Living life in mono can be tough on people who love their music and love hearing it as pure as possible through good equipment. I lost hearing on my right side during a brain surgery, and have spent a lot of time looking for solutions to the problems of getting good sound back into my life. I'd love to share/exchange ideas with anyone dealing with the same issues. I also have a few mid/high end iems with an unused right side earpiece that I feel should find a good home in the right ear (pun intended). If you are in this category, or know someone who is, get in touch here or via PM. Thanks.
Deaf in One Ear? Let's Exchange Ideas, Work-Arounds, and Earphones!
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kageroh
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And I thought I was the only one with that "condition". I didn't loose it like you did, though, at least not consciously. I just noticed at some time through my very early childhood that my left ear didn't work at all, and grew up used to it.
Maybe it's a blessing that I don't know what I miss, but that doesn't mean I don't cherish and love music. Maybe even contrarily so, because it makes me cherish my hearing and my hearing perception even more because of it.
As for work-arounds, I sadly am mostly at a loss as well. I was playing around with a mixture of a stereo-mono and a mono-stereo plug in between my audio source and my cans (to get the more silent audio parts from the left speaker I couldn't percieve on true stereo records), but I am not sure if that doesn't the music quality in an unwanted way.
Maybe it's a blessing that I don't know what I miss, but that doesn't mean I don't cherish and love music. Maybe even contrarily so, because it makes me cherish my hearing and my hearing perception even more because of it.
As for work-arounds, I sadly am mostly at a loss as well. I was playing around with a mixture of a stereo-mono and a mono-stereo plug in between my audio source and my cans (to get the more silent audio parts from the left speaker I couldn't percieve on true stereo records), but I am not sure if that doesn't the music quality in an unwanted way.
JK1
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Sorry to hear that. Was that an acoustic neuroma? I guess some types of those are hereditary. I guess ideally if you find someone who has lost hearing in their left ear, you could send him the right earpieces of yours, and he could send you the left earpieces of his. I guess you are being extra careful when listening to music now, and keeping the volumes low.
kageroh
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As far as we can tell, it was not something I inherited. We cannot exactly pinpoint the source, as the ear itself biologically seems to be in working condition. The doctor's guess was that something between it and the signal perception/processing was not working, but they couldn't really test that. My right ear works like a charm though.
And yes, I am very careful with volumes and concerts. Maybe it's even due to that more careful listening that I fell in love with music so much. All in all I don't miss anything actively, because I don't consciously remember how it was or would have been otherwise.
And yes, I am very careful with volumes and concerts. Maybe it's even due to that more careful listening that I fell in love with music so much. All in all I don't miss anything actively, because I don't consciously remember how it was or would have been otherwise.
It was a surgery on another cranial nerve that runs very close to the auditory nerve. To try to solve my problem, the surgeon ended up cutting off the blood supply to my facial and vestibulocochlear nerves. Alas, the surgery didn't work, but left me with the new problems of a paralyzed face, vertigo and hearing loss.
That's exactly what I'm looking for--someone to trade earpieces with. I've got perfectly good right side ear pieces (and some extra cables) from Westone UM 50 pro, um3x, and NuForce Primo 8 that I'd love to trade for others or, frankly, just give them to someone who like me has had some bad luck with health but finds music as something that makes life a little more tolerable. Maybe I should try in the FS/FT section, but I really want my extras to go to "good homes."
cargoload
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I've been a lurker for years and the site helped me match a yamaha rx2000 with a pair of Grado 225i's and I am very grateful. But it was this thread that got me to join as my youngest son lost hearing in his right ear due to meningitis when he was an an infant. I have nothing to offer the thread just yet except to thank the OP for starting such an amazing topic.
cargo
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- Mayordean are you looking to give away pads? My son unfortunately has the same side problem you do but if so what do you use for cushioning . Am i understanding correctly,,can you post a pic of your phones?
kageroh
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On a related note, do you have any good ideas for getting rid of the perceived volume reduction on the "working side" when listening to true stereo recordings that don't have the same stream information on both channels? I was thinking of a stereo > mono and a mono > stereo jack in combination, but I am not sure how that would influence the sound.
cargoload
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i think you'd have to try it to really know......any additional jack will surely degrade things. Im wondering how the "volume loss perception is quantified".
I can't use cans because anything touching the right side of my face causes unbearable pain. I use in-ear monitors instead.
I'm pretty sure what you are hearing are phase cancellations and comb-filtering that results from summing stereo to mono. In phase cancellation, some sounds go missing entirely and comb filtering diminishes the volume of others. I scribbled down some observations I've made over the last year or so that might be helpful.
One Eared Earphone Listening Notes
1) 1) Don’t take your collection and burn everything in mono. Stereo on one channel often sounds better than mono because of phase cancellations and comb filtering effects. Each album will differ due to recording methods and studio sorcery. Get a source (mine are now an iphone 6 and a MacBook Pro) that allows you to switch from stereo to mono under the Accessibility settings. 2) Using a stereo to mono adapter can damage your amp! I burned up a little Fiio amp when using an adapter.
2) 3) If you use in-ear monitors, might as well get two one sided earpieces on one cable if you can. Variety adds spice to life!
3) 4) Try to mentally concentrate on moving the sound from one side of your head to the center. It's kind of like meditating—it takes concentration and your mind will slip back to "telling" you that the sound is only coming from one side when you lose focus, but you can improve with practice. I use orchestral recordings to practice since I know where the basses are supposed to be in relation to violins, for example. When it works, I can trick my mind into recreating a sense of soundstage, however fleetingly. 5) Don’t customize and run both channels into one ear. This only locks in phase cancellations and comb filtering that you can’t adjust by turning off and on a mono switch.
Hopefully there's something of use to you here.
kageroh
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Can you elaborate on the phase cancellations you mentioned a bit more? I know how it works in theory, but I am unsure how something like that would turn up in music and stereo recordings that have partially different volume levels on the two (or more) sound streams.
How does using such a stereo > mono > stereo combination harm an amp? Besides, I am only using my J3 and 770s, no additional amp in between.
How does using such a stereo > mono > stereo combination harm an amp? Besides, I am only using my J3 and 770s, no additional amp in between.
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