How to stop headphones harming your hearing

By 2050, one in four Australians is projected to suffer some level of hearing loss during their lives.

Currently, that ratio is at one in six, and it seems our constant use of devices isn't helping.

"We know that personal listening devices are certainly capable of presenting levels that are loud, that can cause risk to damage to hearing, and given that these devices are becoming more and more portable, people are listening to them for longer," Audiology Australia head Dr Jessica Vitkovic told A Current Affair.

And crucially, many people are unaware that they could be listening through their headphones to dangerously intense levels of sound.

The World Health Organisation lists 80 decibels as a safe listening level.

But when A Current Affair went out with audio expert Professor David McAlpine to check how people on the street listened to their audio entertainment, many had their volumes at dangerously high levels.

"It's not the loudness we're worried about, it's the intensity of level of the sound," Prof McAlpine said.

"Listen at only 80 per cent of the volume on your headset (and) listen for only a couple of hours."

Most modern smart phones do have warnings to alert users when the volume is too high.

Finder.com.au tech expert Angus Kidman said on a Samsung, if the volume rises to unsafe levels, a warning will pop up requiring the user to tap to increase it further.

On the iPhone, the volume graphic turns first yellow, then read, with a notice saying "high volume".

Experts also recommend people invest in a good set of earphones.

The top-rated headphones are the Sony WH-1000xm3 for just under $500, the Bose Quiet Comfort 35 Series 2 at $395, and the Beats Studio3 wireless at $369.

Cheaper options include the Plantronics Blackbeat Go 410 for $199 and a pair from TaoTronics for $46.