Do you ever do this before you listen?

@nonoise 

"ears can be a funny thing and slowly plug up without one being aware of it."

Thats the thing. I had no idea that they were even clogged. I never even think about them being clogged unless i have a cold etc.. but when I cleared them the music revealed itself in an incredible way.  Just have make sure I don't  clear them with two much pressure or my eyes might pop out lol. Then what :) JK.. Now that Im aware I will gently clear them from time to time from now on when listening to music for sure. 

I have done it before for various reasons. Flying, colds etc. just never thought to do it before listening to my system. Makes perfect sense tho. 

"What I do before I listen: turn on amp to warm up. Pour a beverage. Why would I want to mess with my ears just before I want them to be nice and relaxed? The lengths some dealers will go to get an edge on the rubes."

uhh because it works. especially for that short time that you will be demoing a speaker. I can totally understand why a dealer would do it especially. I thought it was a smart move personally. 

"In the end, simple ear popping is common and cures a simple situation. But, there are those who may take that to an extreme. Temporary hearing loss is one thing but I would caution listeners who would also take ear popping to the extreme."

Well hopefully no one will do this to the point that causes damage to their ears. That would make me feel horrible for bringing it up.

So please be careful if you try this technique. Seriously
Now I feel bad :(

@elizabeth regarding the Neti pot. Do they really work? I have been tempted to get one but not sure I would like the sensation of water moving through my nose like that. I have sinus problems and if it works it might be a good thing for me. 

@erik_squires

“A lady recently died after having her brain eaten by an amoeba because of a netti pot and tap water.”

Well thatnks for the heads up!! I agree you would pretty much not have to worry about listening to music after that for sure.

I have another friend that swears by it however he is the only person I know that uses one. I don’t want to get to far off topic of this post so if you don’t mind I might send you a private msg to discuss further. I have some additional questions on the subject. Maybe this product will help keep me from getting sinus headaches when I fly which is often.

@erik_squires 10-4. I will research it. Hopefully you won’t be reading about me 😁

@ianrodger 

Not hard. At least for me anyway. I barely blow. Pinch your nose and lightly try to blow through your nose. It’s not that big a deal. Same as equalizing the pressure when flying. Chewing gum does help I would imagine. Drinking something also will often do the trick. I’m not suggesting that you blow your brains out just lightly. Actually I am able to do it without even pinching my nose. You can open your mouth, tilt your head back and breath out through your mouth and achieve the same result. 

@markmendenhall 

"the most important part of your system is your EARS! Take care of them! "

Amen brother! Thanks for sharing your story. 

"As far as Neti Pots, they work too, but I've only used them to remove pollen from my sinuses; it is very effective and not nearly as uncomfortable as you'd think"

I was wondering if it gave you a sensation of drowning. Not being funny, but I have never tried one because I thought it would. Also how do you keep the water from going down your throat? I have a real problem with that. For example if I'm in the shower and water goes into my nose and down my throat I will often get a soar throat... very uncomfortable for me. I do want to try one tho because I have sinus problems, and allergies. 

The clearing the ears is no incredible revelation to me as I knew about doing it I just never thought about doing it while/before listening to my system. Now that I have been doing it, tho its like a vail has been lifted on the music. 

I recently did a hearing test and was quite surprised at what frequencies I could actually hear or not hear rather. The results may surprise you also. Do you think you can hear all those highs you think you can?? take this hearing test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-iCZElJ8m0

FYI You will need a decent pair of head phones. 

@golden8ears 

haha. That would work to I suppose. 

“Or just hold your nose when you sneeze.....jk of course!”

Lol. I know your jk. Don’t do that. You may blow your brains out 😂

You guys are just so full of information. I LOVE it!  

@pjcoughter 

Thank you for your service Sir. 

I think we have all cleared our ears at one time or another, and if you have ever done it you already know how to be careful doing so. This goes without saying. Not sure why now that it’s suggested doing it before listening to music will all of a sudden cause you harm.  However it does make sense to take care when doing it. 

I have found several medical websites that discuss using this very process to clear pressure form the inner ear. However there are other methods mentioned as well so for those interested below are a few links. each of which by the way recommend using the Valsalva method. 

 
https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-unclog-ears#middle-ear

https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-get-water-out-of-your-ear#removing-the-water (see step 10)

https://www.webmd.com/allergies/stuffy-ears-sinuses#1

https://www.wikihow.com/Unclog-the-Inner-Ear-or-Eustachian-Tube

@mark_hubbard 

"I tried what you suggested upon reading your original post, and it immediately plugged up my left ear! I should have read the rest of your and other contributors’ posts before trying it. Now, if I gently occlude my ear canals with the soft pads of my thumbs, I hear a persistent low rumbling sound. Removing my thumbs one at a time, the rumbling is only in my left ear. I might say, "Thanks a lot, friend!", but it’s on me for being a suggestible idiot. "

oh my. Yeah its not for everyone I guess. I hate that happened to you. I had the same thing happen to me while flying. I tried to clear my ears and actually made them much worst. However I had a bad cold on that trip and probably should not have been flying in the first place. If you have sinus problems doing this during a flare up may not be the best thing to try (not saying you do) but that was my experience. Eventually my ears equalized on their own. So just an FYI. I am not telling people to do this. Im only sharing what works for me (thats my disclaimer). I can clear my ears in this manor and I typically do not have any adverse effects from it.

Wish there was a Valsalva method for the eyes...we could then make have NFL refs do it.. Sorry Saints Fans.