Human Hearing Test

[stephenT]

I've maintained we all have differing abilities when it come to auditory matters, when folks say "I don't hear any differences" in the mahogany vs. rosewood, etc posts, doesn't mean there are no differences, just that they are subtle and often defined by the overtones in the higher frequencies.

I'm sure this test is less than scientific still I found it interesting.

I was a bit surprised that I was good up to 13k Hz and then the high frequencies fall off, but I've always maintained my hearing is pretty good for an old guy who's spent his life in front of guitar amps and full bands most of my life.

How'd you do?

[guitargabor]

I think this test is quite accurate.

My hearing range is from 60-7K HZ,the same that was verified by my otolaryngologist .

Up until I developed tinnitus 7 years ago,my hearing range was much wider.

If you own a dog make sure you turn the volume down after about 6K!!

[martingitdave]

Take good care of your hearing folks. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. My hearing loss starts above 2,000 Hz. I remember feeling utterly crushed when they did the bone conduction test and I knew she was pressing buttons in the control room, but I heard nothing. Hearing devices help quite a bit, but they’ve taken more than a year to somewhat “normalize.” I bought and sold a lot of perfectly great guitars in the time preceding the hearing test. Of course, I’ve done a lot of the same since. :-). Protect your hearing and your audiences’ hearing as well. I don’t turn up my PA beyond 100 dB and only play for quiet people.

[Hasbro]

I could hear starting at 37 on low, the high started to taper in volume to my ears at 13,500, gone by 14,500.

How does that fare, i have no idea.

[stringjunky]

20Hz - 7000KHz

[posternutbag]

My range was from the very lowest tone (although I couldn’t distinguish pitch, it just sound d like a low rumble) up to 18000 hz or 18khz.

[fazool]

So the first time I did it I stopped hearing at like 7300hz....but that didn't sound right., So, I adjusted my volume, redid the test and this time closed my eyes and really listened.

I heard up to ~13Khz.

So I waited (rested my ears) and then did the same again and got ~12Khz

So I threw out my first test and figure I'm somewhere in the 12-13k range.

but like many later middle-aged men, my hearing is weak at the human voice range, particularly female human voice frequency range (that's no joke it's actually based on data)

[stormin1155]

With headphones 25 - 7,000k, but had to turn up the volume after 5k. My left ear dropped out at about 5.7k. I have pretty severe tinnitus, and have known for years I have pretty pronounced hearing loss. Loud farm machinery, shooting guns without hearing protection, and rock 'n roll are the suspected culprits. Mostly the farm machinery... this was back in the '60s-'70s... I can remember after a day in the field, my ears ringing all night. We didn't think much about hearing damage back then. The 1968 John Deere 5020 was the worst. It was a beast!

[Goat Mick]

Not as good as I had hoped but a lot better than I feared. 20 HZ - 13500 HZ. No drop outs in that range. Between guns, motorcycles and rock & roll I'm hearing pretty good for 51.

[vindibona1]

I'm not sure how volume plays into it all, but I was able to hear pitch from the beginning at 20hz until just about the end. But there were a couple things that confused me. It wasn't just straight pure pitch throughout, but the sound sort of went "ooooooeeeeeeeOOOOeeeeoooo and sometimes it was louder in the left ear, sometimes louder in the right.

FWIW, I was listening with an Audio Technica ATH M50 headset.

[leew3]

I didn't do the test as I see an audiologist twice a year for maintenance of my hearing aid-I'm aware of the moderate loss in my left ear already. I second Dave's encouragement to protect your hearing. I've had moderate loss on one side since my late 20's but only got a hearing aid in my 50's. I encourage everyone to have their hearing tested by a competent audiologist and do what is necessary to correct and protect what's left.

[fazool]

By the way, I have ringing in my ears now and a headache. Possibly psychosomatic but bothering me.


(I wear hearing protection all the time now even at concerts)

[L20A]

Originally Posted by vindibona1

I'm not sure how volume plays into it all, but I was able to hear pitch from the beginning at 20hz until just about the end. But there were a couple things that confused me. It wasn't just straight pure pitch throughout, but the sound sort of went "ooooooeeeeeeeOOOOeeeeoooo and sometimes it was louder in the left ear, sometimes louder in the right.

FWIW, I was listening with an Audio Technica ATH M50 headset.

It was the same for me with one addition,
At about 15000Hz, the sound started to drop back down to lower notes and then it got louder and went back up again to the end.

[Steadfastly]

Thanks for posting the video.

In addition, it seems can also train our ears/minds to hear things we didn't hear before. Years ago, I was into stereos and high fidelity systems. Before long, I was hearing things on songs I had never heard before because I had trained myself to "hear" better. It's probably got more to do with the mind though, than the ears.

[upsidedown]

Couldn't hear anything past 9770.

Anecdotes and observations:

- I was about 30 seconds into it before I realized I'd forgotten to turn my speakers on!

- At one point I couldn't distinguish the test signal from the (persistent) ringing in my ears.

- Test hurt my ears.