ER-6 Experience today

I was listening to OK Computer by Radiohead on my Karma in the living room with my ER-6s. I've had them for about a week and a half, so they're pretty comfortable now. I did it in practical darkness to let my brain function solely on the music, which it did quite well.

I listened all the way through, and heard so many details that i can't explain it. It was also amazing that i could actually position the different sounds/instruments inside my head, as well as a bit farther beyond my skull. I can explain the singer and the drums are in the middle, the guitars are to the left and up, and right and up, and the other electronic sounds of sorts can be found everywhere in my head. Throughout the track "Fitter Happier," there is a loop of a man talking about activating a certain thing; something was hit. It was a little while ago, so i can't remember it well, and i definitely can't hear this with my Labtecs. The voice is coming from the right and down, which is very cool to hear. The entire album was very amazing; i'm glad i bought the ER-6.

Of course we have our gripes, though... but mine have nothing to do with the way the headphones sound/look/fit. Ever since i first got my ER-6s, i've had this "muffling" effect on my normal hearing which is more pronounced in my left ear, and i'm worried this is permanent. It also seems that my tinnitus has increased, which is also more pronounced in my left ear from what i can discern. I remember it got worse (in my left ear) because i was cleaning my ears (extremely gently), and i must have brushed against something sensitive in the canal. This is my first canalphone, so of course my ears are a bit raw, though they're not anymore. I was watching TV afterwards and to my horror and dismay, i could barely hear the high-pitched noise the TV makes when it's on. I turned it off and back on again, and the difference was very subtle.

I'd also like to add that my Karma volume is always at 10-11 at school, and for this session it was at 8.I really hope i haven't done any permanent damage to my ears.... i love them, hehe...

The last time i used them (except yesterday) was friday. I took a break for a day, and my hearing seemed much better.

Maybe i have pushed some stuff in the back; i'll talk to my 'rents about an audiologist, something i've had in mind for a while now.

Concerning the volume: I constantly check what the volume is at, making sure it's consistently at 8-11, not very loud levels at all. I'm really scared of losing my hearing... bleh.

bump

I don't want this to get lost in the depths of headfi's 99-page-long headphone section.

And it turns out to be that! I went to my pediatrician today and washed my ears, and i was absolutely amazed at what i could hear, lol. The highs were all there, and mids were also accented.

Would you be interested to know that was my normal hearing? I was trying to wash them out by myself before with an earwax removal aid, but all i succeeded in doing was clogging up the entire canal. The next morning it still wasn't better, so i went to the doctor and flushed out my ears, and so here i am. :P

Well, what the doctor did was this: It was a "kiddie" pediatrician so the machine she used was called the "Elephant Ear Wash" thing. :P It was a spray bottle with a plastic tube that ended with a nozzle to, well, spray with. It was a warm mixture of (i think) water and hydrogen peroxide which she sprayed into my ears in spurts that cleaned quite a bit out of there.

The reason it's probably so clogged, and that this hasn't happened before, is that we (my family and i) don't have a pool down here in AZ in our new house and haven't been swimming much. When i was a little kid, i did plenty of swimming and that probably cleared out my ears pretty well frequently.

I can definitely hear a difference. My normal hearing is great now, and i am now listening to my karma at volume 7, and it's plenty loud. I even have to turn it down some, now :P

I encourage all of you to have your ears cleaned, especially if you have a healthcare program that will cover the cost, which, at my appointment, was $183.

Give it time. Is this your first canalphone? It will get more comfortable, sound better, and the bass won't magically appear, but you will become accustomed to the flat response and when you have a listen at anything else, like your friends' headphones, and will find that there's too much heavy, bloated, boomy bass. It's a great feeling, i think.