Audiologist Says Earbud Hearing Tests Are a Gateway, Not a Replacement for Care

Artsma described the mechanism in physical terms. The inner ear contains small hair cells that stand upright, she said, and when sound arrives at high volume, for a long duration, or both, those cells lie flat. Once damaged in that way, they do not stand back up. She said people who attend a concert or are exposed to loud noise may later notice muffled hearing or ringing in their ears, and that this often reverses, functioning as a warning sign that they have been listening to a lot of noise. In some cases, she said, the damage is permanent. Ringing, muffled hearing, dizziness and a buzzing sound are all signals that a person should have their hearing checked, she added.

Asked about consumer earbuds that include listening tests and hearing profiles, Artsma welcomed the development with a qualification. Several flagship products now offer such tests, including Apple's AirPods Pro 2 and 3 and its Hearing Health feature set, Samsung's Galaxy Buds3 Pro and Galaxy Buds4 Pro, and Nothing's Ear (3) and CMF Buds 2 Plus. Artsma said the features are similar in concept to over-the-counter hearing aids and can be a good thing because they raise awareness and draw more people into the hearing space. She described them as a tool and a gateway that helps get people in the door, but said they are not a replacement for care or for professional hearing care, and that a full diagnostic evaluation is needed to establish where a person's hearing stands.

Artsma also stressed the importance of wearing hearing aids during all waking hours, not only in situations such as restaurants, saying this matters for the brain. TechRadar noted in the same piece that few consumer earbuds last a full 12 hours without charging, and that battery-draining features such as personal hearing profiles reduce that time further.

The interview also took up active noise cancellation, which the article framed as an open question over whether the technology helps or hinders hearing protection. TechRadar said the conversation had been prompted in part by the writer's own work testing headphones, speakers, DACs and turntables, and by a friend who spent more than £4,800, roughly $6,390 or AU$9,189, on top-of-the-range Amplifon hearing aids. The friend's hearing loss was classed as severe in the left ear and moderate-to-severe in the right.