The Ear Lab · Issue 001 · June 2026 100 notes · 3 instruments
The science of hearing,
explained.
Find the pitch of your tinnitus in three minutes, using the same pure-tone test audiologists run in the clinic. Free, no signup, runs entirely in your browser.
Find your tinnitus pitch →
3 min · no signup · free
NIH · Mayo · AAO-HNS · NHS
Sourced from primary research
Sourced from primary research
3 working instruments
Web Audio · 48 kHz · local-only
Web Audio · 48 kHz · local-only
100 editorial notes
Plain-language summaries
Plain-language summaries
@TheEarLab
From the YouTube channel team
From the YouTube channel team
§ I.
The instruments
Three working instruments, in your browser.
Each implements a published clinical procedure with the references printed beneath it. Audio is generated locally. No accounts, no uploads.
TEL—T01
Find your tinnitus pitch
Standard audiology pure-tone matching with an octave-confusion check. Save the result and download a PDF.
Range 125 Hz – 16 kHz Duration 3 min
Match your pitch → TEL—T02
Calculate your noise dose
Enter your day. See how close you are to the permissible exposure limit on both standards, with the time-to-100% reference.
Range 40 – 140 dBA Duration 1 min
Run the dose calc → TEL—T03
Test your hearing range
Tap when you stop hearing the tone. Your high-frequency limit, compared to age-typical norms.
Range 8 – 20 kHz Duration 2 min
Test your range → TEL—T04
Notched Sound Therapy Generator
Broadband noise with a 1/3-octave notch centered on your matched pitch — forthcoming
The Ear Lab Notes · weekly
One short note each week.
Plain-language summaries of new tinnitus and hearing research, useful primary sources, and updates when we ship a new instrument. From the editors behind @TheEarLab.
· No tracking pixels · One-click unsubscribe · RFC 8058 header
§ II.
From the editorial desk
One hundred notes on hearing.
See all 100 →TEL—N047 · Causes
What causes tinnitus: the four main mechanisms researchers agree on
Tinnitus is a symptom, not a disease. NIH/NIDCD and AAO-HNS group its causes into four mechanisms: hair-cell damage, neural rewiring, somatic input, and vascular noise. P…
Read note →TEL—N024 · Causes
Noise-induced tinnitus: what 85, 95, and 110 decibels do to your hearing
NIOSH and NIDCD permissible-exposure data, what each decibel level does to cochlear hair cells, and why the first sign of damage is often ringing rather than hearing loss…
Read note →TEL—N050 · Science
Why hearing loss causes ringing: the central-gain hypothesis
When the cochlea sends less signal, the brain's auditory pathway turns up its gain. That gain amplifies internal noise into perceptible ringing. The current dominant mode…
Read note →The Index
All notes, by topic
Types 06
- TEL—N001 Acute vs chronic tinnitus: the three-month line and why it matters
- TEL—N018 Hyperacusis vs tinnitus: when ordinary sounds become painfully loud
- TEL—N029 Pulsatile tinnitus explained: when ringing pulses with your heartbeat
- TEL—N033 Somatic tinnitus: when neck and jaw movement changes your ringing
- TEL—N035 Subjective vs objective tinnitus: which 1% can a doctor actually hear
- TEL—N046 Unilateral tinnitus: why one-sided ringing warrants a closer look
Lifestyle 18
- TEL—N002 Alcohol and tinnitus: short-term spikes versus long-term effects
- TEL—N006 Caffeine and tinnitus: what controlled trials actually show
- TEL—N011 Exercise and tinnitus: when movement helps and when it doesn't
- TEL—N017 Hydration and inner ear health: separating myth from mechanism
- TEL—N030 Salt intake and tinnitus: the Meniere's connection and what generalizes
- TEL—N031 Sleep deprivation and tinnitus: the bidirectional loop
- TEL—N032 Smoking and hearing loss: a meta-analytic dose-response story
- TEL—N034 Stress and tinnitus: the limbic-auditory loop researchers point to
- TEL—N057 Choosing a hearing protector: NRR ratings, fit, and lab vs real-world
- TEL—N059 Custom musician earplugs: flat attenuation, preserved sound quality
- TEL—N062 Gen Z noise exposure: dB studies, smartwatch data, future projections
- TEL—N065 In-ear monitors (IEMs): louder isolation, lower SPL
- TEL—N066 Live music hearing protection: foam, silicone, custom, electronic
- TEL—N070 Mixing engineer hearing loss: occupational risk and counter-measures
- TEL—N071 Musicians and tinnitus: prevalence, monitoring, prevention
- TEL—N080 Safe listening volume: the 60/60 rule and what WHO recommends
- TEL—N088 Teens, headphones, and hearing loss: the WHO 1.1 billion estimate
- TEL—N100 Zinc supplementation for tinnitus: small effect, narrow patients
Science 17
- TEL—N003 Auditory cortex and phantom sound: why your brain rings when nothing does
- TEL—N009 The dB scale explained: logarithms, dB-SPL, dB-HL, and dBA
- TEL—N013 Hidden hearing loss: when an audiogram looks normal but listening is hard
- TEL—N015 How the cochlea works: a tour from eardrum to neuron
- TEL—N027 Outer vs inner hair cells: the two-cell choreography behind hearing
- TEL—N050 Why hearing loss causes ringing: the central-gain hypothesis
- TEL—N052 Auditory brainstem response (ABR): the test that bypasses behavior
- TEL—N058 The cochlear amplifier: outer hair cells as the mechanical pre-amp
- TEL—N060 The endolymphatic potential: the +80 mV battery powering hearing
- TEL—N067 Loudness discomfort level (LDL): the volume at which sound becomes painful
- TEL—N073 Olivocochlear efferent system: feedback control of the cochlea
- TEL—N074 Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) test: how it detects outer hair cell function
- TEL—N081 Speech-in-noise testing: why your audiogram can be normal but listening is hard
- TEL—N084 Stria vascularis: the cochlea's metabolic engine
- TEL—N093 Tonotopic map development: from birth to cortex
- TEL—N095 Cochlear traveling wave: von Bekesy and the basilar membrane
- TEL—N096 Tympanometry explained: what the pressure test measures and why
Sound Therapy 06
- TEL—N004 Binaural beats and tinnitus: an evidence review
- TEL—N020 Tinnitus masking devices: from radio-static earpieces to modern combination aids
- TEL—N023 Nature sounds for tinnitus: rain, ocean, and waterfall as broadband maskers
- TEL—N028 Pink vs white vs brown noise: which color is best for tinnitus relief
- TEL—N044 Tinnitus sound therapy apps: what to look for and what to avoid
- TEL—N091 Residual inhibition: when masking sound briefly silences tinnitus afterward
Causes 21
- TEL—N005 Blood pressure and tinnitus: pulsatile ringing, vascular noise, and what to ask your doctor
- TEL—N010 Earwax and tinnitus: when impacted cerumen causes ringing, and safe removal
- TEL—N021 Meniere's disease and tinnitus: low-pitched roaring, vertigo, and fluctuating hearing
- TEL—N024 Noise-induced tinnitus: what 85, 95, and 110 decibels do to your hearing
- TEL—N026 Ototoxic medications that can trigger tinnitus, by drug class
- TEL—N036 Tinnitus after head injury: TBI, concussion, and the auditory pathway
- TEL—N045 TMJ disorders and tinnitus: how the jaw joint produces ear ringing
- TEL—N047 What causes tinnitus: the four main mechanisms researchers agree on
- TEL—N051 Antimalarials and tinnitus: quinine, chloroquine, mefloquine
- TEL—N053 Autoimmune inner ear disease (AIED): rare but treatable
- TEL—N056 Chemotherapy and tinnitus: cisplatin and beyond
- TEL—N068 Lyme disease and tinnitus: what the evidence actually shows
- TEL—N072 NSAIDs and tinnitus: dose, duration, reversibility
- TEL—N075 Otosclerosis and tinnitus: when the stapes fixes
- TEL—N076 Patulous eustachian tube: when your ear is too open
- TEL—N077 Perilymph fistula: when inner ear fluid leaks
- TEL—N082 SSRIs and tinnitus: paradoxical link, mixed evidence
- TEL—N083 Statins and tinnitus: what large cohort studies suggest
- TEL—N085 Sudden sensorineural hearing loss: the 72-hour emergency
- TEL—N086 Superior canal dehiscence (SCDS): the third-window syndrome
- TEL—N098 Vestibular schwannoma (acoustic neuroma): unilateral tinnitus red flag
Management 26
- TEL—N007 CBT for tinnitus: the evidence-backed psychological treatment
- TEL—N008 Cochlear implants and tinnitus: when restoring input quiets phantom sound
- TEL—N012 Hearing aids for tinnitus: why amplification often quiets ringing
- TEL—N022 Mindfulness-based therapies for tinnitus: what MBSR can and cannot do
- TEL—N025 Notched music therapy for tinnitus: theory, evidence, and limits
- TEL—N042 Tinnitus and sleep: why nights are worst and how to break the cycle
- TEL—N043 Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT): what it is and how long it takes
- TEL—N049 White noise machines for tinnitus: what masking actually does
- TEL—N054 Benzodiazepines and tinnitus: short-term benefit, long-term concern
- TEL—N055 Bimodal stimulation (Lenire): the tongue-and-sound device explained
- TEL—N061 First tinnitus appointment: what to ask, what to bring
- TEL—N063 Ginkgo biloba for tinnitus: Cochrane review verdict
- TEL—N064 Hearing aid features explained: directional mics to Bluetooth
- TEL—N069 Minimum masking level (MML): the loudness needed to cover your tinnitus
- TEL—N089 Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI): the 25-question distress score
- TEL—N092 Tinnitus tracking diary: what to log, for how long, why
- TEL—N094 TMS for tinnitus: what 20 years of research has shown
- TEL—N097 Vagus nerve stimulation for tinnitus: paired-VNS protocols
- TEL—N099 When to see an audiologist: 7 specific triggers
- TEL—R01 Best tinnitus supplements (2026): what the evidence actually shows
- TEL—R02 Tinnitus cure scams: how to spot a fake tinnitus supplement
- TEL—R03 Quietum Plus review: does it actually work for tinnitus?
- TEL—R04 Tinnitus 911 review: what the evidence says before you buy
- TEL—R05 Quietum Plus vs Tinnitus 911: an evidence-based comparison
- TEL—R06 What vitamin deficiency causes ringing in the ears?
- TEL—R07 Do tinnitus supplements actually work? What the evidence says
Frequencies 05
- TEL—N014 High-frequency tinnitus: why 4 to 8 kHz ringing is the most common pattern
- TEL—N016 How to read an audiogram: thresholds, the dB-HL scale, and what 'normal' means
- TEL—N019 Low-frequency tinnitus: when ringing sounds more like a hum or roar
- TEL—N048 What pitch is your tinnitus, and what your answer reveals about its source
- TEL—N079 Pure-tone average (PTA): the single number from your audiogram
Comorbidities 08
- TEL—N037 Tinnitus and anxiety: how attention amplifies phantom sound
- TEL—N038 Tinnitus and concentration: when ringing competes with attention
- TEL—N039 Tinnitus and depression: the bidirectional link and what trials show
- TEL—N040 Tinnitus and migraines: shared mechanisms in the central nervous system
- TEL—N041 Tinnitus and PTSD: the veterans-health connection
- TEL—N078 Presbycusis and tinnitus: age-related hearing loss explained
- TEL—N087 Supporting someone with tinnitus: what helps, what hurts
- TEL—N090 Tinnitus in children: prevalence, screening, communication
§ III.
Reader's resource
Beyond the science, what people are trying.
Readers regularly ask what specific products and approaches show up in tinnitus research and consumer use. This is an external resource we track for that question, independent of the tools above.
See what people are using →External resource · The Ear Lab may earn a small commission, at no cost to you. We never accept payment to alter editorial framing.
§ IV. · The channel
We also explain it on YouTube.
Short video explainers on tinnitus, hearing, and the strange biology of the ear. Same editorial team. New videos weekly.