[ThanatosVI]

The idea is nice but the app is buggy or doesn't work well with some Smartphones. (Galaxy S10 in my case)

When I run the Tests it first has no sound and then after a threshold clearly audible sound.

The results also Show me that I have slight hearing loss.

If that clearly audible sound would be the lowest I can hear that would certainly be true.
As it stands now the test doesn't really help anything.

 

[Detroifa]

Thanks but I couldn’t find this on App Store

Too bad,must not be available on ios. It certainly is more accurate and meticulous than the sennheiser one.
I might schedule an appointment with an audiologist and compare both results with the results from someone certified.
I'll get back once this is done

 

[Detroifa]

The idea is nice but the app is buggy or doesn't work well with some Smartphones. (Galaxy S10 in my case)

When I run the Tests it first has no sound and then after a threshold clearly audible sound.

The results also Show me that I have slight hearing loss.

If that clearly audible sound would be the lowest I can hear that would certainly be true.
As it stands now the test doesn't really help anything.

Exactly my experience.

 

[rarewolf]

[…]

We hope this app is insightful for you, and wish you many more years of enjoying your music collection!

Your app is intended for more important applications, of course, but I can also imagine in its data being an aid, together with PEQ, for matching our cans and IEMs to our own hearing(?)

 

[ericpalonen]

Your app is intended for more important applications, of course, but I can also imagine in its data being an aid, together with PEQ, for matching our cans and IEMs to our own hearing(?)

Possible, yes, but we will not use it for that.

 

[baskingshark]

I work in the medical line, and perform industrial audiometries and sign off on them daily. This Sennheiser app is definitely not the gold standard hearing test, but I laud Sennheiser for taking the initiative to create a quick DIY - and free - tool to help audiophiles screen their general hearing, and this indirectly brings about more discussion and awareness about hearing health.

FWIW, a legit audiometry booth with equipment is not accessible to most audiophiles, not to mention the costs involved for seeing an ENT/audiometrist. So I think this app may be a nifty screening tool for audiophiles to use, and if there are any issues flagged up (touch wood), at least one can then go on to seek a professional consultation.

After all, what would our hobby be if we have poor hearing health?

Spoiler: Things to note before doing hearing tests:

Having said that, since everyone is using different sources and transducers at home, ideally, the user should be doing this test in a quiet environment (sound proof booth is the gold standard, but that is likewise not accessible for most folk). Also, the user should ideally be using a neutral source and a neutral transducer, so as not to colour any frequencies and avoid boosting or depressing certain areas in the FR. Achieving a good seal with well-fitting earpads or eartips is quite essential, so as to keep the sub-bass frequencies intact. Poor seal = sub-bass is lost.

One other thing, before doing a hearing test, most medical institutions would recommend that the user rest their ears for 12 - 16 hours prior to doing the test. There is an entity called temporary threshold shift (https://andersonaudiology.com/resources/what-is-temporary-threshold-shift-tts/#:~:text=Temporary Threshold Shift (TTS) is,ear can be pushed over.), where someone who just worked or listened to loud noise/music can have temporary hearing loss, due to the hair cells being overworked.

Have you ever gone to a loud concert and then came out with some tinnitus (ringing), muffled or full sensation in the ears? Yes that is temporary threshold shift, and thankfully, it is reversible if the noise exposure is not prolonged (we will discuss below). So before doing this test on the Sennheiser app, it is advisable that you refrain from loud or long music sessions for 12 - 16 hours, as audiometrists frequently see so-called "abnormal" audiometries done in a clinic, but then we realize that the examinee had just worked in a noisy workplace prior to coming. When we repeat the audiometry after this worker has rested for 16 hours (noise free environment), viola, the audiometry becomes normal!

Also, if one is suffering from a flu or respiratory infection, audiometry/ear test results can possibly be spurious, as there is a eustachian tube linking the nose to the ears, and this can be blocked with secretions, and the tympanic membrane (eardrum) may not be able to move or transmit noise too well in a respiratory infection. So please do this test when you are well.

Spoiler: Age related hearing loss

https://www.researchgate.net/figure...ganization-for-Standardization_fig1_338597788

Generally, treble frequencies > 8 kHz are first to be lost with older age. This is called presbycusis and is common in people > 50 years old. Thus, a 17 year old is gonna hear treble very differently from a 70 year old. Of course there are exceptions, but in general, physiological hearing loss is unfortunately a part of normal ageing.

Spoiler: Noise induced hearing loss

Some hobbyists suffer from noise induced hearing loss (occupational or leisure induced), and interestingly, they lose the 4/6 kHz areas more than other frequencies - this is because the hair cells that transmit these frequencies are found nearer to the outer ear and are the first to die with prolonged loud noise. Noise induced hearing loss is permanent and not recoverable, so please take care of your precious hearing!

What is excessive loud noise then?

https://www.osha.gov/noise
As this article states: "If you need to raise your voice to speak to someone 3 feet away, noise levels might be over 85 decibels." This is useful if you do not have measuring tools to guide you.

85 decibels is the magic number, and most countries' safety organizations would recommend not to exceed 85dB over 8 working hours, as that is when permament noise-induced hearing loss occurs.

dB follows a logarithmic scale (every 3dB rise = double the energy). Thus, for every 3 dB increase in noise exposure, you should limit your exposure by half, to prevent hearing loss.

Here's a quick guide on how much noise you are getting exposed to. A rock concert can easily hit north of 130dB!

It may be tempting to pump up the volume while listening to our gear, to get more micro-details and head-banging fun, but please take care of your ears, we only have one pair, and the permanent losses due to excessive noise can really put a damper on this hobby years down the line.

Spoiler: Tinnitus!

As for tinnitus, that is a big can of worms, it may or may not be related to hearing loss. Tinnitus is a symptom, and not a diagnosis, and while majority of the causes are benign, very very rarely, it can be something sinister like a growth in the brain eg acoustic neuroma, or some abnormal formations in blood vessels, or Meniere's disease.

It is best to get checked out by an ENT for tinnitus, as they would need to do further tests to come to a diagnosis, which is beyond the scope of an internet forum.

Treatment of tinnitus is sometimes challenging, and would involve treating the underlying cause, and may involve behaviour therapy, tinnitus suppression devices, medication, and perhaps some electrical stimulation.

There is much research going on in this area, the industry moves rapidly, and hopefully there might be a cure for our friends who are suffering from long-term tinnitus.

 

[adeeb]

Try this one. It takes awhile to calibrate. But generated tones go way lower than the app from sennheiser.
As much as I like sennheiser their app smells fishy

I assume this is not available for iOS?

 

[Bytor123]

I assume this is not available for iOS?

I've just got it from the app store on my iPhone

 

[Gnofnaik]

great tool

 

[ThanatosVI]

great tool

Does it work for you on very low volume?
If so which device are you using?

 

[Gnofnaik]

Does it work for you on very low volume?
If so which device are you using?

I use it on iPhone with airpods. I tried on DAP but because it doesn't has mic which gave me an error.

 

[jirams]

I would pay this some respect if it was based on more data points.

 

[samandhi]

Some good stuff here. Though, since there isn't a calibration for the current set of headphones/IEMs/earbuds you are using, it isn't quite as useful as it could be. I believe there some ways to get nearer the goal, however. You could take this test many times using a different set of head gear and build a baseline to get an idea where your gear falls in combination with how good/poor your ears might be in a certain FR, or you could use another type of hearing test to better "calibrate" your head gear to better be neutral for the test. This, of course, is not a professional calibration, but will get you closer to the Senn test being accurate.

The first one is if you have any Samsung phone. It has been around for a long time, and while it may or may not be 100% accurate, DOES indeed make a difference in how I hear sounds via specific head gear that I own. Here is a video for this app:

Spoiler: Samsung Adapt Sound

And, if you don't have a Samsung phone, then you could use an app that does much the same called Neutralizer. I would feel more comfortable taking the Sennheiser hearing test through their app after calibrating your head gear with one of the aforementioned apps. This way, there is less of a chance that your head gear might be at fault for you not hearing a specific area of the spectrum.

Just my $.02!

 

[Detroifa]

Some good stuff here. Though, since there isn't a calibration for the current set of headphones/IEMs/earbuds you are using, it isn't quite as useful as it could be. I believe there some ways to get nearer the goal, however. You could take this test many times using a different set of head gear and build a baseline to get an idea where your gear falls in combination with how good/poor your ears might be in a certain FR, or you could use another type of hearing test to better "calibrate" your head gear to better be neutral for the test. This, of course, is not a professional calibration, but will get you closer to the Senn test being accurate.

The first one is if you have any Samsung phone. It has been around for a long time, and while it may or may not be 100% accurate, DOES indeed make a difference in how I hear sounds via specific head gear that I own. Here is a video for this app:

Spoiler: Samsung Adapt Sound

And, if you don't have a Samsung phone, then you could use an app that does much the same called Neutralizer. I would feel more comfortable taking the Sennheiser hearing test through their app after calibrating your head gear with one of the aforementioned apps. This way, there is less of a chance that your head gear might be at fault for you not hearing a specific area of the spectrum.

Just my $.02!

Well to me the app serves marketing.
I redid the test a couple of times. The lowest audible tone is not low enough.
The test was done through the ie600 and audiojack of a device using internal SD865 Dac.

The aforementioned app I referred previously (e-audiologia.pl) is way more accurate.
It allows you to manually calibrate the gear you use. And the tones go way lower (which is perfectly audible by my ears as I may add) than the lowest tone used by Sennheiser app.
I will confirm the difference in test results between both apps and have scheduled a hearing test with a certified audiologist.
I'll happily share the results.
-25db right and - 35db left is borderline hearing aid necessity and no previous certified tests I did gave me these numbers.
I dismiss the sennheiser app as marketing unfortunately, bold move Sonova

 

[adeeb]

I've just got it from the app store on my iPhone

I was referring to the other app that had been suggested which seems to include calibration/compensation for the source and headphones.

https://cdn.head-fi.org/a/11988162.jpg