Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions What is listening fatigue?

Is listening fatigue from too much loud music/movies for too long or is it more complicated that that? If that is the case, it would affect all speakers yes? How long does it take to experience and how long does one need to be away from the speakers for their ears/brain to reset?

Greg

I think listening fatigue arises from some kind of aberration in the reproduction of sound by the speakers. An unnaturalness of the sound frequencies, or something like that. Can physically make your ears hurt. Happened to me when I had some Klipsch speakers. Although I did like the speakers I couldn't listen to them for more than an hour or so. Movies made me cringe during the loud bits.

Hm???

I was watching The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones yesterday. I watched about 100 minutes of TPM withouth issue and then had to break and run an errand. About four hours later I watched the rest of TPM and the first hour of AOTC. My right ear, and only my right ear, began bugging me about 20 minutes before I stopped watching. Assuming both ears hear about the same, and mine do, wouldn't one expect fatigue to be about the same in each ear? My HK AVR65 receiver @ 65 watts per channel was set to -18db and it goes from about -60 to +7. Those with HK receivers know that sound level doesn't build a whole lot from -60until about -40 and rarely do I ever watch anything at less than -25. Typically my friends and male family members like it louder than even -18 so I don't think it was at an unreasonable level.

My right ear is really bothering me this morning. My left is fine. It could be a conicidental ear infection as I get those all the time but won't know until I get to a doctor in the next week .

Assuming a person gets listening fatigue, would the affected ear still be bothered 12 hours later?

Greg

Dangit, I knew I should've gone to medical school. . .

Greg, I don't know what to tell you. I'm trying to think back to when I got listening fatigue, but I can't remember if the discomfort was equal in both ears. Maybe from the room layout, there is a reflection of sound heavier on one side that causes your one ear to have fatigue.

Are you running Axiom speakers? I'm just curious. After my Klipsch speakers I went with Monitor Audio for HT and my ears haven't bothered me.

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Assuming a person gets listening fatigue, would the affected ear still be bothered 12 hours later?

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Not a doctor, but have had a LOT of experience with listening fatigue (was a soundman for a LOUD country rock band). If you're still having trouble 12 hours after the fact, I seriously doubt it is caused by listening fatigue.

It is what I experience within 2 minutes of listening to my Mother-In-Law ...

Ajax,

I just got done with AOTC and part of ROTS. My right ear hurts pretty bad, left is fine. I went almost 20 hours between listenting sessions with no improvement. I am off to the ear doctor tomorrow. My speakers (brand new axioms but I don't want to blame them lest a nasty rumor get started) are not to blame I am sure.

Greg

Ouch ! ... Definitely see a Doctor.

That sure doesn't sound like listening fatigue to me. Definitely get it checked out...

Now... in my university days, my favorite local band (FM) was playing just down the road (at the Gasworks, for anyone in TO) and we used to hang out every evening in front of a big Altec horn tweeter (with neatly printed graffiti on the diffraction lens) drinking beer and doing our homework.

If I remember correctly, that was the stack handling the MiniMoog, Elka String Synth, and Nash's electric mandolin. I remember going over to the sound guy a couple of times and asking him to drop the levels a bit because "our" amp was clipping on the loud parts.

Four hours of THAT every night... NOW you're talking listening fatigue

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It is what I experience within 2 minutes of listening to my Mother-In-Law ...

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Amen!