Stick a fork in me, I'm done. Dr. says "No more Headphones".... : (

[FullCircle]

Hi Dr. J, what about a large hole in your eardrum? Would that impact low frequencies?

 
A hole in the ear drum = a conductive hearing loss, and the hall mark result of that is a low frequency conductive hearing loss. (not as serious as a sensori neural hearing loss, as conductive are usally not permanent)
 
Interestingly enough, the location of the hole also determines what frequencies are impacted as well.   The good news about holes in ear drums is that they usually heal over time, and even more interesting is that the eardrum is comprised of three layers of tissue, that are essentially woven, much like a spiders web.   If there is a hole, tear etc, when the ear heals, it heals in two layers rather than three.
 
A side story.  On the eve of the last day of my masters degree program...   I was playing raquetball....     I took a hard shot to the ear....  
 
The compressive force of air, blew a whole in my ear drum....   
 
I drove home with a unilateral hearing loss, fearing that I was permanently deafened in one ear.  The $5,000 stereo system in my car sound horrible as well!
 
 
Any how, after a night of no sleep, I drove back to the university, and luckily found that I just had a conductive hearing loss, due to a blown ear drum, and I would be fine over some time.
 
We had a girl in our program fall while water skiing, damaged her ear much the same way as well!

 

[ExCelciuS]

   
 
Noise induced hearing loss, impacts the high freq. range, rather than the low freq.

 
The high frequency is the 'true killer' of our ears, I've always take a sharp mind in that and in choosing any audio products..
 
So to me there are 3 dangerous things about sound :

1. High frequency is the 1st
2. Extraordinary and sudden loudness is the 2nd, constant loudness is also in this category
3. Too much bass (like ab**s headphone) maybe.. I have auditioned this headphone and couldn't stand its bass, it's banging my brain, and couldn't stand its price ...

 
And I think even I hear high frequency at low volumes the frequency still sound harsh and hurt my ears ..., be very aware with high frequency headphones ...

 

[FullCircle]

The high frequency is the 'true killer' of our ears, I've always take a sharp mind in that and in choosing any audio products..

So to me there are 3 dangerous things about sound :

• High frequency is the 1st
• Extraordinary and sudden loudness is the 2nd, constant loudness is also in this category
• Too much bass (like ab**s headphone) maybe.. I have auditioned this headphone and couldn't stand its bass, it's banging my brain, and couldn't stand its price ...

And I think even I hear high frequency at low volumes the frequency still sound harsh and hurt my ears ..., be very aware with high frequency headphones ...

It isn't so much that loud high freq. damage the high freq receptive area of the cochlea, the culprit is the anatomy/ shape of the cochlea. The fluid within the cochlea, as it travels and makes the bends, there is more of an erosive force through the curves, which happens to be where the high frequency receptive hair cells lay.

Low frequencies set the fluid in the cochlea in motion as well....


You may want to get your hearing tested, as it sounds like you are complaining of "recruitment". (=abnormal loudness growth).

 

[ExCelciuS]

It isn't so much that loud high freq. damage the high freq receptive area of the cochlea, the culprit is the anatomy/ shape of the cochlea. The fluid within the cochlea, as it travels and makes the bends, there is more of an erosive force through the curves, which happens to be where the high frequency receptive hair cells lay.

Low frequencies set the fluid in the cochlea in motion as well....


You may want to get your hearing tested, as it sounds like you are complaining of "recruitment". (=abnormal loudness growth).

No thank you

 , I think I have nothing wrong with my ear, just want to remind that our health should be in top priority, and we can't change shape of the cochlea but we have options 

 

[davidsh]

  Doctprate of audiology here....
 
Not sure if this has been mentioned yet, as I did not read all 11+ pages of this thread.
 
But there is a large list of medications that can induce hearing loss or tinnitus as well.   With any of your medications, it would be a good idea to do a google search and check and see if they are ototoxic.
 
Some examples of ototoxic drugs/medications are:
 
Aspirin, vicodin, viagra etc etc etc

Well, my slight tinnitus-ish tendencies did get a bit worse in the following months after I started taking anti-depressive. Now, I'm taking a lower dose, but it's about the same, might get better over time. If it's possible to even say so, I'd say the ringing etc. I hear would be around 30-45 dB. The ambient noise in my room with my computer on is around 35-45 dB, I'd say. I hear it faintly right now. But still, it's pretty hard to put a number on as I tend to think my brain filters a lot of it.

 

[FullCircle]

Well, my slight tinnitus-ish tendencies did get a bit worse in the following months after I started taking anti-depressive. Now, I'm taking a lower dose, but it's about the same, might get better over time. If it's possible to even say so, I'd say the ringing etc. I hear would be around 30-45 dB. The ambient noise in my room with my computer on is around 35-45 dB, I'd say. I hear it faintly right now. But still, it's pretty hard to put a number on as I tend to think my brain filters a lot of it.

Google search your meds and find out if they are ototoxic, a lot of mind altering drugs are, oxycodone, for example is.

Vicodin more than likely is what deafened, Rush Limbaugh, as that was his drug of choice. It was stated to be idiopathic, but I doubt he revealed his drug issues to the physicians initially.

 

[davidsh]

Google search your meds and find out if they are ototoxic, a lot of mind altering drugs are, oxycodone, for example is.

Vicodin more than likely is what deafened, Rush Limbaugh, as that was his drug of choice. It was stated to be idiopathic, but I doubt he revealed his drug issues to the physicians initially.

Yeah, I already know it is ototoxic (well, I didn't know that was the word). So it's no news to me, actually. I just remembered it with your post 

 
But luckily it doesn't seem like the ringing is very severe at all and it doesn't annoy me that much, just don't want it to get worse and I just don't like it being there, but there's not really a way around that anyway..

 

[flippant1]

Tinnitus and noise induced hearing loss are now at epidemic level, and headphone listening is at the leading edge of this crisis.

It's a little too late for some of us, but some simple precautions will help:

-avoid headphones with a severe treble boost

-limit your listening sessions to an hour, then take a break, preferably for the rest of the day

-get a real sound meter (not a smartphone app), and keep your headphone sound level at 60 dBA (peak) or lower.


There are numerous professions and hobbies which have high rates of tinnitus:

1. warfare (not difficult to figure out why: explosives + stress = tinnitus)

2. dentistry: high ptiched loud drills day in, day out

3. factory and construction work with loud machinery

4. bartending/DJ's/any nightlife professions

5. and yes, headphones: a great way of damaging hearing with an unlimited playlist, zero distortion and no physiological cues for loudness.

6. motorcycles


Choose your poison.

First off, tinnitus isn't due to headphones, it's simply the volume, though of course there are other physiological factors that can cause it totally independently of volume. The reason why headphones get blamed for it is that they make it far easier to achieve excessively high volume levels. It doesn't really matter if the sound comes from headphones or speakers or other external sources, it's the SPL that matters, and the amount of time you're exposed to it.

Also, tinnitus is common. Many, many people have at least some degree of tinnitus. We're almost constantly surrounded by background noise and have very few truly noise-free places where we can be aware of any background ringing in our ears. Becoming suddenly aware of tinnitus and freaking out about it, whereas in reality nothing has recently changed in our hearing, is also fairly common. Severe tinnitus, of course, is a far more significant problem.

In your position I would:

1) calm down.
2) stop all loud listening. Get a DB meter and see safe listening guidelines. Remember that those guidelines apply to healthy ears, for someone with hearing damage you will want to keep volumes even lower.
3) wait for several months and see what happens. There is a chance that the severity of it will lessen.

Incidentally, I also have tinnitus. Not severe by any means, but there times when I notice it. Usually it's tied to elevated blood pressure. I haven't given up headphones, I simply listen at sane levels and for less time in a sitting. Over the time it has lessened though it hasn't gone away.

You left out stupidity. I had very occasional noticeable tinnitus, but it never seemed constant or I didn't notice it. I bought a Dragonfly Cobalt- like the Red or my ifi Go Bar wasn't enough and turned on Roon, which played at maximum volume and I thought my head was "going to explode"- I couldn't pull those IEMS out fast enough. I just bought Campfire Solaris Special Edition as if my Focal open and close back weren't enough. Stupidly I thought I fixed the issue and plugged the IEMS in again with the Dragonfly, and the same- It was literally painful, even for a couple of seconds. I was concerned I may have broken the IEMs,

Now I have had Tinnitus, more or less constant depending on how much I obsess. I may have had it before but it seems relatively constant now, and I hope it goes away. It seems to be less when I wake up and when I'm busy, but the it comes back. 3 days now. I used to sleep with noise-canceling wired headphones.

I have not been listening to any music though I do miss it so, Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

 

[ThanatosVI]

You left out stupidity. I had very occasional noticeable tinnitus, but it never seemed constant or I didn't notice it. I bought a Dragonfly Cobalt- like the Red or my ifi Go Bar wasn't enough and turned on Roon, which played at maximum volume and I thought my head was "going to explode"- I couldn't pull those IEMS out fast enough. I just bought Campfire Solaris Special Edition as if my Focal open and close back weren't enough. Stupidly I thought I fixed the issue and plugged the IEMS in again with the Dragonfly, and the same- It was literally painful, even for a couple of seconds. I was concerned I may have broken the IEMs,

Now I have had Tinnitus, more or less constant depending on how much I obsess. I may have had it before but it seems relatively constant now, and I hope it goes away. It seems to be less when I wake up and when I'm busy, but the it comes back. 3 days now. I used to sleep with noise-canceling wired headphones.

I have not been listening to any music though I do miss it so, Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Since the last Post is 9 years old I doubt that you will get an answer from those you quoted.

It could help to seek out a doctor. As in the quoted posts mentioned, slight Tinnitus isn't uncommon. Reasons could be related to blood pressure or even dirty ears if you're lucky and could even go away again in a few months. That is if it is a slight Tinnitus and only noticed since the Incident.

However stronger Tinnitus is a different Story.
I'm not sure how severe it is?
Getting your ears checked can't hurt.

I myself have to live with slight Tinnitus on the right ear. It's so low in volume that I don't notice most of the time, but when I notice it, it's hard to ignore again.
Weirdly it gets more prominent when I have headphones on and nothing playing or the ear covered with a pillow.

Reading posts like these is always a good reminder to not overdo it.

 

[bareyb]

I just watched my brand new Fostex Th-900s go back to the store where I bought them. Ironically, they were supposed to be my "end game" and I guess they were. My Signature DJs and my Amp are gone too.I've been told in no uncertain terms by the Doctor that my Headphone days are over.

In short, I have permanently screwed my hearing. I apparently have a harmless sounding little thing called "Tinitus". Permanent ringing in the ears. That's what I have and according to the Dr. it's what I will have to live with the rest of my life. There is a high pitched hiss in my ears that never stops and I hear "clicking" noises though the day and night. I can't tell you guys how depressing this is and I hope to God it never happens to any of you. People have committed suicide over this, and I can certainly understand why. It's enough to drive you insane.

I debated whether or not to post about this, but decided if I can stop someone else from making the same mistakes I made then It might at least give the situation some meaning. If you have the urge to chime in and tell me what an idiot I am and I should have known better, well, you're preaching to the choir. I screwed myself and I know that. My only defense is that I honestly did not know this could happen. I thought at worst case that loud music may eventually lessen my hearing a bit. I'm quite sure if someone had told me that I'd be living a life of constant torment and that I'd have to give up headphones entierely I would have done things much differently... It doesn't take much to get Tinitus apparently, and the most common way is with Headphones. So word to the wise....I have to live with this the rest of my life but you don't have to... Keep the volume way down. I was told just a tad louder than when you can clearly hear it.

I'm gonna have to leave the Hobby and that's going to leave a big hole in my life. I'll miss talking to you guys. I really expected to be in this Hobby for the rest of my life. I wish things had turned out differently for me.

Please tell your friends about Tinitus if they don't know. It's truly a harsh punishment for what seems like harmless fun. It's very difficult to reconcile once it actually happen to you and the reality sets in. I hope none of you have to suffer these harsh consequences. I would also like to take this opportunity to say goodbye to the friends I've made here, and not just disappear.

Since the last Post is 9 years old I doubt that you will get an answer from those you quoted.

It could help to seek out a doctor. As in the quoted posts mentioned, slight Tinnitus isn't uncommon. Reasons could be related to blood pressure or even dirty ears if you're lucky and could even go away again in a few months. That is if it is a slight Tinnitus and only noticed since the Incident.

However stronger Tinnitus is a different Story.
I'm not sure how severe it is?
Getting your ears checked can't hurt.

I myself have to live with slight Tinnitus on the right ear. It's so low in volume that I don't notice most of the time, but when I notice it, it's hard to ignore again.
Weirdly it gets more prominent when I have headphones on and nothing playing or the ear covered with a pillow.

Reading posts like these is always a good reminder to not overdo it.

Hey guys. It's me bareyb. I'm the original poster in this thread.

Thought I'd stop by and give you guys an update on my Tinitus. The bad news is it's been almost 10 years and it's as bad now as it was the day I created this thread. The good news is, it hasn't gotten any worse. This next part is for anyone who has just gotten it like @flippant1 . It will drive you insane for about a month and then lo and behold, one day you realize you haven't noticed it for a few hours and then maybe a whole day. So there is hope. Don't let it get you too depressed. It gets easier.

The mind is an amazing thing and it can apparently adapt and learn to almost completely tune it out to where you can live a very normal life. It still bothers me in the evenings when it's quiet in here and some days it's definitely worse than others, but you CAN learn to live with it. Now the big question. Did I go back using headphones again? And the answer is yes, but only at the Gym. I started using them again after a few months as there is simply no other way to have music when I'm working out. I still get warnings from my Apple Watch to turn it down on occasion, but the difference now is when that happens I actually turn them down a bit. It doesn't take much to go over the limit for what they say is healthy.

Anyway, I felt pretty distraught at the time I created this thread and honestly, I still occasionally kick myself for messing up my hearing like I have, but it is what it is and I've learned to live with it for the most part. Sleeping with a white noise machine like the SNOOZ on Amazon.com really helps a lot at night. If anyone has any questions. I'm here for ya and I'm happy to see that my thread has helped some people as that was the intent. Be safe out there. Keep it to a dull roar.

 

[flippant1]

I appreciate your thoughts. I have an appt with an ENT on Thursday and I am sure he will send me to an audiologist. A couple of years back, I was listening with noise-canceling headphones all night and I was also getting into this hobby.
I felt a slight tremor in my left ear, I suppose, from the noise-canceling pressure. I thought I was missing words listening to the TV, and it was getting “into my head.”
I went to an audiologist and she said I passed the tests and my hearing was fine.

I have experienced transient ringing in my ears, mostly mild and I ignored it. I can’t imagine I did that much more damage in a matter of seconds though the sound was so loud I literally was pulling these new and costly IEMs out of my ears. Then insanity ensued, and I went for round two.

In any case, I didn’t notice the tinnitus until a quiet time the next day. It’s been three days out and I haven’t used headphones or IEMs, which were a passion on a daily basis for a couple of hours in the evenings. Yes, I feel like I may have lost my great hobby and literally feel a loss.

This morning I barely noticed it, and when I got stressed later, it rang away. Anyway, I am hopeful It will get better over a bit of time and I didn’t do permanent damage, but I ain’t getting any younger.

I recall sitting in the 10th row in front of the huge speakers at a Grateful Dead concert in my teens and my ears rang for a week, but that "went away." Now I just don’t know, and time and a good doctor will tell. I previously ignored this and I have had some ringing temporarily. , and now I'm very self-aware and stressed. Obsessed.

What a bummer. I just picked up a Campfire Solaris special edition and the sound was incredible but I couldn’t leave well enough alone.

Anyway, I am glad there may be hope, and I am trying not to let it get me too down. I wrote hear as I wanted to see how you all were handling this as most users on Headfi are passionate about the hobby, and I thought I'd check how you all were making out. This may be a nine-year-old thread, but I just "Googled" tinnitus, which is still very relevant. I am "kicking myself today," as I almost had it all. Thanks. Let me know how you are doing. Any good news??

 

[JerseyD]

I’ve had tinnitus for more than 30 years. Some tips: it gets louder with alcohol, caffeine, working out and listening to music (or anything) too loudly. It has made me treble-sensitive, so I now prefer a more laid back sound signature. It will get aggravated by IEMs and closed-back headphones much more than with open-back headphones. So if you can, stick to open backs and moderate volume levels, and you won’t make things worse.

 

[Slackaveli]

I just watched my brand new Fostex Th-900s go back to the store where I bought them. Ironically, they were supposed to be my "end game" and I guess they were. My Signature DJs and my Amp are gone too.I've been told in no uncertain terms by the Doctor that my Headphone days are over.

In short, I have permanently screwed my hearing. I apparently have a harmless sounding little thing called "Tinitus". Permanent ringing in the ears. That's what I have and according to the Dr. it's what I will have to live with the rest of my life. There is a high pitched hiss in my ears that never stops and I hear "clicking" noises though the day and night. I can't tell you guys how depressing this is and I hope to God it never happens to any of you. People have committed suicide over this, and I can certainly understand why. It's enough to drive you insane.

I debated whether or not to post about this, but decided if I can stop someone else from making the same mistakes I made then It might at least give the situation some meaning. If you have the urge to chime in and tell me what an idiot I am and I should have known better, well, you're preaching to the choir. I screwed myself and I know that. My only defense is that I honestly did not know this could happen. I thought at worst case that loud music may eventually lessen my hearing a bit. I'm quite sure if someone had told me that I'd be living a life of constant torment and that I'd have to give up headphones entierely I would have done things much differently... It doesn't take much to get Tinitus apparently, and the most common way is with Headphones. So word to the wise....I have to live with this the rest of my life but you don't have to... Keep the volume way down. I was told just a tad louder than when you can clearly hear it.

I'm gonna have to leave the Hobby and that's going to leave a big hole in my life. I'll miss talking to you guys. I really expected to be in this Hobby for the rest of my life. I wish things had turned out differently for me.

Please tell your friends about Tinitus if they don't know. It's truly a harsh punishment for what seems like harmless fun. It's very difficult to reconcile once it actually happen to you and the reality sets in. I hope none of you have to suffer these harsh consequences. I would also like to take this opportunity to say goodbye to the friends I've made here, and not just disappear.

Brother, I feel for you, Man. That is horrible. It's sad and depressing and all of that.

But Brother- You'll get thru this. In the same way that a schizophrenic who hears voices all day does. Or, like myself who has chronic migrainosis and almost always has a headache. I have to time my music listening sessions between the tortures. It's maddening, yes, and I feel really bad for you. but- I think maybe you should buy some nice speaker and try those at a moderate volume perhaps!

At any rate, i empathize with you and just thing thats tough af.

 

[Double C]

I guess I just can't let this thread Rest In Peace.

My story sounds very much like @flippant1 . I would occasionally get a high pitched ring in my left ear but it would go away in a minute or so, as far as I can remember. Fast forward to Feb 2023 and I suddenly lost some hearing and gained constant tinnitus in that ear. I have pretty much lost all the low frequencies and fidelity in the high frequency has suffered. It's been a total bummer for that last month and a half. Aggressive steroid treatments did not help. My sympathy to all of you out there...it totally sucks, but worse when you are an audiophile.

 

[JerseyD]

I guess I just can't let this thread Rest In Peace.

My story sounds very much like @flippant1 . I would occasionally get a high pitched ring in my left ear but it would go away in a minute or so, as far as I can remember. Fast forward to Feb 2023 and I suddenly lost some hearing and gained constant tinnitus in that ear. I have pretty much lost all the low frequencies and fidelity in the high frequency has suffered. It's been a total bummer for that last month and a half. Aggressive steroid treatments did not help. My sympathy to all of you out there...it totally sucks, but worse when you are an audiophile.

My tinnitus has not lessened my enthusiasm for music and the search for equipment that will maximize my enjoyment of it. It probably does mean that gear that sounds great to me may not sound great to someone with perfect hearing. I have lost some upper frequency hearing in my left ear and have constant ringing. It seems like a contradiction, but hot treble really bothers me. You would think I need extra treble, but the opposite seems true. My headphone listening is now all with open-back headphones (and not too loud). IEMs and closed-backs aggravate my ringing. Listening to some well-recorded tunes on Qobuz right now through a tube amp into ZMF Auteur Classics. Sounds great and I can't really hear my ringing when the music plays. My plan is to try ZMF's various tunings (Atrium, Verite, different pads) and find what works best with my particular hearing situation. I'm sure a better DAC would help, too. See! My Head-Fi-itis is fully intact. Where's my wallet???