Hobbayne Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Yes. http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/did_loud_music_damage_your_hearing_take_a_test_and_see.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huge Hands Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Pardon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Stu Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Oh yes, I started it at 17 by plugging headphones into the back of my Marshall while forgetting to turn it down first. I was young & thick and knew no better. Then 36 Slade concerts and over a dozen Motorhead did the rest, followed by sticking my ear next to a Hiwatt cab when I thought a driver had died then some wag hammered an open A through it. Every time I've flown though, after my ears "pop", my tinnitus disappears for a few hours, so I'm convinced there is a cure - eventually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 (edited) No. And I can hear up to 16kHz which is unusual for my age. Mainly because I've used ear protection for decades. I'm not generally a sensible person, so all the more remarkable. Even if you think you play in a quiet band, your hearing is compromised. Much is said on here about making a big outlay for top-quality ear protection and it's good advice - what cost your hearing - but I've always used earplugs costing about a tenner and while obviously not as good, they have made all the difference. Any ear protection is better than none - in my experience. *Hides in wardrobe to avoid many posts to the contrary* Edited March 31, 2015 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 [quote]Did Loud Music Damage Your Hearing?[/quote] Not only, but also... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1427799822' post='2734316'] Much is said on here about making a big outlay for top-quality ear protection and it's good advice - what cost your hearing - but I've always used earplugs costing about a tenner and while obviously not as good, they have made all the difference. Any ear protection is better than none - in my experience. *Hides in wardrobe to avoid many posts to the contrary* [/quote] Aye aye, hiding in the wardrobe after starting this one up for the Nth time and leave all us other earplug cheapskates to be viewed down the nose and preached at. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number6 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Yes.....years of following Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Slayer, Testament and Anthrax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skybone Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Yes... Really started to notice that the tinnitus [b]wasn't[/b] going away around 6 or 7 years ago. Hey ho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 No - I played heavy metal for about four or five years as a kid but got into other genres from about 22 onwards. Since then, all the music I have played has been at what are essentially moderate volumes. Live, I saw lots of rock bands in the 1980s, including Maiden, Motorhead etc but only once or twice did I find it painful and then not for long. A recent Uli Jon Roth gig made me wince but I got out of the direct line of fire and it was manageable enough. Now my hearing is pretty normal and I have never had any problems with tinitus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coilte Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1427799822' post='2734316'] No. And I can hear up to 16kHz which is unusual for my age. Mainly because I've used ear protection for decades. I'm not generally a sensible person, so all the more remarkable. Even if you think you play in a quiet band, your hearing is compromised. Much is said on here about making a big outlay for top-quality ear protection and it's good advice - what cost your hearing - but I've always used earplugs costing about a tenner and while obviously not as good, they have made all the difference. Any ear protection is better than none - in my experience. *Hides in wardrobe to avoid many posts to the contrary* [/quote] Great post Discreet. Wish I had done the same as yourself when I was younger. What with playing in rock bands as a teenager, and going to loud concerts/gigs, the result is that my hearing is pretty bad. I use custom plugs these days to try to retain what little of my hearing is left. I often hear people say.."but my band plays at a very low volume, so I dont require plugs.." I usually end up reminding them with two guitarists, a drummer and a bassist... "playing low"...would still require you to wear hearing protection. I think the message is catching on though. I often come across young musicians wearing ear plugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
planer Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Yes. One gig damaged my hearing last year. I now have what appears to be tinnitus. I took the not-very-scientific (but very interesting) test in the link above and it showed a mild loss above 8KHz, but I can hear a 14KHz test tone, just. Obviously it makes no allowances for the constant noise in my head (the ringing that is, not the voices...) I have closed the stable door somewhat by buying 'posh' earplugs as, like wot Mr Discreet says, some protection is better than none. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
interpol52 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 10 years ago I was at a gig (as a punter) in a small pub. The PA had a short burst of feedback and as a result I now have next to no hearing in my left ear, I only hear really really low or really really high frequencies in that particular ear, so 99% of sound is lost. It led to raging tinnitus too, although I did have that beforehand but to a lesser degree. The tests that followed showed nerve damage with no remedy. It has taught me that even watching a band in a pub can be hazardous. I appreciate that my hearing loss is probably a freak event though. The test in the link above showed only mild loss in my other ear thankfully! I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 [quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1427801206' post='2734336'] Aye aye, hiding in the wardrobe after starting this one up for the Nth time and leave all us other earplug cheapskates to be viewed down the nose and preached at. Thanks! [/quote] I might be hiding in the wardrobe, but I can still hear what's going on, you know... I've got ears like a hawk, or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 No, riding a bike for years with no earplugs did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Been going to loud gigs since I was 15, played in loud bands since I was 17, unfortunately it goes with the territory. I have (and have had for as long as I can remember) a noticeable loss of HF sensitivity in my right ear, meaning I always favour my left. I have constant low-level tinnitus which I'm so used to I have to focus on it to notice it - I also can't remember not having this. I can often find it hard to distinguish conversational speech if there's significant (not necessarily loud) background noise - I've always thought that's probably one of the reasons I'm fairly socially inept. I will need to wait until I have a silent environment before I can attempt the test in the first post, but it's only going to tell me what I already know - rock 'n' roll has f***ed my ears, and very probably my entire life. Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urbanx Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Me: "Doctor, I think I'm going deaf" Doc: "What are the symptoms?" Me: "They're a fictional cartoon family, but that's not important right now" I was pleasantly surprised how well I done at that test, I wonder why 1k was by far my weakest frequency?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 It is the ability to pick out the most defining frequencies that count so being able to hear 16kz means not a lot... it is the ability to pick up the mid range and distinguish them from other mid range frequencies that is key.. If you struggle to hear/pick out the conversations in a noisy crowded pub, then you have damaged your hearing..IMO.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Japhet Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 I have a mate who was a navigator in a USAF helicopter for years. He was telling me that his hearing damage manifests itself as; not being able to separate sound sources as in, being on the phone when somebody in the room talks to you and the whole thing turns into an unintelligible mush. The damage was done by long term exposure to low frequency noise and it described precisely what I suffer from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Stu Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 [quote name='Japhet' timestamp='1427812195' post='2734526'] I have a mate who was a navigator in a USAF helicopter for years. He was telling me that his hearing damage manifests itself as; not being able to separate sound sources as in, being on the phone when somebody in the room talks to you and the whole thing turns into an unintelligible mush. The damage was done by long term exposure to low frequency noise and it described precisely what I suffer from. [/quote] A guy I got talking to - turned out he was lip-reading the whole time - was the gun aligner on the Lightning jets. No wussy pansy ear-protection in his day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weststarx Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 (edited) Without doubt my hearing has been effected, my tinnitus is like a constant sound of a helicopter over head. When I first started to notice it when I was going to bed, I nearly phoned the police asking why for every night over the last week had they been flying helicopters at stupid hours of the night. Thats honestly what I thought was happening until I asked if the helicopter had been keeping my neighbours awake to - I did get some funny looks... My hearing struggles the most when I'm in a noisy bar or crowded area, I find it extremely hard to hear people that are trying to talk to me and often need them to speak up or repeat themselves. I'm only 22 which is the real worry! As pathetic as I know it is, I dont want to go to the doctors because I dont want to wear a hearing aid at 22 in case I get laughed at. Edited March 31, 2015 by Weststarx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coilte Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 [quote name='Weststarx' timestamp='1427815503' post='2734576'] As pathetic as I know it is, I dont want to go to the doctors because I dont want to wear a hearing aid at 22 in case I get laughed at. [/quote] Twenty two is very young to have such severe hearing loss. The hearing aids available these days are much more advanced than they used to be. No one would notice that you were wearing one. They can be calibrated to suit your particular requirement. I'd recommend that you at least check them out. They'll make your life a lot easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbandit599 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Interesting test, evidently I'm lucky - a youthful of metal and rock bands every weekend playing and watching and I still come out normal. Mind you our drummer can't hear in his left ear (which spent long periods next to my old Ampeg...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Mild hearing loss which is no surprise. I don`t have a problem most of the time, only with people who "don`t project luvvie" when they`re speaking, as in they speak to their teeth, not my ears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ras52 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1427799822' post='2734316'] [/quote] That's settled it: I'm not going to risk using my vacuum cleaner again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 (edited) I had an audition with a preposterously loud band yesterday and I was the only one wearing ear plugs as usual... have done since I first started in bands when I was 13. Edited March 31, 2015 by CamdenRob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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