Big surprise for me. Age related hearing loss.

[Bwaslo]

I'm using hearing aids, mostly boost the 8k (and I assume higher) range. They do help with music.

But I dont wear them all the time though, sometimes they physically bother. An advantage of using easily switched PEQ filtering like in Wiim Ultra is that I can have two EQs, one for use with aids, one for without. I add the average HF boost the hearing aids would produce for the 'without' eq.

 

[DonM]

For over 45 years I have been listening to the Altec Valencia speakers along with several other brands. Even though they just reach about 12k I still really enjoyed them because they make the music feel alive, dynamic, and emotionally direct. For this reason my high frequency hearing loss has not been significant.

 

[Chromatischism]

People who can no longer hear to 15 kHz should be happy they cannot hear the sounds electronics make. I am usually the first one to point out there's a high-pitched whine coming from somewhere, either a computer, monitor, or especially a CRT TV left on.

 

[DavidMcRoy]

I


Not sure about that. I tried it with my waxwing phono stage that has a low and hi-cut filter and removed all frequencies above 8-10-12khz and thought that music sounds rather dull and muffled even by cutting at 12khz.

Same here, but our brain doesn't really respond as we might think. Even with a brick wall filter applied, our brains "fill in the blanks" where it thinks harmonics ought to be. In other words, we trick ourselves into "hearing" things that aren't really "there" as far as our ears are concerned. We are wired to look for patterns in nature and we "imagine" how things might actually be to approximate what's going on around us. I believe audiophile myths arise from that trait: we hear what we expect to hear or what we want to hear. We aren't chart recorders of stimuli like a microphone and a spectrum analyzer. We make broad interpretations.

 

[respice finem]

People who can no longer hear to 15 kHz should be happy they cannot hear the sounds electronics make. I am usually the first one to point out there's a high-pitched whine coming from somewhere, either a computer, monitor, or especially a CRT TV left on.

This. However it's a bit relative, because some such annoyances can be quite loud, and thus still be audible, at least in a quiet room.

 

[Frank Dernie]

In recent years I haven't worried much about HF reproduction, partly because I can't hear it but mainly because a spectral analysis of the sort of music I normally listen to shows very little actual sound in the, inaudible to me, "top octave".
I understand some percussive instruments have reasonable outputs at HF but no longer noticing the triangle being played in an orchestra is only a minor, though real, disappointment.
In any case it is only overtones, ie harmonics, of the notes of almost every instrument above 7kHz anyway, so the fundamental tone is almost never missed by somebody with top octave hearing loss, just a small change in timbre.

 

[DSJR]

In recent years I haven't worried much about HF reproduction, partly because I can't hear it but mainly because a spectral analysis of the sort of music I normally listen to shows very little actual sound in the, inaudible to me, "top octave".
I understand some percussive instruments have reasonable outputs at HF but no longer noticing the triangle being played in an orchestra is only a minor, though real, disappointment.
In any case it is only overtones, ie harmonics, of the notes of almost every instrument above 7kHz anyway, so the fundamental tone is almost never missed by somebody with top octave hearing loss, just a small change in timbre.

One old Walker Brothers song I loved as a child and grew to lyrically understand and 'feel' later on is 'After The Lights Go Out,' which initially was the B side to 'The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Any More' from 1966. On my parents' Deccalian 88 record player with Collaro changer, I could easily hear a triangle being rhythmically struck in the introduction (it's around 11kHz) and the single still had it on my earlier 'HiFi' rigs. It's there on the digital mastering of the song on a compilation according to a wave-editor, but I can't hear it now, much to my disappointment...

How the mighty fall eh (I was a right legend in my lunchbox/dem room once upon a time - take yer pick )

 

[Gorgonzola]

One more voice here: I'm presently 80 y/o and can't hear a damned thing above about 8 kHz.

What's more it's been decades that I was stone deaf above 10 kHz. Also, I've had tinnitus for about 60 year though it's never been a big problem.

I probably damaged my hearing back in colleges by shooting at an indoor range without ear protection. It was only .22LR rifle, not very loud relatively, but even so, I should have know better or be so advised by the more experienced shooters.

 

[respice finem]

...I probably damaged my hearing back in colleges by shooting at an indoor range without ear protection.

Probably. It seems quieter than it is, esp. pistol indoors is quite loud. Even more with "HV" ammo.
And there's always more than one shooter involved.
Almost all older shooters have partial hearing damage, because hardly anyone cared.
A few don't, despite not having cared, which is a mystery to me.

 

[Ramon Cota]

An even easier way to test oneself - first set the volume to a "sane" level at 1 to 3 kHz, then move the slider up

Online Tone Generator - generate pure tones of any frequency

www.szynalski.com

this generator seems broken to me , i can clearly hear up to 20 khz with it and i know that i cant hear past 15 khz . The highest tones also seem not as high as they should be.

 

[respice finem]

this generator seems broken to me , i can clearly hear up to 20 khz with it and i know that i cant hear past 15 khz . The highest tones also seem not as high as they should be.

It's not my generator - but, two possibilities:
a) some "gimmicks" in Windows or the amp are perhaps active, dynamic compression, EQ, loudness etc.?
b) maybe it's so loud that you hear what you normally can't. We usually don't go completely treble deaf, only impaired.
Set a "reasonably" loud 1-3 kHz tone first and then check (without further altering the volume), if you still hear much past 15 kHz.
The tone hight itself can be verified easily with a smartphone app like Spectroid. In my quick test it is exactly what it should be.

 

[Ramon Cota]

It's not my generator - but, two possibilities:
a) some "gimmicks" in Windows or the amp are perhaps active, dynamic compression, EQ, loudness etc.?
b) maybe it's so loud that you hear what you normally can't. We usually don't go completely treble deaf, only impaired.
Set a "reasonably" loud 1-3 kHz tone first and then check (without further altering the volume), if you still hear much past 15 kHz.
The tone hight itself can be verified easily with a smartphone app like Spectroid. In my quick test it is exactly what it should be.

im on Linux , but i know already what happened.
I was playing this while in VM and it was playing tricks on me.
When checked on host system it worked as intended , 14,3 khz is my limit.

 

[EJ3]

Probably. It seems quieter than it is, esp. pistol indoors is quite loud. Even more with "HV" ammo.
And there's always more than one shooter involved.
Almost all older shooters have partial hearing damage, because hardly anyone cared.
A few don't, despite not having cared, which is a mystery to me.

I was involved in shooting sports since I got a single shot 22 rifle for passing first grade (I never, ever, shot on an indoor range).
Many race dirt bikes, cars, riding in open top cars & motorcycles with no helmets later +
I spent 17 years on military ships, the constant background noise (even when asleep in my own berth) did not help my hearing.
Perhaps it is in the best interest of our own mental health to not care about something that has yet to have a fix.
In & of itself, worrying (not just acknowledging that there is a problem, but constant mulling about something),
is demonstrably stress. Self stressing about something that there is no fix for is not healthy.
It's not that we don't care (most of us would fix it if we could), it's just that it is not worth hurting the rest of our body over
(possibly leading to an early death).
I am now suffering with hearing loss (and other aches & pains), some due to information that we did not have back then.
But I wouldn't have missed any of it (yes, I would have worn more Personal Protective Gear, had it been available & known as needed.
In that era (I was born in EARLY 1957), the actual needs were not known.

 

[respice finem]

...Perhaps it is in the best interest of our own mental health to not care about something that has yet to have a fix.

Well, fixes are available to anyone nowadays, when it comes to shooting. I have to know after 4+ decades in this sport.
Tactical hearing protection are the "luxury solution", but even simple plugs will protect better than nothing, without breaking verbal communication.
Even modern military helmet radios provide basic hearing protection. Avoidable harm can and should be avoided. Last but not least, a shooting range is not a ship, even the staff doesn't spend weeks non stop on them.

 

[EJ3]

Well, fixes is available to anyone nowadays, when it comes to shooting. I have to know after 4+ decades in this sport.
Tactical hearing protection are the "luxury solution", but even simple plugs will protect better than nothing, without breaking verbal communication.
Even modern military helmet radios provide basic hearing protection. Avoidable harm can and should be avoided. Last but not least, a shooting range is not a ship, even the staff doesn't spend weeks non stop on them.

Right, I was living on ships all but between 6 & 8 weeks a year. For 17 years.
So, I'm guessing that there are some ship jobs with some entities that you have no clue about.
And I am quite sure (from ongoing hearing tests) that shooting was not the issue.
Open top cars, cars with open exhausts (race cars, while working on them [may have been]).
Many 10's thousands of miles in planes & helicopters of all types, war. etc.
It's constant added on noise.
A lot of it came from working in a pole barn on turbo diesels with a concrete floor & a metal roof.
Being a machinist, working on production machinery.
Running sound for Rock bands.
Attending 100's of concerts.
Racing twin engine 30 HP (total) Go Karts.
It's just pretty much everything that I ever did, was noisy.
The noise from shooting was only a tiny part of my life.

 

[respice finem]

Right, I was living on ships all but between 6 & 8 weeks a year. For 17 years.
So, I'm guessing that there are some ship jobs with some entities that you have no clue about.

Sure I have no clue about all ships, but of shooting, I do. And of mental health too, as well as hearing loss, accidentally being a doctor
So do yourself a favor and go trolling someone else. Bye. Don't bother answering, I won't see it.

 

[Yuhasz01]

Message from this thread? Take care of your most valuable audio gear, your ears. Get them tested by an audiologist so you know your situation for your preferred music listening.

 

[DSJR]

One more voice here: I'm presently 80 y/o and can't hear a damned thing above about 8 kHz.

What's more it's been decades that I was stone deaf above 10 kHz. Also, I've had tinnitus for about 60 year though it's never been a big problem.

I probably damaged my hearing back in colleges by shooting at an indoor range without ear protection. It was only .22LR rifle, not very loud relatively, but even so, I should have know better or be so advised by the more experienced shooters.

I've had Tinnitus on and off since the memorable Led Zeppelin concert at Earls Court in May 1975!!! (the venue sound engineers must have been totally deaf or stoned frankly as the noise was so loud you couldn't hear the music until venturing to the loo in the second hall, when the music could be clearly heard). I was also travelling by train daily to work which didn't help and it wasn't until my mid twenties when I went to work in 'the sticks' that it began to fade away. It returned in my forties and has stayed ever since, with a now 24/7 feeling that I have a heavy cold with the vibe of blocked ears (they're sadly not), but can't 'pop' my ears to clear it. The Gate and Zero iems above a lowish volume, do seem to override the Tinnitus a bit and I hear all the HF I need. It's speakers in rooms which cause the issue, but currently, I can't try a wide hf-dispersion speaker like say, JBL 305s to see how differently they 'drive' the room. The 'BBC Derived' types i've been using have obvious dispersion issues at crossover, right where I feel my lugs need the extra reflected sound to augment the direct.

I keep saying it over and over - treasure your hearing, especially in more reckless younger years.

 

[EJ3]

Sure I have no clue about all ships, but of shooting, I do. And of mental health too, as well as hearing loss, accidentally being a doctor
So do yourself a favor and go trolling someone else. Bye. Don't bother answering, I won't see it.

Dr. VERY good. I went to high school with some that became Dr.'s.
One was mine after he did such.
But in the 70's, few, knew what is generally known now.
& I am a huge advocate of using all that is available to keep hearing loss from happening to begin with.
So, I applaud your getting this out and spreading the word.
Too few people do that.
And too many people get the knowledge too late.
It is something that should be taught in early grade school: loud noise & long term not so loud noise WILL
(not MAY) harm your hearing.
I just accept that mine has been harmed by my own activities (and a lack of knowledge).
When I can't understand people's voices, I'll research what steps can be taken to mitigate that.
By the way, I thought you where trolling, the way you worded things.
I was just stating facts about my experience's.
It's hard to interpret just the written words intent many times.
I am blunt & to the point, most times.
That puts many folks off.
With 14 trips through the Panama canal, a couple of Degree's, but mostly been all over Europe,
Asia & the tropics of the Indian Ocean & Western Pacific Islands (Home for 20 years),
I've never been called a troll. Interesting.

 

[Corvuscorone]

I am fortunate that now, at the age of 62, I can hear well up to 11,000 Hz and up to 15,000 HZ when the volume is turned up. I listened to the test with Artti T10 planar IEM headphones, which were frequency-equalized to the Harman IEM curve. I did another similar test a year ago with AKG K-371 closed headphones corrected to the Harman curve and at that time I could hear well up to 13,000 Hz at a fairly high volume. In a year's time, I will probably only be able to hear well up to 10,000 Hz. By emphasizing the highest frequencies with EQ, you can probably correct the frequencies that are most difficult to hear, but of course not the frequencies that you can no longer hear at all.