Latley when I have been listening to music my ears beep for several hours after. What frequencys should i avoid? High or low?
I have a graphic equalizer so I can decide.

If it's severe, you should just stop everything outright. Avoiding frequencies won't help you if you've damaged your ears.

It probably is permanent too. Not trying to be a drag or anything... but that's usually the reality. Might be remedied if you put on isolation headphones, or not go to any more concerts. If you just came out of one recently, let it subside on its own.
If its due to blasting music 24/7 then you're fucked.

I'll play the part of logic here, being old and all it comes naturally.

Consult a doctor. A real one, not the Metal Archives pretend ones.

if you experience ringing in your ears after listening to music at home then you need to turn the music down

if the ringing is after a concert i suggest earplugs... i recommend etymotic er20 earplugs

if the ringing remains persistent even with the above precautions you may want to consult a doctor

I find that headphones exacerbate the issue, so you might want to consider listening to your music more at home/on speakers, putting yourself at a healthy distance from them.

I've been warned by a lot of people that I'm damaging my hearing by blasting my eardrums with earbuds, but it feels too good to stop.

I have tinnitus that comes and goes, but it's never bothered me.

I definitely have some tinnitus ever since high school after my friend bashed a rod against a bubble dome, right where my ear was. The pain was incredibly intense and whenever I hear really high frequencies it rumbles and hurts like hell. Sad, but other that those extremes I get the usual high-pitched noise like a never-ending whistle. It's not terrible, but it is annoying, and right now I have it bad because I was at a concert a couple days ago (of course it'll wear off). Guess I'm stuck with this for the rest of my life.

1. Get with an audiologist.
2. Wear ear protection to concerts.
3. Don't use crappy earbuds and blast music from mp3 player / cd player extremely loud to drown out everything else = dumb.
4. Avoid high-frequency noises.

As has been stated, it's not the frequency that is the problem, but the decibels. The reality is that if you listen to music at a high enough volume over a long enough period of time you will permanently damage your hearing and tinitus is one aspect of that.

Your current problem might be permanent if you've been blasting your music long enough. It'll tone down over the next few weeks, but it might not completely go away. Hopefully your tinnitus gets quiet enough to only be heard in a completely silent environment.

I've had tinnitus for my whole life. One ear got worse after I acquired TMJ syndrome at a Dying Fetus show, but it can still only be heard in a silent environment. I'm used to my tinnitus, and hopefully you could too.

I've had tinnitus since I've been a kid although it did get a bit worse when I started going to concerts at a young age. Just protect your ears with ear plugs and don't try to drown out everything around you with volume, that is ridiculously retarded.

Also, if you're worried go to an audiologist. I went to one a few months ago just to make sure everything is alright and even though I have a bit of tinnitus, turns out my hearing is extremely good . Guess the drumming every day didn't fuck me over too bad hehe

It will.

Technically it's the high frequencies that do the most damage to your hearing, but people here are right when they say that anything loud enough can do the trick.

Headphones are among the worst offenders, especially in-ear buds, since with a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones you don't need to play the music as loud. With earbuds you're cranking up the music loud enough to drown out any sounds around you. I did some of the worst damage to my hearing by blasting thrash on crappy headphones while mowing the lawn.

Earplugs are the way to go, and the more expensive ones (especially the custom-fitted ER-15, as was pointed out) cost a lot -- maybe $150 -- but they will last for 10 years or more, and allow you to hear basically everything, unlike the cheap ear plugs that just cut out basically all of the high end (the "good stuff"). It's what musicians wear on stage, and you have to get pink foam stuff squeezed into your ears at an ear doctor, but it was the best decision I ever made.

Unlike the rest of the body that heals itself over time, hearing damage is permanent. I love music and listening to it is the one thing I definitely don't want to lose (I have about 10% permanent damage, and constant ringing), so let it be a cautionary tale, I suppose.

Same here, I`ve recently upgraded to new (decent) earphones and make sure quality is high, 320 mostly.
Shitty earbuds and 192kps was my initial reason for mild ringing and a dodgy volume dial.

I keep the volume reasonable , low as i can whilst still enjoying it, goes with the territory i guess , oh and I don`t use any bass enhances just reasonable EQ.

And i learnt not to use earplugs walking along a road or at work, as you`ll want to turn it up to compensate - big no no.

I've had tinnitus for over 20 years now and until recently, coped with it rather well. Then i got pretty ripped seeing Raw Power and was right up in front of the stage with no earplugs.

My ears were shot for three days and one of them now has a more noticible ring than the other. BTW, if you use headphones, always keep the volume as low as possible. Better yet, get the older style wrap around ones. They are more expensive but you can hear things a whole lot better.

Wow, this thread is strange. I'm 16, and I've had it for years, and never thought anything of it. I thought it was actually completely normal and natural up until when I learned otherwise like a year ago. It's pretty easy to cope with though as far as I'm concerned. I remember seeing an interview with the guitarist from Weedeater, and a question asked was: "Do you're ears ring?" He said all the time, and it doesn't stop him from playing music. I've had it pretty bad at some major concers too, but I guess I'm good at ignoring it, which is all you have to do.

I've had mild tinnitus since birth. To avoid permanent hearing damage, though, I do the following:

-Listen to music at a volume as quiet as possible while still being able to hear it perfectly clearly

-Wear earplugs at live music events

-Especially at Sunn O))) concerts

Does anyone else reflexively turn down the music they're listening to when reading topics like this?

I don't have tinnitus, though I have experienced it temporarily and have to say it was really goddamn annoying. I use earbuds about half the time I'm listening to music, and usually what I'll do is turn it down very very low and listen for a while to get acclimated to that volume. Then I'll gradually inch it up until I can actually hear the music, then I stop. I've found that I'm surprised at what low volumes I can still hear and enjoy the music, if I let it stay there for a while until I'm used to it.

I turned my Symphony X down earlier when I first saw this thread.

I am hard of hearing and routinely take care not to damage my ears any further, since I don't want to push my luck. The worst part is that I don't really know what loud is compared to 'normal' hearing. I turn my music up to where I can hear it loud and clear, but to other people it sounds waaaay too loud. Because of this I try to keep my music at moderate volumes, allowing myself only a few albums a day at a very loud volume - I just judge it by whether or not it hurts my ears. The comfortability factor.

Oh, and I never had tinnitus. Don't ever plan to. I've had way too many problems already.

Haha, I definitely turned my music down a trifle as soon as I saw this thread too. Though my hearing is by no means in deplorable condition, I do experience what seems like random ringing every now and then, which usually only lasts 3-5 seconds. I use over the ear headphones (can't stand earbuds) though not usually at moderate volumes and I don't go to as many shows as I used to (or at least ones in small enclosed areas). That said, I was concerned for my ears' well being last night while witnessing the supreme mediocrity of a Holy Grail set..

I didn't turn my music down because I've never listened to it loud enough to cause damage.

Same. Come to think of it, most of the loud noises that have ruined my ears isn't from listening to loud music. In fact, most of it is just screeching noises, loud explosions, and shooting rifles because the cheap hearing protection they give you in the army is crap. One time I was on the range and I didn't have any protection at all, so my right ear was basically a hollow yawn (think airplane bathroom) for the duration of the day. Being in the military, your hearing will degrade pretty fast.

Can't do this. I just can't. If I try playing my music low I get irritable after a while, and sometimes I even get headaches. I find myself playing my music as loud as the technology allows me, and I'm still pressing the button to turn the volume up when it can't go any higher. I get frustrated because it's like an itch you can't scratch, and it's led me to rip my CD's and alter the files in programs to make the songs louder, even at the expense of sound quality. People have expressed concern to me because they can hear my music playing when they're in the other room with the door shut, and I'm using earbuds. They think I'm killing my ears, but i think I was born with durable hearing. It would drive me nuts to listen like you; I don't know how you do it.

Just because your ears aren't hurting or wearing out now doesn't mean they never will.

I was an A3 Tanker. The first time suffering serious hearing loss was when we were on a firing range and i lost my earplugs in the dark. Nothing like six 105mm guns banging away for nearly four hours about 75 meters away from you to do in your ears.

As for live music, Sunno))), Motorhead, and Black Flag were hands down the loudest bands i ever experienced.

I've been concerned about this for quite a while and I'm not sure if I will go to concerts anytime soon before I get some good earplugs...

I've been wearing earplugs for seeing shows, playing shows, practice, most work i do that has any sort of loud noise. I used to not back in the day when i first got my drum kit and then discovered I could actually hear what the guitarist is playing a lot better if I was wearing ear plugs. it cut down on all the high end wash from the cymbals so I can concentrate on actually playing.

Sometimes randomly when there is no noise at all happening my hears will start ringing and then die back out as if nothing happened.

i just wonder how much db's im actually putting into my ears while listening. I wish there was some way to check this.

Don't use earbuds!
What's way more dangerous than dB's is the amount of time you are exposed to music/noise. Your ears will take a much worse beating from listening to music (with earbuds/headphones) for most of the day, than going to a "normal" concert (a concert with good sound) every now and then. When your ears are ringing it means that your hearing mechanism is strained, and need to rest. If you don't get complete rest, that's when you destroy your hearing and/or get tinnitus.

Tinnitus doesn't come and go, it's chronic.

all frequencies are damaging when they exceed a certain decibel.

All frequencies can cause hearing loss and "ear fatigue" from prolonged exposure.

Anywya, how do you "avoid" (much less zero in on) random frequencies? Do you have a graphic EQ in your skull?!?!

They're in all sound, you know... Loud sound can be damaging, even if it's not from a stereo.

EDIT: BTW, tinnitus does not go away. YOUR EARS ARE BROKE!

Not necessarily, but once you have developed tinnitus, it doesn't go away the way normal ringing after a loud show eventually does (and, BTW, that is still contributing to the possibility of tinnitus, and definitely future hearing loss).

I have tinnitus that comes and goes... It fades in really loud occasionally (though it's rare)... I go nearly DEAF in the ear the ringing fades in at, and then it slowly fades out and my hearing returns to normal. It's aggravating as shit. I can only imagine it'll get worse and more frequent.

Don't fuck your ears up!

I, too, turned down my music while reading this thread.

I use earbuds and have never had any problems with them. I only get that mild ringing when I go to concerts, but even then it goes away after a day or so. I am pretty conscious about not blasting my ears when using earbuds though. A safe, yet violent volume is what I try to achieve.

As I said, the ringing stopped after several hours.
My ears, particually the left one, has hurt mildly ever since.
I have stopped using headphones for now. I'm letting my ears rest, only listening to my sound system. I have always preffered headphones, though,
Just like a previous poster said, I too used to Max the volume and wanting it to go higher. Listening to loud music is unbelivably fantastic, although at the expense of hearingloss, it's not worth it.
Sometimes I get this veird feeling in my ear, like I'm on a high mouintan and my ears feels pressured. That is, in my opinion, far more worrying than tinitus. I think it acctually might be associated with hearingloss.
I have found that decreasing the higher frequencys acctually does feel better when I'm listening. I might be fooling myself though,

actually there are a few ways to look at this issue.

i personally prefer earbuds/in-ears because i can listen to my music at lower volumes outside of home because they seal out external noises. and of course, more clarity, compared to using headphones where i will need to increase the volume to fight with external noises (unless im using close-cans haha).

ultimately, it's the user, not the equipment imo.

tinitus can come with certain medications like zoloft...if you're on that. After I started taking that med. I started getting a bit of tinitus, but it could be myself blasting music since I was 12 and have gone to 50 metal shows and practiced with bands. I haven't been cranking it up in years though and I recommend that unless you're really feeling a certain song to want to turn it up, keep the volume moderate or minimal...like what I do.
Sometimes I have to forsake turning it up for clarity and just deal with listening to it at a lower albeit "blurrier" to protect my hearing.

As far as dealing with permanent tinitus...learn to ignore it and to not think about it too much. It can sound like a saw, but don't engage it and start thinking catastophically and schizophrenic-like...once you learn to ignore it and deal with it like I have, you don't notice it.

Mine comes and goes though, but most often when I go to sleep I sometimes hear that "saw"...I've learned to not notice it though.
Hope this helps.