Introduction: Studies have shown that individuals with tinnitus show worse speech-in-noise test results than do individuals without tinnitus. An overall reduction in OAE levels has also been reported in the former group of individuals, confirming the presence of outer hair cell dysfunction. Recently, some studies reported inner hair cell dysfunction and dysfunction of the adjacent neurons in such individuals. The possibility that tinnitus is related to cochlear changes, specifically impaired hair cell function, led us to hypothesize that among individuals with normal auditory thresholds, the mechanism of frequency selectivity might differ between subjects with and without tinnitus.