1. Home
  2. misc-audio
  3. 197866-6055

Sudden Hearing Loss and Impact on Music Enjoyment

This post is partly a cautionary tale and partly me looking for advice from fellow audiophiles who might have been through something similar.

At the end of January this year, I had a sinus infection that seemed to affect my left ear. One morning I woke up and noticed that my ear felt muffled and my hearing wasn’t quite right. At first, I assumed it was just my sinuses acting up. I tried wax-removal drops and even did some irrigation, but nothing improved. My doctor then prescribed a course of steroids, thinking it might be related to fluid buildup.

Unfortunately, things got worse. I gradually lost almost all hearing in that ear, and there was a lot of distortion as well.

I eventually saw an ENT specialist and an audiologist, and that’s when I learned that this was most likely Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSHL). Apparently, if the correct treatment is started within about 72 hours, there’s a chance the hearing can be saved. After that short window closes, the loss is often permanent. I really wish I had known that earlier when I first contacted my doctor.

So if anyone reading this ever experiences sudden changes in hearing, please don’t wait—get to an ENT immediately. The treatment window is extremely short.

Now that I’m starting to come to terms with this, I’ve begun researching options like hearing aids and cochlear implants. That leads me to my question for anyone here who has experience with either.

As audiophiles, we tend to listen to music a bit differently—we focus on details, tone, timbre, soundstage, and all those subtle nuances. For those of you using hearing aids or who have undergone cochlear implant surgery, how has it affected your ability to enjoy music? Does music sound very different? Were you able to reconnect with it in a meaningful way? As you can imagine, this is both stressful and sad that I won't be able to enjoy the one hobby that has become such an important part of my life.

I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences. Feel free to share here, or send me a DM if you’d rather keep it private.

arafiq
mihorn
910 posts
 

All audio systems (artificial sound) sound very harsh and bright. We've been hearing these bad sounds for all our lives for generations, last 150 years. Many tortured ears screaming for help as Tinnitus, loss hearing, Vertigo, etc. After many decades of hearing unhealthy harsh sounds, human ears ignore them by shutting off, stay in insensitive mode. Listen/test how harsh your system sounds like. All your systems sound like the left speaker. Artificial sound vs. Natural sound

I've never heard a hearing aid. I guess they are same harsh sound as any artificial sound in above video.Even worse, the hearing aid equips a microphone which doubles the harsh sound (noises from mic + speaker). I think wearing hearing aid makes symptoms worse. I can't imagine the conversation with others in the left speaker sounds in above video. 

If you have symptoms of hearing loss, your ears might be in numb (or insensitive) stage due to harsh audio sounds. I think aggressive Tinnitus and mild hearing loss can be cured by hearing more natural sounds. Listen to live talking radio. Talking with people is good. Listen natural sounds only. Don't listen the a'phile audio system which sounds very harsh, loud, and bright. Don't listen recorded music. The more processed sound is the more artificial harsh sound.

I had severe ear problems, but I'm cured by listening the natural sound audio system. Alex/Wavetouch audio

macg19
1,387 posts
 

Very sorry about your diagnosis. Like any serious medical concern get a second opinion at a minimum.

best wishes, MacG19

larsman's avatar
larsman
3,169 posts
 

@mihorn - I get your points, they are very interesting, but ALL audio systems (artificial sound) sound very harsh and bright? What are the objective definitions of 'harsh' and 'bright'?

If there are none, you might want to suffix that with 'to me', as I've no doubt that there are many millions of systems around the world you've not heard that do not sound the slightest bit 'harsh' or 'bright' to the people who have them. I'm one of these people. 

If you have symptoms of hearing loss, there could be many reasons, but I think it's more likely the fact that most people's hearing degrades as they age than that their ears are numb to specific types of sounds. You can take objective measurements with hearing that don't involve 'bright' or 'harsh'. 

sameyers1
149 posts
 

So sorry to hear of your situation. If you haven’t already I still recommend getting a second opinion as to options from a large academic medical center’s ENT unit. The academic types are more likely to be aware of all the cutting edge diagnostics and treatments. That’s based on my experience and I hope you are fortunate enough to find a solution. Good luck!

markmuse
335 posts
 

Hearing aids... I have had the best from Oticon, Phonac, and Widex. Widex Moment is without a doubt far better than the others for music (there is a newer Widex that I have no experience with). That said, there are a number of considerations. Hearing aids and their setup by audiologists are singularly focused on voice in conversations, universally to the detriment of natural sound. They have a pronounced boost in the 2-5k range to help resolve words. There is also noise suppression, sound compression, and feedback suppression, all of which destroy natural sound. Even with Widex hearing aids, one must find an audiologist who is willing to work with you to create a setting that will reproduce music as naturally as possible. Remember, all of their training has been focused upon resolving voice. It can be difficult to get them to understand your particular needs. 

Rant over. Good luck!

More to discover