[dulath]

I notice I've been listening to music with my amp set higher then what I stared out with a week ago. I've also noticed that the music I used to enjoy is starting to sound dull with reduced detail and accuracy that I'm acustomed to getting from my Grados. Does subjecting your ears to loud music reduce their ability to hear fine details?

 

[bellor_19]

It does... but not within 1 week. unless you've been cranking up the volume way past safe limits. Just don't listen to your music for a few days and it should be back to normal

 

[music_man]

with hearing loss the first thing to go is always the high frequencies. it sounds like you need to go see the doctor. although he is probably going to tell you quit listening at high volume levels.

listening to any source at high volume be it phones or rock concerts will destroy your hearing more quickly then you might realise.

if you have lost high end detail the answer is not listening louder to make up for it! you will lose even more hearing and eventually will only be enjoying sign language! a lot of young people think this is some sort of a joke. then 30 years later they know they should have listened to their elders about this and everything else they told them back then!

don't mean to preach, but loosing your hearing sucks.


music_man.

 

[EvilDwarf]

Hmm. Maybe erasing some higher frequencies is desirable for enjoying Grados.

 

[gshan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EvilDwarf Hmm. Maybe erasing some higher frequencies is desirable for enjoying Grados.

That's a good idea. I'm going to listen to the entire Grado lineup this weekend, and will remember to do this. No more ringing in the ears, please

 

[halcyon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EvilDwarf Hmm. Maybe erasing some higher frequencies is desirable for enjoying Grados.

Always thought that myself

 

[legcramp]

That's why there's Sennheiser's

 

[Kirosia]

grados are the easiest phone to abuse. I f'ed up my ears so bad with them. Gotsa turn dern the v.

 

[MrEcted1]

Listening to loud cans can also lead to tinnitus... which is definitely no fun. Just in case you aren't sure, tinnitus is a constant ring in your ears that never goes away... I had a tinnitus scare, I went to the doctor and it turned out that the bones in my ear were pushing against my ear-drum. I still have mild tinnitus but when I was going through that my ears were ringing BAD for like 3 days... I am now much more responsible with my cans.

 

[Emon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by music_man a lot of young people think this is some sort of a joke. then 30 years later they know they should have listened to their elders about this and everything else they told them back then!

No kidding, and I'm 19. It's unbelievable how stupid people are with loud volumes. I walk by people on campus wearing CLOSED headphones, they are a good 15-20 feet away and I can HEAR what music they are playing. It's ridiculous. Or sometimes a friend will hand me his headphones to listen to something and I'll rip them straight off as soon as the sound comes out, because it hurts like hell. I just don't understand how people can be so irresponsible and stupid. The worst ones are the ones that are like "durrh yeah it's loud but I'm sure they'll be able to fix deafness in 30 years anyway." Hah, you go ahead and blast it then, sonny. Damn kids and their music.

 

[dulath]

I'm following Bellors' advice and taking a break over the weekend from listening to cans or loudspeakers. I don't have any ringering in my ears at the moment, but my right ear feels rather sensitive. I'll be keeping the knob on the amp turned down from now on

 

[setmenu]

When the ear is subjected to loud sounds the tensor tympanic muscle acts
to tighten the ear drum and reduce it's sensitivity.
Whilst the effect is too slow to give effective protection against quick impulses
it does offer some protection against more prolonged elevated sound pressures.
This action could account for a perceived softening of the sound of the phones
at high levels.
It would probably be prudent to stop listening at these levels and allow yourself to
re adjust to lower volume settings to minimize the risk of permanent damage.


.

 

[ken36]

This begs the question: How loud is loud? How many clicks up or down? Where do I set the volume?

 

[setmenu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ken36 This begs the question: How loud is loud? How many clicks up or down? Where do I set the volume?

Well as for as the tympanic muscle goes it is possible to feel and hear it in action.
Become accustomed to as quite a environment as can be found, place a cup or somesuch
over an ear and give it a sharp tap, the muscles activity can then be felt/heard as a
sort of crump or rustling sound as it tries to adjust to the impulse of the tap.
Another method is just to hit pause when playing music, if it's loud you should
hear the muscles relaxing their grip as the sound stops.


Doesn't really answer you question though .

.

 

[bellor_19]

Hearing loss occurs firstly in the HF domain because the cochlea is constructed in such a way that HF waves resonate inside it and form very powerful vibrations that strike the walls of the cochlea. On these walls are little tiny hairs that are connected to the audio nerve and they transform the vibrations induced in the cochlea by the timpanus into electrical signals transmitted to the brain through the nerve. The problem is that these resonant waves strike the hairs and kill them. Now the way they die is kinda weird cause you can lose hearing by everything getting muted or by hearing nothing else than a very loud (and I mean loud) ringing. The only way to prevent this is by being responsible. Don't listen to loud music. Don't use your headphones for hours upon hours upon hours. Take a break once in a while. If you are concerned about your ears go to the doctor. And try to realize that loud music, though thoroughly enjoyable, is very dangerous and still the same if you turn down the volume.