The balls don't sound the same as they do in person. That is because the collision is loud enough to clip the mic, not all of the sound energy makes it onto the recording. That is the reason why the break shot does not sound that much louder than any other shot, once the sound source passes the sensitivity of the mic it isn't picked up. A person standing at the table yelling as loud as they can may not clip the mics as much as the balls do.
Click to expand...
 
My ears ring when I read this thread. Part of having tinnitus is learning to ignore it. When someone mentions it, I notice the ringing.
 
Last edited:
chefjeff said:
Obviously, it's not poppycock for some, it's real.
It hurts, literally.
fwiw,
Jeff Livingston
Click to expand...

The topic: can the sound generated by pool balls' normal use...That is poppycock.

I am not sure what you are talking about. Do you have evidence that even suggests hearing loss can result from pool balls colliding? I dont think you do.

Coz it is coppypock.
 
I brought this up last year.

forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=433685&highlight=hearing+loss

I believe in certain situations it most definitely has an effect.
 
strmanglr scott said:
I brought this up last year.

forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=433685&highlight=hearing+loss

I believe in certain situations it most definitely has an effect.
Click to expand...

Yeah...in certain situations, perhaps. Like when the loss can be attributed to something else:rolleyes:

erhino41 said:
Hearing loss is cumulative, it is not only from exposure to dangerously loud things. I have some hearing loss both ears from normal exposure and a little more hearing loss in my right ear from dangerously loud things, m-16s and being a musician to name a few. I have to wear foam ear plugs when I play or my ears ring for days. Those pool balls are loud even during normal shooting. the pool balls themselves, in a pool hall type atmosphere, are probably not enough to wreak havoc on your hearing, providing that you are careful in other areas of your life. however when you get in an enclosed space, more of that sound energy is travelling through your cochlea and the potential for damage certainly is greater.

I would do as another poster said and put up things to absorb the sound reflections, much the same as in a recording studio. search online you can buy some dirt cheap foam panels and cover them with fabric or paint to match the walls.

You should also think about some form of hearing protection. I buy the 25 cent 3m foam ear pugs and cut them in half. I don't insert them all the way into the ear canal. I just push them in so they seal off the larger opening in the ear and seal the canal. This works great for playing pool. Blocks most of the ball noise but allows you to hear ambient noise well enough and allows to converse as you normally would.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top