Pain from Listening to Speech and Headaches/Yawning from Stereo System

Hi everyone,

I had ear infections as a baby and a ruptured eardrum two years ago.

For the past two years I've been getting discomfort/pain from listening to other people talking at night (within several meters). I also getting discomfort listening to myself talking (some sort of vibration in my nasal passages). The high-pitched tinnitus in my ears also seems to have gotten more noticeable in the past two years.

I recently went to an audiologist and it turns out I have excellent hearing for my age (30) and she didn't know why I'm so sensitive to slightly loud talking.

Another problem for me is my new stereo system. The Vienna Acoustics Haydn speakers (18 years old) are making me get aches all around my head/jaw/ears, making me feel tired, and I yawn constantly (twice per song). This begins within minutes. If I listen to an entire CD, I get slightly dizzy. The same problems occur with both a tube amplifier and a solid state amplifier. Something similar happened when I used Monitor Audio Bronze 50 speakers (new) - I'd get tired, my ears would feel full and I'd yawn.

The only time I didn't get these symptoms was when using Sennheiser HD650 headphones with the solid state amp (I didn't try them with the tube amp). However, often I'd take the HD650s off my head and my ears would feel like they were ringing a bit. I don't know whether this was from the clamping force (too tight around the head) or something to do with the music. Sometimes I wouldn't get this problem though.

Now, I can listen to music using my phone paired with Sennheiser HD4.50 headphones and I don't get ringing, discomfort, headaches and I don't yawn at all. I can also use a mini stereo (CD player with in-built speakers) without any problems.

Has anyone got any idea of what my problem is? Why can I listen to music on my phone/HD4.50 headphones but not with a really expensive stereo system? And why would I be feeling such discomfort/pain from ordinary speech at night time? The audiologist suggested I might have hyperacusis.

Btw, my wisdom teeth have come through, but there's no room for them and they need to be removed. Could this be causing me problems? I just don't understand why the sound coming from the Vienna Acoustics speakers affects me so much...? I have an appointment with an ear specialist soon, so hopefully he will know the answer.

 

Hi @MusicSufferer.

Reading your post and the audio equipment you have described, it is clear to me that you are an Audiophile like myself.

Headphones, earbuds, AirPods and headsets are one of the main causes of noise-induced tinnitus, due to people listening to audio at too high a volume without realizing it. Please reduce your headphone use or better still don't them at all. If you do this now there is a good chance your tinnitus will not get worse and in time could go away.

When listening to music through your speakers keep the volume low. If you are using a subwoofer with the main stereo speakers, my advice is to stop using it for a while. Low frequency bass can irritate tinnitus. Please click on the links below and read my posts. Please go to my started threads and read my post: Hyperacusis, As I See It.

Take care,
Michael

New to Tinnitus, What to Do? | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum
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The headaches, nasal discomfort and dizziness you mention are not usually associated with noise-induced tinnitus. However, I believe all your other symptoms relate to it, especially your oversensitivity to sound which is usually an indication of hyperacusis.

Your phone is not able to produce the frequency bandwidth of your tube amplifier and this is probably the reason you are able to use your headphones when paired with your phone. I strongly advise you not to use any type of headphones even at low volume, as there's the risk of making your symptoms worse.

I believe you can save yourself a lot of misery if you act now.

 

Hi Michael. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

I went to the ENT and he said there's nothing he can do for me since the tests show I have normal hearing and normal pressure. Actually when I told him I need to yawn constantly, he asked me if I feel dizzy (as if he was aware of these symptoms). I said I get slightly dizzy if I listen for 20-30 minutes. Then he started telling me that I have normal hearing and pressure and that there's no problems in my ears that could be causing this. He seemed to suggest that dizzyness could occur if I had problems with my hearing, pressure, and ear bones, but because I don't have any problems, he can't help me. He also said he's never come across anyone who gets this yawning problem.

I tried the tube amp, CD player and speakers in another room - same problem. If I wear Flare Calmer earplugs it seems like the problems are minimized a bit.

And yeah, I love good audio equipment and I've been trying to put together a great sounding system (I used to listen to my dad's great system when I was a teenager).

Yes, I'm being careful to keep my headphones at a low volume. The good thing about the HD4.50 headphones is you can still hear things very well even at a low volume.

I don't actually listen very loud with the speakers, but I still get these aches in my forehead and head and need to yawn constantly. In regards to my tinnitus, I think if I turn it up a little louder certain sounds can trigger some ringing in my ears for short moments as well.

Why can't I tolerate the frequency bandwidth of the tube amplifier (and the SS amp as well)? Do you have any idea?

 

Hi MusicSufferer,

I think you need a second opinion about the dizziness and yawning you are experiencing. Have you had an MRI scan? Have you been tested for sleep apena? It is just a thought. I certainly wouldn't leave things as they are, seek further medical advice.

I know how much you enjoy listening to music through your headphones but I think you are playing with fire by continuing to use them even at low volume. Please click on the link below and read my thread: Can I Habituate to Variable Tinnitus?

A tube and SS amplifier's electronics are far more sophisticated than the simple electronic chips in most mobile phones. Good tube and SS amps use separate pre and power amplifier stages and the cost for a good examples of these start from $1000/£760 upwards.

I strongly advise you to gradually reduce your use of headphones and switch to listening to music through speakers. If you buy good audio equipment and set it up correctly it will sound much better than listening to music through any type of headphones, believe me as I have auditioned some of the best from Stax back in the day. As you probably know Stax are the Rolls Royce in headphone design.

I used to use Beyer top of the line headphones that eventually gave me tinnitus because I was listening at too high a volume without realizing it. I haven't used headphones in 25 years. If you want to know how good your HI-FI can sound when it's setup correctly, please click on the link below and read my thread: Does Your HI-FI Sing?

Take care and all the best,
Michael

Does Your Hi-Fi System Sing? | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum
Can I Habituate to Variable Tinnitus? | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum