2. digital
  3. 192181-19946

a resonance in my left ear

(This is a general question but I'm posting here because DACs affect the problem. That might be some clue. I also posted in "Tech Talk" but not sure if I'll get any response.)

I have a "resonance" in my left ear. At certain frequencies the sound will get a lot louder, very similar to a high-Q resonance. It's especially obvious on piano notes.

I can demonstrate to myself it's my left ear and not my equipment in two ways.

  • Put on headphones, listen to the same signal in each ear. Right ear sounds great, left ear has a screeching resonance on certain music.
  • Listen to speakers, plug one ear at a time with earplugs.

One clue is that I have tinnitus in my left ear. It varies in intensity and the resonance is definitely worse when the tinnitus is worse. However I can't tell if the resonance is at the same frequency as the tinnitus, which is very high pitched, while piano notes around 500 Hz typically stimulate the resonance the worst. I've even put a parametric filter on the music to demonstrate a notch at roughly 500 Hz silences the resonance. 

I've been evaluated by an ear doctor. My hearing is within the normal range. He didn't really even seem to understand my description of the resonance and said there was no test that could be performed. I asked for a brain MRI and they did that, but it was normal. 

The resonance is pretty much intolerable as a listening experience for the music and equipment that triggers it strongly. I can tolerate it if the equipment and music doesn't stimulate it too much.

Here's the weird thing. Different DACs will stimulate the resonance to different degrees. For instance the Terminator 1 barely stimulates the resonance, while it goes completely nuts on the Gustard A26 and even more so on the Gustard X20 Pro. The iFi iDSD doesn't stimulate it at all and the Gustard R26 only slightly.

Also the digital front end affects the resonance. When I used a NUC computer as a PC-based system, the resonance was bad on the x20Pro but tolerable. When I switched to an Aurender N100 the overall sound quality improved hugely on the kind of music that doesn't hit the resonance, but the resonance got twice as bad on certain music like piano. 

Wondering if anyone might have any theories.

magon
howardlee's avatar
howardlee
52 posts
 

You saw an ENT and had a cerebral scan?? How about an audiology exam? Did they do that? You don’t mention that, but that’s where this should have started. Once that’s evaluated then you’ve got a feel for what to do with the equalizer that would likely help you. Especially one with left and right channels. It doesn’t sound like you’re dealing with an intrinsically fixable physical problem, but it wouldn’t hurt to find a university ENT department you could visit. Get your MRI sent there. Humming and adjusting your speaker’s stands are not getting anywhere with this but it doesn’t seem to me your condition has been properly evaluated. I am not an ENT but I’m willing to bet your condition is not that unusual.7

mark200mph
188 posts
 

I am an ent for 40 plus years.you should seek a neurotologist.they specialize in ears. You could find a audiologist who can find the frequency of your ear problems and possibly program a hearing aid to do a notch filter cut that frequency out..if you have arthritis it could cause problems with your ossicles the little bones in your ear have the audiologist do a tympanogram.i have treated alot of problems my other doctors failed at. Don't give up.there are things that can be done.enjoy the music,

barts's avatar
barts
714 posts
 

I find it interesting that different DACs cause your hearing issue to be better or worse.  Have any analog equipment to try as the source?  You only mentioned digital.

Does this happen on any system you listen to?

Hope you find an answer.

Regards,

barts

unclewilbur
14 posts
 

I've had a lot of ear problems. Several times I've experienced situations similar to what you described,  and the problem was wax in my ear. Have an ENT, or qualified doctor look into your ear with an otoscope. 

This may seem silly or too obvious, but my problem was solved by cleaning my ears. 

 

unclewilbur
14 posts
 

I’ve had a lot of ear problems. Several times I’ve experienced situations similar to what you described, and the problem was wax in my ear. Have an ENT, or qualified doctor look into your ear with an otoscope.

This may seem silly or too obvious, but my problem was solved by cleaning my ears. A tiny bit of wax in the wrong place can cause real problems. The wax can vibrate, and narrow the ear canal.

Cleaning should be done by a good specialist. I don't recommend doing it yourself. 

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