Mint:
I damaged both eardrums several times by flying while having a cold and/or sinus infection. The typical remedy is a lot of antibiotics for a month or two, along with not flying for a while. I say all this, because even with ear damage, I have never experienced ringing in my ears while listening to my stereo systems. I am also sure that aging (48 years old) is having an effect somewhere here, as well.
This may be partly attributable to that I listen at very moderate levels ... I live in an apartment house and try to be a good neighbor, but also, the music doesn't sound appealing to me if played very loudly. The one hearing change that I have noticed is that my hearing is much more sensitive/discerning of music that is not properly played back ... thumping, muddy bass; shrill treble; noisy recording; etc.
Interesting enough, I have now made the transition to tube amplifiers (Prima Luna), because I find the resulting sound richer, warmer, and more musical sounding. In one system, I use big, ol' AR speakers (AR 302's with 10" woofers); yet in another system, I use Omega Super 3's, a high efficiency with a single 4 1/2" driver. I like how both systems sound. With my iPod, I use KOSS 55's .. a $20 clip on type headphone, where the earpieces just dangle down alongside my ear.
In another thread a few weeks back, there was a thread asking has the type of music that you listen to changed, as a result of buying better equipment. In my case, I find that I listen to a lot more opera and classical these days, because those CD's just seem to be better recorded (I stopped using vinyl about 10 years ago). I notice that I deliberately search out for music that sounds beautiful, as opposed to angry ... more Placido Domingo and less Metallica.
Regards, Rich
I damaged both eardrums several times by flying while having a cold and/or sinus infection. The typical remedy is a lot of antibiotics for a month or two, along with not flying for a while. I say all this, because even with ear damage, I have never experienced ringing in my ears while listening to my stereo systems. I am also sure that aging (48 years old) is having an effect somewhere here, as well.
This may be partly attributable to that I listen at very moderate levels ... I live in an apartment house and try to be a good neighbor, but also, the music doesn't sound appealing to me if played very loudly. The one hearing change that I have noticed is that my hearing is much more sensitive/discerning of music that is not properly played back ... thumping, muddy bass; shrill treble; noisy recording; etc.
Interesting enough, I have now made the transition to tube amplifiers (Prima Luna), because I find the resulting sound richer, warmer, and more musical sounding. In one system, I use big, ol' AR speakers (AR 302's with 10" woofers); yet in another system, I use Omega Super 3's, a high efficiency with a single 4 1/2" driver. I like how both systems sound. With my iPod, I use KOSS 55's .. a $20 clip on type headphone, where the earpieces just dangle down alongside my ear.
In another thread a few weeks back, there was a thread asking has the type of music that you listen to changed, as a result of buying better equipment. In my case, I find that I listen to a lot more opera and classical these days, because those CD's just seem to be better recorded (I stopped using vinyl about 10 years ago). I notice that I deliberately search out for music that sounds beautiful, as opposed to angry ... more Placido Domingo and less Metallica.
Regards, Rich