TRipple
TRipple is the app for Newcastle University's tinnitus sound trials. Take part entirely from your phone: complete questionnaires, listen to sounds tailored to your hearing and tinnitus pitch, and help develop a treatment for tinnitus.
See it in action.
Everything you need, in one app.
Tailored sounds
Listen to sounds tailored to your hearing and tinnitus pitch, designed to gently quieten tinnitus when heard regularly over time.
Hearing & pitch tests
Simple in-app tests estimate any high-frequency hearing loss and find the pitch of your tinnitus.
Daily tinnitus ratings
Give quick daily ratings of how loud and how annoying your tinnitus is, before and after listening, and on washout days too.
Randomised & blinded
Listen to different sound types across the trial, one of which may be a placebo, in a randomised, blinded design to compare their effects.
Works offline
Sounds are stored on your device, so you can listen any time, day or night, even without an internet connection.
Safe listening built in
Guidance follows the 60/60 rule (no more than 60% volume, for no more than 60 minutes at a time) to help you listen safely.
Joining the study is free and voluntary.
Eligibility
Who can take part
You may be eligible if the following apply. Screening in the app confirms whether this trial is right for you.
- Aged 18 or over
- Have persistent tinnitus in one or both ears
- Some functioning hearing at your tinnitus frequency
- Tinnitus is not pulsatile (in time with your pulse)
How it works
What's involved
The trial runs entirely through the TRipple app, so no clinic visits are needed to take part.
- Download TRipple and read the information sheet
- Consider for at least 24 hours, then consent in the app
- Complete questionnaires, hearing and pitch tests
- Listen daily, with washout periods in between
Time & support
Your commitment
We ask you to aim for a daily listening target and a quick daily rating. Participation is voluntary at every stage.
- A target of several minutes' listening most days
- A daily tinnitus loudness and annoyance rating
- Repeated questionnaires between trial phases
- Withdraw at any time, with or without a reason
Research led by Newcastle University.
Tinnitus affects 10 to 15% of people on a long-term basis, and there is still no established treatment to silence it. This trial is part of a series developing sounds that aim to cause a lasting quieting of tinnitus, and your participation makes that research possible.
Dr William Sedley
Chief Investigator, Newcastle University
Run by
Newcastle University
Translational and Clinical Research Institute; data controller
Fully remote
Run entirely in the app
Take part from anywhere in the TRipple app, with no clinic visits needed
About Our Team
Dr William Sedley
Chief Investigator
Newcastle University
Dr Patrick Neff
Scientific Advisor
University of Zurich
Imre Draskovits
Research Software Engineer
Newcastle University