Anyone with tinnitus or hearing loss who is into "high-end" audio?


Over the last few years I have developed tinnitus and also have some hearing issues.  I am a long time music and audio fanatic.  Years ago I built my own Hafler amp.  Before that I had a great AR system.  Presently, I have, what I believe, is a pretty nice system in a dedicated listening room (about 60,000.00).  My question is if there are others of you out there in similar situations concerning your hearing issues as they relate to your love and reproduction of great sounding music?  What are your experiences? Have you found anything that helps and do you have any advice? I would venture to say that we all experience some degree of hearing loss, or hearing anomalies as we age...whether we realize it or not.  Thanks, Jim 
pfeiffer
When you go to your audiologist he should check your overall hearing loss and also be able to pinpoint the frequency of the tinnitus itself. Mine is a steady signal at 3khz in the right ear.  I had hearing aid made which are programmed to play random tones in the affected ear.  The idea is that over time the tones which are repeated [3khz in my case] reduce the sensitivity of the brain to that signal.  I found that this therapy worked - to a degree.  I do not wear the aids to help with listening, merely as a therapy.  Expensive at around $5k about 8 years ago but, on balance, worth it.  I rarely use the things now unless I have been in a noisy environment and the tinnitus kicks up.  Then the therapy will help bring it back down.
I am an otolaryngologist.  Tinnitus is a very common problem and rarely serious.  We worry about one sided more than two and pulsatile tinnitus is more concerning.  The book answer is for scanning pulsatile tinnitus but my 25 years of experience (and the same for my partner) is that we find something a lot less than stated rates for the diagnosis.  A hearing test with air lines, bone lines , and word discriminations is the bare  minimum.  If it’s symmetric and word discrims ok, generally don’t work up anymore.  Pulsatile is a different can of worms.  Still usually don’t find a cause.  Put pressure on the jugular vein and see if it goes away for the person with it, if so, likely a venous hum.  Once in awhile you find aneurysm, dehiscence at skull base, or gloms tumor.  Not every year in a general,ent practice.  
I have had high freq hearing loss since grade school. Luckily not very progressive.  My hearing has probably saved me 10,000s in chasing the next best thing.  I’m happy with my Ascend’s and luxman and still, a sucker for the monster receivers I wanted and couldn’t afford as a kid.  No medications help in studies and academy does not recommend medications.  I have some people on low dose elavil and they feel it helps.   It may be so if I gave them chicklets too.  
Hearing aids and music are not a great combo.  I have a patient who was in a very big seminal rock band  from San Francisco in the 60s (you would all know)  and he really struggles and hard to accept that hearing aids aren’t giving him his hearing back and hampers his music.  I am personally a borderline candidate and the companies will give me a hearing aid ( they want patients seeing I’m swearing there brand) and I haven’t stuck with them). When I have problems with concpversations I will but I suspect I won’t use for music. 
dabouv
Pulsatile
MRI confirmed no aneurysm and yes I can tone it down or stop it with finger pressure on the jugular.   
Thanks
I have tinnitus varying from mild to moderate. It worsens with stress, caffeine, and use of pain killers such as Advil, Tylenol and Aspirin. So if you can reduce these and learn how to relax through meditation, walks in nature etc. and see if it helps. I have mild hearing loss in high frequencies that does not diminish enjoyment  or discernment of music but glad to hear that good hearing aides if needed in the future can be helpful .