Audio Listening With Age Diminished Hearing

[RS10]

I'm about to hit 70. Recently I had a hearing exam and my right ear doesn't hear as well as it used to - not even close. But my left ear functions very well per the doctor. After a brief Q&A, he said the issues in my right ear are likely due to age, but it's possible the right ear was damaged at some point years ago that I was not aware of.

Curious if any others who enjoy audio have experienced the hearing issues that come with aging, and how they have dealt with it.

 

[Wombat]

My hearing of HF is age degraded, more so in my left ear. Because this is how I hear the world(I don't use hearing aids) I listen to my stereo system(loudspeakers) with normal L-R balance. Occasionally I might bump up the treble a little.

Same with headphones though this is not as forgiving re L-R perception. I seldom use headphones so not a big deal for me.

 

[BDWoody]

Curious if any others who enjoy audio have experienced the hearing issues that come with aging, and how they have dealt with it.

I'm sorry you have this issue, but glad it isn't worse.

Do you live in a country where cars are driven from the right side? A lifetime of driving with a window open might have an impact...

I have tinnitus in both ears...about 20 years now. It can be mildly annoying, but it rarely interferes with my enjoyment of music. Different issue obviously, but for me I just do my best to ignore it...

 

[AudGuy]

Hello. I have been aware of the fact that my hearing was slowly degrading for many years now. And some close listening buddies it seems, also suffer hearing loss to some degree. Perhaps this is a more common problem that it may seem, maybe even so drastic that age related hearing impairment probably occurs with most humans.

So I bit the bullet and went to a hearing specialist for some testing, and the inevitable fitment of hearing aids. The hearing tests are not what I underwent many years ago when younger and today computers and software replace the test gear of old. The tests involved hearing and repeating a series of spoken words that diminish in gain as the sequence continues. Ultimately, a curve is produced for each ear that clearly shows the hearing abilities of each ear at particular frequency ranges. My left ear was worse than my right ear ... probably caused by too much driving with the window open. My car windows are almost never open now.

The aids that I selected were fitted and the audiologist showed me my results and explained some things to be aware of. Then he sent me out into the mall and said "walk around a little and have a listen". Well, I didn't have to walk 100 feet to realize just how noisey the mall is. And that I could hear and understand people talking and I could hear the terrible mall music playing. Revelation, I had to sit down and just listen. We went back to the audio shop and bought the aids.

On the way home I thought, geez my car makes a lot of noise but that radio sounds better than I thought it did. And the clicking tappets are telling me that the oil needs changing. And I can actually hear my wife talking to me and understand what she is saying. Arriving at home I walked down the entrance hallway and across the living room to my chair, and stopped dead in my tracks thinking who is following me. Since My wife was in the kitchen I turned quickly and nobody. Just old hardwood floors popping a moment after I stepped on them. That really made me laugh.

And then there is the music. I have several pretty good systems around the house but I was eager to go downstairs to where my better system lives and put on something to listen to. Well it was like a new amp and speakers had followed me home. The highs which is where most of my correction is presented were like I remember from when I started the HiFi interest, all those years ago. And with much louder and clearer highs came a significantly improved sound field. I have come to think that listening to music now demands that I put in my hearing aids before commencing.

Discussions with other audio minded acquaintances now suggests that they also would benefit from investing in some hearing aids. At the cost of a nice amplifier, roughly, or less if extended medical plan benefits are available it now seems to me to be perhaps the best investment I could make for the enjoyment of listening to music.

VERY MUCH RECOMMEND GETTING HEARING TESTS AND PURCHASING QUALITY HEARING AIDS !!!

 

[Wombat]

Hello. I have been aware of the fact that my hearing was slowly degrading for many years now. And some close listening buddies it seems, also suffer hearing loss to some degree. Perhaps this is a more common problem that it may seem, maybe even so drastic that age related hearing impairment probably occurs with most humans.

So I bit the bullet and went to a hearing specialist for some testing, and the inevitable fitment of hearing aids. The hearing tests are not what I underwent many years ago when younger and today computers and software replace the test gear of old. The tests involved hearing and repeating a series of spoken words that diminish in gain as the sequence continues. Ultimately, a curve is produced for each ear that clearly shows the hearing abilities of each ear at particular frequency ranges. My left ear was worse than my right ear ... probably caused by too much driving with the window open. My car windows are almost never open now.

The aids that I selected were fitted and the audiologist showed me my results and explained some things to be aware of. Then he sent me out into the mall and said "walk around a little and have a listen". Well, I didn't have to walk 100 feet to realize just how noisey the mall is. And that I could hear and understand people talking and I could hear the terrible mall music playing. Revelation, I had to sit down and just listen. We went back to the audio shop and bought the aids.

On the way home I thought, geez my car makes a lot of noise but that radio sounds better than I thought it did. And the clicking tappets are telling me that the oil needs changing. And I can actually hear my wife talking to me and understand what she is saying. Arriving at home I walked down the entrance hallway and across the living room to my chair, and stopped dead in my tracks thinking who is following me. Since My wife was in the kitchen I turned quickly and nobody. Just old hardwood floors popping a moment after I stepped on them. That really made me laugh.

And then there is the music. I have several pretty good systems around the house but I was eager to go downstairs to where my better system lives and put on something to listen to. Well it was like a new amp and speakers had followed me home. The highs which is where most of my correction is presented were like I remember from when I started the HiFi interest, all those years ago. And with much louder and clearer highs came a significantly improved sound field. I have come to think that listening to music now demands that I put in my hearing aids before commencing.

Discussions with other audio minded acquaintances now suggests that they also would benefit from investing in some hearing aids. At the cost of a nice amplifier, roughly, or less if extended medical plan benefits are available it now seems to me to be perhaps the best investment I could make for the enjoyment of listening to music.

VERY MUCH RECOMMEND GETTING HEARING TESTS AND PURCHASING QUALITY HEARING AIDS !!!

HiFi hearing aids, if you can afford them.
Lower-tier ones can be counter-productive for listening to music. Try at home and decide, if possible.
My hearing aids are sitting in a drawer because they are awful with music.

I generally get by OK without them if I avoid premises that have glass, marble, stone, laminate, hard tile and chrome décor - not easy in bigger cities(I don't live in one). I purchased the lower-tier hearing-aids because the audiologist(more a sales-person) said that using them stimulates the audio senses and slows down hearing deterioration. I have yet to find an authoratitive paper supporting this claim.

 

[Frank Dernie]

My wife has hearing aids but doesn't wear them, apparently this is very common the doctor told her more than half the people who have them don't use them.
My hearing has deteriorated with age, I am very lucky since I had a 35 year career in motor racing standing next to unsilenced cars in pit lanes around the world, starting before there was any ear protection, but it hasn't gone much.
On the basis that the deterioration has been so slow I didn't notice it happening and that I listen to live music and conversation with the same ears as I use with my hifi I leave anything normal.
If I go deaf, like my professional musician wife - there is no justice, I will buy the best quality hearing aids I can find.

 

[Snarfie]

Did some months ago a freqency test. I'm 61 now still can hear (just) 16.000 hz. But that doesn't say anything how i preceive sound/music.
The biggest difference listening to music is when i have a cold or are stressed etc i sometimes think that my gear is than degrading (lows are not that tight anymore mid frequencies are more dominating, imaging is less) considerble till i'm in my average mood and/or i have no cold than the prestine sound is there again.

 

[AudGuy]

HiFi hearing aids, if you can afford them.
Lower-tier ones can be counter-productive for listening to music. Try at home and decide, if possible.
My hearing aids are sitting in a drawer because they are awful with music.

I generally get by OK without them if I avoid premises that have glass, marble, stone, laminate, hard tile and chrome décor - not easy in bigger cities(I don't live in one). I purchased the lower-tier hearing-aids because the audiologist(more a sales-person) said that using them stimulates the audio senses and slows down hearing deterioration. I have yet to find an authoratitive paper supporting this claim.

The hearing aids that I have do nothing to diminish the experience of listening to music, indeed they very much add to my experience. I am not so sure that they are "HiFi hearing aids" per se, but I do consider them to be very good for enjoying music, so I guess they fit the bill.

It might be that my hearing problem is being remedied sufficiently that I am not bothered by any unusual effects that the aids might cause.
However I also am not aware of any unusual auditory results other than an obvious improvement in the quality of the sound.

I am two years into this experience and while I understand that my hearing is likely still deteriorating, however perhaps I do not hear quite as well without my aids in as I did prior to using aids. A certain dependency is developing, I am aware of that. But I am unwilling to go without.

Hearing loss is a very gradual thing and only that objective examination and subsequent re-examination will tell what each of us needs. . . . . YMMV.

 

[A800]

EQ and balance will take care of it somewhat.

 

[JustAnandaDourEyedDude]

Blew out my right eardrum last year. When it happened, the sharp high-pitched plucked-string-like sound with impossibly quick decay brought back a memory that this had happened four to five years previously with my left ear, though at the time I did not realize what it was and never went to a doctor for it. This time around I went to an ENT specialist, and with topical antibacterial eardrops, my right eardrum healed fairly well. Post healing hearing testing (yes, an hour long computer based test) showed that the hearing via my right ear shows only normal age-related higher-frequency hearing loss after healing. However, no surprise that hearing via my left ear is significantly more impaired than age-related level in the upper frequencies, showing that without medical help the left eardrum did not heal as well.

Plus, I have untreated sleep apnea, so every morning I wake to the roaring sounds of an ocean in my ears. And all of the time, I can hear a (very distant and subdued) violin section crossed with (an equally subdued) mosquito farm.

Yet here I am hunting for ever more accurate audio gear and contemplating purchasing 192/24 downloads. Perhaps I should spend the money instead on lessons in reading music and buying sheet music, as a backup plan, in case my hearing goes dodo entirely.

 

[AudGuy]

Roaring ocean like sounds is different from Tinnitus which typically is more like a high pitched constant tone. For me, when Tinnitus started it did not come on gradually, instead one evening it just started like a switch had been flipped. It has been a constant companion for near 20 years now. Fortunately for me, it is not loud and I am coping with its presence but not all do. Some find it to be a relentless terrible affliction.

When I was being fit for hearing aids I did ask about the Tinnitus treatment programs that are an ability for better hearing aids. It was suggested that I get used to the aids and learn to use them regularly and we'll see how it goes before implementing Tinnitus treatment. And slowly I have found that I am becoming less aware of the Tinnitus ring, indeed there is improvement and now I no longer feel the need to even ask about this feature. The Tinnitus that I have has not gone away, but it is reduced and somehow now seems less bothersome. Especially when the aids are in.

 

[JustAnandaDourEyedDude]

AudGuy, sorry to learn of the tinnitus, but glad it seems to have reduced somewhat, and that you have been able to live with it. You are quite right, for some people, it is a life-strangling condition. I have come across someone who tried white noise generators but still had to try to sleep next to his bathtub with the water running to drown out the tinnitus. I cannot really imagine that suffering, but I think I would almost rather be deaf than suffer that. My ocean roaring sound is simply from the extreme strangulation/snoring of sleep apnea, though it includes a higher pitched sound too. It dies down over a couple of minutes to the violin/mosquito background for the rest of the day.

 

[ShiZo]

Shit, you guys are scaring me lol.

 

[AudGuy]

AudGuy, sorry to learn of the tinnitus, but glad it seems to have reduced somewhat, and that you have been able to live with it. You are quite right, for some people, it is a life-strangling condition. I have come across someone who tried white noise generators but still had to try to sleep next to his bathtub with the water running to drown out the tinnitus. I cannot really imagine that suffering, but I think I would almost rather be deaf than suffer that. My ocean roaring sound is simply from the extreme strangulation/snoring of sleep apnea, though it includes a higher pitched sound too. It dies down over a couple of minutes to the violin/mosquito background for the rest of the day.

Engaging in the use of CPAP machine can be a huge relief for Apnea, my better half has gone through 3 machines in the last 15 years or so of life with CPAP. These machines are bear to master being as they do present a hideous interface to learn to cope with. And usually people will have to try all the available mask interfaces before they either give up, or settle on one of the available types. BUT, like hearing aids these machines are quite effective.

Apnea can be quite dangerous and depending on how much a person is afflicted the CPAP machine can be a lifesaver. Snoring is a sign and the best thing to do is to seek out a sleep specialist and/or a respirologist. A trip to see your GP may be needed to gain access to some specialists.

Tinnitus is an awkward impairment: it is ever present, except when my aids are in my ears; there is not much hope that it will ever go-away and in the end, the big hope is that you will mostly learn to live with it. Most do, some don't. Tinnitus is associated with various hearing impairments and when effort is made to impart a remedy (hearing aids) then there is usually some measure of reduction or even elimination. This is how it went for me.

Yes, life can be challenging . . .

 

[JustAnandaDourEyedDude]

Engaging in the use of CPAP machine can be a huge relief for Apnea, my better half has gone through 3 machines in the last 15 years or so of life with CPAP. These machines are bear to master being as they do present a hideous interface to learn to cope with. And usually people will have to try all the available mask interfaces before they either give up, or settle on one of the available types. BUT, like hearing aids these machines are quite effective.

Apnea can be quite dangerous and depending on how much a person is afflicted the CPAP machine can be a lifesaver. Snoring is a sign and the best thing to do is to seek out a sleep specialist and/or a respirologist. A trip to see your GP may be needed to gain access to some specialists.

Quite right about the challenging nature of life, even for humans in a modern civilization ...

Thanks for the advice re the apnea. I tried a CPAP machine many years ago, when the apnea was moderate. Could not get used to the mask. The apnea has become much more severe now, and is driving me toward trying a CPAP again. When life returns to the new normal, I will seek medical help again. I expect the machines and mask choices are much improved now.

In the meantime, enjoy what we can of life, apnea or tinnitus notwithstanding ...

 

[AudGuy]

The interface for CPAP machines presents several variations, my wife settled on a nasal interface mechanism and has used it faithfully for most of a decade now. It offers the least facial contact but does require that the user is not a restless sleeper. Elevating the hose by using a hook on the wall behind the bed will help. Modern machines (ours is from Australia(ResMed)) offer heating of water to better control humidity levels. And, these machines make pretty much zero noise, and can be run from battery systems should the need arise.

 

[JustAnandaDourEyedDude]

Good to know CPAP machines have come a long way since I tried them. I toss and turn all night, so the nasal interface may not work.

 

[beren777]

Good to know CPAP machines have come a long way since I tried them. I toss and turn all night, so the nasal interface may not work.

I started using one last year. It took an adjustment period but I think nothing of it these days. The nasal pillows were a fairly easy adjustment. You may also toss and turn less often while using the CPAP. Even if you don't, once you're used to it, it'll toss and turn with you. Good luck!

 

[KeithPhantom]

A few days ago I went to my annual medical checkup where they tested my hearing. My physician was surprised that I still heard 20,000 kHz easily and even I am. But this is also a curse for me since having full range hearing can be more revealing of resonances and HF trash some gear or even music has. It helps that I am pretty young and always listen to music at moderate to low levels, so let's see how it goes with the age.

 

[frogmeat69]

Good to know CPAP machines have come a long way since I tried them. I toss and turn all night, so the nasal interface may not work.

Been using a Bi-PAP for about 16 years now, took about a week to get used to wearing the head gear, mine being a mask that covers my nose and mouth. Now I can't sleep without it.
Like the above post mentioned, your tossing all night might be reduced with the CPAP, I say try again.

My hearing seems pretty good still at 52, considering all of the metal concerts I've been to. I guess the ear plugs I have been wearing since the early 90's have helped.