This is a touchy subject in discussion of audio, as it has the effect of shredding a person's credibility. Since I'm new here, I don't have a lot of credibility to start with, so here goes:
I'm 33, and I've been an audio enthusiast for a little over a decade. Over the last five years or so, I've noticed my hearing getting a lot worse. Tinnitus has also become a problem, especially in my left ear. Especially loud and/or harsh sounds have become physically painful. I have difficulty following conversations when there's a lot of background noise, and I have to be pretty much in the same room, facing my SO, for us to be sure I understand what she's saying. I find that I'm doing a lot of lip-reading and extrapolation without even realizing it.
Sometimes, I've been unwise with loud live music and too-loud music at home. Also, things took a turn for the worse for me around the same time I did a stint in a call center. I was afraid I'd ruined my ears. I've had several audiograms done at my current workplace and two ENTs. All say the same thing - I have moderate hearing loss, dropping off steadily at about 8 kHz. The loss is consistent not so much with abuse, but hereditary factors - an idea certainly bolstered by my family history.
I still enjoy music and audio, though I don't spend as much time with it as I used to. Maybe I've been a little dissatisfied and disengaged. I had chalked it up to needed system improvements and changes in my lifestyle. But to be honest, it probably has a little to do with my hearing, as well, especially at lower volume.
As far as me being any kind of a judge of audio reproduction goes, I'll fall back on that old chestnut that while I may not have the hearing I did at 19, I'm certainly a better listener. There's some wisdom to that adage, but it's tempered with equal parts horseshit, and my situation is unlikely to get better as I age. I have to be upfront that my preferences in gear, what's pleasing and/or correct to these tired ears, may not line up with anyone else's. Every post I make here will carry an invisible asterisk.
In a couple of weeks, I'm taking the radical step of pursuing hearing aids. I've been too proud to do so, but I'm in the happy/unhappy position of being up against both my deductible and out of pocket limits for my health insurance plan year, so there's not likely to be a more economical time. I'm not sure how wearing hearing aids is going to go for me, or if I'll even be able to stand doing so. My doc says I'm a very good candidate, as my intelligibility ratings are very good and I only have a steady drop-off in sensitivity. I may or may not benefit from signal-processing for the tinnitus. He says I'll almost certainly find myself enjoying music and stereo more than I have been. I'm worried about having one last processing step in the audio reproduction chain lodged in my ear canal, and whether its fidelity will become the new SQ bottleneck in my system.
Does anyone else want to come out regarding their hearing loss? I'd love some words of support of support and encouragement, as I'm pretty down about the whole situation right now. Does anyone have any useful advice about shopping for hearing aids?
I'm 33, and I've been an audio enthusiast for a little over a decade. Over the last five years or so, I've noticed my hearing getting a lot worse. Tinnitus has also become a problem, especially in my left ear. Especially loud and/or harsh sounds have become physically painful. I have difficulty following conversations when there's a lot of background noise, and I have to be pretty much in the same room, facing my SO, for us to be sure I understand what she's saying. I find that I'm doing a lot of lip-reading and extrapolation without even realizing it.
Sometimes, I've been unwise with loud live music and too-loud music at home. Also, things took a turn for the worse for me around the same time I did a stint in a call center. I was afraid I'd ruined my ears. I've had several audiograms done at my current workplace and two ENTs. All say the same thing - I have moderate hearing loss, dropping off steadily at about 8 kHz. The loss is consistent not so much with abuse, but hereditary factors - an idea certainly bolstered by my family history.
I still enjoy music and audio, though I don't spend as much time with it as I used to. Maybe I've been a little dissatisfied and disengaged. I had chalked it up to needed system improvements and changes in my lifestyle. But to be honest, it probably has a little to do with my hearing, as well, especially at lower volume.
As far as me being any kind of a judge of audio reproduction goes, I'll fall back on that old chestnut that while I may not have the hearing I did at 19, I'm certainly a better listener. There's some wisdom to that adage, but it's tempered with equal parts horseshit, and my situation is unlikely to get better as I age. I have to be upfront that my preferences in gear, what's pleasing and/or correct to these tired ears, may not line up with anyone else's. Every post I make here will carry an invisible asterisk.
In a couple of weeks, I'm taking the radical step of pursuing hearing aids. I've been too proud to do so, but I'm in the happy/unhappy position of being up against both my deductible and out of pocket limits for my health insurance plan year, so there's not likely to be a more economical time. I'm not sure how wearing hearing aids is going to go for me, or if I'll even be able to stand doing so. My doc says I'm a very good candidate, as my intelligibility ratings are very good and I only have a steady drop-off in sensitivity. I may or may not benefit from signal-processing for the tinnitus. He says I'll almost certainly find myself enjoying music and stereo more than I have been. I'm worried about having one last processing step in the audio reproduction chain lodged in my ear canal, and whether its fidelity will become the new SQ bottleneck in my system.
Does anyone else want to come out regarding their hearing loss? I'd love some words of support of support and encouragement, as I'm pretty down about the whole situation right now. Does anyone have any useful advice about shopping for hearing aids?
