[carledwards]

I would avoid loud sound in all situations, whether headphonically or not!

 

[rabidgamer]

It's gotten even quieter over the past day it seems, hopefully it's sorting itself out lol.

I have avoided all loud sounds, headphones etc for going on 3 weeks now... even to the point where I've stopped walking my dog to avoid the sound of the traffic!

I've got another appointment with one of my other doctors tomorrow, I'll tell him my situation and asked to get referred to an ENT and see how it goes from there.

Cheers.

 

[chinesekiwi]

One of the biggest myths in audio is that tinnitus is permanent and nothing can be done about it.

Wrong on both counts.
This site is a great read on why this is a myth, why we always need a little bit of sound and why silence is actually bad and of course what you can do about tinnitus:

The Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Centre: home of TRT

 

[rabidgamer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chinesekiwi /img/forum/go_quote.gif One of the biggest myths in audio is that tinnitus is permanent and nothing can be done about it. Wrong on both counts. This site is a great read on why this is a myth, why we always need a little bit of sound and why silence is actually bad and of course what you can do about tinnitus: The Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Centre: home of TRT

That's a really interesting site, cheers.

I just got back from the doctors there, told him all what happened etc and he tested my hearing, said it's great and no damage has been done.

He said it's noise induced tinnitus (as I thought) and will most likely pass overtime, said theres no need to stop using headphones just turn the volume down... still I'm going to avoid them for a few more weeks just to be extra safe.

The tinnitus ain't really bothered me much at all, the fear/worry etc was really just me not wanting to make it worse.

Thanks for all the help.

 

[MaZa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chinesekiwi /img/forum/go_quote.gif One of the biggest myths in audio is that tinnitus is permanent and nothing can be done about it.

Well, if you get permament hearing damage that causes tinnitus on those frequencies that are damaged, then it pretty much is permanent AFAIK. There is both permanent and temporal tinnitus in same way as there is permanent and temporal hearing damage.

 

[Geek]

If you end up with permanent tinnitus, a healthy diet, lots of sleep, and completely abstaining from all recreational substances (caffeine/alcohol) can help tame it a bit.

 

[Drumonron]

I suggest the use of ety plugs:

Etymotic Research, Inc. - ER•20 High Fidelity Earplugs

I use them when mowing the lawn, clipping hedges, going to concerts.

Etymotic gives the best description of these:

"The goal of the ETY•Plugs™ design was the same as for Musicians Earplugs: to reduce noise but preserve sound quality; in effect, to turn down the noise but not muffle voices, environmental sounds or music."

They don't cost a whole lot and what is the value of your sense of hearing?

Careful, best wishes, and good luck.

 

[rabidgamer]

I bought myself a pair of those a week ago, they're great.

 

[jsplice]

One other possible cause of tinnitus is sinus/ear related infections. I've started experiencing tinnitus about a week ago, but I've also noticed pressure in my ears and sinuses. This could be related to allergies, or some type of infection. I've scheduled an appointment with an ENT doctor. I suggest that anyone with these types of problems start there, as it is easy to run in circles trying to diagnose your own problem.

Coincidentally, I just got a new pair of HD650s and an Audio-gd compass, but have not listened much lately due to these problems. Because I was not listening at loud volumes, I consider this relationship to be purely coincidental. Last year I had "tinnitus", but it was simply related to an ear infection that went away with antibiotics.

 

[Mink]

I have had tinnitus as well, and every now and then it comes back for a while, a sizzling or hissing noise in my left ear.
Some people advice to use laid-back headphones in stead of upfront ones., for me it doesn't make any difference.

But I notice that a sizzling noise in my left ear can be triggered with music where there is not always a good balance between the left and right channel.
Mostly with classical music my left ear can react like a drug addict and wants to hear sound: why does the right ear gets everything?
My left ear is compensating for the absence of sound and works harder to get the same 'kick' as the right ear.
When this happens I have to stop listening, otherwise my left ear is starting to hurt and I have a hiss the rest of the day.
It is the absence of sound which can be fatiguing and causes a tinnitus-like sizzle in my left ear.
I never have this with pop and rock, where the balance between left and right is mostly even and therefore both ears get the same loudness, the same 'kicks'.

 

[jsplice]

I've read that using "crossfeed" may help with that type of listening fatigue. There is a plugin available for foobar2000 that does this. Just google for "foobar crossfeed". It essentially causes each channel to be "shared" a bit, to simulate the way we hear a speaker system. In a speaker system, both ears hear the sound coming from both speakers; in headphones, each ear hears only the sound from one specific channel. Crossfeed causes some sound from the left channel to be fed into the right channel, and vice versa, to simulate the way we listen to real sounds. A short time-delay is used in this process to simulate the sound reaching each ear at the appropriate time.

 

[Mink]

Thanks this may be helpfull, unfortunately I don't use Windows, but OSX.
I have found something similar though, Canz3D, but it looks pretty complicated...
Maybe getting an amp from HeadRoom with crossfeed functionality is the best option

 

[Judge Buff]

It's been my experience that living in a house with a wife and two teenage daughters causes tinnitis... Headphones prevent it in my case.

 

[Happy Camper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Judge Buff /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's been my experience that living in a house with a wife and two teenage daughters causes tinnitis... Headphones prevent it in my case.

QFT

 

[haloxt]

Tinnitus may indicate physical hearing damage but it can be caused just as much by poor diet and mental stress. In addition to avoiding loud noises you could try avoiding an unhealthy diet and stress (including being stressed out by your tinnitus).