Headphone-induced TINNITUS

I haven't really done anything about it, I should see a doctor about it but I'm not looking forward to the lecture I'll get about how I shouldn't have been listening to music so loud all these years... yes I realise that now. I have seen some stories about tinnitus being treated with cognitive therapy which apparently has pretty good results. I think they train you to just block out the ringing. Anyone know anything more about that?

I'm still going to gigs and I've noticed that paradoxically, though my hearing appears to have deteriorated I actually feel a lot more sensitive to loud music now than I did a few years ago. It could simply be a psychological thing because I now know how damaging it can be, but I now often find listening to very loud music, even while wearing heavy-duty earplugs, a bit uncomfortable.

In terms of the different therapies on offer, personally speaking I'm not quite interested in masking devices or convincing myself that it's not there, as I'm more interested in SOLVING the problem than deluding myself about it. I'm lucky that I only have it in my right ear, and that it's not as invasisve as other cases. Its pitch does seem to fluctuate given certain circumstances (it seems worse in the morning -- it's especially pronounced after a night out or an evening of drinking). I'm most bothered by it when trying to sleep, but there are steps to minimize the irritation: something as simple as a small room fan can created enough "white noise" to effectively drown out the ringing without disrupting your ability to sleep. My tinnitus sounds like something between a whistling tea-kettle and amplifier feedback. Great, eh?

apparently the "ear bud" type headphones sold with mp3 players, minidisc players and cd walkmans are worse for your ears because they direct the sound into your ear in a very forceful and unnatural way. i've always used the big studio style headphones (and no longer attempt to listen to music on the bus or train) but i still worry about worsening my tinnitus. i work in a very boring office and listen to music on headphones a tremendous amount. i do have computer speakers, but my musical taste is not one that could be shared with my co-workers. i wonder if there's any way to determine how loud your headphones should be?

oh yeah, i'm also in a rock band. fuck. we play quiet enough that people have watched our set standing against the wall right by the drum kit and not been bothered. i should go get those $200 earplugs but i'm terribly afraid to go to the audiologist and have him tell me what a fucking idiot i am.

i wonder how long it will be before mogwai does a mission of burma? all i have heard is how tinnitus-inducing mogwai is and how they never wear earplugs (i remember reading one account of stuart trying to pull his parka over his head vainly trying to shield himself from the noise). what the hell are they thinking?

But yes, as a constant head-phone (ab)user, I too am terrified of getting this for real.

Also, what have people found are the best earplugs for live music? I hate the standard-issue cylindrical foam earplugs, as they take away almost all the treble from a band's live show. I always feel like I'm not hearing everything.

Also as kind of a placebo/psychological thing I've put earplugs in at home with no music just to read or something, to "listen" to the various ringing layers, get to know the damage, etc.

Very true. I work all-nighters twice a week, and it's especially pronounced after those shifts.

--client testimonial

Yeah, I got it too. I was wondering if there was a thread about this since I was just discussing an unholy (like, fucking unbelievable)loud Unwound show on their thread.

There was a really good article in Tape Op about tinnitus a while back, just thought I'd throw that out since I didn't see it referenced here.

Last time I saw Mission Of Burma (summer '04) Roger Miller had these fancy noise-cancelling headphones.

And yeah, like others here, it only really bothers me when it's quiet.

Another thing that happens that I don't see mentioned is that sometimes it will get MUCH louder for a brief (30 seconds) period, like some kind of feedback. Then it drops down to its normal level.

I'm 39, so I guess my years of hardcore punk and industrial noise shows haven't fucked me up too much. Still, I feel stupid for not dealing with it sooner. Now I get earplugs from the chainsaw store and wear them.

Maybe someday they'll fix it with lasers like near-sightedness... we can only hope.

An interesting thing about headphones: Sometimes I'll be listening to an LP with the volume at a reasonable level, and the occasional song will be so shrill, practically painful, that I have to turn the volume WAY down, even tho the song in question is actually no louder nor (necessarily) higher pitched than the others. I'm assuming this happens when a song is in the key of "X", X likewise corresponding to the resonant frequency of the phones themselves. If that makes sense (wish I could explain it better.)

count me in, forget where I posted about this here already. What I can say about acupuncture re:tinnitus is, the effect is just relaxation. You're less angry about the sound or it's like after a good night's sleep.

I don't have a lot of hope for mechanical repair of hearing loss. Ears are a good deal more complicated than eyes.

The string of articles that link the iPod to potential hearing loss is continued by a piece that quotes a Northwestern University audiologist. "We`re seeing the kind of hearing loss in younger people typically found in aging adults," said Dean Garstecki. "Unfortunately, the earbuds preferred by music listeners are even more likely to cause hearing loss than the muff-type earphones that were associated with the older devices." (my emphasis)

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/lifestyle/consumerhealth/article_1069663.php/iPod_and_MP3_listeners_should_lower_volume

"That`s the difference in intensity between the sound made by a vacuum cleaner and the sound of a motorcycle engine," said Garstecki.

First of all, if you're reading this board and haven't yet thrown away the rubbish earbuds that came with your iPod: you deserve the damage - just as much as the earplug-less rocket scientists that stand directly in front of the PA system (much less exposed to the sustained loud music coming at them from all directions) at [insert loud music events here] do.

Secondly, earbuds placed directly into the ear…can boost the sound signal by as much as six to nine decibels but only if you continue to unsafely listen to music too loudly using the disposable earbuds that came with your iPod (or any other sub-par pair, for that matter).

On the other hand, if you make a modest investment in your continued listening pleasure [read: forgo the next 10 CDs you planned to purchase and put that money toward entry-level, sound-isolating headphones from Shure or Etymotic], you'll reduce, if not eliminate, the ringing and/or damage lesser earbuds might otherwise inflict on your delicate/sensitive/irreplaceable eardrums.

Speaking from personal experience: After several years (and countless hours) of gym- and subway-use and the resultant/consequent/frequent ringing, I finally made the abovementioned sacrifice (CD-purchase abstinence for music-related, sound-isolating earbuds) and leapt from a pair of non-isolating SONY EX71SL’s to a pair of Shure E2c’s.

I went from listening to music unnecessarily loudly due to my futile attempts to block either the gym’s lousy/loud music or the subway’s din, to the E2c’s successful blocking of a majority of background noise which, in turn, allowed me to turn my volume down—way down now. For example, the I had regularly set the volume on my iPod at 80-90% of its maximum volume with the SONY earbuds to now setting it at about 50% with the Shures.

The Shure website indicates the E2c’s in ear design works like an earplug to block background noise naturally. This enables you to listen comfortably at lower volumes -- even in loud environments. I guess you could say they work as advertised.

No more ringing. No more loud music.

Although it definitely took a little time (less than a week) to adjust to the lower volume. I had grown so accustomed to high volume for satisfactory listening because consciously/sub-consciously, I'd been trying to block out outside noise by turning the volume up.

Blocking noise with more noise? Obviously I'm not a rocket scientist either.

Noise-canceling headphones are another option for those who desire to listen to music for an extended period of time. These devices, while a bit more costly and more visible than earbuds, partially or fully eliminate background noise so that users do not have to crank up the volume of their music for that purpose.

http://www.petetownshend.co.uk/diary/display.cfm?id=231&zone=diary