Seriously though, maybe the best tweak is exercise?

Regarding exercise (also health generally) and hearing, there seems to be some solid correlations. I've been recovering from a severe ongoing inflammatory, circulatory illness, with some diabetes in the mix, for over a year now, and I can say with some solid, yet anecdotal evidence, that when afflicted with more severe inflammation, I can only hear up to 14000 hz (43 year old equivalent hearing) but when my inflammation is more moderate, my hearing improves to 15,500 hz (33 year old equivalent hearing). I happen to be 53 presently btw. So as most of us probably already know, exercise helps lower inflammation, or can help keep it at bay, so it would seem quite reasonable that some exercise definitely helps promote better hearing, which is precisely what I experienced. I also found music I normally enjoyed, became terribly fatiguing when most unwell, which was a bit similar to how when one has a bad cold or flu, watching TV or listening to music can feel tiresome or sometimes overly stimulating in a strange negative way. On the positive end of things, I noticed when my inflammation had improved significantly, that I could hear a multitude of desirable subtleties that were missing just the day before. I feel truly blessed to own a pair of awesome Magico S5s that go from irritatingly analytical yet somehow concurrently less intelligible one day, to a whole other dimension just 24 hours later: magically and wonderfully detailed, pleasantly revealing, yet silky and lush (sorry Magico, it wasn't you, but my transiently defective hearing!). I can laugh now, but before making the health/exercise connection, I was truly stumped trying to figure out what was causing the frequent auditory changes in my system. Initially, I thought I'd changed a setting, then forgot to change it back before the next day. But after this occurred a multitude of times without a reasonable cause or variable to explain the changes in SQ, I finally considered inflammation causing circulatory issues, resulting in accompanying hearing loss and hearing degradation. I couldn't believe it, but that had been the source of my ever changing sound quality that had been driving me nuts trying to pin down for so long. So I'm just saying, yes, one can very likely improve their audio enjoyment just by exercising and staying fit (DIET TOO!), as I've experienced obvious examples (in hindsight, of course🤪) of this for over 1 year now (lots of time for many repeated experiments). So stay healthy and keep listening y'all!

I have my ear buds in and the tunes a playin’ when I mow the lawn.  Does that count?

@sssmackie 

Thanks for your anecdotes and related thoughts. I agree completely that inflammation can impact hearing, and that there is plenty of evidence to support the assertion.

Of related note, sinuses are located close to the ear canals, and when they are congested, let alone stuffed/blocked, it can definitely impact hearing. With regard to diet, dairy products can contribute to congestion and nasal inflammation, so something as simple as avoiding such products on days of listening sessions can make a difference. 

I'd even take this line of reasoning to an extreme degree, based on my anecdotal experiences. I have been fasting on occasion for decades, and there is no doubt whatsoever that, broadly speaking, inflammation is decreased as a result. My listening sessions during a fast are typically outstanding, and I believe that the reduction of inflammation is the cause.

Most audioPILES I know, like me, would be out of the hobby, and everything else, if they tried that exercise thing themselves!  But seriously, if the price of entry to a nice long listening session is sweating heavily and physical exertion, I'm out.

I listen while I’m in my pool. Thanks for joking with us @erik_squires ….you wild and crazy guy you!