I notice the noise on each side is different. I can tell.
I am trying to figure out where I am sensing this noise. Unlike regular sound which is biaural this ringing is distinctly different in each ear.
Also unlike sounds I hear from the environment which you can locate and know are from the environment, with tinnitus I can sense it existing and originating in a specific part of my brain. Literally originating from there.
When I sense the ringing, it is two distinct sounds not just distinguishable like two musical instruments played together but distinct in location like a flute to my left and a clarinet to my right.
I realize to call this a noise is probably incorrect as it is also probably incorrect to say I hear ringing. It is all sensing and it is being picked up by the part of the brain that translates stimulation into what we call sound.
I think in theory if the nerves were connected to out visual centers of our brains, tinnitus would be a visual manifestation.