Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • Volume Control

  • Hearing in a Deafening World
  • By: David Owen
  • Narrated by: Fred Sanders
  • Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Volume Control cover art

Volume Control

By: David Owen
Narrated by: Fred Sanders
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Memory Thief cover art
Doctor Dogs cover art
Relentless cover art
The Pleasure Shock cover art
Coming to Our Senses cover art
Buzz cover art
Balance cover art
Quicker cover art
Elderhood cover art
The Beauty of Dusk cover art
Buzz Kill cover art
The Hidden Habits of Genius cover art
About Us cover art
Tomorrowland cover art
The Universal Sense cover art
Brain Rules (Updated and Expanded) cover art

Summary

The surprising science of hearing and the remarkable technologies that can help us hear better

Our sense of hearing makes it easy to connect with the world and the people around us. The human system for processing sound is a biological marvel, an intricate assembly of delicate membranes, bones, receptor cells, and neurons. Yet many people take their ears for granted, abusing them with loud restaurants, rock concerts, and Q-tips. And then, eventually, most of us start to go deaf.

Millions of Americans suffer from hearing loss. Faced with the cost and stigma of hearing aids, the natural human tendency is to do nothing and hope for the best, usually while pretending that nothing is wrong. In Volume Control, David Owen argues this inaction comes with a huge social cost. He demystifies the science of hearing while encouraging listeners to get the treatment they need for hearing loss and protect the hearing they still have.

Hearing aids are rapidly improving and becoming more versatile. Inexpensive high-tech substitutes are increasingly available, making it possible for more of us to boost our weakening ears without bankrupting ourselves. Relatively soon, physicians may be able to reverse losses that have always been considered irreversible. Even the insistent buzz of tinnitus may soon yield to relatively simple treatments and techniques. With wit and clarity, Owen explores the incredible possibilities of technologically assisted hearing. And he proves that ears, whether they're working or not, are endlessly interesting.

©2019 David Owen (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Informative and entertaining.... In clear, appealing prose, Owen explains how loud sounds - machinery, live music, etc. - can leave people no longer noticing smoke alarms, sirens, gunshots, and backup signals...he makes earwax interesting... The book brims with useful advice.” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

“Timely and informative.... This well-researched and accessible introduction to the complicated subject of hearing loss is highly recommended for all science readers, not just those experiencing hearing impairments.” (Library Journal, starred review)  

“In Volume Control David Owen brings his superb skills as a reporter and storyteller to the increasingly urgent issue of hearing loss. The baby-boomers are aging—and so are their ears. Fortunately, and probably because of this demographic trend, both science and commerce are at last paying attention to this invisible but epidemic problem. Owen is an erudite and entertaining guide not only to the new technologies that make hearing aids better and more affordable, but to the myriad byways and curiosities he encounters in his research.” (Katherine Bouton, author of Smart Hearing and Shouting Won't Help)

More from the same

What listeners say about Volume Control

Average customer ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.