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Anyone over 55 (a little arbitrary…) is experiencing hearing loss. Has yours

98.232.224.41
Posted on August 15, 2014 at 12:33:49
tinear
Audiophile

Posts: 65782
Location: Kansas City, KS
Joined: April 9, 2006
 affected your opinion of your equipment? The highs are the frequencies that disappear, foremost.
I wonder if that's why so many of us who heretofore complained of the plasticity of redbook sound now enjoy it?

 

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56, posted on August 15, 2014 at 13:04:23
Goober58
 Recently had my hearing tested and it's fine.

I don't know maybe it's just me but I've kind of thought the reason people didn't like CDs was because of the presence of high frequencies that just didn't exist on most vinyl LPs.

 

I had mine tested (required) when I went to work for Mobil in 1998, posted on August 15, 2014 at 13:45:34
Road Warrior
Audiophile

Posts: 21654
Location: Dallas
Joined: August 31, 2004
 The audiologist said don't bother spending money on a high end home theater system, you'd never appreciate it, your high frequency hearing loss is substantial. Being bullheaded I never heeded his advice. If we're in a crowd talking, expect a lot of, "what?". I never had a problem with well recorded CDs. Badly recorded ones, even with crappy hearing, is a no go for me.
----------------------

"E Burres Stigano?"


 

RE: Anyone over 55 (a little arbitrary…) is experiencing hearing loss. Has yours, posted on August 15, 2014 at 13:48:55
BillyBenBilly
Audiophile

Posts: 1425
Location: New Mexico
Joined: July 31, 2003
 Not so long ago, I went to a website that played test tones and listened through my AKG Q701 headphones and was surprised to find that my hearing topped out at 14.5KHz. Actually, I was a little surprised that it was not worse than that. I'm 61 BTW. I do now enjoy CDs more than in the past but I think CDs have come a long way since the early 80s. A bad Cd still sounds like crap to me! On the other hand, I've always been an adherent to the get the midrange right school of thought. I tend to still favor the gear that I've liked over the years, Maggies, tubes, Audio Note, so I'm not sure much has changed as I and my ears have aged. Maybe my hearing was always suspect!

 

RE: Anyone over 55 (a little arbitrary…) is experiencing hearing loss. Has yours, posted on August 15, 2014 at 13:56:47
AbeCollins
Audiophile

Posts: 46306
Location: USA
Joined: June 22, 2001
Contributor
  Since: February 2, 2002
 Age 55 now -

Last I checked which was over a couple decades ago, I had a very slight loss right around 800Hz. And I know exactly why....

Been wearing headphones and sending / receiving Morse code since age 13 as a HAM radio operator. I would always tune at about 800Hz which was my preferred tone for listening to and copying (decoding) code.

--... ...--



 

No, posted on August 15, 2014 at 14:22:01
Timbo in Oz
Audiophile

Posts: 23221
Location: Canberra - in the ACT - SE Australia
Joined: January 30, 2002
 {:-|}


Warmest

Tim Bailey

Skeptical Measurer & Audio Scrounger


 

RE: Anyone over 55 (a little arbitrary…) is experiencing hearing loss. Has yours, posted on August 15, 2014 at 14:22:59
Jack D II
Audiophile

Posts: 1535
Location: Hot Springs, AR
Joined: June 17, 2009
 At 75 I know I have a problem. 20 years ago I was tested at OU and my hearing dropped very quickly after 8500. And I have tinnitus. This is one reason I insist on a good system-I surely cant hear it if it isnt there. Cymbols, triangles are no problem. I dont think I have to be conscious of hearing a sound for it to bother me. That would be true of higher pitched sounds. I dont have trouble with records-only some cds.

 

56, posted on August 15, 2014 at 14:24:34
slapshot
Audiophile

Posts: 2248
Joined: January 9, 2006
 With high frequency loss and tinnitis in my left ear. Hasn't diminished my enjoyment of my system at all. I'm pretty sure that, as soon as my system is perfect, I'll become deaf. :)

 

The audiologist said don't bother spending money on a high end home theater system, you'd never appreciate it,, posted on August 15, 2014 at 19:25:49
three_sox
 Anecdotally I say that is total BS from an ignoramus.

My father is in his mid eighties and is fairly deaf without his hearing aids. However he can easily hear the improvements/differences, with or without his hearing aids, between a decent rig and a HTIB.

Just saying ....

 

RE: Anyone over 55 (a little arbitrary…) is experiencing hearing loss. Has yours, posted on August 15, 2014 at 20:56:16
E-Stat
Audiophile

Posts: 37666
Joined: May 12, 2000
Contributor
  Since: April 5, 2002
 57 and don't hear burglar alarms like I did when I was 18, but still find Redbook opaque at the top. And I cannot abide bright sounding systems - even though I can't hear much over about 14k.

 

Mine has decreased, posted on August 16, 2014 at 13:14:12
richardl
Audiophile

Posts: 3555
Joined: September 5, 2002
 I notice that inferior treble does not bother me as much.

I wonder if that's why so many of us who heretofore complained of the plasticity of redbook sound now enjoy it?
I still don;t care for cd, but the awful top end is less bothersome.

 

Being that I'm 56 I feel qualified to answer your question., posted on August 16, 2014 at 18:17:38
StephenJK
 Which is really two questions.

If this was a questionnaire those questions would be:

1. Have you had your hearing tested recently?
2. Have you experienced hearing loss other than what would be expected for your age?

People forget. Hearing protection is a "new" thing. I started working underground in 1978. I would be standing at the 1,000 foot level shaft station at the end of the shift waiting for the cage to take us to surface.

There was 3 inline Joy axial vane 30 HP ventilation fans howling away at 3,600 rpm right over our heads. You needed those to push the diesel exhaust out to the return air raise.

If you wanted to talk to somebody you had to yell at the top of your lungs into their ear - it was like being at a rock concert in the first 10 rows.

I used to wear my Peltor ear muffs along with the foam ear plugs. The oldtimers were a lot tougher and of course knew better. They would take their miners lamp and shine it on your crotch area - that meant you were a pussy because you weren't man enough to take a little bit of noise.

Yeah, I was a pussy, but one that can still hear. Other than the normal high frequency rolloff due to aging, not being able to hear over 14 to15 kHz, I hear every possible and subtle coloration and nuance of my stereo system. I hear with incredible detail every change and improvement that I make.

I look forward to making further improvements and changes and hearing the difference that will make.

In the meantime, kids - wear your hearing protection and look after yourselves. Nobody is going to do it for you.

 

Nowadays the dangers are more subtle..., posted on August 17, 2014 at 06:21:35
genungo
 Portable music, of course. Whether we're listening to headphones, IEMs, or earbuds it is recommended that we to take a 15 minute break every 45 minutes or so.

How many people are doing that?

 

At 64,I have had the opposite happen., posted on August 17, 2014 at 06:44:57
Art V
Audiophile

Posts: 162
Location: Delaware
Joined: February 8, 2005
 After having the pleasure of being diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma over 3 years ago my hearing has become extremely sensitive. During the period, I was in a coma for 2 weeks, have had two bone marrow transplants and have been on chemo therapy for the whole 3 plus year period.

I have become very sensitive to higher frequencies and my over all hearing has improved.Could be the chemo or the bone marrow transplants, as they say you are basically reborn due to growth of new cells.

I would strongly not recommend any of the above as a means to improve your hearing. My hair came back thicker, curly and darker after losing it 3 times due to chemo.Can't say that alone is worth the trip,but hey still alive and enjoying my music.

Best,
Art

PS Don't loose sleep over a little hearing loss as it could be worse.

 

a matter of perspective....., posted on August 17, 2014 at 09:10:28
Carl G
Audiophile

Posts: 710
Joined: July 4, 2000
 Hi Art
thanks for putting this in perspective. Its easy to focus in on what we may not have or have lost, however, appreciating what we do have is a great way of enjoying the life we have. Thanks for the reminder and.....we wish you the best with what you are dealing with.

 

At age 61 . . ., posted on August 18, 2014 at 16:02:17
Brian H P
Audiophile

Posts: 1291
Location: Oregon
Joined: December 18, 2012
 I can still hear 12.5kHz just fine. I can hear 16kHz OK, though perhaps a bit more weakly than I used to. 20kHz doesn't register as a sound, but as a rather annoying slight "pressure" on the threshold of awareness, especially with headphones. I feel somewhat tense when that test frequency is present, more relaxed when it stops.

25 years of DIY speaker building, and the intensive listening that goes with that territory, have left me hyper-sensitive to any sort of distortion, and my gear is good enough to reveal the low-level distortions, present on many recordings, that are masked by lesser equipment. So I'm probably a better judge of both recording and playback quality now than I was when I entered the hobby.

 

RE: Anyone over 55 (a little arbitrary…) is experiencing hearing loss. Has yours, posted on August 19, 2014 at 17:43:16
Tony Lauck
Audiophile

Posts: 13629
Location: Vermont
Joined: November 12, 2007
 Sorry to say, after 50+ years I could only copy about 2/3 of the Morse at 25 wpm. I guess it would take a few hours practice to get back to snuff. I had no trouble "thinking" in Morse code at 35+ wpm back when I was a teenager.

As to hearing at age 70, I can hear 12 kHz tones, but when I was 19 I had no trouble at 21 kHz.

Tony Lauck

"Diversity is the law of nature; no two entities in this universe are uniform." - P.R. Sarkar

 

RE: a matter of perspective....., posted on August 20, 2014 at 04:36:25
Art V
Audiophile

Posts: 162
Location: Delaware
Joined: February 8, 2005
 Hi Carl,

Thanks for the kind words.

Art

 

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