[shamrock134]

I've got a hearing test tomorrow.
 
I think I've damaged my hearing from listening too loudly to my headphones and IEMs. This was probably cumulative over the last year, but one night a few weeks ago I was playing CSS using my AD700 and afterwards I had pretty bad ear ache in my left ear and a banging headache.
 
Since then, listening to my cans at even low volumes results in discomfort in my left ear and a headache after a short period of time.
 
 

 

[Pianist]

Quote:

I've got a hearing test tomorrow.
 
I think I've damaged my hearing from listening too loudly to my headphones and IEMs. This was probably cumulative over the last year, but one night a few weeks ago I was playing CSS using my AD700 and afterwards I had pretty bad ear ache in my left ear and a banging headache.
 
Since then, listening to my cans at even low volumes results in discomfort in my left ear and a headache after a short period of time.

 
Oh man, that doesn't sound good at all. Stop all exposure to loud sounds immediately for at least a week or two. Avoid loud environmental noise. If you work in a loud workplace, wear earplugs at all times. Wear earplugs when out and about in a loud city as well, especially along busy streets and in subways. Then start getting back to listening slowly, but avoid such high volume levels at all costs. You can get used to listening at low levels over time, so turn down the volume and be patient - you will start to enjoy your music more and more and you may be surprised how enjoyable low volume listening can be. In fact, for critical listening I prefer lower volumes over higher volumes - at lower levels you can concentrate better on the music and can hear more subtle details.

 

[pedxing]

Another thing about ear plugs - figure out your uses. Do you need to talk to people in a noisy environment? Is the noise constant? Do you want ear muffs versus ear plugs? Do your coworkers have suggestions? etc...

Some fancier plugs may be super niche - like the ones that attenuate more as the sound gets louder. I suggest reading some reviews before paying for expensive pair. Otherwise, I think the cheap foamies rated at -32db, usually available at a local drug store, might be sufficient and economical.

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

Yes indeed I had/have Tinnitus, it only happens when I've been listening to music (at a loud volume) over an extended period of time, and even then it only happens for a few moments right before I go to sleep. But now with my general concerns, I've been avoiding loud music and thus the tinnitus has gone
 

That is indictive of hearing damage.  Keep listening at a lower volume, it'll stop progression, maybe even reverse it (yes, it can be reversed if caught early enough).

 
Quote:

I'm sorry, I understood tinnitus to be a permanent condition.

Still, why aren't you getting your hearing checked if you're concerned it's damaged?

Nope, not permanent unless you have really bad damage.
 


Quote:

Because as you said before, once it's been affected, the damage is irreversible. 

So the only thing to do is to protect my hearing from this point forward. I'm just wondering what kind of earplugs to get :+
 

The damage can sometimes be reversed if caught early enough.  Otherwise, still listen at lower volumes to stop progression.
 

 

[shamrock134]

I just finished at the audiologist. I suppose I should be pleased that my hearing is "fine" according to his test, but he couldn't explain the ear ache in my left ear or the headaches. I don't think I'm listening too loudly any more.
 
I have to say the test wasn't what I was expecting. It was done in a poorly isolated room where I could hear external noise from the opticians outside the room. They only test the range 250Hz-8000Hz which is apparently the norm? Also, it'd be easy to fool the test as the tones played are done so with the same intervals.

 

[JackKontney]

It's really about the Ety filters you get in custom Musicians Earphones. They are pretty flat; nothing else really is.
Fit is important too, obviously.
 
If you can put up with the hi-freq loss inherent in OTC plugs, good on you. 
The Ety ER-20 and Baby Blues universals (around $12) are pretty decent.

 

[cRodz]

this topic is interesting.
 
I have a j3 and i do not go past 12-13 outside
it is 14 right now which i use with my M50 but that is because i have the AC a few feet away.
If i was on my room at night with everything turned off, i could go as low as 8 (maybe lower i am not sure) with my M50.
Just checked right now and 10 is alright next to the AC
 
Now with my UETF10, it is the same story.
12 outside i believe and i dont use em inside the house.
 
i am going to see an audiologist not because i need it but to see how my ears are doing.
I remember when i was a kid, my ears were being checked with a machine and he asked if i can pick up the beeps. Now, at 20, i want to see how many beeps i can pick up because i am fairly interested.
 
 

 

[FullCircle]

Audiologist here:
 
 Tinnitus can be caused by many things, examples:
 
Medications, hypertension, stress, lack of sleep, acoustic neuroma, caffien, noise exposure, and on and on...
. 
In fact there are so many causes, it is hard to even pin point the actual culprit. But we do know that a large percentage of those with tinnitus do have a hearing loss.  As some one mentioned before, tinnitus is tinnitus, and durration is not part of the deffinition.
 
Wearing ear plugs to some how help your hearing return, will be of no help. Honestly, hearing loss is part of the ageing process, so even those that protect their hearing religiously are going to have some hearing loss as they get older.
 
 

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

Audiologist here:
 
 Tinnitus can be caused by many things, examples:
 
Medications, hypertension, stress, lack of sleep, acoustic neuroma, caffien, noise exposure, and on and on...
. 
In fact there are so many causes, it is hard to even pin point the actual culprit. But we do know that a large percentage of those with tinnitus do have a hearing loss.  As some one mentioned before, tinnitus is tinnitus, and durration is not part of the deffinition.
 
Wearing ear plugs to some how help your hearing return, will be of no help. Honestly, hearing loss is part of the ageing process, so even those that protect their hearing religiously are going to have some hearing loss as they get older.
 
 

 
Interesting, thanks for the info...  I didn't know what acoustic neuroma was so I googled it...  First sentence it was a tumor, so I thought, that's not good...  Then the 3rd one said it was benign   IDK what the cause of mine was, but it's gone now (for the last 6-8 months actually after I started listening to music less loudly).
 
 

 

[BattleBrat]

I am a mechanic and I JUST got my first custom earplugs (ordered some UM56's for the UM3X RC's while I was at it) Westone 47's I had to give the right side back to the audiologist while they make a new one better adjusted but here is the left;

TOTALLY worth it, I suggest that everyone has some custom plugs made, you won't regret it!

 

[shamrock134]

 
Quote:

Audiologist here:
 
 Tinnitus can be caused by many things, examples:
 
Medications, hypertension, stress, lack of sleep, acoustic neuroma, caffien, noise exposure, and on and on...
. 
In fact there are so many causes, it is hard to even pin point the actual culprit. But we do know that a large percentage of those with tinnitus do have a hearing loss.  As some one mentioned before, tinnitus is tinnitus, and durration is not part of the deffinition.
 
Wearing ear plugs to some how help your hearing return, will be of no help. Honestly, hearing loss is part of the ageing process, so even those that protect their hearing religiously are going to have some hearing loss as they get older.
 
 

Is it normal for hearing tests to only test 250Hz-8000Hz? My audiologist said this is because it's the range of normal speech. I was thinking, what about the extra frequencies found in music?!
 

 

[FullCircle]

There are many reasons we test 250-8K.   A this point in time, this is what a hearing test is defined as, and this is what insurance companies pay for. If you want something "off the menu" then you should request that.
 
That said, one must have special equipment to test beyond 8K and even beyond that is a problem of "normative data."  There really isn't any normative data/guidelines to be found in regards to 8K and beyond.
 
 

 

[Eric_C]

So when a person is said to have hearing loss, then it would likely mean they have problems within the 250-8KHz range?

 

[Pianist]

Quote:

So when a person is said to have hearing loss, then it would likely mean they have problems within the 250-8KHz range?

 
Well that range is just where most unnatural hearing loss occurs that happens due to exposure to excessively loud sounds or diseases and stuff. The lower and higher frequencies are more affected by the normal aging process and genetics I guess.

 

[Eric_C]

I see...and the hearing range shrinks from the ends, right? As in, there are no instances where a person could have perfect hearing from 20Hz-20KHz, but have trouble with frequencies within that range (e.g. can't hear 10-11KHz properly)