Anyone with tinnitus or hearing loss who is into "high-end" audio?
Yes, very timely post. A few months ago I noticed my soundstage was drifting to the left. I messed around with speaker placement and the balance control on my preamp. This seemed to help a bit. I soon realized I had a pretty constant high pitched hiss in my right ear. Like a million crickets a mile away. Went to see my ENT and had a hearing test. Turns out my hearing is just about the same as it was 10 years ago - in both ears. A slight dip in the 4kHz region which I am told is very common for men my age. Very surprising as it seems to me my right ear is definitely diminished. Thinking of getting a second opinion. I was taking ibuprofen regularly for a year or so which might have brought it on. Decided it was a good idea to start playing basketball again at the age of 52. Back and knees hurting all the time but I was having fun. The shut-down put an end to the bball, have only taken Ibu twice in the last 2 months. Unfortunately, it seems to be worsening anyway. Even some hyperacusis to certain things like dishes clanking and my youngest girl's high pitched screams. Stopped the loud listening sessions too (covid helped there as well with my girls home 24/7 now) but that hasn't helped either. It changes day to day, usually worse at night. Realizing that stress/anxiety and lack of sleep probably exacerbates it. Very busy stressful time at work right now. It is at times, like the OP said, consuming/depressing and I catch myself obsessing about it. Hopefully, some more time off of painkillers and it will diminish. Trying to ignore it as much as possible. Tony Williams Lifetime sounding pretty darn good right now, crickets be damned! Thanks for listening, be well. |
As a 65 year old with Tinnitus and hyperacusis, hearing to 6k right and 8k left I find any listening above 80db will leave my ears worn and further listening of any level painful. I learned this the hard way my first trip to a show. Second and third days were a complete waste as my ears hurt. Now I always have good earplugs with me. Extras in the car and my travel kit. I wear them at all shows now. If the music is being played at 75db I will take them out. I have the free db phone app. Easy to compare. I have some pretty good articles on what research is working on now posted at AZAVCLUB.com under the University tab for anyone who cares to read them. Please send me any good articles you may have kept. Thanks for sharing everyone! |
I have worn hearing aids since 2007. I retired from a long career as an audio production engineer in 2016. I noticed hearing issues around 2004 or so but I was dealing with a much more serious medical issue at that time. By 2007 it became apparent that I needed to do something. So I got my first set , they were Phonak. Today I’m on my 3rd set of hearing aids. My audiologist fitted me with the topof the line Oticon and these are the most audio and music friendly hearing aids I’ve had. Though retired I still produce audio for clients and have learned how to compensate for any anomalies the hearing aids may cause. I put a few dollars into my home studio and that includes vinyl playback. When I upgraded my TT cartridge to an Ortofon OM Blue I really heard a noticeable difference. That was a huge surprise. No, I can’t hear much above 8K with the hearing aids. But the aids give me the higher frequency support I need. I hear things with (augmented) clarity. So Ithey work for me. My advice is to audition audiologists. Find one you are comfortable with. Make sure you tell them that music and audio are important to you. Ask questions. Hearing aids are ridiculously overpriced and there’s nothing you can do about it. But the right set for you will make all the difference n the world. |
There is a thread over at AVS by a fellow that discovered there are "audiophile" hearing aids. Considerably more expensive and only of the "behind-the-ear" type, but hey, at least there may be help. I have tinnitus and hearing loss and was very bummed by it until I scoured that thread. Ironically, the guy ended up not needing aids at all as his issues were caused by an underlying and correctable medical issue, but while his issues persisted he tried several different models (that he names) with varying success. Since then I’ve been planning to, at some point, get regular in-ear aids for everyday life and some of these high-end aids strictly for listening to music. *EDIT* I just noticed that the post above mine mentions a couple of the same aids that this fellow I'm talking about tried... |
