Present spontaneous emissions indicate good hearing, absent ones prove nothing

Evidence

This means that the production of spontaneous emissions is a clear hint of good hearing capability in the frequency range in which the emission occurs. However, the non-existence of emissions is not an indication of abnormal hearing, since only 50% of normal hearing subjects show spontaneous emissions. Additionally, our experience has shown that tinnitus is not related to spontaneous emissions as long as the level of the emission is less than about 20 dB, a value which is only very rarely exceeded. — Professor Dr.-Ing. Hugo Fastl, Professor Dr.-Ing. Eberhard, Psychoacoustics- Facts and Models, 270

Categorization

• CANDY: That your ear itself emits sound if hearing is good, but its absence means nothing, is a charming otologic trivia fact.