I'm going deaf!! Some headphone advice please

Simple fix that works for me -- when I need to hear a click I put on industrial ear defenders over the IEMs.

It cuts out the outside sound more than enough to hear the click.
 
..from years of abuse, I'm noticing that my hearing is definitely becoming a problem..


Maybe this is not directly helping you with the problem that you have, but if you have the feeling that your hearing becomes a problem, i would be very careful with putting direct sound-sources on your ears..

My advice would be to invest in high-quality earprotection (costum-made) and use, if possible, just a normal monitor (ofcourse also on a reasonable distance from the ears..)

This because i think the risk is very big that every direct sound-source (no matter if headphones or in-ear systems..) will be putted too loud for your ears anyway..
 
I've been using the GK Ultraphones for about 15 years, and they're fabulous. They're comparatively pricey at $230, but well worth it. Check them out at www.gk-music.com (GK is Gordy Knutson, drummer with Steve Miller and educator in the Minneapolis area.)

+1

I have working pairs of all three brands and GK’s modified cans are by far the best. I wish I had a dozen in my studio for others to use. My only wish is for the cup liner to be a soft chamois instead of vinyl (because sweat).
 
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I've been using the GK Ultraphones for about 15 years, and they're fabulous. They're comparatively pricey at $230, but well worth it. Check them out at www.gk-music.com (GK is Gordy Knutson, drummer with Steve Miller and educator in the Minneapolis area.)

Bermuda

He also lost his job at McNally-Smith so I'm sure he would appreciate the extra money for sales!
 
I posted this on Facebook a year ago and it may help here. People with vision problems go to the eye doc, get a prescription, buy glasses and wear them right on the front of their faces, no big deal. But when we have hearing issues there is some stigma about having a visible hearing aid. OMG, you're a freak. Where does this social stigma come from. Eyeglasses make us look educated, suave, intelligent, etc and yet hearing aids make us look old and weird. Go figure. Go get your hearing checked.

Just goes to show how much people value the visual over the auditive.

And yet, maybe it should be the other way round. If you have mildly reduced visual capacity I don't think that it would be a great impedement to interaction with others.

Reduced hearing capacity on the other hand can be very awkward. I know this from my own experience. It's just so easy to come across as dim-witted. It's much more isolating than visual impairment IMHO.

For me, it proves that hearing should be more highly regarded and not taken for granted.
 
I also have some click-induced hearing loss.

Partly through using the Shure 215's and partly through using some custom in-ear moulded IEM's that had a poor mould. Partly through just playing the drums too loud.

I have a new set of custom IEM, this time with a great mould, and the isolation is much better, I can turn the click down.

As Bermuda said before, the mould/fit/isolation is the key here.

Personally, for me, 'universal' monitors such as the Shure ones never gave me a complete seal, so I get a lot of drums leaking through, and thus me turning up the click, just as in your own situation. I tried all different types of tips.

Ergonomics and 'universal' products will fail a percentage of the population. We aren't all 'average', that's why we call it an average. :)

My suggestion is to get some custom moulded IEM's and make sure that the seal is perfect. The seal can break when you move your jaw, as this changes the shape of your inner ear. Keep this in mind.

The other (probably most important thing) I have learned, is that we don't need to play so loud. I play rock and metal and it is part of the style usually to be a bit of a neanderthal drummer, playing loud, all the time. I certainly adhered to that for a while until last year. For many years I did not want to compromise on volume as I thought it was integral to the music. Certainly, a few professional metal drummers have not, and now they have hearing loss (Vinnie Paul, ryan van poederooyen, to name a few).

And it's not just that, you need to learn to 'play to the room' as they say. Not just from the perspective of an audience, but definitely from the view of your ear health. My band currently practices in a 14 foot square room with no sound dampening on the wall, two guitar stacks, a bass stack, PA and drum kit. All of that sound energy has nowhere to go and I can come away from two hours in there with ringing in my ears after STILL WEARING earplugs the whole time. It's crazy.

So to summarise, look at your surroundings and play accordingly, and don't be afraid to 'turn' yourself down. As I said, my stupid 'metal pride' (probably the same metal pride that means my bandmates don't wear any form of hearing protection at all!) meant that I refused to do this. And many records have been cut with low volume drums. And, we have microphones to amplify us live (hopefully) :)

The bottom line; if we play quieter, we can turn the click down and protect our hearing.

Good luck,

Andy
 
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