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

had Tinnitus  long ago,,,not sure causes,,Stress? Loud radio listening?  Age? (I am 64, had it when i was like in my 50's for a  few months*),,,there is a chinese herb that seemed to work. But yeah, no car radio,,quiet time  in park, things like that. But like 4 yrs ago, when i worked as a  scaffold helper valero gave a surprise hearing test,,like i flunked the super high range,,,which all my coworkes laughed when i showed them by graph test results,,that i was *deaf*,,anyway,, no big deal..just the upper range of violins a  bit soft,,,
hope some of that helps ya
paul
Snakeoil buster all things\
Stereo
audiophile since 1970's
new orleans

I am 66 years old, I have no tinnitus issues but after a lifetime of noise exposure in industrial work environments my hearing tests indicate very significant hearing loss above 4k in both ears.

I have habitually used tone bypass in the past but I now crank up the treble. It helps a great deal. I have been told that hearing aids do not boost missing frequencies but instead indiscriminately simply making everything a lot louder.

 In the past when using firearms or near heavy (loud) equipment I always used both ear plugs and ear muffs at the same time. Evidently those precautions were not sufficient.

I’ve had tinnitus, worse in my left ear, for the past two years. Mine sounds like a constant hiss; a sink on full blast. It’s not super loud but as others have mentioned, stress, caffeine, lack of sleep all make it worse. I notice that I listen to music “through” the tinnitus; I always hear the tinnitus on top of the music, but when I am engaged in the music I am able to tune the tinnitus out.

I will say this: tinnitus can be extremely distressing at first, but I advise those in this initial phase of experiencing it to take heart that the brain is an amazing organ, and you too can adapt to it. I know it’s there, and it can bother me at times, but in the grand scheme of things it is quite tolerable. I remember a time when it felt like it never would be, and I wish someone had told me what it was like to reach the other side.

@zm 
Good advice. The initial phase can be crushing, but habituation is possible.

For those in the US, consider joining the American Tinnitus Association (ATA). They raise money through contributions from many sources to fund research. For about $40 you can join and get their quarterly magazine which describes the latest research and coping strategies. The UK has a similar organization, the BTA.   

I’m not trying to brag, in fact I might be a freak of nature, but I can hear up to 19kHz. I’m 62, my last hearing test was about five years ago and I only had some hearing loss in the low frequencies.
When I was younger, the high pitched whine of a tube TV was intolerable. I could also hear the pilot tone of a department store’s alarm system.

Having such sensitive hearing isn’t always a blessing, it’s been difficult to tune my audio system just right and early digital and CD players were torture.
Now I have mild tinnitus and severe hyperacusis. I really enjoy listening to my system but there are some albums I’ll never be able to listen to. With hyperacusis comes pain from high frequencies, and as one member mentioned, the sound of kitchen cabinets and pots banging hits me in the brain.

Going to the symphony is such a pleasure, taking in the full spectrum of sound. Meanwhile, playing recorded music isn’t always enjoyable.