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Impact tinnitus on audiogram?

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Hi all,

This week I’ll be making a new . I was wondering whether tinnitus has an impact on the accuracy of the audiogram? I’ve heard somebody mentioning using a wobble/warble tone. Is this true? What are your experiences?

Thanks in advance!

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LOL that is a GREAT question! I used to have a running joke with my previous audi of 15 yrs every time I went in for a hearing test. I’d say, “You know my tinnitus will make me FAIL the test, so just give me a ‘handicap’ booster on the score, okay?” To which he’d say, “Yeah. Now shaddup, git in that booth, and take the test!”

And of course my here proves, I’d always fail.

In my own humble opinion, tinnitus makes a difference! My ears ring at a constant pitch & volume below which I doubt I could hear the tone - warbled or not. Maybe warbling helps, but if tinnitus is making it hard to hear a tone, then I’m guessing that’s the benchmark you have to work with, right? Cuz the tinnitus isn’t goin away. And my own ringing ears bong more on rainy days, or if I take meds or many other situations.

So I’d just relax, lean in to it, take the test, and let the results speak for themselves - ringing ears or not. It’s probably the most accurate ballpark you’ll be in for fitting.

So from my experience, tinnitus does play a big role in how your is determined. My tinnitus is constant, 24/7. It varies between very low (about 750-850hz) and spends most of its time in higher frequencies that sound like they’re past aidable range, though I can’t quantify the frequency, it’s just very, VERY high pitched.

When I went for one of my hearing tests, the audiologist gave me the trigger and I was pressing it down thinking I heard beeps. I pressed it down 5 times before she told me she hadn’t even pressed anything for 20 seconds. I then told her I had a bunch of ringing in my ears and she said, “okay, that make so much more sense, you had me worried!”

So I would say it definitely does make a difference. As @1Bluejay said, take it easy and don’t try too hard. Work with what you have and let the audiologist translate their expertise into better hearing for you. Always let them know what’s changed for you so they can better help you out.

For anyone who might read this in the future: don’t worry! Read the answers above (once again - many thanks).

I told my audiometrist and the turned out unchanged. They will know how to filter out false positives.

It will depend on how the audiologist does the test.
I have been doing tests at home for two decades (I’m a retired audio & broadcast engineer).
Now of course my tests lacked calibration, but depending on how I did the tests, the results were often different one from another.

When I mention tinnitus to audiologist(s)before a hearing test, it usually triggers “Hmmmm… We better do a warble test so…”

In reply to @1Bluejay

I have the same wonderment. It’s like seeing something on a plain background or seeing the same thing in a jungle! Which of the sounds I am perceiving are your testing sounds? I’ve had wildly varying test results, pulsating tones usually being more helpful, but far from good. I generally don’t hear, once I hear the sound I will still be able to hear it when the volume () gets lowered because I know where in the audiojungle I have to look for it! There has to be a better method than that! So what is the “true” value I should go by? The “first able to distinugish” volume? Or the “can still just so hear it” volume (after reducing volume)? This feels so random!

Every audiologist I’ve seen have no reaction when I tell them about my tinnitus. They just proceed with the test.
The only one who did was the one I went too for my tinnitus.
We figured the left ear is in the 8K range.
Never could pin point the right’s range.

I had a hearing test recently where I felt tinnitus was a factor. I spoke to the audiologist about this. He then did a test through as a control. It came out pretty much the same. Fortunately, he is very competent and will adjust the fitting to what works best for me however many sessions that takes. So whilst your is the starting point, working together with a competent audiologist will overcome any variance.

Everybody hears tinnitus in a different way, so that said, mine is tones from low to even higher than my hearing can hear, so yes I mention this at test time and the Audi takes it into account, especially when the tones are very low in volume they just blend into the tin.

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