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Hearing test - get yours here !


hamfist
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Just found this excellent website where you can test your high frequency hearing.

[url="http://www.noiseaddicts.com/2009/03/can-you-hear-this-hearing-test/"]http://www.noiseaddi...s-hearing-test/[/url]

I didn't think I had much high frequency hearing loss, but it seems I can't hear much above 14KHz

I'm 46 yrs old with almost 30 years gigging behind me which has, I guess, done it's work. My 16 yr old daughter can hear the 20KHz. Hope it stays that way. She, hopefully, understands the importance of looking after your ears.

Check yours out and post the results in the poll !

Edited by hamfist
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[quote name='Musky' timestamp='1337756986' post='1664842']
Errr... You've missed out the only pitch I can hear! :o

Edit: Actually I can hear the 10k tone as well.
[/quote]

Sorry about that Musky ! Just didn't think that anyone's hearing would be that affected. SHows what I know !!

Anyway, the poll is now edited to include the most sonically challenged among us.

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Only 8KHz works for me, none of the others do anything :rolleyes: :D :o but on the good side the 8K sounds very high to me :huh: (61&1/4 yrs) :P

Edit: Tried the test again with the volume higher & I think the frequencies are numbered wrong, or to put it another way the test is a load of shyte.

I can hear 8, 10 but not 12, 14 to me is higher than 15, not 16, 17 clearly & a lower tone than 15, 18 OK, the 19 to me is the same as 17, 20 & 21 - 21 seems lower than 20 OK, then 22 just a bit buzzy.

Then I got Kaz (female 55) to listen & she can hear pretty much the same as me, with similar comments on the levels & tones, so it's not just me but it is what's coming out of my speakers. I'll get my sons to try on the same setup when they come round.

It's complete bollox - IMHO. I'm pretty sure I' hearing what my sound card & Creative speakers decide to put out, wish my tuner would pick up those high frequencies :rolleyes:

Edited by KiOgon
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At 45 years old, I can't really hear the 14k one, so 12k I guess. For me it's probably a combination of years of rehearsals, gigs & working in noisy environments without hearing protection. When I was younger, I stupidly didn't wear hearing protection very often when in high noise level areas at work. I do now (at work, rehearsals & noisier gigs, whether I'm playing or in the audience), which seems to have at least arrested the decline.

No wonder one of my old bands thought I mixed all our recordings 'too bright'.

EDIT to add age.

Edited by jonsmith
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[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1337763243' post='1664943']
This isnt a test of hearing so much as a test of your PC audio card, and the speakers you are using.....
[/quote]

Yes, as I can hear the 14 kHz on my colleagues PC, but not on mine. And they are supposed to be identical systems.

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The highest I could hear was 16kHz (Macbook Pro into Grado SR60 headphones). I'm only 37 :o .

To be honest, the difference between 16kHz and 20kHz is probably only about 2 or 3 notes, and this sonic territory is the stomping ground of harmonics as opposed to fundamentals, so I'm not too worried.

Also it's off the internet - everything on the internet is a lie anyway. ;)

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[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1337763243' post='1664943']
This isnt a test of hearing so much as a test of your PC audio card, and the speakers you are using.....
[/quote]

I've got to agree with this. I tried the test a few weeks ago with a pair of headphones and could only hear up to 14KHz. I've just tried it with some different headphones and can hear up to 17KHz. So who knows how much is due to the system rather than our hearing? I can hear something on the higher ones, but it sounds more like background noise rather than the actual pitch.
I remember trying something similar at 20-ish, and being able to hear well past 20KHz. I've probably lost a little at 31 but I've been using earplugs for a long time, so hopefully I've not lost too much. I've played with one or two older musicians where I had to remember to stand on the right side of them if I wanted them to hear what I was saying, and I don't want to go there!

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[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1337763243' post='1664943']
This isnt a test of hearing so much as a test of your PC audio card, and the speakers you are using.....
[/quote]

Plus of course the audio data compression algorithm used to encode the tones. I had a quick look at the coding for the site and it appears that the audio is delivered by Flash. Unless they are streaming full 44.1kHz 16 bit (or better) the audio will have been encoded as MP3. The default is setting 16k and the best possible is 160k. None of this is suitable for suitably encoding high pitched tones IMO.

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If you want to generate test tones download foobar2000

If you put tone://frequency,time (where frequency is the cps or hz and time is duration in seconds it will generate that since wave.

You can store these in a playlist, then convert them to wav, burn them to a disc and play them back on your stereo if you are in any doubt about the quality of the electronics in your PC/soundcard.

If you have a high end soundcard and decent monitoring you can of course just play them direct.

The difference to what you can hear when playing back through something appropriate is massive (naturally).

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[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1337764957' post='1664993']
Plus of course the audio data compression algorithm used to encode the tones. I had a quick look at the coding for the site and it appears that the audio is delivered by Flash. Unless they are streaming full 44.1kHz 16 bit (or better) the audio will have been encoded as MP3. The default is setting 16k and the best possible is 160k. None of this is suitable for suitably encoding high pitched tones IMO.
[/quote]

However they did it, it certainly still seems to show up differences in my hearing, my wife's, and my daughter's (albeit through decent PC soundcard & headphones). Seems to be a pretty valid test and comparison between individuals.

But yes, the key point made by 51m0n that it needs a decent PC sound system to play the tones reasonably is extremely relevant.

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Just had a look at the actual audio files being delivered. They are all MP3s at 192 bit rate. Theoretically this BR has a cut-off frequency of 18kHz...

I had a look at the waveform in the 22kHz file and there is something there but it's at a very low level.

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