What? Hearing deterioration has no apparent practical consequences?

[ack]

In the Jan 2011 TAS Letters' section, RH makes the above claim. He also claims that "although our hearing deteriorates significantly with age, we don't perceive the degradation".

To me this is one of the most outrageously generalized claims that magazine has ever made, or is it. I believe those claims when the hearing loss is uniform across the entire audible band - since one simply compensates by turning the volume higher, and in fact, that's the case with my hearing (tested every few years), plus I have verified with my doctor that it's natural not to perceive differences in *that* case - but what if one's hearing drops, say, just in the midrange or elsewhere? In fact, I've heard of a few people whose hearing has dropped significantly just in the lower registers and want to turn up their subs. And what about the effects of the ensuing tinnitus that usually comes with significant hearing loss or hearing damage (e.g. constant loud background noises like blasting your speakers for years, in-ear phones, etc), a disease that can in fact come on even if your hearing loss is partial within the audio band?

Thoughts? I am personally LOL with the stuff RH writes.

 

[audioguy]

Age related hearing loss is not always uniform across the audio spectrum. In my case (and according to my ear doc, most male cases) is that high frequency loss is more likely, in which case RH is AGAIN full of kwap!

 

[Steve williams]

Age related hearing loss is not always uniform across the audio spectrum. In my case (and according to my ear doc, most male cases) is that high frequency loss is more likely

I agree completely Chuck. Now if my hearing was as good as my wife's I would be very happy. She can hear a pin drop in the middle of rush hour as if it is no big deal.

 

[Randy Bessinger]

My wife can hear me discussing buying new audio equipment from about a mile away

 

[Gedlee]

In the Jan 2011 TAS Letters' section, RH makes the above claim. He also claims that "although our hearing deteriorates significantly with age, we don't perceive the degradation".

Thoughts? I am personally LOL with the stuff RH writes.

My wife is an audiologist and I have a strong background in psychoacoustics. What RH says is basically true. We don't perceive a loss no matter what type, until it is quite profound. You can loose 20-30 dB and not even notice it. You'll even claim that nothing has changed when people complain that "you can't hear anymore". Loose more than that and you begin to notice that its hard to understand speech, things like that. Listening to music is completely unaffected at moderate loss. Only a profound loss would affect your listening enjoyment (altjough you will be turning it up!). Thats why it is important to have your hearing checked so that you know. Without a qualified test you simply cannot tell.

Almost 90% of all hearing loss is HF loss. Other than that has to have some specific cause like shooters ear, or the like.