January 4, 2006 16:49

The Who’s guitarist warns against hearing damage

Pete Townshend blames headphones for threat to hearing

The Who’s guitarist Pete Townshend has warned against hearing damage caused by listening to music through earphones.

The 60-year-old legend, who has suffered with hearing problem throughout his career, made the claim on his [url=www.petetownshend.co.uk]official website[/url.

He said: “It may only be studio earphones that cause bad damage. The downside may be that on our computers - for privacy, for respect to family and co-workers, and for convenience - we use earphones at almost every stage of interaction with sound.”

Townshend discovered he had hearing problems in the 1970s.

“My ears are ringing, loudly. My own particular kind of damage was caused by using earphones in the recording studio, not playing loud on stage,” he added. “Hearing loss is a terrible thing because it cannot be repaired.”