[nurxhunter]

http://www.digital-recordings.com/he...ht_help_p.html

I just took an on-line hearing test to validate why I need to balance channels significantly to my left to get a stably centered vocal image--esp. with cans, but also in speaker based systems.

To me, transparency and staging are the most important aspects of the audio experience. A LOT of parameters can be altered with equalizers and other tricks--not that I believe in that--but, transparency and staging (hearing 'into' the recording; and precise localization of components in 3-D space, respectively; 'seeing' and 'feeling' the performance with eyes closed) can't really be 'fixed' or effectively enhanced with aids. Either your system rig is intrinsically capable of this, or not. If not, nothing will help you. Also, SS has is strengths and charms, but tubes are supreme for emotional and transparent rendering of vocals. SS can come close, but can't replicate the transparent and resolving charm of tube mids. But, I digress...

My hearing is excellent, even out to upper frequencies. EXCEPT--I am down a fair number of DB in the upper midband in my left ear! That sure explains why the vocal image of lead singers are always biased to my right. I had moster left ear infections as a kid. The highs and lows are fine in this ear, surprisingly, only the mids are down around 12db!

The online test is here and it is quite effective.

http://www.digital-recordings.com/he...ht_help_p.html

Moderators, perhaps you can sticky the link so the community can calibrate their hearing, and ensure it stays that way over time?

I have found two tracks I use for all my 'center image' calibration. Frank Sinatra's All of Me and Ole Black Magic from his Platinum Collection. All of Me has particularly good depth as well. Going from left to right behind Frank, we have piano, vibes, horn, drums (farthest back) all closely clustered around center and all in a line behind him (more of less) left to right. Ole Black Magic has much more lateral spread, with Frank gloriously belting dead center.

There are about 20 tracks from Jazz, Rock, R&B, Rap, Pop, World (no classical) out of thousands of tracks I use to evaluate different aspects of a system and components (tubes and cables), but the above two are great for centering the center image, and evaluating mids by looking straight into the Chairman's voice box.

 

[nothing101]

im pissed off at my amp cause when it got fixed some of the parts were replaced with different but equivalent parts. the result is that the letf channel is substancially stronger than the right

 

[stewgriff]

Always good to test the hearing. I hear fine at same volume level from 35-18000 Hz-any higher or lower and I have to turn it to a level where the headphones start distorting. I'm much more sensitive to low volumes now, though, and I could only hear up to 16500 Hz before I got into Head-Fi...am I developing golden ears?

 

[flamerz]

Err, is there a reason why the aural calibration makes no sound at all?

 

[patrox89]

i dont hear enything either. this is annoying as im very curious and now i cant make it work T_T

 

[nothing101]

meh.... our ears do get trained when we are constantly analysing music. i can hear 20500 hz clearly at a low volume but any higher and i loose it. i can also hear 10 hz (only on my er6i) at a loud volume. my 501s are hopeless at anthign lower than 40hz. all my senns dont seem as extended in bass as my etys but they still have greater volume.

 

[dimi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by flamerz /img/forum/go_quote.gif Err, is there a reason why the aural calibration makes no sound at all?

Same here. I left it on max setting and took the test.

 

[ChickenGod]

I took the test and here was the range:

60hz - 14000hz at 12 ticks and maybe 1 3/4 volume windows. Is my hearing bad?

 

[warMen]

My laptop is fan is really loud... but my test came out dead on those grey dots for the most part, except around 1khz and 11-12khz. Those parts were way off for some reason.

I could hear 20k hertz at 10db lower than the dot. My midrange and mid bass is off, probably cause my old headphones killed that for me. They were bass machines.

 

[ILikeMusic]

I'm not sure that this test means very much without a pair of calibrated clinical test headphones. I would expect the results to be all over the place for people using various bits of consumer gear.

 

[nothing101]

Quote:

Originally Posted by warMen /img/forum/go_quote.gif My laptop is fan is really loud... but my test came out dead on those grey dots for the most part, except around 1khz and 11-12khz. Those parts were way off for some reason. I could hear 20k hertz at 10db lower than the dot. My midrange and mid bass is off, probably cause my old headphones killed that for me. They were bass machines.

i think this might be true in a way. if you were used to too much bass then your brain might not pick up all the bass that your ears do. i listen to akg 501s so that might be why my ears are soo sensitive to bass. maybe thats why i hate the senn 485 so bitterly

 

[nurxhunter]

1) The Audio Calibration asks that you set tones so they are just audible. That should normalize across user's equipment. Some say this did not work for them--it worked fine for me.

2) Well, this is not the same as going to an audiologist, so on an objective scale, you have a point. On a relative scale, however, it will tell you where issues may be in FR and between left and right ears. On a relative basis within a user, it will highlight issues. That's the point.

3) It picked up my imbalance in left ear hearing down in mids considerably. That impressed me. Subjectively, I felt this was the problem. This test nailed the deficit.

4) If you take your time and get the calibration right and proper for the right level, it should track with what an audiologist would find, +/- a few DB, I would think.

5) It's not hard to screw up this test if you get the calbration wrong. But, the test will only confirm what you already may fear. If you are not having problems, the test probably won't show problems. If you are, it should pick SOMETHING up.'

6) It would me mighty odd if a Headfier needed a hearing aid and did not know it!? Paradox? But, it might re-assure or point out minor imbalances in left to right ears--which is important for us in this particular hobby?

 

[nurxhunter]

If the FR response of headphones are VERY different, then the results may not be valid--EXCEPT--right and left ear balance is. So under any circumstance, it will pick up left/right imbalances, since that result is internally normalized to each subject.

I suppose taking the test will two different phones would help validate across FR spectrum. Amps are pretty flat relative to cans. At headroom, one can see FR of cans differ quite a bit!

The main use is for testing your right ear relative to left. If that's not balanced, you won't hear a centered image.

 

[Esidarap]

Does everyone else have such U shaped hearing????

My graph looks so ugly....

 

[nothing101]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Esidarap /img/forum/go_quote.gif Does everyone else have such U shaped hearing???? My graph looks so ugly....

everyone has u shaped hearing because our hearing doesnt fail instantly. its gradual.

my ears are 30db more sensitive than those reference points at both the extremes but my ears fail a bit in the upper mids. could this be hearing damage? about 5db