[davejcb]

Just went in for a hearing test, first time... Got what's basically a frequency response graph for my ears, it was down 15db I believe at 8Khz...

Guess I won't be needing anything with amazing high-end extension and all that jazz from now on... Apparently that's why speech is blurred sometimes for me... Maybe I have standing waves or something I could treat with fiberglass in there?  

So how good is everyone's hearing? I'm supposedly young to have this happen, but I had DJ speakers in my room before, and have been playing drums since 15, so it's no surprise.

Next mod is a good set of custom earplugs.

[Tyson]

I hear out to 16 khz, and it drops off pretty precipitously after that.  Luckily not all the much happens above 16khz

[JoshK]

I hear out to 16 khz, and it drops off pretty precipitously after that.  Luckily not all the much happens above 16khz

I think I'm pretty much the same there.  I heard a 20Khz signal from a test disc as well as a scale but the 20K was down quite a bit from 15K IIRC.    I think most of what is up there gives preception of space.

[Redbone]

Yikes, you've done some damage.  I know we all figure that we'll die before we're 30 but sometimes it doesn't work out and you live to be as old as I am.  Then all that abuse starts catching up with you, it's all cumulative, especially noise exposure.  Old males tend to lose their hearing anyway, particularly the high frequencies.  My theory is it prevents us from hearing the babies and the women.  Take care of your ears, and other body parts like liver and lungs.

My hearing is also seriously degraded from when I was young.  I now always use protectors when working with loud machinery like saws.  At 40 I started developing tinitus, which is really annoying.  Good luck and remember you ain't gonna be young forever.

[John Casler]

Hi Dave,

It would help if you take that green helmut off your head

Just jokin of course.  

At 55 I know what happens to your hearing as you age and if you don't take good care of it.

I don't even drive with my driverside window open anymore, and always stick my fingers in my ears as a "Siren blaring" vehicle goes by.

Luckily with my speakers, I can adjust the "tweet" up a bit if I feel it is needed.  Also your hearing measurment doesn't mean you don't hear those frequncies period, it means you don't hear them at specific SPLs.

At 85db you will hear frequencies that you don't at 60db.  

Everyone is so concerned with "flatline" speaker or room response, when your hearing is not "flatline".  The perceptions of frequencies is different at different SPLs.

I might suggest that we would benefit from a hearing test that told us the SPL that yeilded the flattest perception out to say 15-16Khz and then used that db level to tune our rooms, speakers and systems.

[DeadFish]

There's a lot of us hear you talkin' out here Dave.

Truthbetold, my son and I both have hearing issues; his all his life, and I've had tinnitus as long as I remember for my 5x years.

Thing is, as I upgraded into the 'hi-end world', I might not hear what others hear in perfect sound, but I still get significant upgrades which might surpass what others are getting as my 'noise' in my head goes into the 'darkness of background' as the gear grade goes up.

Man, that was a run-on sentence...

My 21 yr son never heard his Pink Floyd before, like he heard it the first time he found out I had a hi-end system.  The proverbial 'deer-in-the-headlights' routine applied perfectly, with ear to ear grin like a racoon in the trash!

Trust me, you will still appreciate hearing 'clearer'.

HAPPY listening, that you can  hear at all!

 

Regards,
DeadFish

[nathanm]

Just went in for a hearing test, first time... Got what's basically a frequency response graph for my ears, it was down 15db I believe at 8Khz...

*Pfft!* You shouldn't judge the quality of your hearing by measurments!  Just use your ears man!

Those tests are totally unreliable - for instance I bet the headphone amplifier did not even have a decent Black Gate cap upgrade much less a Bybee-fortified power cord.  Were the resistors trimmed to .0005% precision?  No, I think not.  Besides, everyone knows a single ended triode hearing measurement gives a much more musical result.

Your hearing's fine man, don't believe these measurement freak squares!

[_scotty_]

The thing to remember is that if we wish to recreate to sound of live unamplified music in our listening rooms we still need the flatest response possible at the listening position. Live music still sounds live even with a upper frequency loss. Equalizing to better than live at the upper frequencies may result in exceeding 90dB long term exposure and even
more damage.

[ABEX]

I do not believe those test are truely accurate.

[EProvenzano]

Beat me to it Scotty!
Agree 100%

I too have a mild tinitis in my right ear. I suspect a little less sensitivity too.  It's all still good though...I'm lovin' music more than ever.

Protect those ears    

[davejcb]

Thanks guys. Feels good knowing I'm not the only freak on AudioCircle with bad hearing...  

I don't know how accurate the test was either, one test was pressing a button when you heard a sound, some were so faint that I wasn't sure if it was actually a sound or my head playing games on me.

Oh, and that random ringing (tinnitus) is frickin' annoying!  

[EDS_]

Hey guys. I thought about starting a thread regarding this topic earlier today!


I'm a shooter. I've likely fired 100,000+ rounds of all different types (long guns, pistols, all manner of calibers) over the years. I'd say 85,000 rounds were squeezed off with some sort of hearing protection. But alas my off-side (right ear---Dr's. tell me shooters damage their off-side hearing first) hearing is somewhat less sensitive to HF relative to the left. This bothered me enough to get an extended hf hearing test.

Looks like my hearing on the right side is quite good to about 14.5k then it "rolls off" fast after that. I hear nothing at all above about 16.25K.

The left side is pretty flat to about 16.5K then rolls of fast. I hear nothing above 17.5 on the left side.

The lady told me that for a 40yo my hearing is great. Who knew.

FWiiW-I had my testing done in Chicago. The wait for HF testing is long here in Dallas. Also most hearing tests are useless by audiophile standards. Usually hearing test are only to about 8 or 9K.
I fist found I had an issue by listening to a Stereophile test disk.

[RoadTripper]

Age, one year in a bar band, 20 years of piano tuning, and a decaying body have all added up to severe tinnitus in both ears which has been a CONSTANT friend for goin' on twenty years now.  I also have a not quite so severe case of hyper-acusis.  (which means, among other things, that I have to leave the room when my wife unloads the dishwasher of all the plates and pans and stuff, the noise is brutal).  I buy a lot of ear plugs.

I have to have the music at 85dB (at 15 feet) in order to more or less drown out the ringing.

In spite of this, I can tell you that the best remedy for all this is to buy the very best audio equipment you can afford (or can't afford, even).  Even though I don't hear it as well as the next guy, it still sounds better than a bad system.

[davejcb]

The hearing test I took only went up to 8Khz...

...I have to leave the room when my wife unloads the dishwasher of all the plates and pans and stuff, the noise is brutal....

And you're complaining why? No dishes! Hyper-acusis you say? Hmmm...

[orthobiz]

I'll do what seminarian says and buy the most expensive stuff I can afford! I have tinnitus also. Have worn earplugs at concerts and am surprised that people tend to comment on it in a negative way. It's survival, man!

If I went through life again I would listen to music a little less loudly. Dark Side of the Moon alone is probably worth 5dB of loss...

biz