[Miller-8]

Tinnitus - ringing of the ears, or a hiss noise, that can either be perminent or can be temporary. Can be cause by a number of things - loud noise exposure, a cold, blocked eustatian tubes (the tubes that go from your nose to your ear canal), a build up of wax etc.

Anyway, vote in this poll as to whether you ever suffer from this or not.

 

[xand1x]

I've never had this problem, though it's pretty scary to read about it. Problems like this help to remind us all how important our hearing is and to take precautions to protect our ears. However, I would imagine in some cases it was unavoidable.

 

[Miller-8]

I've had it for 10 years, since I was 19. It was after i got a bad cold, my eustatian tubes seemed to get blocked and the noise has never gone away. It used to really get to me but I'm used to it now. Mine isnt very loud, some people have it a lot worse than mine.

 

[markot86]

Yep, I was an idiot in my youth and listened to the music in my car too loud. Now I have tinnitus in my left ear; It's really not that bad though, I know it sounds like it's the end of the world for many, but it's easy to ignore (at least in my case).

And by the way, why is hearing protection so FOTM? Do people really listen to their headphones for 6 hours a day and have to worry about it THAT much? As long as you make sure you're not blasting the music and you limit your listening time, you should have nothing to worry about.

 

[Miller-8]

I think my tinnitus is part of the reason I got into hifi, nice music helps to fill your ears with more pleasing sounds.

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

I have had tinnitus from birth. It's a genetic thing in my family.

But, I also have hearing that goes from 15hz to 21000hz, and the tinnitus is very soft, just always-there.

 

[etherealbeats]

I got it a couple of days ago, since my ears are blocked. It is a loud ringing but it can be ignored. I hope as soon as my ears are clear it goes.

 

[J-Pak]

I started a thread on this here:
http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=150141

Got a very good response from people, and might serve as additional info if people were looking for any.

As for myself I have a very mild tinnitus that I can hear if I concentrate in a perfectly dead silent environment. Other than that it's inaudible.

And obviously like everyone else I do get tinnitus after prolonged exposure to loud sounds, but that usually settles within 24 hours (or less)

 

[Filburt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Miller-8 I've had it for 10 years, since I was 19. It was after i got a bad cold, my eustatian tubes seemed to get blocked and the noise has never gone away. It used to really get to me but I'm used to it now. Mine isnt very loud, some people have it a lot worse than mine.

This is exactly what just happened to me about a month ago. Don't know what caused it, but I got an absolutely horrible case of the flu or something and my ears rang, and it hasn't gone away since. I don't listen to music very loud, and I've only been to a couple of concerts with loud audio. I also try to wear ear protection when I go to a concert or a place where music will be loud. My hearing is still really sensitive which actually seems to amplify the tinnitis. My senses in general are obnoxiously sensitive

 

[Icehawk]

This is poll misleading IMO since the selection of temporary tinnitus from concerts/clubs is also linked to headphones - I've NEVER experienced that.

However plenty of concerts and clubs have given me that nice tone "eeeeeeee". Now I use Hearos musician earplugs and have none of that

 

[tezzla]

i have slight tinnitus, when i have my iems in (without music playing) or its very quiet, i have a soft ringing in my right ear and a very very soft ringing in my left ear. Its easy to ignore, but if it got alot worse i could see it becoming a major problem.

My uncle had severe tinnitus caused by listening to rock music when he was young (literally lying down with a speaker on either side of his head cranking at full blast...). He said his hearing gradually deteriorated and then his tinnitus became really bad, he couldnt sleep, he couldnt work, he said that he came close to killing himself because the loud ringing was driving him mad. He said he felt like he was actually going insane.

Its a story which was enough to scare me off listening at loud volumes. I think i caused my tinnitus by using my sharp md33's waaaay too loud, and also due to raves + car stereo going nutz when i was at uni. Now i make sure i take precautions, nothing crazy but i'll definitely wear ear plugs to concerts/live events/clubs. and i listen at low volumes.

 

[TheSloth]

Everyone has tinnitus. Some people have a level of tinnitus that is somewhere from a little to way above normal. Most people are unaware of it. Some are aware of it and not disturbed by it. A small minority are aware of it and disturbed by it.

One aspect of tinnitus is hearing internal noises of the body, such as blood flowing through vessels, etc.

Another is the auditory equivalent of seeing things that aren't there. It's somewhat interesting that when we close our eyes in a pitch black room, we still see colours, swirls and all sorts of things that cannot possibly be triggered by light entering the eye. We never actually see pitch black. Yet people rarely consider this a medical condition, nor do they complain about it...

 

[discord]

I have to concentrate to hear it. I cannot hear it when I sleep or anything like that. The best time for me to hear it is after a shower when I have water in my ears (and still have to concentrate on it).

 

[Miller-8]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheSloth Everyone has tinnitus. Some people have a level of tinnitus that is somewhere from a little to way above normal. Most people are unaware of it. Some are aware of it and not disturbed by it. A small minority are aware of it and disturbed by it. One aspect of tinnitus is hearing internal noises of the body, such as blood flowing through vessels, etc. Another is the auditory equivalent of seeing things that aren't there. It's somewhat interesting that when we close our eyes in a pitch black room, we still see colours, swirls and all sorts of things that cannot possibly be triggered by light entering the eye. We never actually see pitch black. Yet people rarely consider this a medical condition, nor do they complain about it...

You seem to be ignoring the fact that it can get much louder if you subject your ears to damaging forces.

 

[catscratch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheSloth Everyone has tinnitus. Some people have a level of tinnitus that is somewhere from a little to way above normal. Most people are unaware of it. Some are aware of it and not disturbed by it. A small minority are aware of it and disturbed by it.

Good point. I believe that part of becoming an audiophile involves sensitizing your hearing. You are able to detect minutae in sounds that you haven't concentrated on before, and you may "discover" that you have tinnitus, even though it was always there. I think that's what happened in my case, more or less, but I do believe that I've made it worse with excessive listening levels. In any case, it doesn't bother me in the slightest, and I don't listen very loudly anymore either. I can only hear it in a very quiet room or with IEM's in and nothing playing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheSloth It's somewhat interesting that when we close our eyes in a pitch black room, we still see colours, swirls and all sorts of things that cannot possibly be triggered by light entering the eye. We never actually see pitch black. Yet people rarely consider this a medical condition, nor do they complain about it...

It's called LSD. Psilocybin will work too, even better. 2CB is probably the best. If you do complain about it, you should probably call a lawyer beforehand