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Greg
If you're that scared, you can start by throwing away those in ear headphones, they're the most damaging. Get one of those Sennheiser foldable headphones and get used to listening on lower level, really, it's not worth the risk.

Quote from the story linked below:

"Hearing Loss in Teenagers & Young Adults is Increasing

"With the rise in technology, it makes it so easy to listen to music for hours and on full blast. But, a good tip is to use the 60-60 rule. Whenever you decide to listen to music, put the volume at 60 percent of its max and only listen to it for 60 minutes."

From >>> [www.wdtv.com]

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dcba

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Bliss
I have had tinnitus since 2006. I do not know how I got it, because I don't have a history of abusing my hearing as some do.

Tinnitus may be related to the condition of your teeth. Some people suddenly had a ringing because of a rotten molar or after extended dental surgery.
If you had bad teeth and have them fixed with lots of metal in your mouth you might want to investigate this.

Wonder about the dental aspect since I went totally deaf in one ear in '79 due to a virus & have recently had continual ringing in the other following dental surgeries & problems on that side which have not resolved after extensive tests. Scary to lose a sense!

The World Health Organization says no more than an hour a day of listening to music. A lot of us here are in serious trouble...

[www.bbc.com]

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latebloomer
The World Health Organization says no more than an hour a day of listening to music. A lot of us here are in serious trouble...

[www.bbc.com]

Far as I can tell they mean using headphones for no more than an hour a day, right?
I never use headphones so I'll be fine with that (and I have tinnitus anyway)

<<The World Health Organization says no more than an hour a day of listening to music. A lot of us here are in serious trouble...>>

I work at my computer 8 to 10 hours a day listening to music constantly with earbuds at full volume. I've done this for years and my hearing is just fine.

However, the only time my ears are ringing loudly is after listening to the Hampton '81 double CD.

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stonehearted
<<The World Health Organization says no more than an hour a day of listening to music. A lot of us here are in serious trouble...>>

I work at my computer 8 to 10 hours a day listening to music constantly with earbuds at full volume. I've done this for years and my hearing is just fine.

However, the only time my ears are ringing loudly is after listening to the Hampton '81 double CD.

LOL! As long as you're easy on the treble and bass you'll still be fine

My two cents...

For many years, I would crank up my car stereo to the max -- the bass especially. It felt soooooooo damn good.

But then my ears started to rebel. Not tinnitus exactly, but I began to feel a "full" sensation in my ears that would go away after a day or so. And then I would always go back to cranking up the car stereo.

Then, about a year and half ago, the "fullness" became more unbearable and longer-lasting, like my ears were really starting to tell me something. I got the message, and haven't cranked up my car stereo since then. But my ears are only now (after a year and a half) starting to feel normal. And praise the lord, my hearing is fine.

Anyone else know the "full" feeling I'm talking about? It may sound trivial but it's actually extremely unpleasant.

Drew

I've got it and it's pretty miserable. I always bring earplugs to concerts now and use them if necessary, and it usually is. My hearing has gotten much worse too. What a drag it is.....

I've probably commented earlier in the thread but there's not a week that goes by that I don't think about this. I'm so damn scared of it, but like a typical American I've done nothing about it. I still listen to music pretty loud, although I did get the concert earplugs that have been universally recommended (Eptoyml or whatever they are). I just know its gonna happen one day and know its gonna suck.

My only hope is with all the musicians out there that hopefully I'm just being paranoid, but I doubt it. You really have to think its surprising more musicians don't have this though, right? Like 60s and 70s guys never seemed so concerned with ear protection and only Townshend is the spokesperson.

I know exactly what you mean Drew - it's like the wall of sound that's bass heavy that has been mastered to too high a volume and your ears are to small to carry the load of it. Like the sound is trying to squash your brain out of your head.

I have chronic tinnitus and needless to say it sucks. I listened full blast to all Stones records from 1981 till about '87 thru headphones 75% of the time. I was very young and silly but I don't know that my parents were aware of the volumes I listened to it at or gave a thought to me damaging my hearing. I certainly didn't.

Then I formed a band and of course as most musicians know tinnitus is a side effect that will come about unless you wear earplugs or the like. I did on occasion in rehearsals but on stage it was basically impossible for me. I just hated them. I always needed to be in earshot of one of the guitarists or bassy so I could find my pitch (singer) and fold back if I strayed too far was not very good so ear plugs were out. Then when strapping on the axe I'd stand front and centre singing with the drummer smashing away behind me.

Then some years later I had high dose chemo with stem cell transplant and was given 8 days straight of high dose Cisplatin on top of already extensive treatment for the two years prior, which finished my hearing basically. Went for a hearing test prior to it being administered and my hearing was above average in all three areas and exceptional at the top end. My pitch was tested as perfect also.

Three weeks later I was again tested: Top end was almost as if I was deaf (pitch of tinnitus clashed directly with a wide range of pitches within the top end), mids were 30% of what they were and bass was about 30% also. It was that bad that for a year or so I couldn't tune my guitar by ear which annoyed me and plus I hate tuners, my pitch was nowhere really to be found and I caught myself starting to inadvertently read people's lips.

It improved over all about 50% over the next four years and thankfully my pitch returned in full but the tinnitus is enough to send me at times into despair and thinking of slitting my throat. I have luckily learned to live with it for the most part but when mechanical bird sounds start chirping in my ear while my left side is beaming Bb into my head and my right F# - which any muso would know doesn't blend too well....it's understandable (for me at least) why people with this condition in a chronic sense contemplate and on some sad occasions suicide.

I still love loud music - especially the Stones - I guess I'll never grow up or at least grow some brains. But I am far from being as bad as I once was. When in rehearsals now I wear plugs (even did on stage last time). It interferes still with many things especially when I'm mixing and mastering - I just have to tune right into the parts of my hearing that don't let me down.

For anyone out there - just protect yours ears. It's too late for some like me but if you don't look after it as best you can, you will live to regret it if you live long enough. Concerts, car stereos, band work, lawn mowers, whatever - chuck in some plugs, whack on some muffs and make volume 6 as high as you go.
Here endeth the sermon...

A serious issue for many people, I am sorry for the posters here who are suffering. I hope some medical breakthroughs come soon to help you guys out.

I got hooked up with a group of folks in LA years ago working with musicians to bring awareness of the dangers. I went to an audiologist and was fitted with some custom musicians earplugs which attenuate the levels evenly across the frequency range. They took a while to get used to but have worked well for me. I still have some minor hearing loss at certain frequencies in the left ear I keep trained on my amplifier(s), but it hasn't got worse since I started using the plugs.

You don't have to get custom plugs since alot of companies are making universal plugs that evenly reduce the level across the frequency range. The cheap foam plugs usually take out too many high frequencies and pretty much suck if your looking to hear music correctly.

I still like listening to loud music but hardly ever do so through headphones. I do notice that my ears get fatigued listening to alot of the brickwalled music..I just can't listen as loud for as long without the impulse to turn it down. The old records before the loudness wars started just sound so much better when turned up...go figure.

peace

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crholmstrom
Saw Midnight Oil in a club in their later years. Show was loud throughout but encore time they turned it up. I literally felt something go pop in my ear. Was literally bleeding after the show. There is a magic tone on the Strat that really hurts me. Dinosaur Jr uses it often.

I happen to know from a very specific incident involving a well-known guitarist who I took to an ENT specialist that the symptoms described here would indicate you suffered a burst eardrum.
The pop/bang in your ear was the moment the eardrum was perforated / ruptured.
There may be intense pain and usually there will be blood or other discharge coming out of your earcanal.

This kind of severe trauma to the ear does also result in hearing loss and is often associated with tinnitus.

Chances of spontaneous recovery are present ( > 50 % chance), but there is not much you can do to help your ear heal except stay away from noise.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-03-04 09:24 by Chacal.

Kyle and everybody else who is going through similar agony, you have my deepest empathy and hopes for a recovery. The ears are an incredible instrument and can bounce back if you give them a chance to. But you've got to give your ears months, if not years of downtime. force yourself to do that, it's so worth it!

Drew

How young are your ears? : [www.yahoo.com]

I tried this one :




Nothing above 12K! ><

12K

The one time that having a single-ear headphone at work is beneficial...

Left Ear: 13k & 14k MUCH softer than 12k but still audible. 15k+ doesn't exist
Right Ear: Nothing above 11k and 11k was noticeably softer than 10k.

Strange... I would have guessed that my right ear would be better than my left.

Peace,
Mr DJA