Can someone tell me if ringing in the ears really a sign of hearing loss?

No: Ringing in the ears, tinnitus, does not have to be associated with a hearing loss. An audiogram can demonstrate a hearing loss. Remember, the human inner ear, even in the presence of normal hearing, may have loss of the organ of hearing for the very high frequencies, such as 10, 000 to 16, 000 cycles per second. This loss of hair cells in the very basal turn of the cochlea may cause tinnitus.