Astonishing free SQ upgrade.

PARDON!

Yes, sorry it's not a piece of tech but there's no 'medical' section to the forum. Seriously though, I wonder how many folks are fiddling, twiddling and spending huge sums not realising their upgrade path might be much more productive if it began inside their canals?!

e.g. I now feel much less inclined to wonder about the benefits of a 300. That is a very suitable status just now..

YOU'LL HAVE TO SPEAK UP, THINK MY EARS ARE BLOCKED!

Sorry to be so trite, but I couldn't resist. I too have heard the benefits of getting your ears syringed at the docs. However this should only be done by a doctor or nurse and only when it is required. 

Excellent, Nigel!

Indeed, I'd hate to think of hundreds of forumites blowing warm water into their ears through a rubber tube nipped off the washing machine and perforating their ear drums. I was told that once it's been done there is a likelihood it will need to be done again. In the last 10 years mine have been checked and flushed 3 times. You just don't notice the drop off in high frequencies and then find yourself laughing, stupidly, when you can hear them again. Regular drops of olive oil at night are meant to keep things clear; downside is  when SWMBO leans across the bed in a rare moment of passion and one smells like a chip shop. Rather kills the moment. 

I had a lot of ear infections as a kid and am prone to wax build up these days. I was told by the nurse who last cleaned them that I also have narrow ear canals and they tend to need clearing every couple of years.

For those who have not had their ears syringed before, if you suspect a build up of wax, always get a doctor or GP nurse to check them. If they are blocked you will need to dose them with olive oil for several days to soften the wax before a GP or nurse will attempt to clear them.

I have to say that newly cleared ear canals are a real joy for an audiophile. The first thing you notice is a loud and detailed jangling of car keys as you put the keys into the ignition when leaving the docs. High frequencies are the fist thing you notice. Unfortunately your brain soon compensates for the new found hearing and things soon settle down to a more balanced sound.

Equalizing pressure also can work wonders, not that  it sops me from wondering what the next upgrade may or may not bring to the party. Of course ears are important, but in the end  mood is  one of the most overlooked critical factors in hifi enjoyment.

Claus  

nigelb posted:

YOU'LL HAVE TO SPEAK UP, THINK MY EARS ARE BLOCKED!

Sorry to be so trite, but I couldn't resist. 

You don't have to fight this alone.

I have heard that an enema will also clear canals and improve the SQ of your system!

Mood - indeed. I do wonder, sometimes, whether those moments my system sounds magnificent are in no small way because I'm high on Life - usually when I've got the place to myself. I was inclined to take this all existential until Adam's contribution brought me back to fragrant earth. 

That's alimentary. 

eagle3333 posted:

I was inclined to take this all existential until Adam's contribution brought me back to fragrant earth. 

Deep Joy & Thoughtfulness.

I did that to my sister aged 11. Tossed the cricket ball very high to give her a sporting chance as she walked away from me. Came down plumb on her head. Explains a lot. About us both..

Adam - from whence doth thee find these?

nigelb posted:

YOU'LL HAVE TO SPEAK UP, THINK MY EARS ARE BLOCKED!

Sorry to be so trite, but I couldn't resist. I too have heard the benefits of getting your ears syringed at the docs. However this should only be done by a doctor or nurse and only when it is required. 

Indeed - Mrs SinS, a nurse, keeps warning me of the dangers of ear syringing, and best used as an absolute last resort if other methods can't gently clean them.  Ironically listening to music at too higher level will encourage your ears to produce larger amounts of protective wax.. apparently

Volume/wax - I was wondering about that, Simon. Is logical. Since the Dynaudio's have gone in I've no chance.. There - I managed to bring it back to tech in the end.

eagle3333 posted:

I did that to my sister aged 11. Tossed the cricket ball very high to give her a sporting chance as she walked away from me. Came down plumb on her head. Explains a lot. About us both..

Adam - from whence doth thee find these?

That happened to a boy at my school. He ended up in a coma from which he never recovered. 

Indeed, if it goes wrong your 'free' upgrade could prove very costly!  - It's a last resort fix!

Very unfortunate HH and I'm relieved that didn't happen to my sister. Children aren't always equipped to contemplate the consequences of their actions. I also stuck a hosepipe in my father's petrol tank when washing the car. Not because I thought it would do any harm; just because it seemed like a good idea at the time. I learned much as my childhood progressed.

Yes, Huge, syringing is indeed a last resort and I would be far happier not needing it. The first time it was done was with a low-tech, huge syringe which, I believe, damaged my right ear. Today, the equipment used is excellent and, in qualified hands, safe and effective. It just leaves one with a propensity to require it to be done again in future. I'll be trying olive oil drops once or twice a week to see if it helps lengthen the gaps. 

eagle3333 posted:

Adam - from where do you find these?

"as any fule kno" - from within the Nigel Molesworth oeuvre.

Much true then that has not been altered since.

'Twas ever so.

..and so said Deep Purple! Thank you, methinks some catching-up worthwhile. 

One side effect of getting older is the sprouting of hair from unusual places.   I need to go very carefully with tweezers to pluck out little hairs growing on the outer ears Tragus and Intertragic Notch.  Sometimes you can observe older gentlemen with very impressive bush clusters.  Can't be good for any frequencies, although good for keeping out cold winds.

It is a little known fact that unnecessary ear syringing is used as a form of child punishment in the Far East. Only used of course on the naughtiest of children.

Ouch!

I fear this thread is destined for the wilderness that is the Padded Cell.

Yeeeesh I can feel that! Thats what I had years ago first time round. Doctor's name was something like Mengele and he had a funny accent.

That hair would come in handy if you found yourself stranded in the wilderness with nothing but a box of matches and a log. Excellent tinder..

Chatted about this thread to my wife, who was a Practice Nurse for the last 15 years of her nursing career. Her 'specialist' subjects were cardio-vascular and audiology. She turned away well over 50% of patients demanding ear syringing, telling them to come back after 2 weeks of applying gently warmed olive oil (first pressing, of course!) at night. Of those who followed her instructions, only about 10% needed mechanical intervention, the olive oil sorted out the rest.

Some of her patients were not very happy about failing to receive an instant solution, despite having the risks of damage to the eardrum (admittedly quite low) explained to them. Yet another example of the trend in today's society of expecting instant 'sorting' without putting in any effort.