Hearing Protection - Help Needed

Thanks for the clarification. Definitely makes sense to me to have this "stabilizer" in place, will talk to my audio tec about it!

Yes, see my other reply: plan is to drastically reduce ear plug use for those situations that really warrant it (loud bars etc.). No protection in office, and make the commute a little nicer with ANC headphones. Every second guy on my bus is wearing them anyways

I'm not sure ANC provides true hearing protection for loud sounds (anyone know?) or can react fast enough to sudden sounds. It seems that these work more like earplugs and hearing aids combined. I doubt they use ANC due to the battery drain that would cause. Some are even prescription hearing aids such as https://soundgear.com/products/soundgear-phantom1

I am no expert for sure, but yes - ANC on its own does not reliably protect you from very sudden, high-pressure noise events. ANC alone is also not enough, for very loud environments the fit/seal becomes essential: doesn't help if e.g. you are wearing ear muffs with a high NRR rating, but the seal is broken.

I find this particularly funny because the Soundgear link shows that one dude with a rifle and just the hearing aid with 22 db NRR as protection - I would NOT recommend shooting a gun without double protection (ear plugs + ear muffs). Indeed I would avoid shooting a gun whenever possible: there are just upper limits to what hearing protections can provide: very high-pressure impulse noise like shooting a gun will always feel loud due since your skull cannot block this high-pressure sound waves sufficiently.

The way I plan to use ANC in the future is for reducing the droning noise of my commute (Bus diesel engine, some of the background chatter). I don't really see ANC alone as a sufficient form of hearing protection for the reason you already mentioned. I see its role more to reduce annoyance/stress in somewhat loud environments that are not necessarily dangerously loud. I know some construction site ear muffs come with ANC, but they use ANC as an add-on - much of the noise is already blocked by the tight seal and the way these things are constructed.

Reading through these posts got me to thinking about my own tinnitus. For many the lack of incoming sound causes tinnitus. Ear plugs could be aggravating the tinnitus.

Thanks for sharing your audiogram. If you look at other members audiograms you will notice you have very little hearing loss. Typically no need for hearing aids. Do you know your word understanding for each ear?

The hyperacusis is why you use earplugs, correct? Did the tinnitus start before or after the hyperacusis?

Hi,

word understanding was never tested for me. I have the feeling I can follow along conversations, though its certainly not getting better with age. But I have my hearing tested every other year, because I know these things ca go unnoticed for quite some time.

For me the Tinnitus accompanied the noise-induced hearing loss, first in the left ear, later on also in the right ear. I used to be a part-time musician, so I have a pretty good understanding where I have accumulated my damage over the years. In the beginning the Tinnitus was really unbearable, but I have come to live with an accept it. Would I rather have none? Sure, but its not a hindrance for me in everyday life. Hyperacusis definitely came later.