Playing with headphones (ringing)

[cyberzomby]

Hello everyone,

I was just wondering about something. How can I check if my headphones are to loud?

I almost always play PR with headhpones (sennheiser HD202, they "cut off" the external non gaming sounds really well) and since a couple of months I hear a ringing in my ears when I'm in bed and its all quiet.

I always play with the volume down to the lowest point. One click lower and its all gone. So I was under the impression I was on the safe side with my audio levels... When I found out about it I proceeded to reduce the ingame volume (in the menu) to about 10% and I have TS and Mumble on increase and decrease keys.

My audio never hurt my ears but still I have the ringing. Or a beep so to say. Anyone else knows what causes this? Can it be the headphones? The audio from the headphone speakers havent got a place to go but my ear. Maybe with different headphones that dont dampen my ears totaly it would be better?

I love my PR but I would hate to lose my hearing over it

[PLODDITHANLEY]

I always play and watch movies with headphones - no effect.

Check out this maybe go see a doctor?

[Jevski]

You may have aquired Tinitus. It usually comes from being exposed to really loud sounds for quite some time, but the science is not quite sure about this.
I got it also to a degree, but not from loud noise, but from expose to white noise from a set of headphones to a phone(work related).
Check if there is a lose connection or overload that can cause continously white noise in you headphones. It dosent have to be very loud.

[cyberzomby]

I'm not sure what whitenoise is (other than that horror movie ) but I did had some beeps and sorts in my headphones when there was no audio playing. This only happened when I was in windows. A static noise and beeps. Like someone was fire'ing lazers. No kidding!

So that could have done the trick than.

[Tomato-Rifle]

Sometimes my ears ring to when I'm in bed and its quiet. :/

Is it something to worry about?

[_casualtyUR]

yes, it is

[cyberzomby]

Yes Tomato, I knew about the condition that causes it before today and it is a sign to take it easy on your ears. Although on the wikipedia link it also says it could have to do with "grease" in your ears or a condition other than you exposing your ears to loud sounds.

Just be on the safe side and lower the volume of your iPod/mp3 player and or gaming headphones. Think about wearing earplugs when going to concerts. etc.

[Spec]

Although I wish to add that I recall reading somewhere that many people with no ear damage hear slight 'noises' (nothing seriously annoying) in near total silence. I can't source it right now, but one should not instantly assume the worst.

That said, I don't use headphones when I can avoid it. And I don't turn the speakers way up either, of course. Ear damage is a very serious condition indeed and should be avoided. Rather have a slightly worse playing situation by lowering the volume than ending up with a tinnitus.

[goguapsy]

I have something like this but it's not related to loud stuff, it really is something that's inside your ear (something in excess I forgot what it was). Thing is, if it really is the same thing as I do, you should go to the doctor and he should tell you what you got in the ear, and that causes ringing at some random times (yes, pretty weird).

[sr.bambino]

Tinitus can be caused by a lot of things and mild tinitus isn't abnormal, when it's very quiet sometimes I heard a high pitched tone.

I wouldn't worry about it to much but perhaps investing money into a visit to the doctor's wouldn't be a bad idea, then again, research on the internet can tell you a lot.

If you are going to go to a doctor, make sure you go to an 'ear' doctor, no use into paying to see a general physician to have them tell you what doctor to see.

[cyberzomby]

yea ear doctor isnt a bad idea. I remember now that my ears started "switching off" at random moments leading up to this. Out of nowhere they would start to high pitch and it would go down after a few seconds.

Good to hear that it can be normal to hear a sound when its quiet.

[WithoutPurpose]

Go see a doctor, don't use headphones or atleast don't put them on max volume.

Note;
Because of this "sound" people already have committed suicide

[Maverick]

Although I wish to add that I recall reading somewhere that many people with no ear damage hear slight 'noises' (nothing seriously annoying) in near total silence. I can't source it right now, but one should not instantly assume the worst.

That said, I don't use headphones when I can avoid it. And I don't turn the speakers way up either, of course. Ear damage is a very serious condition indeed and should be avoided. Rather have a slightly worse playing situation by lowering the volume than ending up with a tinnitus.

I'm one of those people, sometimes I would get a high pitch ring in my left ear and it would happen in dead silence, sometimes in my right but it doesn't happen often thank god. Since were on the topic of headphones, I use a Logitech headset from walmart, I forgot the model, but I would have it on, and after like an hour or so, my ears would start to hurt like hell, I think it's because I have them placed ON my ear, and I perfer cups, is there cups I can buy seperatly? But what causes this problem?

[Jaymz]

This is not down to playing with headphones. It's down to how loud you have them. If you're getting this ringing in your ears from this...play at a lower volume.

Basically, when you hear a sound it causes many of the thousands of hair cells within your inner ear to move. When they move, it sends a signal to your brain saying "you are hearing this sound". What happens with tinnitus, is that you've overpowered these hair cells and they don't go back to a neutral state. So they're constantly sending the signal to your brain that you're hearing something when in fact, there's no sound at all.

So..yeah. Lower your volume. Always take a few moments before playing to adjust it to where you feel comfortable. A lot of the firing sounds in-game are really loud. So try adjust your volume to where firing sounds aren't too loud, but you can still hear everything else. Note down those settings and always adjust your headphones accordingly.

[Hitperson]

i occasionally suffer from tinnitus in my left ear (and after my medical i found out i have slight hearing loss in the same ear) this causes disorientation and minor loss of balance when it happens, make sure you take care of your ears.

[cyberzomby]

So..yeah. Lower your volume. Always take a few moments before playing to adjust it to where you feel comfortable. A lot of the firing sounds in-game are really loud. So try adjust your volume to where firing sounds aren't too loud, but you can still hear everything else. Note down those settings and always adjust your headphones accordingly.

Thats the weird thing. Since a month or so I'm doing that. and since I started playing with headphones I had my computer volume on the lowest part. Lower would turn it off completely. So that was the part that baffled me.

Since I noticed the beep I started turning down the ingame volume as well. I didnt realise it was to loud since they didnt hurt and I could hear, for example my gf well enough when she asked me something.

[chimpyang]

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Tinnitus/P ... ction.aspx

[Johncro]

Just tune it out, I've had this problem since age 5...I'm not dead and I can still hear fine.
No worries.

[Arquin]

I have a horrible tinnitus in my left ear and occasional small one in my right.

My left ear is partly dead in a sense that where i can barely hear anything lower than 60 decibels.

I always play with speakers, headphones suck for long periods.

[Mouthpiece]

As an active musician who's usually playing really loud shite, I'd say that your problem isn't related to your headphones being too loud (as you noted, your volume is set to almost minimal possible). Yes, loud sounds constantly degrade ones hearing and the damage is permanent - the sound ringing in your ears after they've been exposed to high levels of sound is the frequency that you'll never hear again, so enjoy it. I don't know - maybe there is such thing as super sensitive hearing that may still be damaged with low volume levels, but anyway while exposed to constant sound level the hearing gets damaged (e.g., you loose the abillity to hear a certain frequency)

If the sound level is constant and low and if the problem is related to your headphones being too loud, your ringing sound should stop in few days, because your hearing "adapts" to the sound level - once the damage has been done, it can't be done again with the same sound volume - it has to be louder than before to damage your ear more than it's already been damaged.

My audio never hurt my ears but still I have the ringing. Or a beep so to say.

Beep? That's weird. Haven't heard (nor experienced) of such a thing. There certainly are more factors that you should count - winter, cold wind blowing in your ears. Anywayz, I advise to see a doctor because IMHO your problem isn't a common one (as I noted: such symptoms are related to really loud sounds, not low-volumed earphones) and I'm 99% sure that it's not related to your earphones being too loud.