How Long Until Hearing Loss?

Hi all,

Just introducing myself with some questions like everyone else here.
I have a question regarding hearing damage and hearing loss.

I've gone to about 6 very loud, small venue live shows where on these occasions, I would experience a temporary threshold shift and a louder than usual ringing in my ears that would last about half a day. The very last one I went to caused ringing for almost 3 days.
It's been about 4 years since the last time I exposed myself to that kind of noise and my hearing is still quite good (got it checked not too long ago), but with this kind of noise exposure, how long does it usually take for someone to lose a significant amount of hearing, say 7db +, in the 1khz - 9khz frequency range?

 

Hi @Blacknoise.

I cannot tell you how long it will be before and if you experience hearing loss. I am sure someone else will be able to offer some insight. But I just want to tell you about my experience. I went to a rock concert at a large outdoor venue two weeks ago. There was a speaker above my head about 3 rows ahead of me. As in the past after other concerts, the ringing from a concert resolved within hours. Then it came back 2 days later. ENT said it was delayed trauma from the concert. It may resolve on its own or it may not. There are plenty of people on this forum that have had it for years from one concert. I get my hearing checked this week so I do not know if I have hearing loss. But a lifetime of this for 2 hours at a concert does not to me feel like a fair trade off to me. So if you still have good hearing with no tinnitus, please protect it. It is such a gift. I got musician earplugs that filter out the high decibel frequencies but allow you to hear. I wish I had them 2 weeks ago.