How Many Have Tinnitus?

[ar surround]

I sometimes get an equally annoying sound that goes away as soon as she leaves the room I'm in.

Oh boy! You're in deep trouble now dude!

She'll never see this .......

But somehow....they know.

 

[kvsawilson]

I have what i describe as constant crickets in my ear. Every once in a while, it's like someone turns a knob and the frequency changes up or down or it gets louder/quieter. I guess the only good side is that I don't hear real crickets any more.
I can blame a lot of concerts through the years. In particular, I remember shows by the Black Crowes, Aerosmith The Who and a Little Feat show that I remember being particularly brutal. I have worn quality earplugs to all shows for the last 15 years or so,but am sure a lot of damage was done before I started using them. I saw Steven Wilson on his HCE tour and that was the absolute worst. It was uncomfortable even with hearing protection and, even worse, just sounded so distorted it was a crime. This is the guy who makes my home system sound so great and this show was horrible. My wife will no longer go to any concerts because of that show.
I don't blame live music for all my issues though. I serviced computers and office equipment for decades and a lot of time spent in computer rooms with all those fans and working on old impact printers did a lot of damage too. Again, in more recent years I got better about wearing protection, but probably too late.
My company started testing my hearing and bought me hearing aids a couple years ago. They are very high end(cost more than my first new car did) and have a music setting and the first time I used them I was amazed at realizing what I had been missing. Pianos and bells and such became much more prominent. But the sound of drums and percussion was what really shocked me. I hadn't noticed that those didn't sound like they used to. I was very worried that hearing aids would ruin the surround experience and be more like always wearing headphones, but that isn't the case at all.
Also, when i tried the trick of covering my ears and thumping the back of my skull with my fingers, it was the first time I'd "heard" silence in years. It only works for about 15 seconds or so and then the crickets start up again. But when I first discovered it, I did it over and over because it was so great to experience quiet again.

K

 

[skherbeck]

I saw Steven Wilson on his HCE tour and that was the absolute worst. It was uncomfortable even with hearing protection and, even worse, just sounded so distorted it was a crime. This is the guy who makes my home system sound so great and this show was horrible. My wife will no longer go to any concerts because of that show.

This is interesting... I also saw SW on that tour and it was one of the best sounding big live shows I've seen... but it was the night Yahoo was recording the show and streaming it live from Los Angeles... I wonder if that has something to do with them not turning it up too loud that night? The other best sounding big live show I've been to was last month: Ghost at the Los Angeles Forum... again, another show being recorded for video release (at least that's what the camera man told me), and crystal clear sound not excessively loud...

Anyone else have similar good experiences at live shows being recorded for video release?

 

[HDave]

I have what i describe as constant crickets in my ear. Every once in a while, it's like someone turns a knob and the frequency changes up or down or it gets louder/quieter. I guess the only good side is that I don't hear real crickets any more.
I can blame a lot of concerts through the years. In particular, I remember shows by the Black Crowes, Aerosmith The Who and a Little Feat show that I remember being particularly brutal. I have worn quality earplugs to all shows for the last 15 years or so,but am sure a lot of damage was done before I started using them. I saw Steven Wilson on his HCE tour and that was the absolute worst. It was uncomfortable even with hearing protection and, even worse, just sounded so distorted it was a crime. This is the guy who makes my home system sound so great and this show was horrible. My wife will no longer go to any concerts because of that show.
I don't blame live music for all my issues though. I serviced computers and office equipment for decades and a lot of time spent in computer rooms with all those fans and working on old impact printers did a lot of damage too. Again, in more recent years I got better about wearing protection, but probably too late.
My company started testing my hearing and bought me hearing aids a couple years ago. They are very high end(cost more than my first new car did) and have a music setting and the first time I used them I was amazed at realizing what I had been missing. Pianos and bells and such became much more prominent. But the sound of drums and percussion was what really shocked me. I hadn't noticed that those didn't sound like they used to. I was very worried that hearing aids would ruin the surround experience and be more like always wearing headphones, but that isn't the case at all.
Also, when i tried the trick of covering my ears and thumping the back of my skull with my fingers, it was the first time I'd "heard" silence in years. It only works for about 15 seconds or so and then the crickets start up again. But when I first discovered it, I did it over and over because it was so great to experience quiet again.

K

I also went to concerts in the 1974-1976 range and left with ringing in my ears at different levels and longevities. The Queen A Night at the Opera show Friday night, Brian May almost had my ears bleeding and I couldn't attend the Deep Purple concert the next night Saturday. I loved the outdoor venues (Pine Knob) just for the reason of lack of significant hearing damage, it was a happy coincidence that I saw Aerosmith always outdoors which could also effect acoustics.( Maybe why I think Joe Perry is a over rated player he also had to have studio musicians to play parts he couldn't). I did realize later years starting mid 90's that ear plugs were not only a necessity but a blessing, they stopped the unwanted noise and the music sounded much better.

 

[Fourplay]

My company,,, bought me hearing aids a couple years ago. They are very high end(cost more than my first new car did) and have a music setting and the first time I used them I was amazed at realizing what I had been missing. Pianos and bells and such became much more prominent. But the sound of drums and percussion was what really shocked me. I hadn't noticed that those didn't sound like they used to. I was very worried that hearing aids would ruin the surround experience and be more like always wearing headphones, but that isn't the case at all.

Would you please post the make and model of those hearing aids? Also, anyone who has hearing protection they particularly like please post with specifics. I have been wearing hearing protection for decades, but did decades of damage before that. The plugs I use are called "Earwear" and I do like them, but I suspect that better technology is available.

 

[JediJoker]

I have bilateral tinnitus that is essentially always present, almost always noticeable. I first started noticing it around my mid-teens. Most of the time, I'll forget about it, but I'll hear it if I remember it's there. It's of the "test tone" type, high enough frequency that it's hard for me to quantify, even as a trained musician and audio engineer. I do have some hearing loss in the midrange, consistent with the exposure to amplified live sound I experienced working as a live mixer for a year (never again). I need to have my hearing tested again, as I'm pretty sure I now have more high frequency loss. The telltale is that I know most of the original mix of Jethro Tull's Minstrel In The Gallery album is plagued by a high frequency whine that last I checked, I can no longer distinguish.

I'm in my late 20s. Been to a fair few amplified concerts (and loud unamplified orchestral concerts and operas) starting at a young age (single digits). I'm not sure if my parents made me wear earplugs at loud shows or not, but I know that once I started going on my own, I always planned to bring them and almost always wore them. I'm afraid it's the times I forgot them and no plugs were available at the venue, or chose not to wear them, that caught up with me. Chief among these was seeing Porcupine Tree on The Incident tour in 2009 (Roseland Theater, Portland, OR). Classic me, I forgot plugs, and the venue had none to offer. I really should have cut out to a pharmacy to get some, because this was a loud show in a small theater. Ended up grabbing paper towels from the bathroom to stuff in my ears. A poor substitute for the real thing.

Back in 2015, while attending audio production school, I finally invested in some custom molded earplugs (Westone brand) with interchangeable attenuators (Etymotics ER "filters," a misnomer as they are fairly flat in their frequency response). Easily the best $200 I have ever spent on audio equipment (street price: $400 incl. audiologist appointment for ear impressions; still well worth that). The 15dB attenuator is perfect for any mildly annoying loud environment, be that driving on the highway, loud moments at an unamplified classical concert, or most jazz clubs. The 30dB attenuator works for anything beyond that: rock concerts, noisy public transportation, airplanes, etc. Either way, you hear everything, just at a lower overall volume (for the most part). Unfortunately, I lost them earlier this year while walking the dog; they must have fallen out of my pocket. Now, I'm considering less expensive non-custom alternatives. In the meantime, foam is better than nothing.

For resources on tinnitus, the community at Tinnitus Talk can be very helpful.

P.S. Do you pronounce it /ˈtɪnɪtəs/ ("TIN-ih-tuhss") or /tɪˈnaɪtəs/ ("tih-NIGH-tuhss")? Either is acceptable, although the second one (common in American English) makes it sound like an inflammatory "-itis" condition, like appendicitis.

 

[timothyemerson]

All you sufferers have my sympathy. It must be horrible.

On a related note, I'm surrounded (no pun intended) by family and friend with ear problems. Hope none of it is catchy.

Mum has Meniers (pronounced "Many-ears"). Tiny cavern in the ear is bunged up with fluid that no one can shift for some mysterious reason. It puts pressure on surrounding areas so that you can actually hear your pulse which apparently sounds like a concrete mixer. Plus, it makes you deaf.
Sister has something similar but it's related to her sinuses and that makes her deaf too.
Brother in law also has Meniers or something similar.
Friend had bones in his ear fuse so they no longer vibrated which was making him deaf. He had an operation to replace the bone with a metal rod so he can hear now but got tinnitus out of it.

My earholes are yet to throw the toys and I'm taking precautions to delay it as long as possible. Everything must still be working OK cos I have earmuffs under the bed for ~4am every freakin' day at this time of year when the local wildlife decides to start up with their ear-splitting chirps. Drives me nuts but at least it's external.

 

[Cibola]

But somehow....they know.

They do because we give ourselves away, think poker face. If you're happy or content the antennae instantly detect it. You'll be fine, just imagine you read that an enormous asteroid will strike earth soon, do that for 24 hours and you're good.

 

[kvsawilson]

Would you please post the make and model of those hearing aids? .

Mine are Widex Beyond hearing aids. If you have an iphone, you can actually stream your phone calls directly into your ears, which is pretty weird. The first time it ever rang, it freaked me out. And people around you don't understand why you just answered your phone when no one heard it ring. But even costing many thousands of $$, they can't seem to make it work with an Android phone.
K

 

[mandrix]

I have bilateral tinnitus that is essentially always present, almost always noticeable. I first started noticing it around my mid-teens. Most of the time, I'll forget about it, but I'll hear it if I remember it's there. It's of the "test tone" type, high enough frequency that it's hard for me to quantify, even as a trained musician and audio engineer. I do have some hearing loss in the midrange, consistent with the exposure to amplified live sound I experienced working as a live mixer for a year (never again). I need to have my hearing tested again, as I'm pretty sure I now have more high frequency loss. The telltale is that I know most of the original mix of Jethro Tull's Minstrel In The Gallery album is plagued by a high frequency whine that last I checked, I can no longer distinguish.

I'm in my late 20s. Been to a fair few amplified concerts (and loud unamplified orchestral concerts and operas) starting at a young age (single digits). I'm not sure if my parents made me wear earplugs at loud shows or not, but I know that once I started going on my own, I always planned to bring them and almost always wore them. I'm afraid it's the times I forgot them and no plugs were available at the venue, or chose not to wear them, that caught up with me. Chief among these was seeing Porcupine Tree on The Incident tour in 2009 (Roseland Theater, Portland, OR). Classic me, I forgot plugs, and the venue had none to offer. I really should have cut out to a pharmacy to get some, because this was a loud show in a small theater. Ended up grabbing paper towels from the bathroom to stuff in my ears. A poor substitute for the real thing.

Back in 2015, while attending audio production school, I finally invested in some custom molded earplugs (Westone brand) with interchangeable attenuators (Etymotics ER "filters," a misnomer as they are fairly flat in their frequency response). Easily the best $200 I have ever spent on audio equipment (street price: $400 incl. audiologist appointment for ear impressions; still well worth that). The 15dB attenuator is perfect for any mildly annoying loud environment, be that driving on the highway, loud moments at an unamplified classical concert, or most jazz clubs. The 30dB attenuator works for anything beyond that: rock concerts, noisy public transportation, airplanes, etc. Either way, you hear everything, just at a lower overall volume (for the most part). Unfortunately, I lost them earlier this year while walking the dog; they must have fallen out of my pocket. Now, I'm considering less expensive non-custom alternatives. In the meantime, foam is better than nothing.

For resources on tinnitus, the community at Tinnitus Talk can be very helpful.

P.S. Do you pronounce it /ˈtɪnɪtəs/ ("TIN-ih-tuhss") or /tɪˈnaɪtəs/ ("tih-NIGH-tuhss")? Either is acceptable, although the second one (common in American English) makes it sound like an inflammatory "-itis" condition, like appendicitis.

The first one. Actually sort of a hybrid between the two as I don't always emphasize a syllable.

 

[weekendtoy]

Chronic ringing in my ears, all the time, it sucks. Background noise helps mitigate the ringing, but it's always there, just to varying degrees.

 

[proufo]

Having an episode of silence just now. It's great!

 

[The Bushmaster]

22 years in the Navy. 16 of which were in main propulsion diesel engine rooms. Yes, I have tinnitus. I can usually blank it out mentally (unless someone mentions it).

 

[humprof]

Last week Josh Rogosin wrote a piece for NPR's All Songs Considered reviewing four makes of high-end musicians' earplugs. None under $20 (US), but all worth it...

 

[bwhitemank]

I’ve had it for a few years now. Doctor says there’s no cure but salt and caffeine make it worse.

 

[windhoek]

I don't think I've got tinnitus - at least, I haven't been diagnosed as having tinnitus - but my left ear, in particular, is sensitive to certain high frequencies. I can still enjoy music with a bit of volume, but maybe not as loud as I could in the past, and especially not when I know the music will cause momentary discomfort: the sibilance on the vocals of Kraftwerk's Hall of Mirrors is one such example.

 

[Clint Eastwood]

I’ve had it for a few years now. Doctor says there’s no cure but salt and caffeine make it worse.

One good thing....this forum is a tinnitus free zone...I see you joined almost a year ago...welcome to the threads

 

[Glenshoreham]

I have bilateral tinnitus that is essentially always present, almost always noticeable. I first started noticing it around my mid-teens. Most of the time, I'll forget about it, but I'll hear it if I remember it's there. It's of the "test tone" type, high enough frequency that it's hard for me to quantify, even as a trained musician and audio engineer.

I suffer from bilateral, as well, and a test-tone is the perfect description. I should have my eyes and ears tested again, too. Pronunciation-wise, I put the stress on the first syllable.

There was a study a few years ago, which suggested tinnitus may be hereditary in some cases. An article about it can be read here. That's possibly how I come to be afflicted, as much of my mother's family have ear troubles. Mum has progressive nerve deafness, now at an advanced stage (she's 65, with ~15-20% hearing left in each ear, and wore her first hearing aid at around 38, which isn't much older than I am now ). Both of Mum's folks - now 90 - wear one in each ear, although my grandfather tries to get away with a single whenever he's conversing: he says that with both in, it sounds like he's talking with a bucket over his head.

I've worn Westone Etymotic ER20s at concerts and other loud events for the last twelve years. It's ridiculous how loud some gigs can be ... that is to say, ribcage-rattlingly loud. I might upgrade to a pair of WM25s, at some point.

 

[Soundfield]

The Royal Opera House has just lost it's appeal over the hearing loss of it's viola player.
https://www.theguardian.com/culture...oses-appeal-over-viola-players-acoustic-shock
This ruling effectively overturns the assumption that UK safety in the work place legislation regarding sound levels somehow did not apply to musicians. The consequences of this are going to be massive.

 

[JediJoker]

The Royal Opera House has just lost it's appeal over the hearing loss of it's viola player.
https://www.theguardian.com/culture...oses-appeal-over-viola-players-acoustic-shock

"The judges backed the ROH in its contention that the wearing of ear defenders at all times by players during rehearsals and performances was not practicable."

Uh... That sounds pretty practical to me. Weigh the cost of fitting custom musician's earplugs to all musicians against the cost of lawsuits like this one. It's as if the ROH and its musical allies are under the delusion that all hearing protection degrades sound and precludes the ability to perform properly. Nothing could be further from the truth.