Headphones vs. In-Ear Monitors (IEMs): The Safest Option with Pre-Existing Tinnitus?

[mintblue]

I've noticed some discussions about the harmful effects of using headphones, but there's little mention of in-ear monitors (IEMs). I've been using IEMs for the past 4 years, and surprisingly, my tinnitus has actually decreased when using them at moderate levels. However, when I recently used over-ear headphones at low volumes, my tinnitus worsened. Switching back to IEMs improved my tinnitus again.

I have a theory about this. I think that hearing isn't just about what happens inside the ear; it also involves the physical ear's reaction to vibrations. I believe that my tinnitus spike during a period of over-ear headphone use may have been caused by stimulation of the outer ear. Somehow, stimulating the inner ear without stimulating the outer ear reduces tinnitus, while stimulating both makes it worse.

I also want to mention that I use custom-molded IEMs, the A12t from 64Audio, which have a very "dark" sound signature. The over-ear headphones I used recently were the HD800S and ZMF Atrium Closed. The HD800S are significantly brighter than the A12t, and the Atrium headphones are much warmer. I believe that the stimulation of the outer ear may be the main cause of the tinnitus spikes, but the sound signature may also be a contributing factor.

Has anyone else with tinnitus tried using IEMs?

 

[Michael Leigh]

Has anyone else with tinnitus tried using IEMs?

It all depends on whether your tinnitus is noise-induced or not. If it was originally noise-induced, then I think you are playing with fire, listening to any type of audio through headphones or IEMs even at low volume.

 

[mintblue]

Just to be clear, this is very subjective and specific to me. Over the years, I've found some audio exposure important in soothing my tinnitus. There's lots of evidence that avoiding sound altogether can make things worse; it gave me hyperacusis. Only through audio exposure did I finally become free of it.

 

[momus]

There is nothing wrong with headphones; the problem is the volume. If someone keeps it low, there should not be any worries. I wear mine on my ears loosely. The last thing I want is to hear only the music. It's better that I hear ambient sounds as well so I can gauge the real volume of the headphones.

 

[BeepBeep]

I use in-ear-heaphones with an EQ that cuts quite a bit of treble.

 

[Bill Arsenault]

Any type of vibration, even just driving down the road, instantly spikes my tinnitus. However, I haven't yet determined how harmful intense vibrations might be in the long term. After all, sound itself is just vibrations, and intense vibrations can feel incredibly loud, so I figure it might affect tinnitus negatively.

I think I read in a study that vibrations alone don't cause significant hearing loss in machine operators, though in lab rats they do. That said, tinnitus and hearing loss often don't seem to worsen at the same rate, so it's hard to say for sure.

So, I don't really know.

 

[HighleyTall]

The safest option is not to use either. Before you know it, you might find yourself lurking on this forum every day, with nothing else you feel you can do, wishing you had never used headphones or IEMs.