Incredible improvement in sound quality


Ok, I am an old fart with a stereo. But my system sounds so much better tonight. Why? I went to my doctor today, as I do every six months (one of my favorite people)… and he noticed that one ear had a lot of wax. So, he had his nurse use a warm water irrigation device to clear it. Wow.

I use some drops, and work to keep my ear canals clear. But, for some reason I was not able to clear my right ear.

So, wow. My system sounds so much better. Sometimes you just need a professional. Although technically you can buy these devices for a couple hundred on line. You need to realize you need to use it.

ghdprentice

Great post. When I was in college in the '70s, and had a convenient, and free, health center, I went every semester to get my ears rinsed clean (my audiophilia started in high school, actually). The days afterward were always wonderful; everything was clearer, fresher, more immediate—and not just music. It often amazes me that so much attention is paid on this site to marginal improvements in sound quality that may or may not be obtained by changing power cords or interconnects or whatever, when so little is paid to room acoustics and basic ear health.

As for whether or not tinnitus is an "ear problem," from what I've read it is not well understood (the main reason there isn't yet an accepted treatment) but that it is believed to be largely a cognitive (brain) issue. After all, hearing may start at the ear, and may subjectively be localized at the ear, but it really happens in the mind, in consciousness. The same is true of sight. Many older people (my mother is my personal example) believe they need new glasses when the real problem is cognitive. Although my mother complained about not being able to read the newspaper, she could read her watch face without any trouble at all, even though the hands were tiny. What she blamed on her eyes was really a problem with her mind, as her subsequent mental decline made all to obvious.

@falconquest 

My spouse is a PhD. who works with brains.

Yet she still chose to marry you, well done. After being around brains all day I guess she wanted to leave that at work 😀

@falconquest Thanks for clarifying. There are multiple causes of tinnitus. I have a friend who developed hearing loss and tinnitus after taking an antidepressant - a known side effect.

Mine was caused by being too close to a speaker array in a night club in London in the late 90's. Mine is an ear problem. Some of the "hairs" in the cochlea are damaged. The tones I hear are around but not exactly the frequencies that are damaged. 

I'm aware of a possible cure, that involved a neuro-stimulator implanted near the vegas nerve that can be programmed to "cancel" the frequencies that you hear constantly. Unfortunately for me/us, that technology is being focused on sleep apnea - partially because there is already significant reimbursement for the procedure here in the US and of course because people don't die from tinnitus unless self-inflicted.   

 

(...Taunto turns to the Lone Deranger....)

mmmm....Taunto thinks @kota1 smoke no peace pipe with @falconquest  tonight...  😏

 

I like my Phonex, but think it's drawing near to upgrade...

*L*  Instead of chasing the latest in audio tech, I'll pursue some 'on board' audio tech....

....wonder if there's a wearable sub yet.....😎 

@kota1 Well, you’re absolutely right of course but nothing wrong with marrying up eh? 😉 Actually she completed her program well after we were married. I would not recommend it for any married couple because it turns out to be grueling for both. “Hey, there’s some live music at…..sorry, I have a 25 page paper due.”  And that goes on and on. If you want an advanced degree do it when you’re young!