it is truly a miracle i have the hearing i still have.
been riding waves and mostly shorebreak since i was 3, played electric guitar since 14, ran concert sound since 86, and filmed hunting shows with shotguns and rifles going off next to me since 94, and now frequent construction sites for a new job.
that is an inordinate amount of factors agianst me! last time i tested a few years back my highs are rolled off to about 11k on my right side and lows are high passed to about 100 or so on the left. i have mild constant ringing which comes and goes.
worst ear injury?
got pitched over the falls on a hollow wave surfing in high school and landed on the right side of my head--water shot into my right ear and out my mouth.
the pain was uncool. lost my equilibrium ala vertigo--try that mumu on for size in roaring surf--and even talking about it now i can still remeber the sharp sensation of something foreign being in a place in my head which was very unwelcomed.
the earwax removal kits over the counter are hit and miss for me but one of the best changes imo has been moving from california cold water to hawaii warm. almost never have eardrum pain like before and my ears drain better than they have for the last 20 years. but aft a few consecutive days of shorebreak barrels my ears are waterlogged for a couple of days.
worst concert hearing loss?
ted nugent 22 row dead center in hawaii. 2 days of nothing but ringing and making out people speaking like my ears were covered with pillows.
and i agree about many modern PAs sounding harsh but much of that is operator error now that the ipod generation is at the helm.