How to avoid worsening tinnitus?

[iceshark]

I'm only 14 and tinnitus is the last thing I want to bother me for the rest of my life. I am very recent to the "high quality" music and headphone treatment, and I bought my first pair of quality headphones back in March or so. Unfortunately, I found that these headphones (the Shure 750dj's) surprisingly did not have as much noise isolation as my previous pair the Monster Beats Solo. I also have a pair of Sony noise cancelling earphones, which isolate noise the best out of them all even when noise cancellation is not on. Also, I do not use these headphones with an amplifier, so I often have to bump up the volume level on my iPod to 60 or 70% to really get the sound quality, although I usually listen at around 50%. I was shocked to find that even at this level I began to develop the occasional tinnitus attacks where I would have ringing in my ears for a few minutes or seconds, and then it would disappear entirely. I have very keen hearing, and it is certainly one of my better senses at the moment, so I want to preserve it. A combination of music listening and shooting games have caused this, I presume. What should I do to get rid of this tinnitus before it worsens? Does anyone have any advice on how I can keep my listening levels safe, but still quality? I think my ears might just be more sensitive than most, since I don't think the average person would have a big problem with 50% volume on an iPod, but maybe that's just my take on it. Does anyone else get this problem?

 

[tk3]

If your ears ring after listening, then you´re listening too loud.
 
Also, enter key.

 

[pekingduck]

You probably should stop using headphones and visit a doctor now!
 
After you have recovered, you might consider phones that isolate better (such in-ear monitors) so that you can listen at safe volume levels.

 

[Uncle Erik]

You're listening too loud.

I'll also recommend a trip to an ENT or an audiologist. Get an exam and tell them about your tinnitus and listening habits.

Take the doctor seriously and follow recommendations.

 

[iceshark]

How loud do you guys usually listen at? What do audiologists (if you know) do about this sort of thing? I'm a little terrified of doctors, but I will go if I can.

 

[Lenni]

 
I second all the above. You should take the advices seriously.
 
I’m not sure if what you describe is tinnitus, at least maybe not yet. I do get occasionally get these kinds of ringing attacks that last few seconds and then (thankfully) disappear. However, full tinnitus is constant, non-stop, 24/7, continuous, day & night, relentless ringing. there's yet no cure. In some extreme cases people have been driven to suicide. 
 
Buy yourself a good pair of headphones, like the Senn HD25-1 II, so don’t have to turn the volume up to compensate for poor sound quality. It really is insane to risk damaging your hearing for listening to cheap hp’s too loud. it’s a complex yet delicate apparatus, if you abuse it, it'll get damaged; once it’s damaged there’s not replacing it. 
 
it's your hearing. abuse it and live with the consequences. my 2c

 

[iceshark]

Quote:

 
I second all the above. You should take the advices seriously.
 
I’m not sure if what you describe is tinnitus, at least maybe not yet. I do get occasionally get these kinds of ringing attacks that last few seconds and then (thankfully) disappear. However, full tinnitus is constant, non-stop, 24/7, continuous, day & night, relentless ringing. there's yet no cure. In some extreme cases people have been driven to suicide. 
 
Buy yourself a good pair of headphones, like the Senn HD25-1 II, so don’t have to turn the volume up to compensate for poor sound quality. It really is insane to risk damaging your hearing for listening to cheap hp’s too loud. it’s a complex yet delicate apparatus, if you abuse it, it'll get damaged; once it’s damaged there’s not replacing it. 
 
it's your hearing. abuse it and live with the consequences. my 2c

I fully and wholeheartedly don't want tinnitus, which is why I began this thread and do plan to take advice.
 
However, I am slightly insulted that you are under the impression these headphones are a poor quality. Quite a harsh judgement being that when I was purchasing these were very much competitive with the Sennheisers. I think they just need a little more help driving, but I'll see what I can do. One question that I really wanted to know though was that if these headphones are connected to an amplifier, will they sound better at lower volumes?
 

 

[bcasey25raptor]

I used to listen to my music at 80% or higher all the time on my iPod and I stopped from recommendations on this site. If you listen at no higher then 60% on an iPod or 35% on a computer (my laptop anyways) you should have no issues with tinnitus. Also avoid prolonged listening. Give your ears a break once in awhile.

 

[iceshark]

Quote:

I used to listen to my music at 80% or higher all the time on my iPod and I stopped from recommendations on this site. If you listen at no higher then 60% on an iPod or 35% on a computer (my laptop anyways) you should have no issues with tinnitus. Also avoid prolonged listening. Give your ears a break once in awhile.

Perhaps, but I know I'm getting the ringing problems even at these levels. I don't think I should simply "disregard" it. But thank you for the advice, I've decided that at least till I see an audiologist or get some medical help I will not be listening to music or using my headphones and avoid any loud noise exposure, just to be on the safe side. Or I use my speakers, which have never given me problems in regards to playing too loudly.
 

 

[BobSaysHi]

Just for reference, I'm 17 and have moderate tinnitus. I was checked out by a doctor, and he suggested my parents take my ipod away, which they did. Now, I listen much quieter, out of fear for damaging my hearing.
 
There's a lot that goes into how volume works (that I'm not going to go into), but I listen to my comp's sound card at about 5% and my ipod at about 20%. About 60-70 dB. I used to listen to 100%, on both, all the time. The comp's out I'd guess was 130 dB, and my ipod's was about 120 dB. Needless to say, that was a huge mistake.
 
The occasional loud ringing is nothing to be concerned with, as long as it goes away within like a minute or two. This doesn't include ringing after listening to music. If you notice ringing after listening to music, you are either listening too loud, or listening too long (2-3 hours without a break) at a moderate volume, like 80 or 90 dB.

 

[iceshark]

Thank you for that. I am a little confused, because this ringing actually doesn't usually occur after I listen to music. Usually it will happen randomly and then suddenly go away. I'm still concerned this is a problem though, because is that natural? Sometimes its hard to tell whether I'm just imagining I have the ringing or if it is really there... any way to test...?
 
I agree I sometimes listen to music or play games for a little too long term, so I will consider taking breaks. I'm surprised that you'd say 20% is really around 60 or 70dB, I'd expect it to be a bit lower (50?) because while I can hear sound clearly it doesn't sound as loud as say, someone talking at a calm tone. I used to listen at 20% when I had my earphones, and needless to say I never had a problem. 70%+ even in crowded areas is a little too much for my ears to handle.
 
Has your tinnitus recovered?

 

[BobSaysHi]

Quote:

Thank you for that. I am a little confused, because this ringing actually doesn't usually occur after I listen to music. Usually it will happen randomly and then suddenly go away. I'm still concerned this is a problem though, because is that natural? Sometimes its hard to tell whether I'm just imagining I have the ringing or if it is really there... any way to test...?
 
Yeah, it happens to most people. It's a brain thing as far as I know. If you want to test, the next time it happens, stick your fingers in your ear. If it doesn't decrease in volume, then the ringing is in your head.
 
I agree I sometimes listen to music or play games for a little too long term, so I will consider taking breaks. I'm surprised that you'd say 20% is really around 60 or 70dB, I'd expect it to be a bit lower (50?) because while I can hear sound clearly it doesn't sound as loud as say, someone talking at a calm tone. I used to listen at 20% when I had my earphones, and needless to say I never had a problem. 70%+ even in crowded areas is a little too much for my ears to handle.
 
Yeah, I probably shouldn't have given percentages. There are simply too many factors involved. To simplify a bit, you have differing output current and voltages from different devices, as well as different sensitivity of the headphones. My headphones are particularly sensitive (grados), so the volume levels are different between us.
 
Has your tinnitus recovered?
 
No. I doubt it will. It's something I'll have to live with. I don't think I have any frequency loss, just ringing in m ears. It is constant, and some days it seems louder than others, but I think it's mostly because I focus on it, and it seems to get louder. Sorta like having a sore in your mouth. You notice it, and just don't leave it alone, so it just keeps bothering you. If there's any kind of background noise, it's fairly easy to forget about it, although if I focus, I can always hear it.

 
 

 

[BobSaysHi]

Oh, one more thing I wish someone would have told me a while ago. If you already know this, good.
 
dB is measured logarithmically. Meaning that for every 10 dB, the perceived volume doubles. So, 90 dB is 2 times as loud as 80 dB, and 100 dB is 2 times as loud as 90 dB.