passernger10000
New Head-Fier
I just spent a couple of hours taking a hearing test and plotting the results.
The test was conducted from 20hz to 16,000khz using Logic X as the test tone oscillator feeding into an Apogee DAC and monitoring using Focal Elegia Closed headphones.
Last year I had a hearing test done a local audiologist and I thought how useless this type of test is. They place you in a soundproof room, with an ancient pair of headphones and then use only a few frequencies. I guess most people have done this type of hearing test at one point or the other and unless your completely deaf you'll pass.
What I wanted to find out, is the deviation between my two ears and use a dual mono eq to sort out the differences.
The frequencies used were:
What I found was that my ears do not correlate very well which is perhaps why I have always felt a phantom center with headphones. In fact there was more deviation than correlation. Differences as big as 10db with pretty large swings at very close ranges. Now I realize that this was informal test but the results can not be disregarded. I had worked for over 25 years as studio engineer, that equates to a lot of long listening sessions and ear fatigue plus age. I plan to go through the test process again and publish the results here. I think most people take for granted that their ears hear equally well and I think that is unlikely especially as we age.
I challenge people to take similar tests and see what there own conclusions are. For me, I think my end game system requirements just became that much more affordable. Those of us past 50 years of age should probably donate our expensive gear to youngsters who can actually gain from the performance. That opens up many other topics, such as what your brain has learned about how to listen over time and many other topics on the phycology and physiology of listening.
All in all a very interesting few hours.
The test was conducted from 20hz to 16,000khz using Logic X as the test tone oscillator feeding into an Apogee DAC and monitoring using Focal Elegia Closed headphones.
Last year I had a hearing test done a local audiologist and I thought how useless this type of test is. They place you in a soundproof room, with an ancient pair of headphones and then use only a few frequencies. I guess most people have done this type of hearing test at one point or the other and unless your completely deaf you'll pass.
What I wanted to find out, is the deviation between my two ears and use a dual mono eq to sort out the differences.
The frequencies used were:
What I found was that my ears do not correlate very well which is perhaps why I have always felt a phantom center with headphones. In fact there was more deviation than correlation. Differences as big as 10db with pretty large swings at very close ranges. Now I realize that this was informal test but the results can not be disregarded. I had worked for over 25 years as studio engineer, that equates to a lot of long listening sessions and ear fatigue plus age. I plan to go through the test process again and publish the results here. I think most people take for granted that their ears hear equally well and I think that is unlikely especially as we age.
I challenge people to take similar tests and see what there own conclusions are. For me, I think my end game system requirements just became that much more affordable. Those of us past 50 years of age should probably donate our expensive gear to youngsters who can actually gain from the performance. That opens up many other topics, such as what your brain has learned about how to listen over time and many other topics on the phycology and physiology of listening.
All in all a very interesting few hours.