Humans hear via highly specialized cells in the ear called hair cells. When sound enters the ear, the eardrum transmits it through the three middle ear bones-the malleus, the incus and the stapes-to the cochlea of the inner ear. The cochlea is filled with fluid and conducts vibrations into the basilar membrane, which covers the cochlea and is lined with hair cells called cilia. The hair cells transform the vibrations into electrical signals (neural signals). These signals are passed on to the auditory nerve, and conducted to the brain where they are interpreted.

All the elements of the hearing mechanism are delicate, but hair cells are especially fragile. No new hair cells are made after a child is born - the approximate 30,000 hair cells that are created in vitro are the only ones a person will ever have. Loud noises can destroy these hair cells permanently and cause damage to the nerve of hearing.

Once hazardous noise does its damage, it's too late to save your hearing. Damaged cells in the inner ear cannot grow back. Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) can occur in noise of 85 dB, less than a ride on the subway (100dB) or an auto racing event (125 dB). If you think you are exposed to hazardous noise at work, talk to your Health and Safety officer, your employer or your union rep, and get your hearing checked. The World Health Organization ranks NIHL as the number one hidden disability in North America. You could be among the more than 30 million people at risk.

The decibel (abbreviated dB) is the unit used to measure the intensity of a sound

On the decibel scale, the smallest audible sound (near total silence) is 0 dB. A sound 10 times more powerful is 10 dB. A sound 100 times more powerful than near total silence is 20 dB. A sound 1,000 times more powerful than near total silence is 30 dB. Here are some common sounds and their decibel ratings:

• Total silence - 0 dB
• A whisper - 15 dB
• Normal conversation - 60 dB
• A lawnmower - 90 dB
• A rock concert or a jet engine - 105 dB
• A car horn - 110 dB
• A gunshot or firecracker - 140 dB

Any sound above 85 dB can cause hearing loss, and the loss is related both to the power of the sound as well as the length of exposure. You know that you are listening to an 85-dB sound if you have to raise your voice to be heard by somebody else. Eight hours of 90-dB sound can cause damage to your ears; any exposure to 140-dB sound causes immediate damage (and causes actual pain). Sound levels double every 3 decibles therefore - 93 decibels is twice as loud as 90 dB.

Sonomax's flagship hearing protection device– the SonoCustom^TM, are custom-fitted on the spot to create a perfect acoustic seal that prevents hazardous noise from leaking in. What's more, our proprietary software the SonoPass^TM, drives the fitting process and verifies that noise reduction has been achieved. It only takes minutes to fit someone with comfortable hearing protection devices (HPDs) and prove that they work as promised in the environment for which they have been designed.

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The SonoCustom^TM is priced to be very competitive with other types of hearing protection. With a recommended life span of three years, they cost about $40/year.

The SonoCustom^TM is equipped with acoustic filters that allow the user to hear people talking without removing the hearing protection devices from the ears. Sonomax can also equip its hearing protectors with radio communication units for more challenging noise environments where communication is critical.

80 à 100 décibels	100 à 120 décibels
120 à 140 décibels	140 à 160 décibels

SonoPass^TM, our proprietary Windows-based software, drives the fitting process and provides immediate proof of functionality. This is achieved by generating a quantified pink noise sweep (representative of all frequencies from 63HZ to 8000HZ) into the ear while the Sonomax HPDs are being worn and measuring the amount of sound actually getting through to the ear on the other side. A specially designed microphone and testing chamber built into the SonoCustom^TM make this objective calculation of noise reduction possible.

It literally takes a few minutes to fit someone with Sonomax hearing protectors and verify that they are doing the job.

The SonoCustom^TM is very easy to maintain, simply use mild soap and water.

To ensure quality and consistency, every function within the sales, training and implementation of the Sonomax Solution^TM has been documented and is taught in professional courses administered by Sonomax "University."

The SonoCustom^TM is great for protecting your ears from high decibel and toxic noise. Toxic noise is everywhere from heavy traffic, the subway, a sporting event,-even your hairdryer can prove toxic at 90 (dB).Additionally; Sonomax makes an entire line of hearing protection products for different industries and lifestyles.

Please See Sonomax Products

The SonoCustom are currently on sale at all of our HearAtlast locations across Canada and through our North American licensee Aearo and our team of international licensees. Additionaly, we are working on a number of exciting retail concepts that will have the Sonomax Custom Ear kiosks popping up at music retailers and sports arena's in the near future.

If you are in the Montreal area and would like to get fit with our SonoCustom's^TM we can arrange a special VIP fitting session just for you!

For Fittings: fittings@sonomax.com

For General Information: info@sonomax.com