My Ears

I've lost some upper mids and upper frequencies. They're mostly lower, not completely gone. I've stopped listening to loud music now.

I'm hoping that they'll have cured hearing loss within 20-30 years.

Quote from db9091

These are interesting posts for sure. Love Ingolf's addition and SwAn1's pointer to an App to play around with. Interesting concept, to boost those rings and have the brain re-calibrate. It all begs the questions about prevention tho. The Audiologist suggested I get those musician ear adapted plugs that reduce dB. Are they worth it? I can see using it for playing with a band or going to a concert, but when playing alone, you can just adapt the dB yourself if you can measure them, no?

Singer in my last band, weird guy, totally neurotic, had professionally moulded ear plugs, and he decided that to 'protect' his hearing he would wear them everywhere. On the tube, the bus, even at home in complete silence. You'd arrange to come round and he wouldn't notice the doorbell, then when you finally got in he'd be like 'What? What?' because he couldn't hear you. He'd sit in my car and turn the music up because he couldn't hear it as he had the ear plugs in...

Quote from PhilUK84

he decided that to 'protect' his hearing he would wear them everywhere

Voluntary deafness to some extent to protect good hearing... This is somewhat strange

Quote from db9091

musician ear adapted plugs that reduce dB. Are they worth it?

IMO they're definitely worth it. Maybe not while playing alone like you said unless you're practicing with live band volumes, but in any band context they are great. In the early days I used those yellow foam filters, then the 'christmas tree' shaped ones and then personally molded ones; now for over 10 years already and there's no looking back for sure. There are equal amount of sound quality leap between all of these. Also many feel (myself included) that in loud environments like rock concerts etc. you can actually hear better (clarity & separation) with these plugs than without. Not sure why so? Maybe due to some inner protection mechanism when the hearing headroom starts to be eaten up or then it comes back to Fletcher-Munson again..?

Quote from StealthAMD

Voluntary deafness to some extent to protect good hearing... This is somewhat strange

I have a whole load of stories about this guy. It was a nightmare working with him but everyone I knew
was fascinated with his exploits. They were interested in him than the band!

He once bought a passive monitor with nothing to power it with, then when we told him that it won't work he bought another, which was also passive. We told him again that this one was also passive so he sent that one back and replaced it with ANOTHER passive monitor.

He would play rhythm on some songs, and he would routinely forget to turn his volume up when picking up he guitar for the song he played on. I'd be mouthing to him, 'turn it up' and he'd be like, what??? While rocking away on a silent guitar.

It just went on and on like this. Lol.

We had this same topic going a while back over at "talkbass". I have had it severely for over 15 years now. I have had two spinal fusions, but they cant`t say it`s because of that. All I know it started around the same time as my injury? I`m on a boat load of meds for it as some days it feels as though my head is going to explode. Blood pressure is fine, actually low, so the doctor throws his arms up is the air and tell me not to off myself.............lol "try not thinking about it" he says. Next step is hearing aids that emit a low frequency pulse that's supposed to trick my brain. At this point I`m open to any ides that don`t require more meds!

Quote from PhilUK84

He once bought a passive monitor with nothing to power it with, then when we told him that it won't work he bought another, which was also passive. We told him again that this one was also passive so he sent that one back and replaced it with ANOTHER passive monitor.

He would play rhythm on some songs, and he would routinely forget to turn his volume up when picking up he guitar for the song he played on. I'd be mouthing to him, 'turn it up' and he'd be like, what??? While rocking away on a silent guitar.

These types of guys are so funny, I encountered a few of them in my life. Watching them go about everything they do is just priceless.

Quote from db9091

It all begs the questions about prevention tho. The Audiologist suggested I get those musician ear adapted plugs that reduce dB. Are they worth it? I can see using it for playing with a band or going to a concert, but when playing alone, you can just adapt the dB yourself if you can measure them, no?

The custom made ones I had made for my ears a few years ago are great.
I can put several filters in with different loudness attenuation. For the band situation and more when going to gigs of other bands I use -15 dB.
It's a broadband attenuation so it's just more quiet but sounds natural and not muffled like many other protectors Do.

Quote from db9091

We got a guy at work. Yellow cones were knocked over and people through process of elimination thought it was him. When asked about it he said he didn't know anything about them. When asked if HE knocked cones over he said "Yes" about as honestly as a person could. Asked why he said "well, you ever see a yellow cone and just want to kick it over? well, when I see a yellow cone, I kick it over"

[Blocked Image: http://www.quickmeme.com/img/a5/a56eca5885be36d67e90689387de7dd37375693737e4afa2fb1c7cadb2ecb5af.jpg]

I'm pretty lucky. I can hear up to 16K and only rarely get the odd high-pitched whine, usually lasting no longer than a few seconds (although once a few years back it lasted a day). Back when I was a full-time professional guitarist, I hated earplugs. I remember coming back off a European tour and my left ear would distort whenever SPLs got above conversation level, due to standing to stage right of the drummer's monstrous ride/crash cymbals. Scary stuff. These days I'm much more sensible (especially as I rely on my ears to feed my kids).

Quote from sambrox

(especially as I rely on my ears to feed my kids).

I use a plate.

I still hear this high pitched signal in the morning - bu it is quite relaxing - just I have to use to it. Out Of Body Experience taught me that

Quote from PhilUK84

I use a plate.

LOL!

I use my wife, and she in turn uses a plate.

Hang on... I don't have a wife... or kids.

Doh!

EDIT: Geez, even for me, this really is a pathetic attempt at humour. I thought I'd be first to respond, in which case the timing might have been fine. When I got to posting it, I saw that a plate had already been mentioned (I was just going to say I use my wife), so I added the plate too.

Pathetic. I'm off to give myself a whoopin'.

Quote from db9091

Are they worth it? I can see using it for playing with a band or going to a concert, but when playing alone, you can just adapt the dB yourself if you can measure them, no?

After getting tinnitus I got the musicians earplugs. They can be worth it but even though they talk about attenuating all frequencies equally you (I) felt a disconnect even though I used them religiously (but not all the time like one person mentioned!) These days I use cheap heros (I think that is what they are called) or I just use my etymotic in ears at concerts (they are not flat as ear plugs but at half the cost of some of these musician earplugs they work fine for me). I'm married though so don't need to impress some young women which may be difficult with earphones plugged in!

Quote from db9091

These are interesting posts for sure. Love Ingolf's addition and SwAn1's pointer to an App to play around with. Interesting concept, to boost those rings and have the brain re-calibrate.

It all begs the questions about prevention tho. The Audiologist suggested I get those musician ear adapted plugs that reduce dB. Are they worth it? I can see using it for playing with a band or going to a concert, but when playing alone, you can just adapt the dB yourself if you can measure them, no?

Get them get them get them. Best purchase ever.

I bought a pair of custom Elacin ER25s and I wish I got them sooner. I don't use them indoors when playing alone - but they are worth it just for band rehearsals and going to a nightclub, bar, concert, anywhere it is really loud (pretty much everywhere is now). Hey I have even used them at weddings - why pound your ears with awfulness?

They are comfy, washable and help you to hear people talking better than they can hear you.

For audience-only nights out, I used to use those sponge ones that you roll up and they expand in your ears.

I found them balanced enough to allow me to enjoy gigs, with enough attenuation even for my fussy, "sensitive" ears. Always been sensitive to harsh frequencies and phase cancellation.

As a bonus, I used to grab 'em from a chemist on the way to the venue if I'd run out of them, and they were dirt-cheap.