Anyone with tinnitus or hearing loss who is into "high-end" audio?

I have had tinnitus for years which manifests as a high pitched constant tone. It actually sounds more like white noise. Like others have stated it varies in intensity. I won't allow it to impact my musical enjoyment however. I often wondered, if you could just generate a signal 180 degrees out of phase with the tinnitus frequency, would that cancel it out? The current thinking is that tinnitus is a result of hearing loss at a specific frequency and the brain's attempt to restore that frequency manifesting itself as an audible sound. I simply asked my wife the PhD for that description.

I'm glad you made this post, and feel enlightened as to how many listeners are experiencing this.  I have had significant tinnitus and hearing loss in one ear for over twenty years (the other ear is going strong).  It was a radical paradigm shift: My initial response was increased anxiety and agitation at having a constant array of noises, swooshes, clicks, etc.  That goes away as you become accustomed to it.  Do what your doctor says, in order to minimize future changes in your hearing.   Unless they tell you to give up alcohol and caffeine.  In that case, nod your head and ignore them.

The biggest impact on my life has to do with human speech.  I avoid certain loud environments, because background noise interferes with my ability to decipher speech. 

A much rarer issue is bouts of vertigo which come every 5 years or so.  Those are debilitating, but only last for 24 hours.

As an audiophile, I would say the pros/cons are that I can't hear the noise floor of my system.  That saves a lot of money right there.  I can get by with $15,000 instead of $50,000.  I still perceive imaging, but it is noticeably weighted to one side; still there and beautiful, but different.  However, one ear functions perfectly, and I still have no tolerance for crappy equipment.  I really, really enjoy full range speakers, regardless of one side of my head being wonky.

 Coffee-jerk:  I too had bouts of vertigo at the time that I lost a good deal of hearing in my left ear.  That is a symptom of Meniere's disease, I believe.  Had I caught it in time, my audiologist said I might have been able to stop some of the hearing loss.  

The good news for our OP, from these posts and my experience, is that you can still enjoy music and an excellent system even with some hearing problems.  

@b_limo  If you can safely do so try a week without the aspirin. My ENT told me aspirin can make in worse in some people. 

Yes, I suffer from tinnitus. Differs in intensity, but I still enjoy listening to music. I’ve learned to tune it out over the years. When I read this post- I started hearing the ringing, haha.


I know two people with Meniere’s, nasty stuff. One recovered with some hearing loss. The other, despite going to a specialist in Houston, has been losing some of his hearing due to the treatments. The ‘drop’ attacks are frightening from what they tell me..