K81DJ and the "aircraft altitude ear popping syndrome"

[Bob A (SD)]

The one issue I am having with my AKG K81DJs that I haven't seen mentioned at all by anyone else is the (for lack of a better description) aircraft altitude ear popping syndrome. Here I mean that with a good seal I find my ears will plug up until I yawn or otherwise articulate my jaw. Thinking that this might just be an odditiy with me and sealed cans, I dug out my old ESP-6As which are also sealed and played with them. No similar problems; nor do my Shure IEMs do this. I do note that this occurs while prone and not standing or sitting. Volume is also very moderate and as such I don't feel is an issue. Altitude here at home is right at 4,000 feet too just for information. So I haven't a clue at this juncture about what it is with these K81DJs and my ears but although I find their sound satisfying for inexpensive cans and a good match for certain listening conditions where my HD580s or E2Cs are not, they are increasingly annoying.

If anyone has any thoughts about this I'd appreciate reading them.

[Bob A (SD)]

Mmmmmmmm.... almost 50 views and no comments.

So I guess I must be the only one who experiences this kind of thing ??

[Headphony]

Maybe it's just you?

[Bob A (SD)]

Originally Posted by Headphony

Maybe it's just you?

That's what I'm afraid of!

[slunk007]

Did you recently have a head cold? This could have an impact on that popping sound for your ears (I do that thing with my jaw all the time).

Have you ever had your ears flushed? If not, perhaps you have a buildup of earwax. They recommend getting it done every 6 months to a year, depending on how much ear wax you produce. If you've never had it done before, ask to see the ball of gross wax that gets flushed from your ear. You'll be amazed. I notice this popping and plugging of the ears often after listening to my earbuds.

Go see your doctor and ask to have this done. Don't bother with ear candles. Flushing is way faster and easier.

[Bob A (SD)]

Originally Posted by slunk007

Did you recently have a head cold? This could have an impact on that popping sound for your ears (I do that thing with my jaw all the time).

Have you ever had your ears flushed? If not, perhaps you have a buildup of earwax. They recommend getting it done every 6 months to a year, depending on how much ear wax you produce. If you've never had it done before, ask to see the ball of gross wax that gets flushed from your ear. You'll be amazed. I notice this popping and plugging of the ears often after listening to my earbuds.

Go see your doctor and ask to have this done. Don't bother with ear candles. Flushing is way faster and easier.

No colds or allergies nor ear wax issues. I get checked by my MD every 3 months as part of my post heart attack routine. This includes an ear check. I do use periodically a flushing solution he set me up with years ago. Maybe it's just old age

[konish]

Going out on a limb here...but just a wild ***** guess.

Perhaps the tension of the K81DJ headband manipulates your eustachian tubes just enough in the prone postion to open them slightly. When relaxed, your own respiration is pressurizing your ears from the the inside (vice an external pressure change).

"Normally the Eustachian tube is closed, but it can open to let a small amount of air through to equalize the pressure between the middle ear and the atmosphere. When this happens we hear a small pop, an event familiar to airplane travelers or drivers in mountainous regions. Yawning or swallowing can pull on muscles in the neck, causing the tube to open. Some people are born with the ability to contract just these muscles voluntarily, similar to people who can wiggle their ears. Without this airway, the middle ear would be isolated from the atmosphere, and could be easily damaged by pressure changes."


R/
Dustin

[Bob A (SD)]

Originally Posted by konish

Going out on a limb here...but just a wild ***** guess.

Perhaps the tension of the K81DJ headband manipulates your eustachian tubes just enough in the prone postion to open them slightly. When relaxed, your own respiration is pressurizing your ears from the the inside (vice an external pressure change).

"Normally the Eustachian tube is closed, but it can open to let a small amount of air through to equalize the pressure between the middle ear and the atmosphere. When this happens we hear a small pop, an event familiar to airplane travelers or drivers in mountainous regions. Yawning or swallowing can pull on muscles in the neck, causing the tube to open. Some people are born with the ability to contract just these muscles voluntarily, similar to people who can wiggle their ears. Without this airway, the middle ear would be isolated from the atmosphere, and could be easily damaged by pressure changes."


R/
Dustin

Dustin,

This may not be such a wild guess at all. In fact it makes a lot of sense to me and gives me something to ask my doctor about in 3 weeks when I next see him. Obviously you have some familiarity with such matters and tapping into that kind of specialized knowledge base was what I was hoping to achieve with my initial post. FWIW I can not wiggle my ears LOL Thanks again for taking the time to try to help me here. Most appreciated!

Another thought which lends further plausibility to your prognosis is that if I keep my mouth open while prone I pretty much eliminate this issue. Of course that in and of itself is a non-starter for me though.