Anyone else in my shoes? Ears going.........

I’m kind of surprised that no one contributing to this thread has mentioned what Jim Smith says about “old ears” (“Get Better Sound” Tip 57). He didn’t dwell at length on the subject, but he did say enough to make me feel better about my 66 year ears… which I never felt were any darn good to begin with. He gave the example of an orchestra conductor that after standing in front of “really loud” orchestras for decades could still tell a string musician to retune his/her instrument, even though he’d lost a lot over the years.

After reading that, I immediately ordered the new pair of interconnects I had been dreaming about… and yes I did hear the difference. I love music! It has purpose… it makes my life better... it drives my wife nuts… it has influenced my children to appreciate one of God’s gifts… my son-in-laws think I’m cool because I’m got an over the top system … it makes my heart leap watching my 5 year old grandchild dance at Barnes & Noble with the headphones slipping off her head. I have to cut this short now because I just now convinced myself to buy a better power cord. ENJOY THE MUSIC!

My ears are getting so bad that when my wife of almost 30 years yells at me to get away from the stereo and talk to her I can't hear her. Could that be considered an upgrade?

You know you're getting older when...;*)

Everything that works hurts, and what doesn't hurt doesn't work.

You feel like the morning after, and you haven't been anywhere.

Your little black book only contains names ending in M.D.

Your children are beginning to look middle-aged.

Your mind makes contracts your body can't keep.

You look forward to a dull evening.

Your knees buckle and your belt won't.

Your back goes out more than you do.

You sink your teeth into a steak, and they stay there.

You know all the answers, but nobody asks the questions.

I just turned 50 and have slight high frequency hearing loss in one ear. I also have a never ending extremely high pitched squeal (tinnitus) in both ears that is louder in the one with some hearing loss. I have suffered from earaches my entire life. Even with these issues I can enjoy my system and hear the differences when swapping cables and equipment. I can tell a good accurate speaker from muddy ones or those that roll off. I agree with Raks - Enjoy the music!

I turned 49 in February. I have been a carpenter since I was 18, and have always listened to pretty loud music as well. About 5 years ago really started to pay attention to my hearing. I have had tinnitus for a while too with more hearing loss in my right ear than my left. I have become as OCD about my ears as I have about my gear. Earplugs when I work and run any machinery.
I can actually get my ringing to lessen a great deal with a 20 minute hot bath, ears below the water line, and concetrating on quieting the noise, calming my breathing, and trying to create a feeling of complete relaxation.

I have read that tinnitus is a result of your brain compensating for the frequencies that you have lost the ability to hear, hence the high frequency ringing. I figure if my brain is compensating for the loss subconciously, and the tones are actually generated from within, with enough concentration, maybe I can shut them down. It may sound crazy but real or imagined (does it matter?) I can quiet it down for periods of time, even though it doesn't seem to be getting any quieter as a whole I don't think it has gotten any louder either.