I'm 55 years old. Hearing declines with age, both sensitivity to sounds and range of frequencies that can be heard, particularly at the top end.
I played some test tones the other day and found that I could just about hear 10khz but could not hear 12.5khz, although I thought I felt it (almost as a pain in the ear - these tones weren't played very loud). Above 12.5khz I didn't hear or sense anything.
I have a Behringer DEQ2496 in my system and this has a Real Time Frequency Analyser which shows that there is plenty of sound in the 12.5 to 20 khz band on the CDs I play. However, what is the point in my speakers (RM30Ms) producing those frequencies if I can't hear them?
With this in mind, I used the Behringer to roll off the frequencies from a lower point then before, namely I reduced 12.5khz by 3db, 16khz by 7db and 20 khz by 15db.
I'm not sure if it's made any difference to the sound I hear: I don't think I'm missing anything and I have the slight impression that the whole sound is a bit clearer, or perhaps brighter, but of course I may be kidding myself.
What I would like to ask is, has anyone else adjusted their speakers with consideration for what they can actually hear?
I would also like to know if there are any other possible advantages in doing this? For example, is the tweeter now able to do a better job with a lesser workload (applies to the whole chain I suppose - cables, amp, DAC, which all come after the Behringer in my system). Will it have a longer life?
Any comments appreciated!