Hearing Test

[jkeny]

I just took the test at http://deafness.about.com/gi/dynami...-recordings.com/hearing-test/ht-products.html
and I realise My hearing sensitivity is down in the 4 to 8K Hz range but my hearing goes to 14KHz. I'm 53.

What falls into these freq ranges?

John

 

[pjpoes]

4khz is the top end of a piano I believe, Cymbols would be in that range, I believe the top end of a harp, etc. Beyond that getting towards 8khz is mostly harmonics, electronic sounds, directional cues, etc.

I'm curious what your hearing test rig consisted of. What type of headphones or speakers, what type of sound card, etc. I think people need to be more careful before wondering/worrying about hearing loss when they are self administering tests. Many even decent headphones don't have great flat extension out to 20khz, a lot of soundcards dont, along with having a lot of noise and distortion in that range. Also the area where you are showing a loss is a little higher than than the range inwhich humans are normally the most sensitive, which makes me wonder if what you are hearing was simply the effect of hearing an area where our hearing response is tipped up in sensitivity, and then drops down. We are most sensitive between around 2-5khz by the way, so that should have been the area, about where yo felt like everything was the clearest. Then it should fall off, that isn't loss, thats normal. Human hearing doesn't follow a flat response.

Go to the technical section of www.headphone.com and make a graph. Then put in the headphones you own, if they have them or just look at even the best headphones they sell to see how unflat the response of headphones are. Though it may make for a pleasing sound in the ear, and though we know some of the issues in the response are intentional in order to deal with the way the outer ear effects sound, none the less, the response is far from flat, and makes testing very difficult.

 

[jkeny]

Thanks for the response pjpoes,
You're coming through loud and clear - ha.

I know the headphones could well not be the best but as a control I got 23 yr old daughter to take the same test - she was fine in this 4-8KHz range so I guess this is proof.

I know hearing isn't a flat response - it's plotted on the web ref I gave & my hearing pretty much follows this curve except in the 4-8KHz region

John

 

[pjpoes]

Girls are actually known to be a bit more sensitive in that range. Some scientists now believe it was a biological adaption to help them in caring for a child. Apparently the harmonics and highest end of a baby's cry is in that range. None the less, does sound like maybe you have a little loss. I just worry about people thinking they have hearing loss beyond what is normal because of some online test they tried. Measuring hearing is pretty hard and very subjective, the testing aperatus we use is flawed, the methods we use rely on a persons self perception, etc.

 

[Pano]

My hearing sensitivity is down in the 4 to 8K Hz range

A loss in that area, especially the 6K regoin is known as the "workman's hearing loss." I know, I have it in one ear. Not from noise, but from ear infections as a child. It's the region that goes most due to loud machine noise.

FWIW, was doing some speaker testing today and had a 16K tone going at 85dB (so said the meter). Could I hear it? NO, not a thing.

 

[jkeny]

Ah "workman's hearing loss" sounds good - although I don't work with industrial machinery, only computers - the only annoying sound emanating from PCs (apart from the sound of me swearing) is the annoying fan whirr - I doubt this could cuse any loss of hearing.

I don't remember any major ear infections as a child but maybe my memory's failing as well.

Now what was I saying, ah yes, tested my wife's hearing and she seems to have acute hearing up to 20k. Wow!, no wonder she is always telling me to turn that amp down and finds Joni Mitchell, Rickie Lee Jones grating on some amps.

John

 

[pjpoes]

Listening to music, concerts, headphones, etc. can all account for hearing loss, especially in that range, where you often find the majority of the energy in music focused.

 

[jacco vermeulen]

have acute hearing up to 20k.

Same here, from 1K to 20K within 10dB, recent hospital test.
Various high freq. noise sources drive me up the wall, day or night.
My hearing major suckes below 750 Hz, effect of a number of obvious causes.

 

[soongsc]

I think the "golden ear training program" does a better job if you are trying to decide whether reduced earing capability can limit you capability to notice differences.