The research behind TinniQuiet
TinniQuiet uses notched sound therapy, also called tailor-made notched music. It was developed at the University of Münster in Germany in 2010. Since then, the method has been tested in more than 30 studies. Here are the main ones in plain English, with links so you can read them yourself.
Updated November 9, 2026
How it works, in one minute
Your ringing comes from a small group of overactive nerve cells in your hearing system, all stuck on the same pitch. A short tone test finds that pitch. TinniQuiet then removes a narrow band around it from the music you listen to.
When that pitch is missing from the music, the cells around it calm their overactive neighbors. Scientists call this lateral inhibition. Day after day, this can help the ringing fade into the background.
White noise works differently. It covers the ringing while it plays. Notched music works on the ringing itself.
The main studies
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2010 · PNAS
Where it started: the University of Münster
Researchers had 23 people with tinnitus listen to notched music for 12 months. Their ringing got quieter, and brain scans showed the activity behind it going down. The placebo version of the music did not do that.
Okamoto et al., PNAS 2010 (PubMed) -
2011 · PLOS ONE
A short, intensive version
The same team tested a short, intensive version of the method: 5 days of listening, with 20 people.
Teismann et al., PLOS ONE 2011 (PubMed) -
2023 · Ear and Hearing
Head to head with clinic retraining therapy
A randomized trial with 120 people at Sun Yat-sen University in China compared notched music with tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT), a common clinic treatment. After one month, notched music was ahead.
Tong et al., Ear and Hearing 2023 (PubMed) -
2025 · eClinicalMedicine (The Lancet group)
A large trial with 440 people
This randomized trial compared different kinds of sound therapy. Sound made to fit each person's tinnitus did best. It looked at sound therapy in general, not only notched music.
Tang et al., eClinicalMedicine 2025 (PubMed Central) -
2026 · Otology & Neurotology
Notched sound on the phone
A randomized trial looked at notched sound therapy in phone apps, the same everyday format TinniQuiet uses.
Sturm et al., Otology & Neurotology 2026 (PubMed) -
Since 2015 · Germany
Paid for by German health insurers
In Germany, health insurers check the evidence before they pay. They have paid for notched music therapy since 2015. By 2019, more than 70 German health insurers covered it.
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Guidelines · UK and US
Sound therapy is in the official advice
The NHS lists sound therapy as a way to help with tinnitus. The tinnitus guideline of the American Academy of Otolaryngology (2014) includes sound therapy as an option too. Notched music is one kind of sound therapy.
NHS: Tinnitus
Studies describe groups of people. Results vary from person to person. TinniQuiet does not cure tinnitus, and there is no known cure. The researchers, journals and organizations named here are cited for educational purposes only. None of them is affiliated with, sponsors or endorses The Silence Institute or TinniQuiet.
What TinniQuiet adds
The research was done in labs and clinics. TinniQuiet brings the same method home in one simple app, built for people 60 and over: one tone test, music from your era, and one button to press play. It runs in the web browser on the phone, tablet or computer you already have.
You pay once, with no subscription, and you have 60 days to get your money back. Is TinniQuiet legit? The plain facts
Find out what your ringing tone is. It's free and takes two minutes.
At the end of the Sound Check, you'll hear your music with your own tone taken out.
Take the free Sound CheckAlready a member? Get your private link here