The loudness of tinnitus.

Paradoxically, measurements of the loudness of tinnitus indicate that the noise is not a very loud one, yet many persons experiencing it report severe distress. It has been suggested that either loudness has not been measured correctly or that some other factor such as recruitment may be involved. These aspects were investigated, with the following results: (1) the loudness levels obtained for two methods of measuring the loudness of tinnitus differed significantly with the proposed method yielding measures of greater magnitude without exception; (2) recruitment was evidenced for all subjects. On the basis of the results the following conclusions seem justified: (1) the loudness of tinnitus may be more intense than previously reported; (2) the proposed method for measuring the loudness of tinnitus appears to be a more valid measurement than the traditional method.