Poll: How Was Your Hearing Before Hyperacusis?

[Shizune]

I want to see what people's hearing was like before getting hyperacusis. Vote or describe what it was like, and describe your history with sound too in detail.

As for me, I never recall taking hearing tests at check ups growing up, so I don't know if I had any damage. But my hearing wasn't the best either. I would *need* music, electronics, or video games on a high level just to be able to hear things, anything lower than that I could barely make it out. It never sounded loud to me, just normal. I also frequently asked people to repeat what they were saying because I couldn't understand what they said.

I could withstand most common loud noises though. Examples such as fire drills at school, I had no issue with the loudness of the alarm. Most things did not faze me. Even usual cringe noises like nails on a chalkboard or squeaking didn't upset me. But I did have misophonia for things like mouth noises. My dynamic range was normal though and I could block out background noises easily.

Despite this though, I did not enjoy going to things like clubs or concerts very much because I considered the music to be so loud that I couldn't appreciate it or really understand it, because it was just blasting noise. I could tolerate it and never got tinnitus or pain, but it wasn't especially enjoyable for me either. Kind of like when you eat food that's too spicy and you just taste heat and no real flavor. I also disliked when friends blasted music in the car.

Hope people can chime in with their experiences.

 

[Alue]

Misophonia and better than normal. I still have 'normal' hearing according to an audiogram, but my hyperacusis and multi tone tinnitus suggest otherwise.

 

[Monkee Man]

I voted "normal", but it is possible I already had some kind of hearing loss, as I would crank my music way up when listening on a home stereo, car audio system, or headphones. To me, if I couldn't feel each drum hit like I would at a live show, it wasn't loud enough and needed to be turned up. I attended hundreds of shows in the span of about 14 years without ever using earplugs, and can only recall maybe 3 or 4 shows that were uncomfortably loud. I can imagine this gave me a false sense of tolerance or security that blinded me to the damage I was actually subjecting my ears to.

Even after my tinnitus onset, loud music did not bother me at all and I continued to crank it up to 10 until hyperacusis set in just a month later.

Now I feel like my brain is being pummeled when turning any music past background levels, especially when there is a lot of bass in the mix.

 

[TheDanishGirl]

Misophonia and better than normal. I still have 'normal' hearing according to an audiogram, but my hyperacusis and multi tone tinnitus suggest otherwise.

Exactly the same here.

 

[Lurius]

Normal with misophonia with certain sounds or even certain kinds of music. Very specific noises could drive me crazy and make me drop everything I was doing in order to terminate a certain noise. I've also always been unable to be in the same room where the play certain bands, as the vocalists of those bands make me feel like my soul is being ripped from me. I have severe difficulties listening to Noel and Liam Gallagher for example. I have a panic-induced reaction to Oasis, usually. But my hearing was normal and I heard everything just fine, I would say it was even a little better than normal. I definitely did not have any problems.

 

[Cory_]

I could always hear ultra high-pitched noises no one else could. Mostly from machinery/electronics. Which of my parents was actually a greyhound?

 

[FireFox93]

Ok, so for as long as I can remember, I always hated loud/sudden noises ever since I was little. I remember also having this kinda mid-ranged ringing and only being able to hear it in total silence but not any high pitched noise till early 2020.

Misophonia is nothing new for me, sounds that would kinda reverberate or like drag on for a while always sent me in an anxious panic frenzy. Plates clanking or blenders were and still are big no-no's for me, as are fireworks and balloons popping.

Other then that, nothing new up until my weird onset in late March.

 

[Juan]

My pre-hyperacusis hearing was just amazing. I could hear everything, even understand many people talking at the same time, or listen to TV and also to conversation around and the radio, all at the same time... I thought everyone could do that but apparently not so many people can do it.

Music sounded awesome and I did not understand (at that time) why people would spend a lot of money on good Hi-Fi equipment if an analog radio was just fine to hear music, or a cheap radio-cassette player.