are Raal ribbons uncomfortable to listen to if you have Tinnitus

[hawk1410]

I have mild tinnitus, and was thinking of ordering a Sierra 2. Is the ribbon tweeter too fatiguing to listen to for someone with my problem? Would a nrt speaker be better suited? Thanks

[natetg57]

I think they'd be less fatiguing because the sound coming from them is so clear. Not at all shrill. The speakers don't add any ringing to the sound.

[Sivar]

Good tweeters do not change the sound more, they change it less. The answer to the question then will be, "it depends on the source material." :)

[curtis]

Have you had your hearing tested and know what frequencies cause you trouble?

[pegleg]

I also have Tinnitus and can say there is no fatigue with the Sierra-2 with RAAL! I've had absolutely no problems with the sound, which is much clearer than any speaker I've ever heard before.

[Kef3992]

My ears ring all the time. Probably from working in the steel mill. I have the sierra-2 speakers an I agree with peg leg. These speakers are the clearest speakers I have ever listened to. I absolutely love these speakers!

[davef]

I have mild tinnitus, and was thinking of ordering a Sierra 2. Is the ribbon tweeter too fatiguing to listen to for someone with my problem? Would a nrt speaker be better suited? Thanks

Hey hawk,

A true ribbon tweeter like the RAAL's we use are actually less fatiguing and much easier to listen to over extended periods of time compared to dome tweeters, especially for those people suffering from hearing loss and/or Tinnitus.

The reason for this is two-fold. Of most importance is that there is considerably less residual / stored energy produced with these ribbons such that when a sound stops, the ribbon stops nearly instantly such that there is almost no extra sound waves produced. Less unwanted sound hits your ears over the typical 5-30ms time window.

In addition to this, these ribbons have a more linear polar response with a significant lack of "bloom". They also don't tend to "ring" at higher frequencies like dome tweeters (especially metal domes) can.

I have worked extensively with many consumers suffering from Tinnitus and I always recommend our ribbons, to which these customers have been overjoyed that they can enjoy music listening once again and without fatigue.