General Asylum General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories.

---

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] Thread: [ Display  All  Email ] [ General Asylum ]

---

[ Alert Moderator ]

---

Bilateral Hearing Loss (Long)

Posted by House13 (A) on December 26, 2016 at 12:20:22

I am 68 years old. I have been an audiophile and music lover since I was 14. I was never interested in popular music even in high school. I preferred big band jazz and classical. I never attended any rock concerts. I frequented small jazz venues and was a patron of the regional philharmonic. I am a retired white collar professional. I was never around loud machinery. My ears always avoided youth abuse and any loud noises. I never smoked, rarely drank and have periodic medical exams.

About 4 years ago I lost my hearing completely in my left ear over several days. Ironically this happened as my contractor was finishing up work on a new dedicated listening room. I live in the Great Smoky Mountains area, the allergy capitol of the U.S. I had fluid buildup behind my eardrum which Afrin and several other medications eventually cleared up in less than a week.

I recently decided to have my hearing tested after putting it off a number of times. My physician gave me a referral to an ENT specialist. I did not expect the results to be dramatic. However, I have noticed that a certain insect which hums periodically in the summer night sky was not audible in my left ear. I also had difficulty hearing the shaker in the Rebecca Pigeon audiophile rendition of "Spanish Harlem" on the Chesky label. I really did not know what else I might have been missing.

I was tested by a licensed audiologist and then the results were reviewed with me by an M.D. who examined me further. I have a bilateral hearing loss at 2.5 kHz. In other words, I have no hearing sensitivity beyond that point in both ears. Given my history, I wanted to know how this could happen. He suspected that my hearing loss was the result of a shingles virus about the time of the fluid bulldup described previously. He said fluid pressure alone would not cause permanent damage such as I experienced. I asked how I could have gotten such a virus to affect both ears and he replied "just bad luck." I am scheduled for an additional test to detect possible auditory never damage. This would only tell me I have it but nothing can be done about it.

I know this is not life threatening but it certainly is not life enhancing, instead it is anxiety producing and depressing.

I am writing all this because I just do not know how I will ever come to terms with this. I spent so much of my life enjoying music and the equipment which brings it to life. I have a purpose built dedicated room in my house. I spent years reading classical music reviews to collect both sonically superior and critically acclaimed performances. I have owned at least 20 turntables in my life and now have a pricey but satisfactory for me digital playback system. I made a serious financial outlay last year buying a Berkeley Reference DAC and TARA Labs Zero Evolution balanced interconnects and new loudspeaker cables among other items. I was ready for the final search for my perfect loudspeaker system sometime this year. My complete system is listed in "Inmate systems" under my moniker.

I just was not aware my hearing was that impaired. This became the new normal I guess. I just do not know what to do. I have no interest in keeping the system on right now. It is usually on 24/7 but I just turned off the breaker. I do not know what I will be missing listening with my imperfect ears. I have thought about just giving up and selling everything. However, so much of my life is invested in all this stuff.

I do appreciate everyone who took the time to read all this. This is a situation which was totally out of my control and tests do not provide solutions. I really think I was better off not knowing I have this hearing deficiency. Looking at this equipment and my music collection now just gives me negative feelings.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Sonic Craft

---

[ Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]

---

[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]

---