BenJammin Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 I just turned 28, and started listening to music again a few days ago after getting my MZ-NH!. It's only been a few days of listening (using MDR-E888s) and my left ear is having this dull pulsing feeling, a mildly painfull or uncomfortable experience.The thing is, when I was younger (15) I used to play the drumset, and never wore ear plugs (stupid stupid idiot). I remember leaning into the hi-hats (stupid stupid idiot) and I think I may have damaged my hearing in my left ear to some degree.About 5 years ago I went to 8 U2 concerts in one year, never wearing ear protection.Lately when I hear sharp high pitched sounds on my left side, I kind of flich away. Traint station announcements, dishes falling. After playing my new NH1 with the volume at 15 for a few days, I am wondering if I am aggrevating a problem. Could it be tinutus (spelling?) or something worse?Now I am freaked out that I don't have that many days left of good hearing in one ear and won't be able to enjoy music. I wonder if I should stop listening to head phone based audio alltogether now and just use small speakers at home.Any advice? I am a little bit bummed about this. I guess I should check out an ear doctor for an official word but I'd apprecatie any advice you folks have to offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
streaml1ne Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 I just turned 28, and started listening to music again a few days ago after getting my MZ-NH!. It's only been a few days of listening (using MDR-E888s) and my left ear is having this dull pulsing feeling, a mildly painfull or uncomfortable experience.The thing is, when I was younger (15) I used to play the drumset, and never wore ear plugs (stupid stupid idiot). I remember leaning into the hi-hats (stupid stupid idiot) and I think I may have damaged my hearing in my left ear to some degree.About 5 years ago I went to 8 U2 concerts in one year, never wearing ear protection.Lately when I hear sharp high pitched sounds on my left side, I kind of flich away. Traint station announcements, dishes falling. After playing my new NH1 with the volume at 15 for a few days, I am wondering if I am aggrevating a problem. Could it be tinutus (spelling?) or something worse?Now I am freaked out that I don't have that many days left of good hearing in one ear and won't be able to enjoy music. I wonder if I should stop listening to head phone based audio alltogether now and just use small speakers at home.Any advice? I am a little bit bummed about this. I guess I should check out an ear doctor for an official word but I'd apprecatie any advice you folks have to offer.←Best advice: Go to the doctor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KJ_Palmer Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 ^^ Yep - Doc knows best...Absolutely - it would be irresponsible to hand out advice (however well-meaning) on this site which might further harm your hearing, possibly irrevoccably (sp.). Other than - go and see your doctor, and best of luck... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenJammin Posted January 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 Absolutely - it would be irresponsible to hand out advice (however well-meaning) on this site which might further harm your hearing, possibly irrevoccably (sp.). Other than - go and see your doctor, and best of luck...←I guess I should lay off listening even at low volumes until then. Would any general practicioner do or should I see an ear specialist? I guess I"ll start with a GP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KJ_Palmer Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 I'd suggest seeing a GP first - hopefully you'll get a quick appointment. He/she may be able to do some simple preliminary tests, and in any case be able to refer you to an ear specialist if need be. I guess if that's unfruitful perhaps you could go straight to your local clinic/emergency department...I'd suggest not using earphones in any case for the time being - I think we do have a medical person/doctor here as a member who may be able to advise, but again, any wrong advice could cause damage. Best wishes, and let us know how you get on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenJammin Posted January 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 I'd suggest seeing a GP first - hopefully you'll get a quick appointment. He/she may be able to do some simple preliminary tests, and in any case be able to refer you to an ear specialist if need be. I guess if that's unfruitful perhaps you could go straight to your local clinic/emergency department...I'd suggest not using earphones in any case for the time being - I think we do have a medical person/doctor here as a member who may be able to advise, but again, any wrong advice could cause damage. Best wishes, and let us know how you get on...←Thanks for the support. I will see a GP soon. I spoke with my brother who is a musician and remembers my poor drumming habbits from childhood. He thinks that while I should see a Dr. before doing anything, that compared to a lot of people I probably did not get that much exposure from the drums as I usually played alone and not for that long.But, living in NYC most of my life and enduring that freaking confounded Union Station rackus, who knows what the damage could be.Naturally I am a little depressed about music after buying the expensive NH1 and now dealing with this.I'll let you folks know how it goes in a week from now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
streaml1ne Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 Thanks for the support. I will see a GP soon. I spoke with my brother who is a musician and remembers my poor drumming habbits from childhood. He thinks that while I should see a Dr. before doing anything, that compared to a lot of people I probably did not get that much exposure from the drums as I usually played alone and not for that long.But, living in NYC most of my life and enduring that freaking confounded Union Station rackus, who knows what the damage could be.Naturally I am a little depressed about music after buying the expensive NH1 and now dealing with this.I'll let you folks know how it goes in a week from now.←I'm no doctor, so this could all be in my head, but I'm surprised how well the ears and brain seem to recover from loud sound. Since I got my NH1 I've been carrying my MDR-7509's to work. They completely cover the ear and drown out all the background noise from whatever PC's/servers are under my desk. In that time I've noticed a big increase in the sensitivity of my ears. So much so that the default volume levels on my home stereo are now too loud. I find myself turning down the stereo for normal listening by at least 5db. I don't experience pain or anything, I just don't need the same volume to hear details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael1980 Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 I have already damaged my hearing and I am not that old! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenJammin Posted January 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 I have already damaged my hearing and I am not that old!←When you say "not that old", do you mean not as old as I am (28) ? Or older? Just curious, maybe 28 is sterting to get old. LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael1980 Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 When I said "Not that old" I meant that I am not 60-70 (when people start to loose their hearing) lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenJammin Posted January 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2005 I'm no doctor, so this could all be in my head, but I'm surprised how well the ears and brain seem to recover from loud sound. Since I got my NH1 I've been carrying my MDR-7509's to work. They completely cover the ear and drown out all the background noise from whatever PC's/servers are under my desk. In that time I've noticed a big increase in the sensitivity of my ears. So much so that the default volume levels on my home stereo are now too loud. I find myself turning down the stereo for normal listening by at least 5db. I don't experience pain or anything, I just don't need the same volume to hear details.←Interesting, are the MDR-7509s noise cancelling? I didn't think they were but you are saying they still have a natural effect of keeping out noise? I wonder if they are good enough to keep out noise from train rides and loud trading floors?And they sound good with the MZ-NH1? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A440 Posted January 8, 2005 Report Share Posted January 8, 2005 There's no harm in turning down the volume of the music and seeing a doctor, but could it also be something simpler, like the E888 earbuds irritating your ear? Have you tried (at low volume) atop-the-ear headphones? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenJammin Posted January 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2005 There's no harm in turning down the volume of the music and seeing a doctor, but could it also be something simpler, like the E888 earbuds irritating your ear? Have you tried (at low volume) atop-the-ear headphones?←I think the e888s do irritate my ear, however after taking them out its the left ear that is thumping lightly. plus i know from several years that the left ear is sensative to noise.i have done paranoid little tricks today like cup my hand over my right ear and snap my finger in front of my nose, and then do cup the left ear, to see if the right ear is hearing the snap any better. i feel like it is. then again my left side of my body has always been the weakest and strangely feels somewhat lost and helpless, lol..reminds me of that great book Drawing on the Right side of the brain, by what's her name.in any case, for now i am just giving my ears a total 3 day rest until i see the doctor. its also possible that i have a mild ear infection, which could be making the whole thing worse.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
streaml1ne Posted January 8, 2005 Report Share Posted January 8, 2005 (edited) Interesting, are the MDR-7509s noise cancelling? I didn't think they were but you are saying they still have a natural effect of keeping out noise? I wonder if they are good enough to keep out noise from train rides and loud trading floors?And they sound good with the MZ-NH1?←They're not noise canceling per se. They are circumaural, the cups sit over your ear completely and the ear cups are made of damping materials that block out alot of external noise. They're good enough to block out a good portion of the noise in a full datacenter with 3 or 4 industrial air conditioners running at full load. I'll try them on the PATH on Monday and let you know, but I'm sure they'll eliminate most of the noise there. Up until about 3-6 months ago they were Sony's top of the line studio monitor headphone. They sound excellent and are great with the NH1. They're more sensitive than most headphones so you can get away with lower power to get the same volume. Saves a bit on battery life, not to mention your hearing because you're not fighting external noise to hear your music. When I first bought them there was a slip of paper in the package saying that sounds reproduced by these phones were the natural sound of the recording and any artifacts are not the fault of the headphone. I found it kind of funny, but then I listened to them. It's alot easier to pick up artifacts in bad recordings with them. I actually thought the amp on my NH1 was dying until I listened to the original CD and heard the same artifacts. As long as things like that don't annoy you if you pick up on them you'll be fine.B&H has the 7509 cheap now compared to what I paid two years ago:http://tinyurl.com/4gljlSony's newest top of the line studio phone runs for about $420 at B&H (MDR-CD3000).http://tinyurl.com/3jq4tI can't justify buying them without hearing first and comparing to the 7509's. Specification wise they look slightly better, they definitely have more ergonomic features in the ear cups, etc, though the 7509s are extremely comfortable. I can wear them for an entire day at work without any discomfort whatsoever. You pretty much will not be disappointed with the 7509. And for the price now makes them even sweeter. Edited January 8, 2005 by streaml1ne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damage Posted January 9, 2005 Report Share Posted January 9, 2005 The CD3000 isn't studio monitors per se, they are semi-closed home theater/hi-fi listening style headphones. The sound quality is supposedly top notch (never heard of them), but they aren't made for monitoring. The top monitors for Sony still remains the venerable 7506/9 series.If you can't afford $200+ dollars, the 7506 remains a solid choice, with many retailers selling these around the $80 mark. Initially harsh and bass heavy, they will tone down a bit with 30-50 hours of use. The 7506s are also known as MDR-V6, but comes with a gold plated plug, IIRC (the 7509 also may carry the tag MDR-V9 in some places, so ask for either or). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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