Left ear going numb / blocked after couple of minutes of listening (not listening on high volume)

[NovakJi]

Hello, everyone.

I have an issue with my left ear and was wondering if someone struggled with the same thing and figured it out.

The TLDR version:
If I listed to music / game / movie on a specific hardware (will explain below), my ear goes numb / get slightly blocked / uncomfortable (hard to explain really) after just a couple of minutes and then it takes hours / days to resolve back to normal. There is no pain at all. Just the numbness or pressure or I dont know how to call it. I do not listen on high volumes. I measured the loudness with NIOSH SLM app and if I pushed it really hard for the purpose of the measurements and me being able to still listen to it, I was averaging 61,8 dB. And that was on a higher spectrum of volume really. Usually I sit around 50-55 dB.


Now heres whats weird. It happens only with specific hardware.
1. It happens when I use older Hifiman HE400i.
2. It happens with Denon x1800h and pair of DBR62.
3. It sometimes happens in car when listening to music / podcasts.
4. It does not happen if I use for example Airpods for hours.
5. It does not happen if I use my desktop speakers for hours.
6. It does not happen when in theater (atleast I dont remember) where the sound is pushed to the extreme.

At first I fought that the Hifiman is faulty, but now after I bought this living room setup with Elacs, I am experiencing the same thing and it drives me nuts. I did some research and it leads me to a believe that
a) my left ear for some reason is more sensitive and
b) is has something to do with specific frequency response, or maybe some kind of reverbation / sound reflection in the room (why does it happen in the open back Hifimans as well?).

But then, why does nothing happen when I work in the same room, even though the positions is obviously slightly different, the speakers are also different (just some small basic satelites with a small woofer). Could positioning of my speakers be wrong? The room is 4,7m x 3,6m x 2,4m(height). Speakers are on the longest wall, 15cm off it. When looking at the speakers from MLP, the left speaker is 60cm from the other wall, while the right one still has like 2 meters to the next wall. I listed from roughly 3m distance.

So far I turned off all Audyssey stuff like dynamic EQ and Volume, only kept the profile on reference and lowered the Treble in Tone settings by -2dB. Will try to test this for couple of days to see if it has any results.

In the meantime, because I am really at my wits end, did somebody experience something similar? And if so, how did you resolve it? What helped?

Thanks a lot everyone.

 

[Trdat]

Hey, look have you tried equalizing your ears?

Otherwise even mild inflammation can cause pain, numbness and ringing at least in my experience. Go see a doctor so he can let you know if there is any inflammation if there is then that's your problem.

 

[RexrothPigeon]

Gonna have to say this is a question for a medical professional rather than the hifi hivemind

 

[MaxwellsEq]

Hello, everyone.

I have an issue with my left ear and was wondering if someone struggled with the same thing and figured it out.

The TLDR version:
If I listed to music / game / movie on a specific hardware (will explain below), my ear goes numb / get slightly blocked / uncomfortable (hard to explain really) after just a couple of minutes and then it takes hours / days to resolve back to normal. There is no pain at all. Just the numbness or pressure or I dont know how to call it. I do not listen on high volumes. I measured the loudness with NIOSH SLM app and if I pushed it really hard for the purpose of the measurements and me being able to still listen to it, I was averaging 61,8 dB. And that was on a higher spectrum of volume really. Usually I sit around 50-55 dB.


Now heres whats weird. It happens only with specific hardware.
1. It happens when I use older Hifiman HE400i.
2. It happens with Denon x1800h and pair of DBR62.
3. It sometimes happens in car when listening to music / podcasts.
4. It does not happen if I use for example Airpods for hours.
5. It does not happen if I use my desktop speakers for hours.
6. It does not happen when in theater (atleast I dont remember) where the sound is pushed to the extreme.

At first I fought that the Hifiman is faulty, but now after I bought this living room setup with Elacs, I am experiencing the same thing and it drives me nuts. I did some research and it leads me to a believe that
a) my left ear for some reason is more sensitive and
b) is has something to do with specific frequency response, or maybe some kind of reverbation / sound reflection in the room (why does it happen in the open back Hifimans as well?).

But then, why does nothing happen when I work in the same room, even though the positions is obviously slightly different, the speakers are also different (just some small basic satelites with a small woofer). Could positioning of my speakers be wrong? The room is 4,7m x 3,6m x 2,4m(height). Speakers are on the longest wall, 15cm off it. When looking at the speakers from MLP, the left speaker is 60cm from the other wall, while the right one still has like 2 meters to the next wall. I listed from roughly 3m distance.

So far I turned off all Audyssey stuff like dynamic EQ and Volume, only kept the profile on reference and lowered the Treble in Tone settings by -2dB. Will try to test this for couple of days to see if it has any results.

In the meantime, because I am really at my wits end, did somebody experience something similar? And if so, how did you resolve it? What helped?

Thanks a lot everyone.

You have to assume it's a medical issue and get it checked before assuming there's a technical issue. There may be something affecting the stapedius muscle, the 7th facial nerve etc.

Try and explain this (skipping any references to music and HiFi) to a physician. They will help.

 

[NovakJi]

Hey, look have you tried equalizing your ears?

Otherwise even mild inflammation can cause pain, numbness and ringing at least in my experience. Go see a doctor so he can let you know if there is any inflammation if there is then that's your problem.

Hey. Thank for reply. What does equalizing ears even mean and how do I do that, please?

I will definitely try to visit the doctor. Tho, its super weird that it only happens sometimes, isnt it?

 

[NovakJi]

Gonna have to say this is a question for a medical professional rather than the hifi hivemind

Well I thought someone must have had a similar issue, so I wanted to ask about collective experience. Will pay a doctor a visit.

 

[RexrothPigeon]

Well I thought someone must have had a similar issue, so I wanted to ask about collective experience. Will pay a doctor a visit.

Hope it's nothing serious!

 

[NovakJi]

You have to assume it's a medical issue and get it checked before assuming there's a technical issue. There may be something affecting the stapedius muscle, the 7th facial nerve etc.

Try and explain this (skipping any references to music and HiFi) to a physician. They will help.

Thanks for reply. Interesting. I will try that. However, if it is a medical issue, woudnt I have a problem ewoth it all the time with all hardware and not just in sone cases? Why would I skip any reference to music tho? When it happens with music? Not sure I understand. Thanks.

 

[solderdude]

Could be Eustachian tube closing now and then.
The doctor should be able to tell you.
Best to visit him when it happens otherwise there might not be much for him to see (convex or concave membrane) and then would be hard to diagnose.

 

[Trdat]

Hey. Thank for reply. What does equalizing ears even mean and how do I do that, please?

I will definitely try to visit the doctor. Tho, its super weird that it only happens sometimes, isnt it?

When you hold your nose and mildly blow to pop your ears.

 

[NovakJi]

Could be Eustachian tube closing now and then.
The doctor should be able to tell you.
Best to visit him when it happens otherwise there might not be much for him to see (convex or concave membrane) and then would be hard to diagnose.

Hey. Thanks. Yeah, that could be a possibility. Good catch to go there when it happens. Makes sense. Shoudnt be hard to replicate for the doctor, ha.

 

[amper42]

Ears can be sensitive. No doubt. Previous post about possible inflation of the ear can certainly escalate sensitivity.
In addition, we all have a certain amount of hearing loss. Some more than others. As we age, it only increases.

This may sound obvious but pay attention to what doesn't give you pain and stay with that method for listening enjoyment. If something is bothering your ears avoid it. You won't know immediately when something is causing pain so don't over do it and include plenty of quiet time for recovery.

Doctors can examine the ear but they can't necessarily relate issues directly to specific listening conditions. All they can do is verify the ear is healthy and working as well as possible. The rest is up to you. If something hurts - don't do it. Also, don't be afraid to increase quiet time for adequate recovery.

I found headphones and earbuds can be problematic for those with sensitive hearing. Reducing or avoiding their use may help you. It did me. I also found SHOKZ Open Dots earphones to be one of the few that didn't bother my ears after walks. Typically, listening to music through speakers at reasonable levels is fine too but quiet time is always important.

Welcome to the world of aging ears.

 

[NovakJi]

When you hold your nose and mildly blow to pop your ears.

Ah, that. Yeah, that does not do much with the left ear and its definitely different to what right ear is doing. It will eventually pop mildly, but not much. Right ear pops almost immediately everytime. Left one takes longer and its not really a pop.

 

[NovakJi]

Ears can be sensitive. No doubt. Previous post about possible inflation of the ear can certainly escalate sensitivity.
In addition, we all have a certain amount of hearing loss. Some more than others. As we age, it only increases.

This may sound obvious but pay attention to what doesn't give you pain and stay with that method for listening enjoyment. If something is bothering your ears avoid it. You won't know immediately when something is causing pain so don't over do it and include plenty of quiet time for recovery.

Doctors can examine the ear but they can't necessarily relate issues directly to specific listening conditions. All they can do is verify the ear is healthy and working as well as possible. The rest is up to you. If something hurts - don't do it. Also, don't be afraid to increase quiet time for adequate recovery.

I found headphones and earbuds can be problematic for those with sensitive hearing. Reducing or avoiding their use may help you. It did me. I also found SHOKZ Open Dots earphones to be one of the few that didn't bother my ears after walks. Typically, listening to music through speakers at reasonable levels is fine too but quiet time is always important.

Welcome to the world of aging ears.

Well, thanks for the message. I hope its not a much damaged hearing really. I am also not that old yet It still buffles my mind that it happens only sometimes and only with specific equipment, which is really weird to me.

 

[solderdude]

That's exactly what a now-and-then blocked ear canal does.

It also explains it happening less with in-ears.
It does not damage the ears as long as there isn't an infection in the ear cavity causing this but you would be in pain in that case.

 

[NovakJi]

That's exactly what a now-and-then blocked ear canal does.

It also explains it happening less with in-ears.
It does not damage the ears as long as there isn't an infection in the ear cavity causing this but you would be in pain in that case.

Thanks for the comment. And what would be a resolution of that? Doctor giving me some medication? Or just some kind of cleaning of the ear canal?

 

[solderdude]

Most likely you would need to 'rinse' your nose cavity using a 'nose shower' (nasal irrigation) with mildly salted water assuming it isn't an infection.

 

[amper42]

Most likely you would need to 'rinse' your nose cavity using a 'nose shower' (nasal irrigation) with mildly salted water.

I tried several nasal irrigation options. Navage offered the best results.
I use distilled water in the Navage. For reducing nasal drainage adding Budesonide suspension 0.5 mg/2 mL liquid to the mix helped me.
Within 20 minutes after use there was a noticeable improvement.

Amazon.com: Navage Starter Bundle - Nasal Irrigation System - Saline Nasal Rinse Kit with 1 Navage Nose Cleaner and 30 Salt Pods : Health & Household

Buy Navage Starter Bundle - Nasal Irrigation System - Saline Nasal Rinse Kit with 1 Navage Nose Cleaner and 30 Salt Pods on Amazon.com ✓ FREE SHIPPING on qualified orders

www.amazon.com

 

[MaxwellsEq]

Thanks for the comment. And what would be a resolution of that? Doctor giving me some medication? Or just some kind of cleaning of the ear canal?

I've had something similar. The doctor used a "standard" combination of 3 treatments for inflammation reduction: 1) antibiotics; 2) steroid nasal spray; 3) antihistamine.

 

[NovakJi]

I've had something similar. The doctor used a "standard" combination of 3 treatments for inflammation reduction: 1) antibiotics; 2) steroid nasal spray; 3) antihistamine.

And that got rid of it for good?