Stereo Or Hi-fi Components Or Accessories
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Home Structures & Construction Materials · CPSC Code 546
Stable over 5 years
The verdict
Stereo Or Hi-fi Components Or Accessories carry a danger score of 38/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 14,037 ER-treated injuries a year that are roughly flat over the last five years.
- 38/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 14,037
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 1.9%
- end in hospital admission
- 15-24
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 546 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 38/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for stereo or hi-fi components or accessories - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume14,037 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)1.9%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend+5%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Stereo Or Hi-fi Components Or Accessories (CPSC product code 546, in the Home Structures & Construction Materials category) generate an estimated 14,037 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 280,744 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 38/100 for this category (low risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are roughly flat over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2024 (17,623 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2007 (10,709 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for stereo or hi-fi components or accessories is foreign body to the ear, accounting for approximately 66,763 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the face (27,700 cases). The 15-24 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 55,846 cases over the NEISS window, and males appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 1.9% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 241 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how stereo or hi-fi components or accessories fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 29,834 | 15,613 | |
| 5-14 | 21,917 | 15,091 | |
| 15-24 | 37,846 | 17,992 | |
| 25-34 | 29,268 | 15,174 | |
| 35-44 | 22,523 | 12,442 | |
| 45-54 | 17,106 | 11,659 | |
| 55-64 | 12,674 | 7,033 | |
| 65-74 | 5,284 | 3,263 | |
| 75+ | 3,489 | 2,467 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Ear | Foreign Body | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Ear | Other | |
| Foot | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Toe | Fracture | |
| Head | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Toe | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Internal | Ingestion | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Upper Trunk | Contusions, Abr. |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
14YOM PRESENTS WITH POSSIBLE FOREIGN BODY IN LEFT EAR. PATIENT HAD AN EARBUD IN HIS EAR THIS MORNING, REMOVED THE EARBUD AND NOTICED THE SQUISHY PART WAS STILL IN HIS LEFT EAR. DX: FOREIGN BODY, LEFT EAR.
4YOM PRESENTS WITH A LACERATION TO HIS LEFT FOREHEAD AFTER HE HIT HIS HEAD ON A SPEAKER DX: FOREHEAD LACERATION
19YOM PATIENT STATES THAT HE HAS AN EARBUD STUCK IN HIS RIGHT EAR DX: FOREIGN BODY OF RIGHT EAR
71 YOM PRESENTS WITH EAR PAIN NOTED TO HAVE A BLACK EARBUD COVER STUCK IN HIS LEFT EAR. DX: FOREIGN BODY LEFT EAR, OTITIS EXTERNA
27YOF WITH EAR PAIN AFTER LISTENING TO MUSIC THROUGH HER ***AND INCREASED THE VOLUME AND FELT PAIN IN EAR DX: OTALGIA OF LEFT EAR
63 YOM GOT UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, TRIPPED AND FELL INTO A SPEAKER LANDING ON HIS RIGHT SIDE. +RIB PAIN. DX: MUSCLE CONTUSION, ECCHYMOSIS
17 YOM WEARS EAR BUDS AND C/O CLOGGED FEELING IN HIS EARS, THEN WOKE UP WITH DIZZINESS THIS MORNING, BECAME FRUSTRATED AND PUNCHED A TREE WITH RIGHT HAND. DX: RIGHT HAND FRACTURE, 4TH METACARPAL, CERUMEN IMPACTION
30YOM TO ER FOR RIGHT FOOT & ANKLE PAIN AFTER HE KICKED AN AMPLIFIER, PT NOW WALKING W/ CANE , PT HX BIPOLAR & RACING THOUGHTS DX RIGHT FOOT PAIN, MANIA, BIPOLAR 1, BOARDERLINE PERSONALITY DO
66YOF TRIPPED AND FELL AND HIT HER HEAD ON A SPEAKER AT HOME. DX: SCALP LAC.
22YOM, CONCERNING FOR TIP OF *** STUCK IN RIGHT EAR SINCE THIS AFTERNOON, DX: FOREIGN BODY SENSATION IN THE RIGHT EAR CANAL
24YOM C/O EAR PAIN AFTER WEARING EAR BUDS. DX: OTITIS EXTERNA
44YOM STRAINED BACK WHEN PICKING UP A SPEAKER AT HOME. DX: LUMBAR STR
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
I wore the earbuds for an hour and woke up in the middle of the night with puss oozing out of my ears and could barely hear because my ear canal was full of scabs and extremely itchy. I talked to Samsung and they said this is a recurring problem that happens to certain people.
During use WH-1000XM4s emit a loud, high pitched noise. Much louder than is safe for any headphones. Can result in permanent hearing loss
I was wirelessly charging my Tozo T5 Wireless headphones on a wireless charging pad. I have used this pad many times with my phone and had no issues with it. I returned after several hours and smelled burning plastic. I discovered the charging box that the headsets were in had melted to my wireless charger, destroying both of them. They were extremely hot and I was able to remove them from the residence before they caught fire.
JBL Charge 3 speaker caught fire [REDACTED]. It appeared to occur where the charging cable that came with the unit inserts into the back. I was not home, thankfully the unit was not near flammable materials, no damages or injuries. I purchased the unit in late 2017/early 2018. The number is GG0304-BH0110208. The metal portion of the power cord that inserts into the back has always seemed flimsy/easily bendable.
Fire in a home theater system powered subwoofer. Fire did not extend to any other object, it went out when power was shut off to speaker. My concern is that if I had not been aware of the problem and shut power off, there was a potential to cause a house fire. I also noticed on the seller's website other consumers have complained of similar failure of this brand and model of amplified subwoofer. After smelling electrical smoke, I turned off the power and removed the power amplifier part of the subwoofer to inspect it. On the back of the circuit board there was obvious deep charring, and a foam strip above the charred area appears to have some burning and charring.
The powered Bose Cinemate Series II speaker was working fine for few months. Just today when turned on, a huge spark erupted at the Bass Module and burt smell started coming out. We turned the power off and inspected the product and the smell was still persistent. Stopped using the product
The use of bluetooth enabled ear-buds manufactured by Samsung results in ear irritation, ear infection, hole in the ear drum and partial deafness. I have noticed that using the Galaxy Buds2 Pro Earbuds (FCC IDs: A3LSMR510L, A3LSMR510R) results in serious issues to my ear. As a result of using these improperly manufactured earbuds, I had to visit the urgent care to seek treatment for an ear infection and a hole in my ear drum. Please note, that I have used these earbuds for limited durations - 70% of my usage is less than 60 minutes and only 30% of my usage reaches periods of 90 minutes or so. These ear buds manufactured by Samsung pose a grave danger to the American public and the product must be recalled.
The add on battery that's on the [REDACTED] caught on fire. We could smell something burning at 3am. The [REDACTED] was in my room and plug into the house outlet. We unplugged the [REDACTED] and took it outside and then removed the battery from the bottom of the unit which was by now on fire. We just left it outside to burn because my understanding is that there is no good way to put it out. After it had cooled down we picked up the parts and saved them. One battery case was empty with all the contents laying on the ground. The other battery case still had material inside it but the ends had been displaced. Had we not removed the [REDACTED] or if no one was home at the time I'm sure it would have started a fire in the house.
Showing 8 of 241 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to stereo or hi-fi components or accessories on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are stereo or hi-fi components or accessories?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, stereo or hi-fi components or accessories have a danger score of 38/100 (low risk). An estimated 14,037 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from stereo or hi-fi components or accessories?
The most common injury is foreign body to the ear, accounting for approximately 66,763 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from stereo or hi-fi components or accessories increasing or decreasing?
Stable over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for stereo or hi-fi components or accessories injuries?
The 15-24 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 55,846 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by stereo or hi-fi components or accessories?
Of all ER visits involving stereo or hi-fi components or accessories, approximately 1.9% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (98.1%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with stereo or hi-fi components or accessories?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Related Products in Home Structures & Construction Materials
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 38/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 15-24 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.