Hi x1heavy, can you share the headphones and sound card info you are using? I have not been able to find anything that is loud enough for me. Have tried many headphones and amps and all so far are disappointing.
OP, I also prefer silence most of the time. Only exception is occasionally I try to listen to music. I sign and my family has learned enough to have good conversations so being off most of the time is not an issue. With them on I don’t hear much anyway.
I don’t think it’s selfish. I think most hearing people don’t understand how much effort we put out to accommodate them. It’s exhausting.
At the moment without getting too technical speaking, I build my own computers. The current machine is based on the old ASUS Rampage II Black Edition.
It has it's own "Republic of Gamers" sound card and software which is capable of overboosting and setting the equalizer to where I can use what hearing i have left. For example. My hearing is good until about 5000 hertz. So on the equalizer I leave everything above 5K to 20K at zero. I reinforce the frequencies down to 31 hertz which is pretty close to the bottom of the headphone's 20 hertz. With bigger and more professional headphones I can try to get down to 8 hertz but that low is essentially a earthquake. Shaking the very floor. (And your bones)
The headphones I use is Oneodio. These are the only ones that can withstand 31 hertz off the 1/8th plug off the soundcard via the top of the thor computer case without buzzing or burning. I make sure the Oneodio's bass speakers are a minimum of 50mm. And that the padding is large and covers the entire ear.
I have to replace the oneodio every few years and keep extra cables as spare. The reason for that is my big Yamaha Keyboard Organ. Its amplified again between me and the keyboard which kinds of burns the oneodio out a little faster. As a deaf person playing Organ? Thats not exactly a match but when you get enough power you can play anything provided you can read music.
My next step is to pick a extermal sound card that takes from the motherboard's audio output and then boost with POWER and 10 hertz on up with a minimum of 60 db of boost. At that level of boost which will deafen most hearing I can get into the 120 db profound range of deafness on my ears and get up to about 8000 hertz to hear the birds chirping etc. But the headphones are probably going to be professional models from Steinhauser able to take the power without literally burning up or melting.
Thats the other reason for external sound card. The cooling and its own power requirements need a little extra air conditoning in the summer. My computer is already cooled by radiator, a 6 fan 360mm construct from Thermaltake which roars. When its at full power cooling during gaming I can hear it without hearing aids. I can only imagine the hearing having to put up with that.
My only concern is my neighbors. I have several walls between me and them, thick 6 inch walls that are good for me as a deaf person at home without bothering anyone. But the sounds coming from the headphones are already almost loud enough to be heard through at least one wall. Thats pretty loud.
The oneodio headseats on my exwife she turns the windows volume to like 15% and enjoys opera and other beautiful works of sound online. Her hearing has managed to be perfect but with some age related loss. When I am wearing digital hearing aids with head phones then I can have a taste of what she hears as well. But since the sounds are already powerful and LOUD I generarlly wear headphones without hearing aids.
I cannot emphasize enough to say that you cannot waste money on generic headsets sold in say walmart. They fry, buzz and burn up with actual melting when you try to push that kind of power through them.
I can only remember some of the old sound proof booths that were used by audiologists back in the 60's and early 70's that closed with airpressure and is completely isolated from the hospital its on. (Steel beams shaking, elevators rumbling and people walking around on the same floor. You can pick up all of that when sitting very quietly and concentrate on feeling the building itself. Inside the sound booth in those days was a very very BIG expensive speaker of perfect output. When they play music through those things with you in it it almost makes you cry from the beauty of the sound properly matched to your hearing and boosted into that soundproof by the doctor for a few minutes.
It makes you appreciate whats possible someday. And here we are. Ive had to teach some hearing how to feel the steel beams around the 6th floor rooms shaking as they sit quietly in a small chair in a corner. They are always amazed that we deaf can pick up on that sort of thing.
In Big rigs I depended on Pioneer III radios with a small 100 amp booster. With self installed speakers that are matched to that power on all 4 spots in the cab. I usually had them installed on my own money. And replaced the company speakers back in when I either changed jobs or trucks. With that small amount of power and very good speakers I could enjoy music even in the mountains over the thunder of teh engine.
At some point next year my junker Tahoe will get its own pioneer and speaker installed by the radio shop in town. But not just yet. It has several DOT related items needing fixing to be 100% safe for road driving. I cannot be bothered to buy a used car or a new car ever again. Its not like the old Pre 1996 vehicles back then. one specific reason is that USA is getting ready to mandate automatic radar braking on all new vehicles after 2026. I already know that technology has unsafe problems in trucking now. And do not intend to be a part of that then. Thats why the older vehicles have much value other than money.
In Hearing aids I am known as a power user. Once the audiologists picks a model that is basic digital he or she has to find the exact set that provides the most boost. There used to be companies that made very good very STRONG aids. (Qualitone comes to mind, via Maryland Hearing Aid Service with Mr John Fenema as my doctor there for many years) Nothing else with hearing aids matter. Wireless, fancy gadgets or doodads. Toss em all. Just plain power. I dont care if I need to feed it size 13 zinc air batteries every 3 days I can always get more.
