[Brainmatter]

I would like us with delicate and sensitive ears to share our experiencis as to which headphones work for us and which ones do not. Give examples of both the worst and the best headphones for us proned with tinnitus and hyperakusis. I developed severe tinnitus and hyperakusis after having bougt an expensive mp3-player and a pair of Grado SR 80. I did not like the sound of them at all, but after having spent for me a descent buck on them, and having red all the great reviews, I decided to get used to them, and wear them in.
 
So Grado SR 80 are terrlible for sensitive ears. Now I have borrowd a pair of Grado PS 500. And I find them very smooth and comfortable, The sound is soft as silk, but after having listended for a while, I still get fatigue and my ears feel blocked. However. If I use these carefully, they might work, and the sound is great.
 
I am dying to hear about your experiencies

 

[newphones]

I'm a bit startled that you continue to listen to these very fatiguing headphones even when your body told you to stop a long time ago.
 
There are definitely some exceptional headphones out there that cost next to nothing, sound great, but don't have the treble boost you find so bothersome.
 
At the very least, use your EQ to roll off high end response a bit -- this would be the easiest and least expensive solution by far. Try that first.
 

 

[Brainmatter]

Thank you. Do you have any examples of souch headphones, please
 

 

[newphones]

I am thrilled with my koss portapros for $30. They don't get much love around here since they are well, only $30.
 
The bass has awesome visceral impact, and the mids and high end are solid. These are darker headphones but the mids and highs are far more accurate than they were when these headphones were first produced. Burn them in and they are fantastic.
 
Also, find out what sound level you are actually listening at.

 

[Greeni]

I also have tinnits accentuated by Grado, but chances are you will not completely eliminate this issue by switching to other brands. Headphones are inherently not the most natural way to listen. Low quality audio files with MP3 format may have a role too.
 
It may not be the smartest thing to spend good amounts of money, until your ears get used to it and want to continue down the headphone path.
 
The Digitech Pro Monitor is a great phone for $50, and can be driven without an headphone amp. It has the least offensive treble amongst those I had and easiest on the ears. It is essentially the same as the almost twice more expensive Fischer audio FA-003. Do allow some time for initial run-in though.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/digitech-pro-monitor-headphones

 

[musicknight]

Quote:

I would like us with delicate and sensitive ears to share our experiencis as to which headphones work for us and which ones do not. Give examples of both the worst and the best headphones for us proned with tinnitus and hyperakusis. I developed severe tinnitus and hyperakusis after having bougt an expensive mp3-player and a pair of Grado SR 80. I did not like the sound of them at all, but after having spent for me a descent buck on them, and having red all the great reviews, I decided to get used to them, and wear them in.
 
So Grado SR 80 are terrlible for sensitive ears. Now I have borrowd a pair of Grado PS 500. And I find them very smooth and comfortable, The sound is soft as silk, but after having listended for a while, I still get fatigue and my ears feel blocked. However. If I use these carefully, they might work, and the sound is great.
 
I am dying to hear about your experiencies

I had a similar problem with you, but mine was due to listening in high volumes using some trashy earphones (apple earbuds) instead of headphones. My tinnitus disappeared after a week. I was suggested by my doctor to reduce the amount of listening to an hour per day, but I couldn't live with that. So I read up some medical researches done about sound levels that are damaging to the ear and such, and the problem never came back.
 
You mentioned you still have fatigue and your ears feel blocked? Do you listen at high volumes? What source are you using?

 

[Brainmatter]

I listen for to many hours a day. The source compact cassettes with my lovely vintage aiwa walkman. The sound quality is excellent, and uncompressed. Its the sibilance of my headphones that limits the volume and listening time allowed. But I started this thread to make a list for people seeking good headphones for sensitive ears. So give examples please, and then I will post a list with the good and the bad cans.

 

[CantScareMe]

It's most likely the volume, rather than the frequency.
 
Music may not be the worst offender - if you're in a quiet environment when you listen, you can blame it on your listening volume/headphones. Otherwise it could be the volume of outside traffic, volume of the trains, subway, people in a bar/club/shop, sports stadium, roadworks, kids screaming.....or anywhere where there is high volume. If in these environments you're using your grado sr80's then i'm afraid you have been using them in extremely the wrong way. 
 
They are open headphones that do not provide isolation to outside noise at all. So if in loud environments they are used they have to be playing at exceptionally high volumes for you to hear them over the background noise, which can only be damaging to your ears. 
 
I wouldn't recommend a single over ear/on ear headphone to use in loud environments for those with hyperacusis. Not a single one. And I've come across quite a lot. Actually the ultrasone edition 8 is the most isolating out of the lot i've come across, but the FR response variance between different sets makes it non-recommendable. A few ed8 headsets i've listened to have genuinely offensive peaks that can only exasperate hearing porblems- mine don't.
 
In ear makes sense as with these the isolation at offer is large enough for one to be in loud environments (hyperacusis sufferers see all but the quietest environments at loud) and simultaneously listen to music at a low volume that is safe. 

 

[CantScareMe]

oh, and btw, sorry to point out that the thread is entitled:
'Tinnits headphones'
 
Spelling mistake?
 
Maybe Call it
'Tinnitus - Hyperacusis Friendly Headphones'

 

[newphones]

Quote:

I listen for to many hours a day. The source compact cassettes with my lovely vintage aiwa walkman. The sound quality is excellent, and uncompressed. Its the sibilance of my headphones that limits the volume and listening time allowed. But I started this thread to make a list for people seeking good headphones for sensitive ears. So give examples please, and then I will post a list with the good and the bad cans.

 
I can't tell if you're being serious or not. Anyway, good luck.

 

[Armaegis]

I do not have tinnitus, but I am particularly sensitive to treble.
 
Grados have not just treble peaks, but rather strong resonances in that range as well. It is typically a combination of the peaks and resonances that will cause fatigue for a listener. 
 
Here are just a few headphones which in my experience are rather easy to listen to with downplayed treble:
Sennheiser PX100-ii, HD600/650
AiAiAi TMA-1
Phiaton MS300/MS400
 
Placing some type of felt or cloth in front of a driver will also help cut down on the treble edges. 

 

[laon]

Try JVC RX700.

 

[MellonCollie]

I have tinnitus on one ear
 
Does this ever go away?
 
The worst part is not being able to hear bass as good as i used to or have a meaningful silence
 
Feelings get the best of me, I'm glad I'm only effected 50%

 

[KetchupNinja]

Quote:

I have tinnitus on one ear
 
Does this ever go away?
 
The worst part is not being able to hear bass as good as i used to or have a meaningful silence
 
Feelings get the best of me, I'm glad I'm only effected 50%

I'm not sure if it does go away, but unfortunately, there is no cure for it. 

 

[MellonCollie]

Does anyone know if tinnitus is a symptom of hearing loss?
 
Is it likely that someone with hearing loss has tinnitus? or vice versa