I have read that the cilia, which is a fiber and can move, is loosely attached to nerve cells which are like a socket. When hearing is damaged, the cilia breaks off and is lost forever. This is especially likely to happen with cilia that respond to high-pitched sounds, because high-pitches carry more energy.   The socket remains and can send signals when stimulated (or irritated).

The high-pitched, white-noise, tinnitus I hear seems to be the brain's attempt to make a sound message from the electrical impulses coming from my exposed 'sockets.' I hear it right now, but nothing in my environment is making a high noise. Where else could it be coming from?

I'm sure that most of my broken cilia were caused by feedback from loudspeakers. I now carry hearing protection wherever I go, and I used it frequently. In fact, I just had to use it to watch a fine movie (Seymour) about a classical pianist.

Sometimes my ear produces a long, rather sweet musical note by itself. It's a high B-flat. Fortunately, that doesn't last long.