Re: painfully loud sound

[Bob Masta <audio@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

This may be unrelated, but I have on occasion experienced
what I would call "uncomfortable" sounds.  They were not
very loud, but were distinctly distorted.  The symptoms
were feelings of warmth and fullness in the ear canal,
which persisted for many minutes after the end of the
sound.  My working hypothesis at the time was that perhaps
the middle ear muscles became activated by higher centers
due to a perception that the sound was obnoxious enough
to need muting.  I never got around to testing this, and I
have long since disposed of the one source I owned that
could induce the phenomenon:  A really cheap portable
radio.  (The other instance that I recall experiencing this
was at a dance recital where the sound system failed and
they brought a "boom box" onstage to continue the performance.)

It got me wondering about a phenomenon that "golden ears"
audiophiles sometimes complain about, which they call
"listening fatigue".  I have never heard any real description of
this, let alone an explanation or hypothesis.  (I guess that
audiophiles never ask about it because, hey, if you have to
ask, you certainly aren't one of the cognoscenti!)  Anyway,
assuming that it has some basis in fact, this might be the
same phenomenon I experienced.

Any thoughts on this?


Bob Masta

audioATdaqartaDOTcom