First off, my heart goes out to those who have struggled with severe tinnitus, even those of us who ( dumbly ) stood in front of the speaker columns at a rock event years ago, deserve some sympathy. My symptoms are intermittent, aggravated by long drives in my noisy truck (probably because I turned up the radio to hear it over the road noise? I no longer do that.) I always wear ear protection when using the chain saw or log splitter and any other loud equipment. I notice the ringing when sitting up in bed while listening to music, but only when the music has very quiet passages. Loud music causes increased symptoms for several days. Modest listening levels are best ( for me ) and and I find it helpful to go to sleep while listening to quiet music which masks the ringing. As Jdoris mentioned, I think there may be some merit in having non-fatiguing speakers that are designed for extended critical listening at modest sound levels. I think that my Harbeth m30 monitors do this. I have had other speakers with metallic tweeters that were difficult to listen to for more than a half hour. I also think that listening to music with lots of energy at high frequencies may aggravate one's symptoms. Cymbals, triangle, high electric guitar solos, and other electronically synthesized high energy music. From what I've read here and elsewhere, there are multiple kinds and causes of tinnitus, so seeking a specialist seems to make sense if one has the resources. As for the kids and their car subwoofers, I am afraid that no amount of warning will dissuade them, BUT if you are a parent of preteens, you are obligated to have that conversation, and hear what they think about preserving their own hearing. If the culture continues as it has, hearing loss in younger people will continue, and I'm thinking that a long term investment in impaired hearing services and hearing aid companies will pay off handsomely.
