I have tinnitus that comes and goes, on and off.
I also have a digital piano. I use the earphones during practice, and limit the volume to very low levels. Even so, when I’m away from the piano. my ears seem to be ringing a lot more, lately.
I have the option play the piano without the earphoens, and at whisper level, if necessary.
So that’s the question: Can listening with earphones exacerbate tinnitus, even when the volume is turned down low?
From personal experience, I’m going to say yes.
Especially works with lots of high end sounds, as I understand, headphones are especially dangerous because there’s not a lot of distance for the sound wave to lose “power” by the time it gets to your ear drum, so you may be causing damage even at lower volumes.
At least that’s what a knowledgable friend told me. I also notice that my tinnitus acts up when I go from a noisy place to a quieter place, so perhaps you’re psychologically blocking out the tinnitus and then when the external stimuli is gone, you notice the tinnitus more.
Thanks. I think your knowledgeable friend knows what he’s talking about. I guess I’ll just forget about the headphones and set the piano volume to a whisper.
And you might be right about my “blocking out,” too.