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Why do I get ear pain from headphones but not from in-ear headphones?

Axel Foley

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I realized I can't wear any type of headphones for more than a week or two before I run into SERIOUS ear pain. I bought a lower class Sony headphones a few weeks ago, which are not heavy bass oriented at all, and my equalizers are also not bass-heavy. After a week or two of listening I was listening to it one day and during that I felt a very sharp pain in my left ear and even on the left side of the top of my head and I had to take these off immediately. I even witnessed slight hearing loss on the left ear for a few days, which has now been somehow better I guess?
Also, since that day I feel lingering pain in both my ears and can't even listen using my IEMs for more than 10 minutes. My ears start to ache and I feel a very serious pain upcoming. It seems I may need to stop using headphones of any kind for a period to restore my ear health.

So the headphones caused this. This is not the first time I developed some sort of ear pain or problem after using headphones. Five or six years ago I bought the Sony MDR 1A, it was supposed to be my first 'high res' headphones and I also could not wear those for longer than a few weeks before I developed some serious pain, and had to cut out using earphones for a while.

On the other hand, I don't have this problem with in-ear headphones at all. I can use IEMs for as long as I want, and as loud as I want, within reasonable limits. I never get these type of serious injuries with IEMs. I have basically exclusively used IEMs for years now without any trouble. I buy and use regular headphones for 2 weeks and I develop serious hearing problems. It's a real pity, since I was planning on buying a more expensive Sennheiser but now that doesn't seem likely.

What is it about regular headphones that cause me pain? I am not listening to it at extreme high volume at all. Is it the type of technology used that is incompatible with my ears?
 

Skinner001

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The issue may not be with your ears, the nose, sinuses, ears are all connected.
I'm not even going to speculate about exactly why this is happening - I would guess it's more likely to happen if you use closed-backs than open-backs.

What I would strongly recommend is going to a specialist and checking yourself out, do not attribute this to headphones, it's a very anecdotal pattern that you have focused on when it may be either not connected or just a consequence of an underlying issue. The thing is, it may come up in other situations that have nothing to do with headphones at some point down the line, so the best advice is to get an appointment and see what may be going on rather than inducing the pain and then recovering in some attempt to find headphones that work for you.
 
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A

Axel Foley

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This might be better directed at a ENT since it is a health issue. We can only speculate reasons, but a physician will be able to tell you what is happening.
This health issue only pops up whenever I use headphones.


The issue may not be with your ears, the nose, sinuses, ears are all connected.
I'm not even going to speculate about exactly why this is happening - I would guess it's more likely to happen if you use closed-backs than open-backs.

What I would strongly recommend is going to a specialist and checking yourself out, do not attribute this to headphones, it's a very anecdotal pattern that you have focused on when it may be either not connected or just a consequence of an underlying issue. The thing is, it may come up in other situations that have nothing to do with headphones at some point down the line, so the best advice is to get an appointment and see what may be going on rather than inducing the pain and then recovering in some attempt to find headphones that work for you.

About the closed-open back thing, I too was wondering if it was related to that. Both headphones I mentioned in my OP are closed back ones. I started to think that maybe headphones 'push' too much air/soundwaves into my ears. Right now I don't know about seeing a specialist, but I can assure you it's not just 'anecdotal' as you put it. Like I explained, I have 2 clear-cut examples of buying headphones, developing ear injuries, then stopping using them and the issue going away. I do know it may have to do with an underlying issue but the reason I opened this thread is to learn more about what causes headphones to do this to me, while very loud IEMs don't have much effect on me. I'm interested in the technical side of things so I would be very glad and interested to maybe get some input from the more tech-savy guys here who also have some health knowledge. And I will think about the specialist thing ;)
 

mrbungle

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Discomfort with a new headphone can be quite normal in the first 1-2 weeks. Noise cancellation, frequency regions you are not used to, too much clamping pressure. But you are either exaggerating or it’s not that and something you indeed need to get checked. I would limit myself to an hour or so at clearly safe volume. If it doesn’t disappear in a week or two, go to a specialist.
 
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Firefly00

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I started to think that maybe headphones 'push' too much air/soundwaves into my ears
If you’re playing the headphones that much louder than your IEMs, discomfort would be expected. More air pressure = more volume, so if they’re at the same volume, it’s the same pressure.

much more likely to be an issue with comfort, maybe the clamp force is too high

Regardless, see a specialist. ASR is no substitute for a medical professional
 

phoenixdogfan

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Could have something to do with clamping force. Perhaps you have some kind of neuralgia, and the force of the clamp irritates the nerves near your ears. Best to consult with your Famile Practitioner and follow up with whatever specialist he or she recommends. Headphones should not hurt like that. Best to get some medical advice.
 
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