hearing test - equal loudness contours

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Surreal · #1 Post by **Surreal** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 9:50 pm

Equal loudness contours and audiometry: http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/jw/hearing.html

And if you just want to see how sensitive your hearing is to those high frequencies... http://www.noiseaddicts.com/2009/03/can ... ring-test/
edit: I can hear up 18kHz (the 18 actually sounds louder than the 17 to me), at 19-20kHz I don't quite hear it but it feels like a buzzing in my brain, at 21-22kHz I didn't notice anything but I started to get a light headache

Eyeball · #2 Post by **Eyeball** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 1:39 am

Oh, no! 11K!!!

Could my pc speakers play a part in it?

SoundInMotionDJ · #3 Post by **SoundInMotionDJ** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 7:17 am

Eyeball wrote:Oh, no! 11K!!!

Could my pc speakers play a part in it?

It is likely that the PC speakers are not producing over 11kHz.

Get a good set of headphones for the test.

Mr Awesomer · #4 Post by **Mr Awesomer** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 12:21 pm

On my work computer (read cheapest sound card available) and crap work issued headphones I can hear 17 but not 18. Do get the wierd sensation at 18 though. Get nothing from anything higher.

Eyeball · #5 Post by **Eyeball** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 12:24 pm

Mr Awesomer wrote:On my work computer (read cheapest sound card available) and crap work issued headphones I can hear 17 but not 18. Do get the wierd sensation at 18 though. Get nothing from anything higher.

Would even "crap headphones" reproduce higher f's than 'crap' pc speakers?

Haydn · #6 Post by **Haydn** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 12:38 pm

Using the second test and using heaphones turned up, I can hear all the way up, but the volume is a lot lower at the higher frequencies. For example, 16 kHz is a lot quieter than 12 kHz. 17 kHz sounds wrong - a lower note. 22 is more of a buzz.

Mr Awesomer · #7 Post by **Mr Awesomer** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 12:41 pm

Eyeball wrote:
Mr Awesomer wrote:On my work computer (read cheapest sound card available) and crap work issued headphones I can hear 17 but not 18. Do get the wierd sensation at 18 though. Get nothing from anything higher.
Would even "crap headphones" reproduce higher f's than 'crap' pc speakers?

Found the specs on the headset I'm using: 20 - 20,000. If I'm reading the specs on the soundcard correctly, frequency response falls off quickly at 15,000... so it's either the soundcard... or my ears.

Eyeball · #8 Post by **Eyeball** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 1:32 pm

So how do I find my sound card specs?

Toon Town Dave · #9 Post by **Toon Town Dave** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 1:32 pm

With Sennheiser HD 457 Headphones (25Hz-21kHz frequency response):

On my desktop PC at work (crap onboard audio device), I get the same as Reuben up to 17kHz, if I crank the volume I can hear to 19kHz and hear something at 20kHz but it doesn't sound like a 20kHz sine wave.

On my laptop (2 year old Dell Inspiron 6400 with SigmaTel audio onboard), I can hear 19kHz, if I crank the volume, I can hear 20kHz. I can hear something at 21 but it doesn't sound like 21 so it's likely some sort of distortion at the top end of the headphone's response.

Actually I think I can hear 22kHz with the same headphones and volume cranked on my Turtle Beach AudioAdvantage Micro but there is also a lot of distortion at 21 and 22, some distortion at 20kHz but notably more than the SigmaTel so I think at least some of it is due to the audio device.

My guess is the filter after the D/A conversion has a sharper roll-off with SigmaTel compared to the AA Micro. I'm curious, now I want to check out the frequency response with a proper function generator and oscilloscope.

Given the fact that I was a live blues events all last weekend, I'm happy my hearing recovered. 3 nights were right at the front, 2 of those were literally about 3 or 4 feet away from a trio of bass speakers.

Eyeball · #10 Post by **Eyeball** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 1:35 pm

Naturally, my age is working against me, but some of the older guys on the comments section on the test forum had similar or better hearing after decades of loud rock music which I never did.

Oh, well......

Toon Town Dave · #11 Post by **Toon Town Dave** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 1:43 pm

I don't do a lot of loud, rock music events. Even this past weekend at the blues festival. the sound guys did a fantastic job letting the musicians shine. The new their stuff and didn't believe louder was better than good, unlike the fools last year.

Eyeball · #12 Post by **Eyeball** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 11:33 am

Former classmate of mine was hearing 10 - 11K on her Mac speakers. Tried headphones - 15K.

trev · #13 Post by **trev** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 5:41 pm

17kHz, I knew you well, but alas, we cannot be together any more.

It's not you, it's me