Sam said:
you really have to be exsposed for a LONG time for permant damage toacur
VERY WRONG! Sound (or noise, whichever way you want to look at it) is calculated on a dosing scale. What this means is, the louder the sound pressure levels, the less time you can spend subjected to it unprotected before damage starts to occur - think of it like SPF in a suntan lotion, but in reverse.
Some sounds are so loud they will cause instant hearing damage; airbags for instance have long been a cause for concern, but hearing damage is considered a small price to pay for one's life. A gunshot lasts only a fraction of a second, but many gun enthusiasts suffer hearing damage.
I'd like to clarify tinnitus a little too. Tinnitus in not a high-pitched whistle in the ears. It can be, sure, but not for everyone. Any sound that is perceived, but that has no apparent source is tinnitus.
But tinnitus is not a condition, it is a symptom. A doctor would not diagnose tinnitus, in the same way he would not say "Mr. Smith in my professional opinion you are suffering from a belly ache".
So what causes it? Well, it can be noise-induced, but it can equally caused by something else; an inner ear infection for example. Tinnitus can start affecting people over a gradual period or the onset can be instant. There are many variables. Stress is also a huge contributory factor, and the stress that the tinnitus causes in return creates a vicious circle that is very difficult to treat.
Noise-induced tinnitus
I guess this is the one we're all worried about though. Often accompanied by a high-frequency hearing loss, NIT is a bitch for musicians and sound engineers. The most commonly held belief - and certainly the one that I subscribe to - relies on the concept that the brain is aware that a hearing loss is present and is trying to compensate for that by boosting perception in that area. The result is that the patient experiences a constant noise in the area of the frequency spectrum where their hearing is impaired.
James, it sounds to me like you are experiencing a temporary shift in threshold, brought on by the barrage of amp testing. If you've experienced nothing like this before and you didn't go toooo mad with the volume you should be OK in a day or two.
