[Jimmy Gazelle]

One last time I wanted to ask the head-fi community if anyone knows anything or heard anything about a very frustrating problem i have!

2 years ago I bought my first over-ear headphone, the dt770. The first two days I definetely listened to high levels of volume, being stoked on my first experience with good headphone. On the third day, I slowly got a weird feeling in my right ear. Especially with treble spikes it seemed to get worse. Then, suddenly I got a sharp, piercing pain in my right ear and had to stop listening immediately. I went to see a ENT doctor right away. He couldn´t detect anything wrong and my hearing was allright.
I put the hobby aside and gave my ear about 1 year rest!! After that, I bought the Audioquest Nighthawk to get a headphone with a slightly darker signature, thinking the treble of the dt770 mght have been the problem. After 1 day! the pain came again. Only right ear. Returnd them and got an dh650 thinking the pressure inside the cup of closed-back cans (semi-closed in case of nighthawk) might be the problem. Again, 1 day and immediate pain. After that oppo pm2, same thing. Now I am done.
Seen an ETN doc again. also consulted audiologists. No one has a clue.
During all that time, earbuds don´t give me any problems....
i wouldnt post hear again I wasn´t somewhat desperate. Maybe within a large audio community like this one someone has had a simliar problem or has heard of something like it....

thank you for the read!

 

[SDBiotek]

I'm anything but an expert or qualified professional, but you might want to check how loud (SPL) you're using. Some smartphone apps can give you a rough idea. You might just be listening at far too loud of a volume.

 

[cossix]

Still pretty sure it's the pressure issue. Earbuds don't form a seal in your ear canal and therefore won't subject your eardrum to pressure differences. I'm 90% sure it's a pressure problem and the fact that earbuds are fine seems to confirm that. I don't know anything about high quality earbud style things but I'd look into that for sure

 

[SDBiotek]

You know that sound waves are basically pressure waves traveling through the air, right? Try reducing your listening volume in half ( not the volume setting on your music player, but as measured with a smartphone app or SPL meter) and see if that helps. I see everyday at my work people walk around listening at dangerous volumes, and they have no idea how loud it is.

 

[Jimmy Gazelle]

Hey Cossix, thank you for the reply.
In no way did I want to disregard the advice you already gave me and are giving me here again. Of all the professional and non-professional advise it is definetely the one that would make the most sense to me. I am probably holding on too much on the wish to be able to use those sweat over-ear headphones.
What I just find somewhat irritating is that the pain that started the whole thing two years ago was so sudden and piercing, like something happened in there. but no doc could see anyhing. plus my right ear is perfectly fine...so frustrating.
i am just not there to let this drop and turn to earbuds for good...
interestingly enough i can listen to the B&W pm5 with my ears feeling somewhat ok...given its an on-ear design and does not give a perfect seal it supports your theory as well....

 

[Jimmy Gazelle]

You know that sound waves are basically pressure waves traveling through the air, right? Try reducing your listening volume in half ( not the volume setting on your music player, but as measured with a smartphone app or SPL meter) and see if that helps. I see everyday at my work people walk around listening at dangerous volumes, and they have no idea how loud it is.

Hey SDBiotek,
thank your for the reply, I appreciate it!
definetely good advise. However in this case, I am aleady listening to very low levels (around 50dB average, and around 75-80 with mx peak, measured with an app). when I give the headphone to my girlfriend she kinda laughs because its such a low level...but yes, when the "incident" happened two years ago, i was def listening to levels too loud. thats why i tought something happend there. but aparently my ear is okay....another thought of mine is that the large diaphrams just move too much air/the sound pressure is too much for my ear drum to take but that would be kinda ridicoulus, gven I dont know one other person that is unable to listen to over ear headphones...
ists very odd that the pain reallly starts after like 20-30 minutes listening at very low volume already...even after taking 1 year off!!
anyway, appreciate the reply...just so frustrating

 

[cossix]

I hope earbuds prove to be an acceptable solution! That's not a fun issue to have :/ Maybe you can get into hifi speakers at some point, they're better than headphones anyway. Much more realistic and natural

 

[SDBiotek]

I hope you'll be able to find something that doesn't cause the discomfort. Sound signature aside, I wonder if something like a Grado SR60 or SR80 would work better (on ear, open back, with soft sponge earpads), or the old Koss PortaPro.
edit: just FYI, Massdrop has a slightly updates version of the PortaPro right now:
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-koss-porta-pro-x-headphones

 

[Jimmy Gazelle]

I hope you'll be able to find something that doesn't cause the discomfort. Sound signature aside, I wonder if something like a Grado SR60 or SR80 would work better (on ear, open back, with soft sponge earpads), or the old Koss PortaPro.
edit: just FYI, Massdrop has a slightly updates version of the PortaPro right now:
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-koss-porta-pro-x-headphones

thank you,
nice thought with the on ear open back design. i am currently trying to get a hold of the audeze sine DX, the open version of the sine. kinda told me that would be the last try with anything with a headband around my temples....grado i was always kinda hesitant because of the supposedly extremely bright signature. but sure enough i will give it a try since there are not that many open back on-ears.
i really appreciate the help. in case you have any audiophile friends etc and they have ideas, shoot them this way haha.
thnks and greets from germany

 

[Jimmy Gazelle]

I hope earbuds prove to be an acceptable solution! That's not a fun issue to have :/ Maybe you can get into hifi speakers at some point, they're better than headphones anyway. Much more realistic and natural

thnks, appreciate the words.
in case you stumble across anyone that knows something
is there another place here on head-fi where i should post this? or am i right here? i think since i´m still new i can only post in the helps and recommendations forum, right?

 

[Dulalala]

thnks, appreciate the words.
in case you stumble across anyone that knows something
is there another place here on head-fi where i should post this? or am i right here?

If by that, you mean where should you create a new thread for earbud recommendation, then yes this is the right sub forum.

i think since i´m still new i can only post in the helps and recommendations forum, right?

You should be able to post in other sub forums now.

 

[SDBiotek]

Since you're in Germany, maybe you have access to try out some of the Sennheiser open back headphones? On the cheaper portable end, there is the PX 100. Also the HD 598 is very comfortable, easy to listen to, but not portable.

 

[Jimmy Gazelle]

Since you're in Germany, maybe you have access to try out some of the Sennheiser open back headphones? On the cheaper portable end, there is the PX 100. Also the HD 598 is very comfortable, easy to listen to, but not portable.

Yeah, I had the hd650 which I really liked, but my ear unfortunately ached too...
Got the oppo pm2 two days ago. Unfortunately ear hurts already...

 

[NA Blur]

By "earbud" do you mean in-ears or the earphones that just rest in your ear and not seal?

If in-ears cause the problem then it may be that your ear is super sensitive to certain high frequencies or the nerves / tissue don't like a specific resonance. Our ears are rarely identical.

If an in-ears does NOT cause the problem then the shape of your concha, tragus, etc may just be amping a specific frequency more than others.

Do the outer parts of your ears look different? Any anomalies on the ear that starts to hurt? Try using EQ and start dropping frequencies above 1kHz until the pain goes away. Try and isolate the specific frequency that bothers that ear.

 

[NA Blur]

Could be COCHLEAR HYPERACUSIS, but I'm not a doctor and would just be guessing at this point.