AES Europe 2026

Tinnitus has been described as `the conscious awareness of
a tonal or composite noise for which there is no
identifiable corresponding external sound source'; is
experienced by ~15% of the European population. Tinnitus
may be experienced in one ear, both ears, or perceived as
originating from within the head. It can present as tonal
sounds, noise-like sounds, or a combination of both. The
perception can lead to emotional;/or cognitive
dysfunction, autonomic arousal, behavioural changes,;/or
functional disability (DeRidder 2021, Biswas 2022, Jarach
2022). There is no standard test for tinnitus in the
medical literature; audiologists typically test pitch (to
within half an octave); perceived loudness of the tone
using standard clinical equipment for testing hearing loss.
The underlying causes of tinnitus are not yet fully
understood,; the most effective treatments not yet
identified. We present the first release of an extended
Tinnitus matching app that includes a highly
individualizable tinnitus tone-matching tool; a
comprehensive questionnaire for mobile health tracking. The
app facilitates large data collection on tinnitus sounds
across aetiologies, co-occurring symptoms,;
demographics. Our intentions are threefold; 1) to provide
those experiencing tinnitus with a way to communicate what
they hear more precisely, 2) understand how tinnitus sounds
vary across demographics, how these relate to co-occurring
symptoms,; eventually – 3) to provide a means of
individualising any sound-based approach to symptom
amelioration. We present the approach; validation of the
tinnitus matching tool against common clinical measures.