[tyagi]

In some ways this is a bit of an alien thread for Head-Fi, where the general trend is towards "audiophile" (whatever that actually means) profile equipment and sound replication. I've been on and around head-fi for a few years and have enjoyed good headphones and music for many more. However, a couple of years ago I was diagnosed with cancer and was treated with a good, strong, dose of chemotherapy. One side-effect of some chemotherapy drugs which may not be too well known is that it can cause "peripheral neuropathy" - in everyday language, this is damage to fine nerve endings around the body which include the fingers, toes and.... hearing. So on the one hand I'm still standing upright and breathing oxygen, but on the other I now have a mild dose of tinnitus and some harmonic distortion at high-mid frequencies.
 
My previously satisfying IEMs, Etymotic ER4P, now appear to have a sound signature which doesn't match my new-found far-from-golden ears. I'm actually finding my cheap-o UE Metro.fi plugs to be more pleasing to listen to as they have fuller, rounded, bass, and seem to have a dip in the frequency range that causes me problems.
 
I understand that I probably have a couple of options. Firstly, I could stick with my ER4P and get an equaliser to knock out problem frequencies and boost up others to fill it out. Alternatively, I could get a new pair of IEMs which have a sound signature that suits. I prefer the latter because a) I like buying new stuff, and b) I don't like carrying more than one box of electronics around in my pocket. The IEMs will currently be driven by a Galaxy S3, but assume any sort of Smartphone in the future. I'd like IEMs because I work in an office and need to minimise noise leakage.
 
I'd like some recommendations for IEMs that may suit, even better if they're available with an inline microphone that I can use for talking on the phone. Price-wise anything up to ER4P prices is fine, but obviously lower is better.

 

[tinyman392]

Hey, sorry to hear about your condition.  Keep fighting  
 
Regarding a headphone for you to use.  Can you be specific to what frequency has become problematic for you?  There is a possibility that we can find a headphone that won't focus on that frequency range.  For example, if the resonance spike in the 5k region of the Etymotic is causing you problems, something like the UE 600 or Heir Audio 4.Ai may be useful.  But in order to make any recommendation, we would need to know what frequency range is causing the problem.

 

[tyagi]

That's a very good question, and one that I would actually like to know the precise answer to myself! While I was in treatment, I had regular hearing tests so that they could monitor any hearing damage that was being caused as a result of the drugs. However, post-treatment (it's now 2 years), I've not had any formal followup on this.
 
I suppose the best thing to do would be to get a referral to an audiologist, get a current plot of my frequency sensitivity, and specifically ask if we can pinpoint the frequency range where I get (what I refer to as) harmonic distortion. (I call it this because it's like I get one frequency come in to my ear, but what actually gets triggered is a cluster of frequencies. So it sounds like in a certain frequency range someone's hit a distortion pedal on an electric guitar, but not quite as cool sounding).
 
If there's anything anyone can suggest that I can do at home in terms of online tests or tools to help me pinpoint this, I'd be appreciated. I'll take a search myself and see if anything pops up. In general though, it's high-mid frequency sounds which occur in a lot of rock electric guitar and some high-mid synth or vocal. For this reason, I'm currently preferring to listen to electronica with nice bass, sweeping synth/vocal and just some high top-end. I'm erring towards getting some IEMs which work well with this type of music.
 
 
It's all been an interesting experience, because to be honest, when I first went in and had my hearing checked out prior to treatment, they said that I had minor hearing loss at high-mid range, which I never knew. I'm sure there are many people on Head-Fi who assume that they (and most others) have flawless hearing, but I think they'd be surprised at the results of a test It does give you a different view on how there are no "perfect" headphones, but just those that are "perfect for the individual".

 

[tinyman392]

Maybe something like the Heir Audio 4.Ai?  It has a null at the 5k range.  The Westone W4 seems to have a dip at the 5k as well, but a bump in the 3k region (if your problem is in this region, I would avoid the W4).  I can't think of too many others. 

 

[Sylaw]

dude sorry to hear that... And whah? ur From 2003 ?? one of our fo-fathers....

  as Tinyman says get a 4.Ai... i have a Friend who has the same issue ... But he Gave up headphones after that though. Good to see ur Fighting.. Even i have a small amount of tinnitus although i can still hear up to 18K..
 

 

[gyger]

I find this thread pretty darn interesting. I suffer from the infliction but I try not to get me down and continue to pursue HiFi. I have noticed, however, that my tinnitus gets worse after using my IEMs at work. At first I thought my Ety HF-3s that I use in the office were the problem, then I swapped them out for a pair of UE TripleFi 10s.  I love the way the 10's sound, but even after an hour of moderate listening at a moderate level, the tinnitus gets worse. I have a pair of Audeze LCD-2s at home and I don't have that problem at all.
 
Could it be that the inaudible spikes in frequency are aggravating the inner ear? Could it also be my Nuforce icon generating some unheard harmonic? Opinions?