[nuphones]

I am afraid I have contracted a temporary or more than temporary case of tinnitus. It occurred when I used my koss headphones for an extended period of time. I loved the sound quality so much, I listened for hours on end, for days on end. I did notice a ringing sensation in my ears at the end of each day, but ignored it since I loved the music so much.

Also, I had just gotten a new mp3 player and wanted to try it out since it was so new to me. I've never had a problem with tinnitus before, at least not from headphones. I think what's happening is that my ears are very sensitive to a lot of treble response, so the koss ksc75's I have are not so good for my ears, even at moderate volumes. Beware and have fun.

 

[Quake120]

I've had a problem with ringing in my ears after high pitched sounds before, even if the sound wasn't from headphones.
If you are listening to music and highs are hurting even slightly, turn it down!

 

[nuphones]

I've actually decided to "give up" on headphones for at least a week. Until the buzzing subsides.

 

[DrBenway]

What you are currently hearing (literally) is your hearing trying to send you a message. I urge you to heed the message and adjust your listening habits.

I had similar experiences throughout my 20s and 30s. I would listen at very high volumes for extended periods. I attended some insanely loud rock shows in small clubs, without wearing ear protection.

For a while, the ringing would subside after a few days if I avoided further aggravating the problem. Then, one day, I realized that the ringing was not going away. Now I'm 48, and I have a constant, high-pitched ringing in both ears. It's mostly inaudible during the day, because it is still moderate enough to be masked by ambient sounds. When I realized that the ringing was permanent, and getting louder over time, I took a deep breath and realized that I had to moderate my listening habits or I was going to lose my ability to enjoy music.

At this point, it is incredibly annoying at night, as I am trying to fall asleep. It's continuous, and clearly audible in quiet circumstances. When I listen to the quieter passages in chamber music or jazz, it is also clearly audible. I have effectively eliminated silence from my life.

Do yourselves a favor. Heed the warning that you have been given, and make the necessary changes, or you may find yourself in the same boat.

 

[Punnisher]

I find that my ears can get used to sounds, and so when you take the sound away, a certain frequency remains. Almost like audio memory. This happens even when you listen at reasonable levels.

The shocking thing is, my Grados caused this because of the upper mid spike they have. It's so forward that my ears retained some ringing at night.

Now that I use my 880s, which are much more laid back and warmer (compared to grados) this problem is gone. It makes me sad though. I really love my grados and am now looking into buying a woo6 for them.

Edit: Please note that I am very very protective about my ears and always listen at reasonable levels. The problem is simply from listening for many hours on end like I have in the past. Let your ears take a break every once in a while.

 

[nuphones]

Well I've had the buzzing at least all weekend long and probably longer than that. This is the longest time I've had buzzing. I may have had this for quite a while but never paid attention to it. I think I've been busy all the time and now that I've had a quiet weekend I'm paying more attention to it. Or it's getting worse because of the headphone listening. I feel kinda stupid because usually if my ears ring I stop what I'm doing immediately, but with the music, it was so pleasurable listening, I went against my usual habits, unfortunately.

I think I may have to deal with this for a while. The ringing is declining in noise, but just about anything sets it off now. Do you use earplugs? I'm finding that's diminishing the noises that can aggravate the buzzing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrBenway /img/forum/go_quote.gif What you are currently hearing (literally) is your hearing trying to send you a message. I urge you to heed the message and adjust your listening habits. I had similar experiences throughout my 20s and 30s. I would listen at very high volumes for extended periods. I attended some insanely loud rock shows in small clubs, without wearing ear protection. For a while, the ringing would subside after a few days if I avoided further aggravating the problem. Then, one day, I realized that the ringing was not going away. Now I'm 48, and I have a constant, high-pitched ringing in both ears. It's mostly inaudible during the day, because it is still moderate enough to be masked by ambient sounds. When I realized that the ringing was permanent, and getting louder over time, I took a deep breath and realized that I had to moderate my listening habits or I was going to lose my ability to enjoy music. At this point, it is incredibly annoying at night, as I am trying to fall asleep. It's continuous, and clearly audible in quiet circumstances. When I listen to the quieter passages in chamber music or jazz, it is also clearly audible. I have effectively eliminated silence from my life. Do yourselves a favor. Heed the warning that you have been given, and make the necessary changes, or you may find yourself in the same boat.

 

[Nocturnal310]

I listen to music like 8 hrs a day... no ringing no fatigue

Maybe its the Bright sound that hurts ears.

 

[nuphones]

I think so, definitely.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nocturnal310 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I listen to music like 8 hrs a day... no ringing no fatigue Maybe its the Bright sound that hurts ears.

 

[BigTony]

The 'ear-ringing' is acutally caused by the hairs in your inner-ear 'crying' out for a break (i.e. they are moving about due to excess stimulus). The audible range is the 4-8khz range, so its right in the sibilance resonance zone (hence why I know about it), so its a fairly high pitch, quite shape and dammed annoying, not something you want to have on a permanent basis.
Lots of things can cause it, not just loud music, but loud music doesn't help any. Becasue headphones are so close to the ear that are more of a problem then cranking up your stereo.
So, best advise : See your doctor, get your hearing tested (my hearing problems are actually due to sinus trouble) and your ears checked out, it could be that your have an ear infection, water in the ear, build-up of wax etc, best let someone have a long peek in there. And reduce the headphone volume to a minimum or stop all together while you wait to see the quack.
But, please, please please, Don't do nothing....
BT

 

[DrBenway]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nuphones /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think I may have to deal with this for a while. The ringing is declining in noise, but just about anything sets it off now.

I definitely thinks it's a good idea give your ears a break from loud listening for a while. And you absolutely should see an audiologist to have your hearing evaluated.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nuphones /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do you use earplugs?

I do use earplugs. I carry them with me pretty much everywhere. If I find myself at a concert or a club where I'm encountering very loud music, in they go. But I also find myself using them in a lot of other noisy environments. Many bars and even restaurants have powerful sound systems, and as the din of conversation rises, the bartender or DJ just keeps cranking the house level to make the music audible over the roar.

This is all the more obnoxious given that most of the standard issue BOSE or Electrovoice sound systems these places have are absolutely awful sounding. Add to that the horrendous music played in many of these places, and yeah, in go the ear plugs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nuphones /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm finding that's diminishing the noises that can aggravate the buzzing.

I'm not any sort of medical professional, and I am certainly not an audiologist. But my uneducated hunch is that good plugs sharply decrease outside sound, which makes tinnitisms more audibly obvious.

So I don't think the plugs are worsening the situation; they are just making you more aware of it.

 

[G.Kennedy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigTony /img/forum/go_quote.gif .............Lots of things can cause it, not just loud music, but loud music doesn't help any. Becasue headphones are so close to the ear that are more of a problem then cranking up your stereo........................ Don't do nothing.... BT

I agree with this ... I certainly have a full time ringing in my head .... not from listening to loud music, but from 1000's of miles of riding motorcycles without earplugs.

On a quite morning while surfing the web with my phones on (right now)... I can hear a background of ringing ... mostly between tracks .... but during quite passages too.

Trust me ... you do NOT want this ...it is annoying.

 

[apatN]

I also hear a 'ringing' when I go to bed. I also hear it when I press on my ears (closing them). I heard your brain also uses a frequency, so it might be that? I keep my music on an enjoyable volume, but shouldn't be too loud.

 

[jvlgato]

Yes, most commonly this is due to injury from excess loud noise, although there are other less common causes like infection.

Definitely reduce injury to the ears by reducing the volume, getting rest in between listening, and reducing the length of sessions.

Also, loud concerts and clubs and loud work environments are often forgotten. Bring ear plugs just in case, and if you can't easily hear the person standing next to you, you probably should have ear plugs in. Yes, the concert doesn't sound as good, but you'll injure your ears if you don't!

There is a long standing debate about whether to institute laws restricting sound pressure levels even in clubs and concerts, but they're always shot down. I'm pretty sure they are more careful about work environments, though, and even have OSHA standards for this:

Safety and Health Topics: Noise and Hearing Conservation

 

[obobskivich]

i've only had ringing once or twice, but i'll get headaches before my ears will ring, which is why i never go very loud with my headphones (or speakers for that matter), even if the system is capable of bringing the noise, i'd rather a few hours of listening and no headache later, than 10-15 minutes of listening and feeling a headache come on

 

[nor_spoon]

I am not sure I will ever be able to listen to complete silence anymore. Even though I listen at reasonable levels, it seems to affect the ringing.

I once got made some custom molded air plugs with filters, which are supposed to reduce volume by 24db across the spectrum. They do a pretty good job at it. If you are in noisy environments, or go to even just one loud concert a year, this is a really worthwile investment for your hearing and health. They are pretty cool. Using them at concerts, actually makes it easier to follow the music. You get the punch in your body, while at the same time, better distinguish between instruments. My ears are pretty sensitive, in that they get "fed-up" with loud sounds pretty fast, and everything floats together in a screaming, piercing mud. Familiar? Not very pleasant, and definetely not good for your hearing, at most concerts, where the volume is too loud + some more.