[ProtegeManiac]

1: On the other thread I mention in this thread, the response is that the big boost I want in the high frequencies will not result in 100dB if my baseline is 80dB. Is this wrong?

That depends on the response curve and EQ settings. If for example you're playing at an average of 80dB measured at 1000hz, but then the response curve has 4000hz at -3dB weaker or +3dB stronger than 1000hz, then adding +30dB to that will be different on either case. Add to that whether the EQ boost is peak or a high shelf EQ (bosst everything above a certain frequency equally, with a gradually weakening boost below the center freq).

You mention that it may be difficult to find an equalizer, amp, and headphones to accomplish this. That is why I started the thread.

We get that. What we're saying is that this isn't the way to get there either since the equipment can't do that...

2: Headphones specifically designed for people who are hard of hearing are designed to play that loud. Over amplification is the solution for the hard of hearing. No, I don't want to put my mother's headphones on at her volume setting. But she has never been given a warning that using her amplified headphones or hearing aids will further damage her hearing.

I know this is a little outside the box.

...and what I would do instead is just find a headphone that can fit over the corrective hearing aid. Like the HD800 thanks to its humoungous earcups.

 

[Music Alchemist]

the equipment can't do that.

Which equipment can't do that? (See below.)

There are plenty of free parametric equalizer programs that can do boosts/cuts of more than 30 dB. There are also plenty of headphones that can handle what you need.

...and what I would do instead is just find a headphone that can fit over the corrective hearing aid. Like the HD800 thanks to its humoungous earcups.

This. Can't believe I didn't think of it myself since it's so obvious.

However, I'm not sure whether the OP actually uses hearing aids at this time, and his stated budget is $500.

Anyway, if it's just supposed to fit over a hearing aid, pretty much any circumaural headphone should suffice by my reckoning. Then it would be a matter of which headphone's sound signature is preferred rather than which ones can handle extreme EQ.

 

[jthew]

OK. I appreciate all inputs and suggestions, but let's put this one to rest....maybe. Hearing aids are miniaturized devices consisting of a pickup microphone, amplifier, electronics to do eq, and a speaker. Hearing aids are made for people who have deficiencies in frequencies used in understanding speech. I have minimal deficiencies in that range. My deficiencies are at higher frequencies. Both audiologists agree that I don't need hearing aids, and that there are no hearing aids that would help with my condition. They've both said 'Your hearing is fine' as they escort me out the door.

Now even if they did make hearing aids that operate at these higher frequencies, I would only wear them for listening to music. That's what I'm trying to do here. So, no, getting headphones and an amp, with any of their shortcomings, and adding inadequacies of the components of hearing aids isn't a good idea.

 

[jthew]

Any specific suggestions for that $500 system to work with my HE-400i phone?

For those of you concerned about my hearing, I appreciate it. But let me share a little more about my testing with my AVR. The first time I made the corrections on my AVR, the sound was amazing (to me). When I tried it a few weeks later, it was awful. Shrill. I checked my hearing test numbers again, and found out that, this time, I had used the wrong numbers, and had started boosting at too low of a frequency. It was just wrong. I then adjusted the eq correctly, and there was that amazing sound again.

Point is, if any of us did a lot of boosting or cutting in areas in which our hearing is normal, it would sound weird. I'm wanting to make a relative boost in high frequencies that are already lost to me without amplification.

Equipment suggestions?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Which equipment can't do that? (See below.)

Do a +30dB boost off the equipment. I wasn't talking about wearing a headphone over a hearing aid, which is one thing I did suggest he just do to make everything simpler.

OK. I appreciate all inputs and suggestions, but let's put this one to rest....maybe. Hearing aids are miniaturized devices consisting of a pickup microphone, amplifier, electronics to do eq, and a speaker. Hearing aids are made for people who have deficiencies in frequencies used in understanding speech. I have minimal deficiencies in that range. My deficiencies are at higher frequencies. Both audiologists agree that I don't need hearing aids, and that there are no hearing aids that would help with my condition. They've both said 'Your hearing is fine' as they escort me out the door.

Now even if they did make hearing aids that operate at these higher frequencies, I would only wear them for listening to music. That's what I'm trying to do here. So, no, getting headphones and an amp, with any of their shortcomings, and adding inadequacies of the components of hearing aids isn't a good idea.

If audiologists say your hearing is fine where did you get the idea that you need a +30dB boost? Which again is not something that you can do to a waveform (ie recording) using regular equipment (anything else other than a hearing aid) without running into a host of probems (clipping, etc). We wouldn't be talking about hearing aids if we had no basis to presume you have been to a medical professional and then assume you just didn't want to wear or can't fit a headphone over your hearing aid, on top of how such levels of EQ is highly problematic in technical terms for anything that isn't dedicated equipment not working on a prerecorded wave form - ie, a hearing aid.

This is kind of like asking in a men's forum how we get ours up, and we just assume you've been to a doctor who should help you with getting viagra or get checked for any other condition, when in fact we don't know that the real problem could be something else., like totally psychological.

 

[Music Alchemist]

Do a +30dB boost off the equipment.

But you can do boosts that high, and even higher, without clipping.

You just need the right EQ software, headphones, and a strong enough amp. (Not all headphones can handle it, of course, but higher frequencies don't require nearly as much power as bass does.)

 

[jthew]

The reason the audiologists say that my hearing is fine, is that my hearing in the frequency ranges needed to understand speech is pretty much spot on. These 2 audiologists had just been 'programmed' to think that is all that matters.

Yes, if they can put 30dB boost in a tiny amplifier, equalizer, and crappy speaker that make up a hearing aid, folks should be able to make a desktop amp and over-ear headphone that can blow it away (sound wise), at a much lower cost. Right? And as alchemist said, I'm boosting at higher frequencies than hearing aids, so I shouldn't need nearly as much amp power as a hearing aid.

 

[Dulalala]

Yes, if they can put 30dB boost in a tiny amplifier, equalizer, and crappy speaker that make up a hearing aid, folks should be able to make a desktop amp and over-ear headphone that can blow it away (sound wise), at a much lower cost. Right? And as alchemist said, I'm boosting at higher frequencies than hearing aids, so I shouldn't need nearly as much amp power as a hearing aid.

An equalizer isn't just about hardware. Software plays a huge role as well. In fact, I would say the software is more important than the hardware when it comes to digital EQ.

Also those "crappy" speakers in hearing aids, guess what, we use em in TOTL CIEMs/IEMs... I guess all CIEMs/IEMs are crap then right?

 

[jthew]

An equalizer isn't just about hardware. Software plays a huge role as well. In fact, I would say the software is more important than the hardware when it comes to digital EQ.

Also those "crappy" speakers in hearing aids, guess what, we use em in TOTL CIEMs/IEMs... I guess all CIEMs/IEMs are crap then right?

Do you have specific info on what brand of IEM hearing aids use? Has anyone here ever done the same kind of listening tests done on IEMs to show the t they are of equivalent quality of a $500 pair of IEMs?

Anyone have specific AMP, DAC, and parametric EQ for my HE-400i headphones?

 

[Dulalala]

Do you have specific info on what brand of IEM hearing aids use?

I'm not sure what you mean by that, but I'll clarify my original post.

I meant that the balanced armature transducer that we use in IEMs are usually the same ones used in hearing aids. The main companies that produces these BA drivers are Knowles and Sonion if that's what you're asking. Most companies, IE: Shure, JH Audio, Noble, don't produce their own drivers. They either buy the BA in stock form or ask the manufacturer to slightly modify their existing drivers (if bought in bulk).

I'm boosting at higher frequencies than hearing aids, so I shouldn't need nearly as much amp power as a hearing aid.

I should also mention that you're comparing apples to oranges here. The power requirement of a tiny BA driver is much much less than a full sized headphone.

 

[Music Alchemist]

Anyone have specific AMP, DAC, and parametric EQ for my HE-400i headphones?

If you're hell-bent on spending around $500, the Chord Mojo is my favorite DAC/amp in that price range. I've driven more than a few headphones with it (including the HE500) with good results.

But you don't need to spend so much. You could get a Schiit Magni 3 amp for $99 and a Behringer UCA202 audio interface (which includes a DAC) for just $30 and be good to go.

EasyQ is the free equalizer I generally recommend. It has a +-48 dB gain range. It's a VST program, so you need additional software to use it in foobar2000, as well as system-wide.

http://www.rs-met.com/freebies.html
http://www.yohng.com/software/foobarvst.html
http://www.hermannseib.com/english/vsthost.htm
http://www.foobar2000.org

I repeat this frequently because it's important: Don't forget to reduce the gain in the digital domain (like in your music player) by at least the amount of your largest boost/cut in order to avoid distortion. (You would control the volume with the amp.) It's also a good idea to use reductive EQ for potentially higher quality by reducing lower frequencies instead of directly boosting higher ones.