Measure my tinnitus, or yours?

[Multicore]

I searched (casually) and it seems audiologists are Measuring Tinnitus (American Tinnitus Assoc.) as I would imagine:

• Tinnitus sound matching: The presentation of common tinnitus sounds back to patients, to help them identify their specific perception of tinnitus. The health professional may adjust the pitch and layer multiple sounds to create an exact audio recreation of the the tinnitus. Sound matching provides an important baseline for subsequent tinnitus management therapies, which are often customized for each patient.
• Minimum masking level: The volume at which an external narrowband noise masks (or covers) the perception of tinnitus. Determining the minimum masking level provides an approximate measure of how loud a patient perceives his/her tinnitus and can be used in subsequent tinnitus masking and sound therapies.

I thought it might be fun to learn to do this at home with headphones. What would seem to be missing is

• in-ear SPL calibration
• test protocol

I figure we could come up with a protocol together. Not sure about calibration. Can we combine @amirm 's headphones' sensitivities with voltage measurement to estimate SPL?

Then we could have a jolly old thread where we mess around and compare our tinnitus numbers.

 

[Saponetto]

In my humble opinion, yes.
The tinnitus pitch seems to be a quite repeatable thing and it is often similar, even for different subjects.
The masking should also be subsequently defined with a certain grade of approximation.

P.s. good idea!

 

[Multicore]

With software like REW or a DAW we can generate test tones. With a suitable resistor (e.g. 100 ohm) and a multimeter we can measure voltage at a given dBFS and given amplification setting (e.g. knob position on my MOTU M4). Then, knowing measured impedance of the headphone and its sensitivity in dB SPL per milliWatt, we can calculate an SPL from the generator's dBFS level.

Right?

 

[richardm]

I'm puzzled by people who can find the frequency of their tinnitus tone(s). I've used tone generators to try and identify my own but they're higher than I can hear. My high frequency perception rolls off around 7k. I kept adding gain and going higher but gave up after +20db or so.

I don't know what this says about my condition...

 

[Multicore]

I'm puzzled by people who can find the frequency of their tinnitus tone(s). I've used tone generators to try and identify my own but they're higher than I can hear. My high frequency perception rolls off around 7k. I kept adding gain and going higher but gave up after +20db or so.

I don't know what this says about my condition...

Idk. What does it should like to you?

I hear what sounds like tones around 11kHz. Most of the time I can live with it but it's been getting worse in recent days.

 

[Multicore]

Did it but unsure of my calculation. Please check?

• MOTU M4 headphone output with vol knob at max
• Generator at -12 dBFS in REAPER
• I measured 0.837 V open circuit at 110, 220 and 440 Hz
• Headphones are Massdrop/Sennheiser HD58X Jubilee, 150 Ohms and 102 dB SPL per mW (thanks @solderdude )
• Amir's test of the M4 headphone amp test suggests I can use the open circuit 0.837 V is -12 dBFS as a first approximation (thanks Amir)
• I measured that my tinnitus masks the generator signal in the headphone at 9700 Hz at -55 dBFS
• That's 43 dB gain ratio below the -12 dBFS / 0.837 V calibration, so 5.94 mV
• Into 150 Ohms that makes 0.000235 mW
• Which is 36.29 dB power ratio below 1 mW
• So the headphone is putting out 65.71 dB SPL at 9700 Hz but I can't hear it because the tinnitus masks it.

WAT! 65.71 dB SPL at 9700 Hz?​

Speak up please or use my right ear.

 

[Multicore]

I'm puzzled by people who can find the frequency of their tinnitus tone(s). I've used tone generators to try and identify my own but they're higher than I can hear. My high frequency perception rolls off around 7k. I kept adding gain and going higher but gave up after +20db or so.

I don't know what this says about my condition...

i went to see an audiologist and an ear nose and throat nurse practitioner today, after running my own test (above). there is significant mild hearing loss on the left. they had absolutely nothing to quantitatively characterize my case of tinnitus. actually the whole experience was very disappointing.

the audiologist speculated that the hearing loss causes the tinnitus. i've heard this conjecture before often enough. the ENT NP i consulted afterwards ordered a brain scan to look for a tumor since my L hearing loss is 10-20 dB worse than my R. but if that's not the case the presumption will be that age- and perhaps exposure history-related hearing loss is causing the tinnitus. that is to say, my brain, accustomed as it was to hearing noises in the 9 to 10 kHz range since i was a wee bairn is now making stuff up for me to hear.

so that makes this question of testing tinnitus kinda interesting and fun. so you can't hear 9700 Hz? nope. but that's all you can hear? yup.

i tried the same masking test that i did with headphones in the post above with a loudspeaker and my wife beside me. i set it up so she could hear what was just below perceptible at my tinnitus frequency. she was horrified. she's one year younger than i am. i should ask the dogs what they think.

 

[RayDunzl]

Hmm...

Having eliminated a speaker harmonic frequency by feeding an "anti-harmonic" to the signal, I wonder if tinnitus has a phase that could be negated with a hearing anti-aid.

 

[Concreteears]

Don't know about what everyone else's is but seriously doubt mine could be masked over.

I have 4 different distinct noises 10% of the time rest is usually at least 3.

I have 35% speech recognition with hearing aids tested thru the VA.

With hearing aids on, I can walk into a 32 lane bowling alley. All lanes being used and that still does not drown out the noises.

VA said at last test was boarder line cochlear implants. I don't remember what quite is.

 

[Multicore]

Don't know about what everyone else's is but seriously doubt mine could be masked over.

I have 4 different distinct noises 10% of the time rest is usually at least 3.

I have 35% speech recognition with hearing aids tested thru the VA.

With hearing aids on, I can walk into a 32 lane bowling alley. All lanes being used and that still does not drown out the noises.

VA said at last test was boarder line cochlear implants. I don't remember what quite is.

I am sorry to read it.

 

[Concreteears]

Thanks multicore. Appreciate the thought. I still enjoy the sounds of music, just not as great sounding as it use to be. As pink floyd said "I see your lips move but can't hear what you are saying" comfortably numb.