[Baycode]

You're welcome @analogsurvivor and @Yunho !
 
I have remembered something after this wax talk. Last year my left ear started a buzzing sound. Especially when I shake my head. The sound is like a loud tinnitus and it made me wonder... So I went to the doctor and she found a tiny insect lying on the eardrum! What a chance for an insect! I sometimes make trekking and camping at the nature so it didn't surprised me much... She carefully removed it from there. My hearing was perfect again. So I learned that even the very tiny object on the eardrum can effect hearing so much. It has been apprx 6 months the last time I went to a doctor for my ears... I think It will be good to have a regular check, at least 2 times a year...

 

[Baycode]

Headphone Accident Study

Injuries to Headphone-Wearing Pedestrians Struck by Cars and Trains More Than Triple Since 2004

"Listen up, pedestrians wearing headphones. Can you hear the trains or cars around you? Many probably can't, especially young adult males. Serious injuries to pedestrians listening to headphones have more than tripled in six years, according to new research from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. In many cases, the cars or trains are sounding horns that the pedestrians cannot hear, leading to fatalities in nearly three-quarters of cases".   Source: http://umm.edu/news-and-events/news-releases/2012/injuries-to-headphone-wearing-pedestrians-struck-by-cars-and-trains-more-than-triple-since-2004

 

DASH CAM HD : Train accident Teen Girl Please don't wear headphones while crossing the railway 

(WARNING: DON'T WATCH IF YOU'RE SENSITIVE TO ACCIDENT VIDEOS!!!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IB_sAOOIG1A
 
 
 

 

 

[Lorspeaker]

  You're welcome @analogsurvivor and @Yunho !
 
I have remembered something after this wax talk. Last year my left ear started a buzzing sound. Especially when I shake my head. The sound is like a loud tinnitus and it made me wonder... So I went to the doctor and she found a tiny insect lying on the eardrum! What a chance for an insect! I sometimes make trekking and camping at the nature so it didn't surprised me much... She carefully removed it from there. My hearing was perfect again. So I learned that even the very tiny object on the eardrum can effect hearing so much. It has been apprx 6 months the last time I went to a doctor for my ears... I think It will be good to have a regular check, at least 2 times a year...

 
your doc must hv seen this staring at her...

 

[Baycode]

What a beautiful creature this is

@Lorspeaker

 

[Baycode]

I always carry an Etymotic earplug in my bag. And I also carry a spare pair of foam earplugs for "somebody" whom might need protection at the same time as me.

Sometimes I prefer to use these earplugs just for relaxing my ears. I always believe that a "quality silence" period is as much important and vital as a "music/sound listening" period.
 

http://www.etymotic.com/hp/er20.html

 

 

About hearing protection plugs:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earplug

Hearing protection

There are mainly four types of earplugs for hearing protection:

1. Foam earplugs, mainly made of memory foam, which are compressed and put into the ear canal, where they expand to plug it.
2. Silicone earplugs, which are rolled into a ball and carefully molded to fit over the external portion of the ear canal.
3. Flanged earplugs, including most types of musicians' or 'Hi-Fi' earplugs.
4. Custom Moulded earplugs, made from a mould of the wearer's ear and designed to precisely fit all ear canal shapes. Custom Moulded is further divided into Laboratory made and "formed in place".

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earplug
 
 
For some models please check here:
http://www.earplugstore.com/
 
 
 
 

Source for the image:
http://www.3m.com/product/information/Ear-Muffs-Hearing-Protection.html
 
 
Acoustic ear muffs for hearing protection:
 
Earmuffs
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earmuffs
 
"Acoustic earmuffs, also known as ear defenders: cups lined with sound-deadening material, like thermal earmuffs and headphones in appearance, which are worn as hearing protection. These may be carried on a head-band or clipped onto the sides of a hard hat, for use on construction sites. Some manufacturers combine headphones with ear defenders, allowing the wearer to listen to music, communication or other audio source and also enjoy protection or isolation from ambient noise. For extra sound attenuation, earplugs can also be used in conjunction with earmuffs."
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earmuffs

 

[Baycode]

An interesting write-up by AudioCheck.net about non-linearity of human hearing.
 
"Conclusion" part sum-up the things explained there:
 
"Human hearing is everything but linear and flat. Simply changing a reference level, will impact the way the sound will be perceived: not only louder or quieter, but with a different tone as well.
This puts frequency flatness into perspective. Take headphones, for example. I personally can tolerate a little emphasis on both the bass and treble extremes: the headphones I am using are not
perfectly flat. However, this means that I can listen to my source material at lower levels, save my hearing, and have the headphones simulate what I would be hearing at higher levels with flat headphones! Isn't that nice?"
 
Source:
http://www.audiocheck.net/soundtests_nonlinear.php

 

[RadioWonder737]

Already suffer from Tinnitus,so I stay away from Coffee... Coffee makes the ringing louder and makes listening to music harder...

 

[Boffy]

I am not sure if this is the best place, but I have a question. I went to an audiologist for the first time 2 weeks ago to  get my impression taken for my CIEM. When he looked inside my ear canal, he told me that I have a lot of scars on the walls of the ear canal. While I was getting my impression taken, the audiologist constantly asked me if I was feeling any pain because he was worried. Couple days ago, I used a q tip to clean my ears after taking a shower, and I saw specs of blood on the q tip. Now, I don't touch my ears often or stick my finger into them. I also use q tips to clean my ears once every few months. I am wondering if this is happening because I use IEMs too much? Maybe I haven't found a perfect fit, yet I am forcefully inserting them deep into my ear canal without myself realizing that it is uncomfortable or even dangerous for my ear. By the way, I do not feel any pain in my ears whatsoever at any time.

 

[Baycode]

  I am not sure if this is the best place, but I have a question. I went to an audiologist for the first time 2 weeks ago to  get my impression taken for my CIEM. When he looked inside my ear canal, he told me that I have a lot of scars on the walls of the ear canal. While I was getting my impression taken, the audiologist constantly asked me if I was feeling any pain because he was worried. Couple days ago, I used a q tip to clean my ears after taking a shower, and I saw specs of blood on the q tip. Now, I don't touch my ears often or stick my finger into them. I also use q tips to clean my ears once every few months. I am wondering if this is happening because I use IEMs too much? Maybe I haven't found a perfect fit, yet I am forcefully inserting them deep into my ear canal without myself realizing that it is uncomfortable or even dangerous for my ear. By the way, I do not feel any pain in my ears whatsoever at any time.

 
I don't want to get you in panic but your symptoms didn't sound good to me... Please see your Otorhinolaryngologist as soon as possible. Any open sore in the ear-canal may lead to infections.

 

[Baycode]

  Already suffer from Tinnitus,so I stay away from Coffee... Coffee makes the ringing louder and makes listening to music harder...

 
You're right on this, we must take care of coffee intake. But the sad part: I like coffee toooooo muchhhh! 

 

[Claritas]

Please sticky this in the intro forum.

 

[pavinjoseph]

I try to keep my sound below 80 dB. Something like 75-80 dB is my comfort zone. How about you guys? 

 
P.S. I use an app called Sound Meter on my Android phone to measure the sound level. 

 

[Baycode]

I adjust the sound level to be between 60-80dB. I use a calibrated scientific grade SPL meter. I compared it to my android phone's sound level measurement application and I can say that results were similar (not the same but very close). I was thinking of posting this experiment but I have to shoot some photos first. I will certainly share my findings and technique.

 

[pavinjoseph]

I adjust the sound level to be between 60-80dB. I use a calibrated scientific grade SPL meter. I compared it to my android phone's sound level measurement application and I can say that results were similar (not the same but very close). I was thinking of posting this experiment but I have to shoot some photos first. I will certainly share my findings and technique.

Waiting for it 

 
BTW, the permissible exposure for 80 dB is 8 hours but it is calculated on a continuous exposure right? What if it is more like 70-85 dB for 8 hours but varying ?

 

[rudyae86]

Great thread guys, I started hearing that ring more than usual since I started getting into the audiophile world. I tend to play music loud so I guess that ringing was all about that. I guess I will have to go to my doctor and check up on things. I might have to layoff hearing music through my IEMs and Headphones just for  3 or 4 days a week each week....
 
But good to know now that 80-85 is a safe zone for listening.