Recent content by John Smythe

What brand/type do you use? In fact, I'd like to know this from anyone willing to share (i.e., whether they have or have not had issues with NCH and the brand - e.g., Bose - and type - e.g., wireless - of headphones).

Re-quoting your post in light of the "habituation" discussion above. I think it is entirely consistent to say that noise canceling headphones do not cause an increase in tinnitus, but that the use of such headphones (or any ambient noise-reducing device, such as earplugs) negatively affect...

I'm not familiar with the lingo. What do you mean by "habituated"?

I also have fluctuations for reasons seemingly unrelated to headphone use (e.g., physical exertion and leaning forward, even though my blood pressure is normal), which can complicate matters.

Of course, it's always a personal choice, and I agree we're sort of beating a dead horse at this point. I will continue with modified (reduced) use and see how that goes. I have been doing so for many weeks, and believe my tinnitus has not gotten any worse. Hopefully those are not famous last...

And that's the issue for me. Do I actually have an increase? Or am I just obsessing, like a person who erroneously thinks he has heart disease and is certain he's experiencing heart attack symptoms . . . similar to a psychosomatic illness.

I suspect the cause is Walkman use (classical music) at higher-than-appropriate volumes in about 1990, but I cannot say for sure. I'm not questioning anyone's conclusions about cause-and-effect. I'm just wondering about a possible recent uptick despite similar headphone/earphone use in the...

(1) Heavy (but not loud) use of in-ear Etymotic earphones for 12 years - no tinnitus increase. (2) Occasional use (though extensive use on a few long flights, including while sleeping) of corded Bose noise canceling headphones from about 2014-17 - no tinnitus increase. (3) Frequent (but not...

Many people - including people at this site - have claimed that their noise canceling headphones (NCH) have either caused or increased their tinnitus. I recently saw an audiologist and a neurotologist, both of whom said there is no basis for this conclusion. I still have residual worries...

Well, I had my appointment with the neurotologist, and his answer was that noise canceling headphones, when used at a reasonable volume, neither cause or enhance tinnitus. If anyone has a follow-up question for me, by all means ask, but I'm done with the issue.

So you are saying Bose are more likely to cause or increase tinnitus? My brother-in-law chose Sennheiser because he believes (based on various reviews) that they do less to enhance the music. He said he wanted his music less filtered, so he chose Sennheiser. I have compared the two, and I do...

You must mean these - https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-High-Fidelity-Earplugs-Polybag-Packaging/dp/B00RM6Q5HM/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1526782859&sr=8-3&keywords=etymotics+er20xs+large&th=1 I'll have to check them out. Thanks.

I use these Etymotic earplugs when I'm in a noisy environment and I need to hear nearby conversation -...

I probably gave myself a double (or even triple) whammy by also (1) using my NCH at work to block a low rumbling noise in the ventilation system and (2) using my Etymotic earplugs immediately when I got home, then switching at some point to the NCH, then going to bed with foam earplugs. I also...

After seeing an audiologist and having a hearing exam, my preliminary conclusion is the text highlighted in red above. I see the main doctor - an otologist/neurotologist - on Tuesday. I've frequently seen tinnitus defined as the perception of noise in the ear. That doesn't make it less real...