Are hifi products a complete waste if you have tinnitus?

[Swann36]

I'd echo what most have written here and in particular TonyMac 136 and Jarcher say.
I have tinitus in my right ear primarily and although at times it impacts upon my enjoyment listening to music i do find that headphones work best for me, I'm experimenting with various ones and so far the best ones in terms of my enjoying the listening experience have been Stax L300LE (my big extravagence) with brainwave pads replacing the stock ones and Mr Speakers Ether originals (3rd hand at a price too low to not try)

What i've found really interesting about my tinitus is that these are both open and previously 6years or so ago i invested in Ultrasone Edition 8's which at the time helped me a lot but are closed and now as i've got older and perhaps my tinitus has elvolved the open backed ones give much more pleasure in the sense that i can hear much more detail in the music i'm listening to, which ranges from Cafe Del Mar to Sinatra, so I'd say experiment with different things and systems give them time to bed in with your ears buy 2nd hand to reduce costs and move them on if your not getting much out of them and with patience i'm sure you'll find your "hifi" experience will be a rewarding one

 

[Swann36]

I'd think they'd want bright headphones to make up for the high frequency hearing loss.

It is an odd truth that anecdotely many find bright sounding headphones or loudspeakers to trigger a negative reaction in their tinnitus ..i certainly do myself

 

[Tonymac136]

It is an odd truth that anecdotely many find bright sounding headphones or loudspeakers to trigger a negative reaction in their tinnitus ..i certainly do myself

This. The window of opportunity between not being able to hear details and feeling like you are being stabbed in the ear is a frustratingly small one. You need good extension but not especially elevated levels, and ideally a slightly warmer timbre. Treble for me is either right or dreadful. I rarely go into too much detail about treble on a review because of this.

 

[someguyontheinternet]

This guy on Youtube has tinnitus and still enjoys his journey through hifi products. Most of his videos are in German, but he also has some in English.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMpZ_fKWmTeZEOLy9PFfFxg

 

[tomb]

Some really good comments, here. I can't add to them except to say that in my case, the tinnitus comes and goes. It seems very related to my allergies. For instance, this time of year, the ringing can get pretty bad - along with my eye watering, too. Why it affects one side of me rather than the other, I don't know.

At any rate - some of the posters have hinted and commented about the key: hi-fidelity audio is monumentally more complicated than just frequency response. Soundstage, dynamic impact, transients, the response speed of the equipment and even distortion sensing is little affected by most tinnitus symptoms. There's even more than that involved, so don't think you are handicapped in this hobby - you aren't.

 

[diggygun]

I have congenital hearing loss plus some tinnitus is noticeable when it is quiet. However, when I listen to music the tinnitus appears to stop.

Don’t worry and just enjoy the music.

 

[Mixmastermike]

I can't add to them except to say that in my case, the tinnitus comes and goes. It seems very related to my allergies.

I got allergies (hay fever) from february until september, I got some more tinnitus as well. What helps though (believe it or not), is to workout, streanght training etc. No idea why but in my case, it seems it is also related to my neck muscles. It sounds bit wierd in a way but tensed muscled make it ring more in my ears.

 

[Redcarmoose]

You will always notice an improvement from better gear. I am not sure of your personal hearing but keep volumes at a moderate level and you should be fine.

 

[tomb]

I got allergies (hay fever) from february until september, I got some more tinnitus as well. What helps though (believe it or not), is to workout, streanght training etc. No idea why but in my case, it seems it is also related to my neck muscles. It sounds bit wierd in a way but tensed muscled make it ring more in my ears.

Agreed - being in shape helps with many things.

Unfortunately, there's nothing you can do with allergies but avoidance, anti-histamine, and desensitization injections (I do all of them). I probably should've mentioned I also get fluid in my ear during this time of year, too - so tinnitus is part and parcel of the whole thing.

 

[Mixmastermike]

Aww man, that fluid inside your ear wont help I bet... I`m really clueless on the fluid in ear matter, possibillity to drain it somehow? Yeah I use avamys nose spray and livostine eye "fluid/droplets", we are all different but those two meds help me loads. You know, actually. There is a new pill for leave allergies. It`s the same as the "vaccination program" where you take shots in your arm/buttox for 3-5 years, but now they finally arrived in pill form. I might actually try it when summer is over.