Hearing loss myths?

[LeeRosario]

Here's a diagram off the net...learn it.

Ear Diagram


It's amazing how we craft huge songs that go down that tiny stretch of skin.

 

[chazba]

After several years in front of a full stack, I have a permanent ringing at about 4-6 KHz.

 

[the_crowing]

Chris,

140db is about the threshhold for pain, and possibly permanent damage to the ears.

There isn't a defined dB SPL level for the threshold of pain, but it ranges between 120dB SPL to 140 dB SPL depending on the individual.

 

[boingoman]

There isn't a defined dB SPL level for the threshold of pain, but it ranges between 120dB SPL to 140 dB SPL depending on the individual.

I hope you can appreciate the irony of your post.

 

[the_crowing]

I hope you can appreciate the irony of your post.

Took me long enough to make that comeback, but...

I didn't define a level, I defined a range. There was no irony there.

 

[Ironklad Audio]

eh...i went and saw slayer last year, and even after the 3 hr. car drive home, my ears were ringing too loudly to go to sleep

ever since, i get an occasional high pitched ringing, which i can contribute to that single event. it doesn't happen very often, and it's for only a few seconds at a time, but i can point out that single event as having caused it.

don't get me wrong, i've put myself into situations where i was listening to some loud shit before, but nothing ever was as loud as that concert, and i've been feeling the effects ever since

 

[LeeRosario]

Took me long enough to make that comeback, but...

I didn't define a level, I defined a range. There was no irony there.

totally being a smartass about this....


if you want to sit through 30 minutes of "120-140db" go ahead


the whole point being that hearing damage dosn't have a punchline. Once it happens, it's a done deal.

 

[the_crowing]

if you want to sit through 30 minutes of "120-140db" go ahead

the whole point being that hearing damage dosn't have a punchline. Once it happens, it's a done deal.

Definitely not what I'd want to do, and that's been my point from the beginning. I recall you saying that the threshold of pain was about 140 dB SPL, which would be incorrect since it can be significantly lower.

Let's put this into context: you tell someone the threshold of pain is at 140 dB SPL. He's stupid enough to test it. Goes up to 120 dB SPL, hurts like hell, stops and calls you a liar. Stupid example, and really far-fetched I must admit, but I guess you get my point.

In the end, I think we agree that if you're near 120 dB SPL or beyond, you're playing with fire.

 

[wannabecomedeat]

I had a course at University called "perception", the way the teacher explained ear ringing was pretty simple. The ringing you ear is due to the brain. Once the hairs are broken, the brain no longer receives signals from those hairs, and kinda does "uh? I was receiving info from those nerves, I'm just gonna do like those frequencies were there all the time" and here is the ringing kickin in (sorry for the popularization).
Some can have completely destroyed earing and still don't have any ringing. Some (like me) always wear earplug but have ringing all the time.
The more you listen to it, the louder the ringing will be. The more it bothers you, the louder it will be, drink alcohol, louder ringing, big bass at party, big ringing, etc.
Don't play with ear impairment, sound constently there when you get to sleep is quite bothering.

 

[the_crowing]

Don't play with ear impairment, sound constently there when you get to sleep is quite bothering.

Yeah, no kidding...

 

[Dani Pace]

Just an observation from an old fart... As I get older my tolerance of high volumes gets lower. I'm not sure why, maybe something in the ear gets brittle with age, reguardless of the reason, SPL tolerance becomes lower as we age. Now I understand why my parents were always telling me to "turn that racket down," the volume levels that didn't bother me (as a teenager) actualy hurt now.

 

[Robert D]

I used to get ringing in my ears around the time I was at Primary School.
I got the ringing randomly it seemed, as there was no loud noise in the class.

Anyone had a similar problem and know why it happened?
Eck

Yes, usually when it's very quiet, and from when I was very young and never exposed to loud noise. I think it was more frequent when I was young, but it happened the other day. It comes on very suddenly, and pretty loud, lasts for a few seconds, then fades out. I've always been pretty careful with my ears, and amazingly have no tinnitus despite all the years I've been on stage. This is something different, maybe some brain/hearing calibration test tone?

 

[sweetnubs]

What!? Eh!?

 

[Beck]

By the grace of God or something I knew to protect my ears even as a teen. Now in my early forties I can hear up to just shy of 18k. 17.8 something k, but 18k nothing at all. My doc says I have the ears of a 20-year-old though, so I'm happy.

Adolescents begin to lose high frequency sensitivity regardless of environmental conditions, but abuse certainly aggravates the loss, which can be extreme. Most young adults in their twenties can no longer hear 20k.

As I get older and my hearing naturally declines I’m sure I’ll think digital recording is sounding better all the time, as I won’t be able to hear the funkiness in upper range that I can now.

Anyway, as far as the legend about the ringing… I think probably no. I’ve had ringing in my ears (and whispering voices sometimes too ) especially if I have a cold and am using benadryll, but my hearing always returns to normal.

 

[DopeSickKid]

I have been playing guitar for like 10 years now, and I have permanent ringing in my ears called tinitus. I have lost alot of my hearing. I have noticed now when some one speaks to me in a certain way I can barely make out what they are saying. Just sounds like a low muffle. I'm useing ear plugs alot more now. So I would say alot of that hearing loss myth stuff is true, but it dont happen right away. It sneaks up on you if you dont listen to the warnings your givin

 

[Beck]

So I would say alot of that hearing loss myth stuff is true

Hearing loss from regular exposure to high volumes is not a myth. I think we're talking about the idea that once you hear a ringing in your ear at a certain frequency you will no longer be able to hear that frequency. IMO, that is a myth.

However, keep in mind I'm not a real doctor. I only played doctor with the girl across the street when I was a kid.

 

[IronFlippy]

I've heard that the little foam cylinder ear plugs are worse for your ears than fitted ear plugs. Is there any justification to this? Does it have to do with ear wax build up in the canal? I don't mean to hijack the thread so...

From what I've gathered reading around, the frequency of the ringing does correlate to the loss of hearing in that range, but most of the loss is at the top end and low end of the spectrum.

 

[rayc]

I have perm. tinnitus - mainly from headphones - repeated stupid stuff such as using my walkman cranked up to drown out, (didn't work either), the motor mower while mowing the lawn.
Excessive vol on my tube marshall bass amp to get "tome".
Lots & lots of listening to stuff loudly with headphones.
I now have to have music playing all the time, at reasonable vol., to mask the ringing - esp to get to sleep.
Somedays NOTHING helps.
I still seem to be able to hear across the freq. range. Nothing untoward has been pointed out in mixes I've posted in the mp3 mixing clinic so I assume I've no great prob or the areas at issue are outside the scope of audio held after mp3 compression & online streaming.
Oh, one last offering - if you are taking more aspirin than your body can manage your ears will begin a tinnitus like ringing which will diminish with an appropriate dosage reducation.