What Does Listening to Music Sound Like If You Have Hyperacusis?

Hey folks,

I’m new on the forum and I have very mild tinnitus (noise induced) with no hyperacusis. I suppose you could call this post an exercise in Empathy. Anyway, I have heard that apparently music sounds painful to listen to if you have hyperacusis. I’ve never had hyperacusis, but I’ve read some posts from people who do have it. Ie: Jason C (a user who recovered from tinnitus and hyperacusis) said “Music sounded bad, like it was being played out of a broken speaker...”

So I’m morbidly curious, what does music sound like if you have pretty bad hyperacusis?

Additionally, do a lot of you miss what music used to sound like?

I imagine some of you guys really do! Heck, some of you probably had musical aspirations?

Lastly, I’m sorry if this thread makes me sound pampered (by god) and privileged, I am only trying to empathize, and would NEVER rub it in your face!

 

There are different types of hyperacusis. Some people experience pain with sound. Some people experience sounds as if they are louder than they should be (imagine the sound of your shower sounding like being right next to a huge waterfall)

Some also experience different types of noise distortion. I've seen people mention things sounding like a broken speaker, like robot voices, etc.

For me personally, I can't listen to music on speakers that don't have a good amount of bass (phone/laptop) because once certain notes, like snares, "hit", they brings discomfort to my ear. Music also sounds "flat" to me now, as if certain notes are missing and the best way I can describe it is it doesn't sound as bright anymore. It's as if pieces are missing - but I don't experience the missing pieces as silence. This also leads to certain notes/sounds being amplified, they stick out more and make some songs annoying to listen to.

My main tinnitus tone is a loud hissing sound, like a sand waterfall, which doesn't get masked by music but instead roars over it.

Considering music is what got me in this mess in the first place, I don't find myself listening to it as much anymore. It makes me very upset, and also angry, as having hyperacusis and tinnitus have ruined the last 4 months of my life and neither seem like they will be easing up any time soon.

 

I am so so sorry Orions, if it makes you feel any better, music got me into this awful hell too. At least you are brave enough to share your experience.

 

For me listening to music has changed. It is as if I have a membrane in my right ear that the music have to pass through. So bass sounds sort of vibrate in the ear and higher frequencies sort of cuts through the membrane and the ear ”reacts”. It is as if something has come between me and the music. And that goes for other sounds too. It makes me very sad...

 

At first I couldn't listen to anything louder than 50dB. Not even something relatively mild like Pink Floyd.

Now after about 9 months I can manage most genres for around 20-30 minutes through good speakers up to around 70dB. Used to be a big metal fan but much of that is off-limits now. High/distorted tones can still hurt a bit.

Things do improve for most of us, though I realise I will always have to look after my ears better than I used to.

 

Hi Mister Muso,

Thanks so much for answering my question. Your answer was informative and helpful. If it wouldn't trouble you too much, may I ask you another? I want to know about the slash between your tinnitus information in your about section. It says 2007/ April of 2019. Does this mean that your that your tinnitus worsened in April of 2019, or does this mean that your tinnitus went away in 2007, and you are now on your second onset, starting in April of 2019?

 

Painful.
It wasn't like this always. Only got painful now that I have extreme pain hyperacusis.

 

Sure. My first dose of tinnitus that I could hear most of the time was in 2007, which has stayed with me ever since. In 2019 I got high frequency and later mid-range tones on top of that. Noise-induced on all occasions. I guess I had a high frequency ring since before 2019 which you could only hear in a quiet room, plus fleeting tinnitus occasionally; but since April 2019 I've heard my high hissing and ringing tones 24x7. You'll find more details in my Introduce Yourself post.

 

Pink Floyd had this triangle sound in one the songs (I never remember the names, but it's on Pulse), and this hit my worst hyperacusis tone. It was so amplified!

Also Mozart has some really high-pitched pieces and operas, and they hit the strings that trigger hyperacusis to the max.

 

True. And those alarm clock effects at the start of "Time" on Dark Side of the Moon. At least I know to hit Mute when that comes on!