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Open dome suddenly too small!

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Edited

Bit of a weird one maybe?

I’m on day 8 of my trial of KS10s. I was fitted with an open dome on the left and a vented dome on the right. Both sized medium.

Well today I noticed that when wearing headphones with my music program (no feedback control on purpose) I suddenly started getting feedback in my left ear. This hadn’t been a problem for the
last 7 days. Even my normal ‘auto’ program became somewhat sensitive to feedback happening on the left side with just a cupped hand - again that hadn’t happened before.

Having considered and discarded a couple of conspiracy theories :wink: I checked several things.

In brief I found that my left dome was moving very freely in the ear canal. Loose in fact! Up until now it had seems to be a good fit with some moderate resistance to insertion and then staying in place for the next 14 hours. I could now actually wiggle it around in the canal (the actual canal not the external ear) .
The open domes looked ok and the looks fine. I changed the dome anyway. But it makes no difference. It seems as if my ear canal has dilated somewhat and I may need larger open domes!? For the record, I have no local pain/tenderness so I don’t think have pressure necrosis :wink:

I don’t create/have a lot of wax/cerumen according to my Audi (she checked 7 days ago) so I don’t THINK I have dislodged a slightly prominent ridge of wax that was helping to secure the dome in place but … well I dunno! The sudden dilation theory I think is an unlikely scenario. :smiley:

I return to my Audi in a couple of weeks (I’m currently locked down because of COVID) but my seem to be working fine for most things so that’s not a huge issue.

Anyone here have a thought as to the cause? Any of the Audis here come across this?

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As you know, I’m just trying to be helpful, but I’m not a qualified health care professional, however …

It’s my understanding that the dimensions of the ear canal are subject to normal fluctuations. This having been said, if you feel that the magnitude of the change is too great to be considered a “normal fluctuation”, perhaps you should discuss it with your audiologist or family doctor.

[eg.: You wouldn’t want to let large changes in your blood pressure go unchecked …]

@Oz-Tack said:

I could now actually wiggle it around in the canal

If you have the next size larger dome equally vented, try that and see what you think.

@SpudGunner said:

perhaps you should discuss it with your audiologist or family doctor.

Yup - on the list as soon as I’m out of lockdown.

@Raudrive said:

If you have the next size larger dome equally vented, try that and see what you think.

Seems to be logical - but can’t for the life of me figure out what happened. I’ll ask the Audi to try/provide a larger size - hopefully she may have some insight.

My only story is that perhaps before you were inserting dome at a bit of an angle and were getting a tighter fit because it was on the diagnoal? Let us know what you find out.

I noticed that domes change their properties with time as they absorb wax, even though you might not ever see it, it’s still there.
However, a week really looks too soon for that.

I’m more inclined to go with @MDB theory of changed inserting angle.

Another thing might be that you had a pimple or some swelling which went away in meantime, but helped holding the dome?

Or your ears got more dry/wet than before because now you’re wearing these domes for that amount of time in a day as oppposed to previous state, and this change might affect fit for a dome. Maybe? :smiley:

It would be good if someone qualified looked into your ear :slight_smile:

@Blacky said:

Or your ears got more dry/wet than before because now you’re wearing these domes for that amount of time in a day as oppposed to previous state, and this change might affect fit for a dome. Maybe?

I think you may be on to something.

With further investigation I think the Left open dome is slipping in a lot further than at the initial fit - either because I am more confidant in placing it or because the resistance to the fit has decreased - either way the area in my external canal which it is now slipping easily into has a greater diameter than in the entrance to the canal where it initially sat! Hence more “wiggle room” and sound leakage allowing feedback. I know they are open domes but assume when fitted firmly there is SOME sound attenuation affecting feedback?

I will discuss with my Audi when I am finally allowed to get there :stuck_out_tongue:
Thanks for all your thoughts people!

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