Companies/Organizations devoted to high quality hearing products and hearing conservation.
HearTomorrow.Com
The sister site to HearTomorrow.org. This site has been in existence for some time. This site is run by Andy Shiach, an audiologist in London, also specializes in hearing conservation for the music industry. Good information and links here.
www.heartomorrow.com
National Hearing Conservation Association
Made up of people from university hearing sciences, audiologists, government regulatory agencies, the military, NASA, manufacturers of testing equipment, hearing protection and communications systems, audio companies with connections to hearing protection, anyone interested in studying hearing loss and promoting hearing conservation.
www.hearingconservation.org
Sensaphonics Hearing Conservation
Audiology clinic and also developer and manufacturer of custom-molded, calibrated ear plugs and in-ear monitor systems for touring musicians.
NOTE: They have a links page providing a list of audiologists across the country, who can do ear impressions for calibrated ear plugs.
www.sensaphonics.com
Musician’ Clinics of Canada
Site developed by Drs. Marshall Chasin and John Chong specifically to help musicians develop healthy hearing practices as well as understand and cope with hearing loss. Both have done extensive research in both loss, prevention, and assessment of hearing aid systems. Many hearing aid manufacturers are listed as sponsors of the site.
www.musiciansclinics.com
Etymotic Research, Inc.
Specializing in musicians earplugs, both generic and inserts for custom-molded plugs. Etymotic also produces a generic in-ear phone, using the same drivers as those used by Sensaphonics.
www.etymotic.com
Ear Inc.
A resource for both industrial hearing protection systems, as well as individuals with hearing loss.
Includes a good hearing loss simulation.
www.earinc.com
Aearo Technologies
Manufacturers of many types of hearing protection systems; well known for their “EAR” yellow foam plugs. This site has lots of information on hearing loss and protection.
www.e-a-r.com
H.E.A.R.
California-based site dedicated to building awareness of hearing and hearing loss issues for musicians. Run almost solely by Cathy Peck, a former rock bass player who has suffered hearing loss from . . . wanna guess?
It’s a great site with a huge links page, to both hearing as well as general music and musicians’ resources.
http://www.hearnet.com/
Great Home Audio Outlets
One of my fondest memories growing up was my father’s “hi-fi” system. It was mono, sporting a Garrard turntable, Fisher amplifier, and Altec speaker and cabinet. I learned early on that it’s about fidelity, not volume. The stores noted all promote quality systems, focusing on allowing the customer to develop his or her own opinions of what constitutes a pleasant music listening experience. Music Direct aside, if you’re in Chicago, or visiting town, you’ll enjoy spending a couple hours at one of these audio haunts!
Pro Musica
One of Chicago’s finest high-fidelity stores. Also home of “True-Stereo” recordings. Proprietor Ken Christiansen specializes in the most basic and realistic 2-microphone recordings, direct to a high-quality analog recorder (Nagra 2S). Many of his recordings are available through the Naime record label.
http://www.promusicaaudio.com/
Audio Consultants
In business since the late 60’s, this might be the first and longest standing home audio store, dedicated to the highest quality audio components in any price range. The staff takes the greatest pleasure in knowing that a system absolutely fits all aspects of a customer’s needs. They have one of the most wonderful used departments I’ve ever come across . . . next to Saturday Audio Exchange.
http://audioconsultants.com
Saturday Audio Exchange
Originally a used-only outlet, Saturday Audio now sells new equipment as well. Limited hours and a devoted sales staff makes this a favorite of many audiophiles and audio lovers in the Chicago area.
http://www.saturdayaudio.com
Music Direct
One of the most wonderful outlets (mail order and web) for the most esoteric of audio systems and accessories. But one of their fortes is a wonderful selection of audiofile records; both analog and digital. Rumor has it that they are starting a record label to boot. Great catalogue!
http://www.musicdirect.com
University Sites for Images and the Latest Research
McGill University’s “Audilab”
Homepage for the university’s hearing physiology research center. Here is a combination of wonderful 3-D models of the ear, plus links to more web sites dedicated to research and hearing loss and prevention.
http://audilab.bmed.mcgill.ca/AudiLab/
University of Washington
Excellent tutorial pages on all systems from bony structures to the auditory nerve pathways. Includes interactive identification applet.
http://www9.biostr.washington.edu:80/cgi-
bin/DA/PageMaster?atlas:NeuroSyllabus+ffpathIndex/Syllabus^
Chapters/SUBJECTS/Auditory+2
University of Illinois, Champaign
Atlas of Histology
Click on “slides”, then “sense organs”. There you will find incredible electron-microscope photos of many structures, including hair cells, magnified 10,000 times.
http://www.med.uiuc.edu/histo/large/atlas/index.htm
University of Delaware
Gorgeous electron microscope shots of inner ear structures
http://www.udel.edu/biology/Wags/histopage/empage/ee/ee.htm
