How am I still enjoying music with my age related hearing loss?

[dougi]

I had a hearing test yesterday. It's been 4 years since my last one and with constant tinnitus caused by concerts, motorcycles etc I should do them regularly.

The verdict that my hearing was fine apart from age related loss. Probably exacerbated though. My hearing in fine in the critical voice range (up to the 2kHz test) but then starts dropping like a stone. I am awaiting the emailed results but I think a straight line down to -40dB at 8KHz or the like.

It seems amazing with such loss that I can still enjoy the hifi and music at all. The hearing mechanism must be wonderfully adaptable. I will certaintly stop worrying about the less than extended treble of my speakers.

 

[beren777]

A lot of content is below 8Khz. Also, if you were slowly going colorblind over time, your enjoyment of paintings may not change because you have had time to acclimate. I'm in a similar boat with tinnitus and hearing loss, I still enjoy music, but I have to keep volumes reasonable. I too learned to stop worrying about reproduction above 10Khz. I will never notice it missing.

 

[Joe Smith]

That's right. I'm 62 1/2 and still can hear to about 12,000 cps but I am more bothered by the typical little sensitivity dip around 4,000.
If you look at instrument pitches, it's mostly below 10,000.
I am thankful for that - as I want another 30+ years or so of enjoying music!

 

[Trif]

It's true - most musical content is between 250Hz and 2KHz. You'll be enjoying music when it's just a thumping sensation in your sternum.

 

[FeddyLost]

It seems amazing with such loss that I can still enjoy the hifi and music at all.

Just from curiosity - can you try out bone conducting earphones like Aftershokz?
Maybe there will be some difference, it depends on exact reason of your hearing problems. They declare responce up to 20 Khz.
It would be extremely fun if your next topic will be about proper summing of bluetooth aftershokz and standard subwoofer (because of the weird substitution of bass in these bone conductors).

As this technology really solve problems of people with hearing loss, maybe it will be useful for hi-fiers.
PS Very tough decision - vinyl and tubes up to 7Khz or unholy 150$ bluetooth rattlers fullrange ...

 

[EB1000]

On my last test I had a significant loss at 3kHz, on left ear, but all normal up to 8kHz. I asked the technician to try and replace the power cord of headphone amp, but she only looked at me like I'm crazy (they don't test above that, unfortunately. And they use crappy headphones with a very thin and long cable. I need to find an ENT doc who is also an audiofool... ). I tried to repeat the test at home, but I wasn't able to notice any level difference when playing a 3kHz tone...

 

[jae]

Be thankful you don't have a midrange loss. It has totally destroyed me at a relatively young age. I have thought many times that if my hearing wasn't passable in the other ear, I may have taken my own life already, although it feels like every day it gets worse. I feel like I would have been able to cope better if it were a more gradual and typical higher range presbyacusis at an advanced age.

On my last test I had a significant loss at 3kHz, on left ear, but all normal up to 8kHz. I asked the technician to try and replace the power cord of headphone amp, but she only looked at me like I'm crazy (they don't test above that, unfortunately. And they use crappy headphones with a very thin and long cable. I need to find an ENT doc who is also an audiofool... ). I tried to repeat the test at home, but I wasn't able to notice any level difference when playing a 3kHz tone...

Try using Earful with a flat EQ'd headphone (preferably ear bud) to test your relative thresholds at home

 

[BrianP]

Back in the mid-'70s, a number of Bay Area punk bands got their first gigs at the San Francisco School for the Deaf, and were allowed to play as loud as they liked. The deaf kids couldn't "hear" the music but they could feel the strong beat through the air and the floor and dance to it. They were apparently an enthusiastic audience, and truly "enjoyed" the performances.

 

[diddley]

Back in the mid-'70s, a number of Bay Area punk bands got their first gigs at the San Francisco School for the Deaf, and were allowed to play as loud as they liked. The deaf kids couldn't "hear" the music but they could feel the strong beat through the air and the floor and dance to it. They were apparently an enthusiastic audience, and truly "enjoyed" the performances.

Just reminded me, not exactly the same but still big fun

 

[LTig]

I had a hearing test yesterday. [..] My hearing is fine in the critical voice range (up to the 2kHz test) but then starts dropping like a stone. I am awaiting the emailed results but I think a straight line down to -40dB at 8KHz or the like.

It seems amazing with such loss that I can still enjoy the hifi and music at all. The hearing mechanism must be wonderfully adaptable. I will certaintly stop worrying about the less than extended treble of my speakers.

The reason is that the hearing sense works in a logarithmic way - both in amplitude and in frequency. The audible range (20 Hz to 20 kHz) spans about 10 octaves. If you loose the highest octave (10 kHz to 20 kHz) you loose only 10%, not 50%. And you no longer need to worry about harmonic distortion above 5 Khz ...

PS: To compensate for the loss (in pleasure!) you could add a subwoofer so you better hear the lowest octave (20 Hz to 40 Hz) ...

 

[Gorgonzola]

I was stone deaf above 10 kHz for many years and that has probably dropped down to 8-9 kHz, maybe lower. I still enjoy music as much as ever. I also believe I can hear differences in electronic components, not all all the time, some all the time.

 

[MRC01]

... To compensate for the loss (in pleasure!) you could add a subwoofer so you better hear the lowest octave (20 Hz to 40 Hz) ...

AFAIK, age related hearing loss doesn't affect lows, only highs. In my mid 50s I've lost the top 1/2 octave but can still hear down to about 17 Hz.

 

[LTig]

AFAIK, age related hearing loss doesn't affect lows, only highs. In my mid 50s I've lost the top 1/2 octave but can still hear down to about 17 Hz.

I know. I just wanted to show a "way" how to compensate the loss of the highest octave by getting a sub (for those who dont have one, of course) to hear the lowest octave ...

 

[pozz]

Just FYI @dougi: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ds/most-useful-diagram-of-hearing-loss.26779/

 

[dougi]

Just FYI @dougi: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ds/most-useful-diagram-of-hearing-loss.26779/

Thanks @pozz . An interesting thread. No hearings aids recommended for me yet. I'll be sure to read up on the science when the time comes.

 

[Timcognito]

Came across and sent this to a musician friend but he never followed up. FYI for tinnitus sufferers.

Science | AAAS

www.sciencemag.org

Science | AAAS

www.science.org

 

[Peterinvan]

The reason is that the hearing sense works in a logarithmic way - both in amplitude and in frequency. The audible range (20 Hz to 20 kHz) spans about 10 octaves. If you loose the highest octave (10 kHz to 20 kHz) you loose only 10%, not 50%. And you no longer need to worry about harmonic distortion above 5 Khz ...

PS: To compensate for the loss (in pleasure!) you could add a subwoofer so you better hear the lowest octave (20 Hz to 40 Hz) ...

I don’t know if it is age related, but in my 70s I have started to enjoy bass heavy music a lot. I have KEF LS50W speakers and a SVS1000 sub. Here is my Tidal playlist: https://tidal.com/playlist/333e7833-4956-4cc7-af27-e7891910ceeb

 

[egellings]

If you are listening to familiar music you heard when you hearing was good, then memory of how it sounded could be adding the highs you can't hear anymore.

 

[LTig]

I don’t know if it is age related, but in my 70s I have started to enjoy bass heavy music a lot. I have KEF LS50W speakers and a SVS1000 sub.

This. I'm sure you didn't own a sub in your 30s so you couldn't know what you missed.

 

[sdiver68]

I had some type of middle ear infection/blockage in my left ear that took out some of my high freq pn that side. And normal loss due to age in my right ear.

Android Adapt Sound with test based custom eq curve is amazing with headphones and other phone devices.