Definitely. A piercing in my conch, was enough to give me some mildly annoying tinnitus for years.

Can't imagine if my ear was just...gone.

I'm viewing this through the Liftoff app and your username has big block letters and a blue circle for the O but looks normal when viewed from other apps. Is that some customization you can do that only shows up if an app supports it?

I think it might be the opposite, our ears direct and funnel sound