Rf7ii are killing my ears

[Justus]

Hi all, i use my avr combined with nvidia shield tv to stream netflix, youtube, hulu, etc thru my tv and speakers (rf7ii mains). I noticed after about an hour of watching at avg levels my ears hurt. 

 Oddly, theres a gas fireplace to my right and its about 4ft away from me. with the fireplace on it seems to create enough white noise to counteract some frequency or resonance coming from the rf7s, as my ears dont seem to hurt when its on.

 

The speakers are approx 11ft away, i have carpeting, 2 couches, heavy drapes, and the treble is set to flat. Granted if the source is netflix (dd+), then i run the "straight" setting and im unaware where the treble is due to it being locked out in this setting.

 

What can i do?

 

Do i go into the negatives for treble and risk losing detail?

 

Can i line the horns with something to dampen them for resonating issues?

 

Center is an rc64ii if that matters.

 

Everything is brand new and un modified so far.... by brand new, i guess 60 days old.

 

I notice my rears have a rubber horn body with just the throat being plastic (RP160). Was this done to help with any harshness?

 

Avr is an onkyo rz800 if that matters (doubtful since im not even pushing anything hard when this ear pain happens).

 

I can watch tv in our bedroom (tv speakers) for hours with zero issue, but in my living room my ears just friggin hurt! 

 

[ricktate]

There are several posts on here and other places on putting material on the outside of the horn itself . Requires you to take horn out watch video on it first so don't damage it.

  You can adjust your treble on your AVR right ?

 Not sure what you owned before but I heard those RF7 are bright and may take some getting use to or maybe even break in time.

 I'm sure some others will chime in soon. I just get up early ,,lol

[pbphoto]

Start with the basics and make sure you have the speakers wired correctly, then double check the settings on your AVR to make sure it doesn't have the speakers set or room-eq'd incorrectly.  Finally, hook up your laptop or phone via the headphone jack to the AVR in straight mode to see if it still sounds bad with the nvidia shield out of the picture.

[Justus]

2 minutes ago, ricktate said:

There are several posts on here and other places on putting material on the outside of the horn itself . Requires you to take horn out watch video on it first so don't damage it.

  You can adjust your treble on your AVR right ?

 Not sure what you owned before but I heard those RF7 are bright and may take some getting use to or maybe even break in time.

 I'm sure some others will chime in soon. I just get up early ,,lol

The treble is already flat, and if i use direct for movies or dd+, there is no treble controls.

 

I had rf42s, then 28s before these rf7ii

 

Ive seen some reference to the 1 gen 7s being bright but not so much the rf7ii.

 

Now im wondering if its lingering issues from a concert on halloween... no pain then however, and no notable ringing and i had no issues until a couple weeks ago with no real trigger i can think of.

[Justus]

1 minute ago, pbphoto said:

Start with the basics and make sure you have the speakers wired correctly, then double check the settings on your AVR to make sure it doesn't have the speakers set or room-eq'd incorrectly.  Finally, hook up your laptop or phone via the headphone jack to the AVR in straight mode to see if it still sounds bad with the nvidia shield out of the picture.

That makes sense... i can do the same via playstation.

 

[Justus]

As for the concert, it wasnt actually that loud, but the fireworks exploding (totally caught by surprise indoors) is what has me wondering. no ear protection as again, it wasnt that loud where we were until the explosions and it was in an arena.

Crap, im glad i dont frequent these things

 

Also, for most of my life id randomly shudder when people would talk, like my own mothers voice, or girlfriends voice that i had been accustom to for years would hurt and zero triggers.

 

Now, ive had these speakers 2 months and this has just recently started bothering me..

Thank god we have "affordable healthcare" now *smacks head*, this could just be my ears being a pita.

[Chris A]

3 hours ago, Justus said:

Now I'm wondering if it's lingering issues from a concert on Halloween... no pain then however, and no notable ringing and I had no issues until a couple weeks ago with no real trigger I can think of.

That sounds a lot like tinnitus or acoustic shock.  I'd be very careful when playing music to select titles that aren't strident and make sure that the loudness is well below 85 dBC at all times. 

 

You can also put a "house curve" on your setup using your AVR to decrease the high frequencies by a dB or two (or three) at 10 kHz.  Silence is also golden, as is wearing ear protection wherever and whenever possible (no kidding).

 

Chris

[Schu]

what are you driving the speakers with?

[derrickdj1]

Don't have the speakers aimed at you seat.  Very little toe-in if any.

[jjptkd]

Yes, two very good points. Proper equipment matching is crucial, I've had some very bad experiences with certain pre-amps / amps etc making the horns unbearable. Also, depending on how loud you're listening the amount of toe-in can make all the difference in the world. When I'm listening at lower levels I like to stare straight down the mid horn but if I ever feel the need to crank things up a bit I point the speakers straight ahead into the room.

[Cohoangler]

It is hearing fatigue or is it acute irritation?  

 

I ask because I was having issues with the mid-range on my Heresy II's being too "bright",which caused hearing fatigue if I listened to them for too long.  A friend suggested removing the grills and taping a single piece of paper towel over the front of the mid-range, and then replacing the grills.  I did, and wow what a difference! The brightness was gone, and so was the hearing fatigue.  I can now listen to my Heresy II's for hours without any problems.

 

Give it a try....  Can't hurt, it's a really cheap fix, and it's easily reversed if it doesn't work.

 

[wvu80]

14 hours ago, Justus said:

As for the concert, it wasnt actually that loud, but the fireworks exploding (totally caught by surprise indoors) is what has me wondering. no ear protection as again, it wasnt that loud where we were until the explosions and it was in an arena.

Crap, im glad i dont frequent these things

 

Agree on the fireworks.  I bet the loud percussive BANGS indoors compressed your eardrums.  It's not that the fireworks were not that loud, it's just that when the air was compressed it didn't have anywhere to go.

 

I wouldn't change anything on your speakers.  I would suggest you give your ears a rest by not playing anything for a few days.  I bet your ears will clear themselves with a little rest.

[Justus]

12 hours ago, Schu said:

what are you driving the speakers with?

Rz800, same for 2 months now

[Justus]

12 hours ago, jjptkd said:

Yes, two very good points. Proper equipment matching is crucial, I've had some very bad experiences with certain pre-amps / amps etc making the horns unbearable. Also, depending on how loud you're listening the amount of toe-in can make all the difference in the world. When I'm listening at lower levels I like to stare straight down the mid horn but if I ever feel the need to crank things up a bit I point the speakers straight ahead into the room.

Normal range, not nearly loud... tv levels, not movie.

 

They were not toed in at all.

[Justus]

2 hours ago, wvu80 said:

 

Agree on the fireworks.  I bet the loud percussive BANGS indoors compressed your eardrums.  It's not that the fireworks were not that loud, it's just that when the air was compressed it didn't have anywhere to go.

 

I wouldn't change anything on your speakers.  I would suggest you give your ears a rest by not playing anything for a few days.  I bet your ears will clear themselves with a little rest.

Agreed..... overnight something happens. I wake up and feel better, like going to bed with a sore muscle and waking up refreshed the next day.

 

As the day progresses, they hurt again.

 

I think its cochlear hyperacusis?

[Justus]

2 hours ago, Cohoangler said:

It is hearing fatigue or is it acute irritation?  

 

I ask because I was having issues with the mid-range on my Heresy II's being too "bright",which caused hearing fatigue if I listened to them for too long.  A friend suggested removing the grills and taping a single piece of paper towel over the front of the mid-range, and then replacing the grills.  I did, and wow what a difference! The brightness was gone, and so was the hearing fatigue.  I can now listen to my Heresy II's for hours without any problems.

 

Give it a try....  Can't hurt, it's a really cheap fix, and it's easily reversed if it doesn't work.

 

Funny i was contemplating dropping a shirt over the horns.

 

If the speakers get turned up fairly high the pain comes within minutes... if its just tv watching it can take an hour.

[wvu80]

13 minutes ago, Justus said:

Agreed..... overnight something happens. I wake up and feel better, like going to bed with a sore muscle and waking up refreshed the next day.

 

As the day progresses, they hurt again.

 

I think its cochlear hyperacusis?

Oh man, Justus, you're above my pay grade here.  Most of us here have anecdotal stories about temporary hearing loss/pain, but your ears have been hurting for weeks now.  My common sense says if you get some relief at night then the condition is probably not permanent, but I'm just a guy on the internet, guessing.

 

May I suggest you go see a professional, probably ASAP?

 

Edit:  In the meantime I strongly suggest you don't do more harm.  Try some over-the-ear ear protection.  I would think even OTE headphones would work.  I don't think that's a bad idea to protect you from pain.   Pain is God's way of saying "something's wrong." 

[Justus]

31 minutes ago, wvu80 said:

Oh man, Justus, you're above my pay grade here.  Most of us here have anecdotal stories about temporary hearing loss/pain, but your ears have been hurting for weeks now.  My common sense says if you get some relief at night then the condition is probably not permanent, but I'm just a guy on the internet, guessing.

 

May I suggest you go see a professional, probably ASAP?

 

Edit:  In the meantime I strongly suggest you don't do more harm.  Try some over-the-ear ear protection.  I would think even OTE headphones would work.  I don't think that's a bad idea to protect you from pain.   Pain is God's way of saying "something's wrong." 

Yeah, i think my cobra just lapsed, and in this great world of "affordable care" im gunna have to do some healthcare research.

 

As for the hearing protection post injury i think thats a bad idea, as ive read ur ears become accustomed to the quiet, and then normal noise is amplified. Kinda like when ur ears are plugged when ur sick, or during altitude change..... then they pop and things are 3x louder than your previous baseline.

The issue is, with this current problem, the moment a doorbell rings, or a dish shifts in the sink, or my dog barks, i may regress and it could take days till i get to the previous baseline because of the shock.

 

Ive been reading that careful exposure therapy is the best course, not (as i at first thought) avoidance entirely.

[wvu80]

1 hour ago, Justus said:

Ive been reading that careful exposure therapy is the best course, not (as i at first thought) avoidance entirely.

 

That kills me to think I might have given you bad advice.  I'm just not qualified.

 

I think that makes it even more important that you seek out someone who actually went to medical school for this sort of thing.  Talk to your ear professional, tell them you don't have insurance.  I would not be surprised if they cut their non-insurance client's fee in half.

 

But this ear thing is killing you.  I know money is tight, but you've got to spend a hundred bucks.  Many of us here will chip in to get you some medical care.  Let us know if you need help, this forum has helped other Klipsch forum members who were in-need.

 

I'll put in the first donation.

 

-Dave

[Justus]

23 minutes ago, wvu80 said:

 

That kills me to think I might have given you bad advice.  I'm just not qualified.

 

I think that makes it even more important that you seek out someone who actually went to medical school for this sort of thing.  Talk to your ear professional, tell them you don't have insurance.  I would not be surprised if they cut their non-insurance client's fee in half.

 

But this ear thing is killing you.  I know money is tight, but you've got to spend a hundred bucks.  Many of us here will chip in to get you some medical care.  Let us know if you need help, this forum has helped other Klipsch forum members who were in-need.

 

I'll put in the first donation.

 

-Dave

Dont feel bad, advice is advice and im taking it all in. Heck the 1st thing i did was throw in ear plugs days ago lol.

 

You have a point about cash payments being cheaper. Ill see about some phone calls tomorrow. As for the funding, thats very gracious of you to offer any help. Im hoping it doesn't come to that, but i am on disability retirement. Ill keep the thread updated.

 

Today i was asleep till 5pm trying to avoid the pain.... i woke up to minimal ringing and no pain, then later on my dog got his toy thtlat squeaks and it hurt the ears. So then I set some earplugs over my ear opening.... Not inserted like normal, just enough to attenuate the higher pitches andnim ok so far with little ringing. I may try cotton balls tomorrow, again just enough to attenuate the high freq.

 

Thank you for the replies so far everyone.... Lets just hope this is temp.