I woke up with cold ears

prof,
I have tinnitus on a fairly constant basis. Some days worse than others. It took a few years, but I guess I learned to listen "around" it, if that makes any sense....

@mr_m


Absolutely.


We can learn a lot from machine learning and neural nets which can see around optical issues to detect disease.


I find myself doing this, and aghast when other audiophiles do it in ways I don’t. :) I think a lot of this is why some don’t mind horrible rooms, or are so cable sensitive.


Which then makes me wonder about how much do I want to train my own neural pathways? Do I want to reach the point where I can tell whether an IC is gold or silver? How does that make me happy? Is this a video game, where I pick up skills to collect coins?


It isn’t. At some point I have to ask how and for what purpose I want to train my ear/brain mechanisms.




Best,,
E

mr_m,

Yes, I've had bad tinnitus since the mid 90's or so.  But I mostly habituated to it long ago and it very rarely has intruded upon listening to music (except that I don't want to blast at high levels which can exacerbate it).

Hyperacusis is a whole other ballgame though.  It makes sound, reproduced sound especially like music, shrill and painful.  It becomes like the equivalent of going through the Clockwork Orange-like aversion therapy in which the very music Alex loved leaves him nauseous.

I only had rare bouts of it over the last 20 years, but I've had a huge relapse.  Been something like 8 months since I've been able to truly enjoy music :(

Coming to these forums is sort of like being an amputee habitually scratching a phantom itch on the limb he has lost.

Anyway, onward and upward....

erik,

Good that it only took a shower to return to normal :) Remember how lucky you are!

I agree about the concern of sensitizing yourself to every difference there is to hear and every distortion.  Often that's something you can't roll back once you've heard it.  Some level of ignorance can aid one's bliss.

As a mastering engineer full time, meaning almost 7 days a week, this is a topic I know well ! When we sleep, out hearing recovers and in the morning things will sound different than they did at night. I think of my hearing like an hourglass full of sand. In the morning it’s as full as it can be based on the quality of sleep. As the day goes on the sand falls down, acerbated by a concert, or car window open, and eventually it’s all out, can no longer listen. Alcohol, sugar, stress, all factor into it also. In fact, just the presence of daylight vs dim night light will change our perception.

I prefer to do new work at night, and analytical fixes in the day. Others differ.

So yes our hearing is a moving target, yet in a range, and the more we know it, the better our perceptions. Listening daily with refs we know well for decades is the way to test ourselves.   And of course, listen with the WHOLE body.  Let the vibrations hit you head to toe.  Bodies remember things like smells and tastes and sounds better than brains alone.  Enjoy your listening !

And of course, listen with the WHOLE body.

This is an important point I've made before. We don't all listen with our ears alone, for some more than others the somatic experience is as important.


There have not been enough studies about how the body perceives and how to instrument and replicate that. Anyone who can afford the space and speakers needed should count themselves lucky.


Personally why I hate with a mad passion big band jazz, worse live. :)


Best,
E