A Tale of My Hearing (TMI & TLTR)

[mcdonalk]

About 6 months ago, I went to see an ENT specialist for a matter not related to my hearing. At the office, I was intercepted by an audiologist who attempted to guide me to a small chamber for a hearing test. When I caught on, I refused the test. Why, he asked? Because, I explained, one of my greatest pleasures in life is listening to music, I have a pretty good system or so I believe, and I want to go on believing that my system, within its limitations, is presenting the music I am hearing in an authentic and true manner.
The ENT intervened and also asked me why I didn't want a hearing test, and I explained myself similarly, adding, "I don't want to know." He told me that he would not treat me without a hearing test. Before I could leave, however, he said to the effect, "I'll tell you what. We'll test your hearing, but we won't tell you the results." I agreed to that, but lest you think me irresponsible when it comes to matters of personal health, I went on to say that if it showed that I had a serious or treatable pathological condition, then I would change my mind.
When the hearing results came, the doctor reviewed them and said, "I'll just say this: You have nothing to worry about." Good news, I think.
More recently, about 4 months ago, I had minor surgery on the center of the top of my scalp. When the dermatologist was preparing to tighten the stitches like shoestrings, he joked, "Here comes your free facelift!" And as he pulled and tugged, I felt my ears being pulled upwards. I was prepared for the minor pain when the topical anesthesia wore off (I did not need or use any pain relievers, though), but what really surprised me was what happened that night during my routine listening session. Without any expectation and with great surprise, I discovered that my hearing had improved, and I heard more and smoother high frequencies on familiar recordings than I recall ever having heard before. Also, the soundstage had opened up noticeably (excuse the cliche, but sometimes, cliches are true), particularly with regard to depth. In the months since then, it does not seem that this effect has abated.
This made me ponder that the reasons some can hear what others cannot (and vice versa) among components may be related to some degree to ear canal geometry. About 2 weeks ago, I replaced my 30-year-old Proceed PRE (preamp) with a Benchmark HPA4, resulting in improved sound. I wonder whether I would have been able to hear the difference before my "facelift?"

 

[chervokas]

About 6 months ago, I went to see an ENT specialist for a matter not related to my hearing. At the office, I was intercepted by an audiologist who attempted to guide me to a small chamber for a hearing test. When I caught on, I refused the test. Why, he asked? Because, I explained, one of my greatest pleasures in life is listening to music, I have a pretty good system or so I believe, and I want to go on believing that my system, within its limitations, is presenting the music I am hearing in an authentic and true manner.
The ENT intervened and also asked me why I didn't want a hearing test, and I explained myself similarly, adding, "I don't want to know." He told me that he would not treat me without a hearing test. Before I could leave, however, he said to the effect, "I'll tell you what. We'll test your hearing, but we won't tell you the results." I agreed to that, but lest you think me irresponsible when it comes to matters of personal health, I went on to say that if it showed that I had a serious or treatable pathological condition, then I would change my mind.
When the hearing results came, the doctor reviewed them and said, "I'll just say this: You have nothing to worry about." Good news, I think.
More recently, about 4 months ago, I had minor surgery on the center of the top of my scalp. When the dermatologist was preparing to tighten the stitches like shoestrings, he joked, "Here comes your free facelift!" And as he pulled and tugged, I felt my ears being pulled upwards. I was prepared for the minor pain when the topical anesthesia wore off (I did not need or use any pain relievers, though), but what really surprised me was what happened that night during my routine listening session. Without any expectation and with great surprise, I discovered that my hearing had improved, and I heard more and smoother high frequencies on familiar recordings than I recall ever having heard before. Also, the soundstage had opened up noticeably (excuse the cliche, but sometimes, cliches are true), particularly with regard to depth. In the months since then, it does not seem that this effect has abated.
This made me ponder that the reasons some can hear what others cannot (and vice versa) among components may be related to some degree to ear canal geometry. About 2 weeks ago, I replaced my 30-year-old Proceed PRE (preamp) with a Benchmark HPA4, resulting in improved sound. I wonder whether I would have been able to hear the difference before my "facelift?"

It's likely that your pinnae have been moved, relative to the ear canal and their own folds have moved relative to one another.

Our pinnae play a role in our high frequency hearing (above 6kHz or so) and in sound localization particularly of high frequencies. because we are hearing sounds not just using interaural time delays and interaural level differences but according to reflections off our pinnae folds and we use pinnae reflection information, certainly in sound localization, in high frequency resolution, and in timbre construction.

Experiments in sound localization effects have been done taking molds of test subjects' pinnae, recording sounds with mics in the molds were our ear drums would be, and then using IEM to test the response of subjects to sounds with no pinnae effects, with their own pinnae effects and with the effects of other people's pinnae. Those were localization studies, not timbre or HF studies, but, perhaps unsurprisingly, subjects did best localizing the sound with their own pinnae responses, which of course they'd grown accustomed to over a lifetime, they did pretty well with other people's pinnae responses, but not as well as with their own, and they did kinda lousy with no pinnae response.

Even if you take your newly repositioned pinnae and, while you're listening to a sound, gently pull them up slightly, or down slightly, or out slightly, etc., things will sound different. Pinnae differences -- and while our pinnae have basically the same shape, some are bigger, some are smaller, some project out more, some lie closer to the head -- absolutely play a role in differences of auditory experience between one person and another.

 

[DSJR]

Glad it seems to have worked out well for the op here. I was all but dragged kicking and screaming for my first hearing test, but I'm glad I went.

I still have the loss of sensitivity in the mid kHz region, although I still easily hear 'tinsel' above. IEMs help enormously here although a certain mid volume level has to be set so I can get the full range properly. Tinnitus is also an issue I live with 24/7, but listening via speakers is vastly helped when using the 'aids which may not be the most advanced, but they do the job and I have tended to use them with 'levels' set two notches down from 'prescription setting.' Only main issue is that at the setting I feel most comfortable, the 'aids all but shut down with continuous sound, whether it's a rock music piece, or the kettle building up to boil (they can't tell the difference ) and it all but ruins speaker listening sometimes I tried to make an appointment at the hospital's Audiology clinic to have the limiting disabled (apparently it's possible), but a previous request was ignored and I've been too busy recently to phone to push for an appointment..