Tinnitus and slight hearing loss means goodbye to my beloved system

[Mr Pig]

A friends tinnitus was so bad that at night in bed his wife could hear it too.

Or in other words, his wife also had tinnitus! ;0)

 

[Fulci]

A friends tinnitus was so bad that at night in bed his wife could hear it too.

It’s called objective tinnitus and is quite rare.


To the original poster, have you though of starting using headphones? Some open cans or planar magnetic, with a good amp?

 

[Mullardman]

I don't want to seem unsympathetic but....I also have tinnitus.

It presents me with a choice..

I can either listen to my pretty decent system through the tinnitus..

Or I can listen to a shite system through the tinnitus.

It's a tough call.....

 

[Marchbanks]

Yes...I should have mentioned that I was also diagnosed with hyperacusis...this is a high sensitivity to loud and high frequency sounds...it is actually painful and for example...the clashing of plates and dishes is especially unpleasant. I now struggle with louder volume music too.

It’s a weird effect, isn’t it... like a mega-distorting overdriven road drill next to your ear that disappears as soon as the note stops or you turn your head. Fortunately I’ve never experienced it listening to music at home, and only once at a gig when a particular guitarist managed to hit my spike frequency dead on. (Yes, Jack White, I mean you!)

 

[Jono_13]

Sorry that you’re being affected by these problems. One of my friends has tinnitus in one ear to the point that he finds he needs a foam earplug to attenuate volume at concerts. You might want to experiment with a similar approach to help balance your hearing...
Also the suggestion of going mono is an interesting option. @George J has done this with a valve system driving a single ESL57 and it sounds excellent and avoids any stereo effects that might be making your situation worse.
Good luck with your search to find a suitable replacement to continue to enjoy the music.

 

[Marchbanks]

Sorry that you’re being affected by these problems. One of my friends has tinnitus in one ear to the point that he finds he needs a foam earplug to attenuate volume at concerts.

Not trying to divert the thread, but just to show how one can jump to the wrong conclusions - I started doing this at home a couple of years ago, thinking the discomfort and harshness on one side was just a function of my slightly dodgy ear. Magically though, when I changed my amp and speakers (no names, no pack drill) I didn’t have to do it any more!

 

[Tony L]

I’ve thought about this as I find the idea of being without music incomprehensible. I just couldn’t do it. My suspicion is the sort of system I have (very large speakers, very good at low level) is where I’d remain even if I sat far off-axis to remove irritation from any hearing stereo imbalance or even using a notch EQ to remove any painful tinnitus frequency. I’d definitely try and find a solution even if it was very far away from the sort of system I am used to. I imagine an omni system, e.g. Shahinians or whatever, may be a good way of quietly filling a room without drawing attention to hearing defects. I’d certainly not fear tone controls if they helped make for an easier listening experience.

 

[mikemusic]

All the best Andrew

I earnestly hope my hearing stays as good as it is. I listen to music as much of the day as I can

 

[Chris]

I’ve thought about this as I find the idea of being without music incomprehensible. I just couldn’t do it. My suspicion is the sort of system I have (very large speakers, very good at low level) is where I’d remain even if I sat far off-axis to remove irritation from any hearing stereo imbalance or even using a notch EQ to remove any painful tinnitus frequency. I’d definitely try and find a solution

In my case, tinnitus free for now at least but with one virtually useless lug I fear I will have to forget any semblance of stereo. Does anyone still make amps with a mono button ? Or maybe I´ll flog my A21Se and go back to my stored Sugden A48II which did have one, not to mention the 3 different frequency filters plus slope switch which meant they doubled up. Now there´s a thought ....... with my old Heybrooks HB2s it´ll be like time travel.
Always look on the bright side of life ............

 

[Tony L]

Or maybe I´ll flog my A21Se and go back to my stored Sugden A48II which did have one

I’d stay with stereo but listen with your good ear towards the speakers, i.e. sit sideways. This is how a friend who lost an ear due to a virus aged six deals with it and he has a surprising ability to detect space/width/depth etc. To my mind stereo just fills the room better regardless of where one sits, it just gives a bigger wider sense of an event and I’d certainly stay with it if I lost an ear. I’d just lie of the couch with my good ear aimed at the speakers.

 

[JoeJoe]

I’m sorry to hear this too, I have reduced hearing and found adding tone controls brought the joy of music back....schiit Loki in my case.....it’s not expensive and I’m wondering if you should try it before your throw in the towel? You obviously love your music...

 

[Ronaudio]

Wouldn’t necessarily sell up just yet. Tinnitus is a strange one, as it’s not really there, just a perception of noise created by the brain. There are strategies available to ignore, reduce, or possibly eliminate, I believe.
I have it, raging at the moment, when I listen for it, but rarely intrusive when listening to music. Got it after falling over a precipice and managing to fracture my right stapes bone. Presently using a bone anchored hearing aid, but optimistic about a further ‘revision’ op to sort the displaced prosthesis, and to get rid of the hearing aid (but will there be a bed available due to corona?) Good ear is also showing signs of age, as is to be expected.
Maybe there will be a market for audiophile grade hearing aids in the future, for we elderly enthusiasts.
The ‘BAHA’ is good for restoring high frequency perception, but I’ve lost directionality, and therefore clear imagery perception, and so looking forward to getting two ears again, if the linkage from ear drum to inner ear can be sorted, again!

 

[Chris]

Hi Ron,
Thanks for the kind words. In my case, quite literally my right ear is for keeping my glasses in place. An audiogram this week revealed that for my right ear at certain frequencies not even sound at 100dB registered with me and at those few higher frequencies I can perceive something it distorts like a dentist´s drill. At least over here in Spain they can´t offer me a hearing aid for such high gain and from what I´ve read the absolute limit is a gain of 50dB for an aid. So I fear my stereo days are over.
What I need to do is for my brain to fool itself into thinking I am listening through phones because I get the impression that when using phones my subconscious doesn´t really expect any info of depth or height or subtle positioning and it just gets on with it. Listening to a Michelangeli piano concerto on phones this morning, I believe my mind was concentrating more on tone and resolution and I think I heard things that in stereo previously didn´t register with me such as tympani bashing away constantly in the background or two violins instead of one. And the other day with Joan Armatrading / Glyn Johns, the rim shots sounded more like wood against metal as opposed to metal against metal so maybe my appreciation of tiny sound clues might get better. I´d like to think so anyway.

 

[barryb]

I've posted it here before, but there is real tangible advancements going on in restorative hearing therapies. Trials so far have been promising.

https://www.biospace.com/article/re...oss-fda-grants-fx-322-fast-track-designation/

 

[Blurboy]

I mean this in no way to be bad and I have sympathy for you but those who enjoy music and who can't tell a fantastic system to a poor one are surely better off as they spend lot of money on other things to enjoy life!

I understand the option of down grading your system and getting some of your hard earned money back but sometime the actual ownership of the very nice pieces of equipment we own is also good for the soul. It's why I love turntables and automatic watches, they are feats of engineering (which I am) and I appreciate detail like that. Which looks nicer, a fine LP12, Michel Orbe, SME or suchlike compared to a metal box containing some streaming electronics?

 

[Ayya Khema]

i suffer tinitus. I found soft domes and paper cones the best to lessen the problem

 

[Mullardman]

One of my friends has tinnitus in one ear to the point that he finds he needs a foam earplug to attenuate volume at concerts. You might want to experiment with a similar approach to help balance your hearing...

Interesting. Most of my Tinnitus is in the left ear, though it's not usually too troublesome and doesn't really intrude into music listening at home. However.. at concerts.. my left ear can give up completely and quite easily. I'd characterise it as the impression that the 'suspension' of my left eardrum is farked, such that it just collapses into a 'rattle' above a certain SPL. Foam plugs can help.. but I've walked out of concerts where not just me, but others, in small venues have pleaded with the band to turn it down and been ignored.
Bludgeoning an audience into acquiescence with brain damaging SPLs is not big, or clever.

 

[Andrew C!]

Read with interest. I suffer the lasting effects of numerous operations to combat glue-ear. The valsalva movement works sometimes with my right ear, and always with my left. Hearing aids have helped the subsequently diagnosed mild/moderate hearing loss, and the slight tinnitus in my right ear.

My recent changes to my hifi will probably be my last. I can still listen to music on good days (when both ears functioning ok) but am starting to prefer headphone listening more, using a decent set of headphones or bespoke fit in-ear headphones.

 

[AndyU]

Read with interest. I suffer the lasting effects of numerous operations to combat glue-ear. The valsalva movement works sometimes with my right ear, and always with my left. Hearing aids have helped the subsequently diagnosed mild/moderate hearing loss, and the slight tinnitus in my right ear.

My recent changes to my hifi will probably be my last. I can still listen to music on good days (when both ears functioning ok) but am starting to prefer headphone listening more, using a decent set of headphones or bespoke fit in-ear headphones.

Sorry to hear of your hearing problems. What headphones do you like?

 

[datay]

Years ago I had some AKG K701s, I didn't find the fit great, the raised bits on the headband pressed into my head, but more pertinently, the seal was very light and they're also open back - I naively and stupidly whacked up the volume a few times and was left with really noticeable but thankfully temporary tinnitus.

I already had it midly, still do as of course it never goes away and self-inflicted abuse like that can only add to the deterioration.

Given your caution already you're not going to do something daft like that, but worth putting it out there.