A lot of people with hearing loss hear white noise; you could get your ears checked and see if you have some hearing loss. It could partly be your hearing playing tricks on you and/or you could use that "excuse" if it were true :-)

Nasty about the louder voices, I'm so sorry. I use to have a "group" of guys in my head discussing me, when that got bad I'd get my hair cut for a disguise :-) My T finally got rid of the group and I was glad of that.