[smoth]

At school I used a program called Ear Master. It takes you through a bunch of lessons focusing changes in musical notes and note recognition. I dont know if it helped my hearing or not, but it certainly makes you more aware of what you are listening to. It starts out pretty easy, but without musical training you start to realize your weak points pretty quickly. Those half step scales starting at different places always give me a hard time.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrOutside /img/forum/go_quote.gif leeperry logic: brb doing the same IQ test over and over until im a genius protip: you're still a dick

So, you're here just to disagree with everyone?

 

[Bullseye]

I don't think that is what he came here for, even so he needs to write more for us to see what he's really on about.

 

[Berlioz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrOutside /img/forum/go_quote.gif blind guys...they consciously use their ears to hear "sound"...Musicians simply hear music.

I guess music doesn't have anything to do with sound.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrOutside /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hearing loss is not permanent, there are permanent forms of hearing loss and those considered "permanent" because they take >40 years to recover. The best process to improving your hearing is to turn down your music (lower and lower and lower); your ears will be able to recover from recent damage they have received (sometimes it may take up to two years, and you will probably never get to hearing as good as it used to be) but more importantly you will become better at using your ears.

This is not true. Not trying to call you out or anything, but this is very misleading information. Your ears will never heal from NIHL (Noise Induced Hearing Loss) simply by listening at a lower volume. That is an excellent way to prevent more damage, and as your listening proficiency increases, it may seem like you're getting better at hearing, but that is simply not true. NIHL is in part caused by oxidative damage, and taking anti oxidants is really the only way to repair the damage. It is completely false that someone can "heal" their ears simply by listening at a lower volume over a long period of time. That being said, it's always a good idea to protect your ears from loud noises.

 

[haloxt]

You're confusing hearing sensitivity and the ability to discern differences in headphones. For example many children don't have the critical thinking skill or desire to differentiate between minor sound differences, yet this may be because they have great hearing and also imagination to compensate for shortcomings in the sound. And how much difference do you expect out of headphones? Maybe you just have too high of an expectation for headphone differences. And have you considered variables like what else is in the audio chain? Maybe your audio system is so colored it makes headphones sound similar to a significant degree.

But if you want tips on discerning differences in headphones, you should get rid of your expectations of how much difference you think you ought to hear. Then compare two headphones known to be totally different hehe.

 

[ThePredator]

Isn't it a bit odd to want to find such differences? If you are currently content with music out of a wide range of gear, why would you want to be able to anally pick out details and almost assuredly polarize yourself against equipment (whether because you actually hear differences, or because of the psychological effect of thinking you hear differences).

If you enjoy the music your hearing is fine.

 

[b0dhi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThePredator /img/forum/go_quote.gif Isn't it a bit odd to want to find such differences?

Yeah, it sure is. It's as odd as wanting to know what that big white ball in the sky is. Who cares as long as your crops grow and you don't freeze, right?

 

[ThePredator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by b0dhi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah, it sure is. It's as odd as wanting to know what that big white ball in the sky is. Who cares as long as your crops grow and you don't freeze, right?

Curiosity about nature and wanting to able to call something "sibilant," "dark," or "airy" seems fundamentally different to me.

 

[b0dhi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThePredator /img/forum/go_quote.gif Curiosity about nature and wanting to able to call something "sibilant," "dark," or "airy" seems fundamentally different to me.

I once saw a hedge.

 

[calvinjai]

Quote:

Originally Posted by b0dhi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah, it sure is. It's as odd as wanting to know what that big white ball in the sky is. Who cares as long as your crops grow and you don't freeze, right?

As a person who has spent hundreds of dollars on headphones and such, i'd like to hear whats different about my headphones. Sure, i enjoy my music, but i'd also like to be able to discern differences so i can justify my purchases. Otherwise i might as well stick to cheap phones.

With better hearing/sensitivity, i might be able to appreciate music more too.

 

[calvinjai]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haloxt /img/forum/go_quote.gif You're confusing hearing sensitivity and the ability to discern differences in headphones. For example many children don't have the critical thinking skill or desire to differentiate between minor sound differences, yet this may be because they have great hearing and also imagination to compensate for shortcomings in the sound. And how much difference do you expect out of headphones? Maybe you just have too high of an expectation for headphone differences. And have you considered variables like what else is in the audio chain? Maybe your audio system is so colored it makes headphones sound similar to a significant degree. But if you want tips on discerning differences in headphones, you should get rid of your expectations of how much difference you think you ought to hear. Then compare two headphones known to be totally different hehe.

Perhaps i may be expecting too much. Head-fi reviews/impressions make differences seem extensive.

It is also possible that my laptop is a bad source, somehow making all the phones sound similar. When i use Super.fi 5's on it, i can hear the circuitry. I don't believe it would make that much of a difference on headphones tho.

 

[MrOutside]

The differences are pretty big, depending where you are coming from. One of the easiest ways to tell the difference is to listen on the "better" equipment for about a month and then go back to the other equipment.

Also,
"Exposure to impulse and continuous noise may cause only a temporary hearing loss. If a person regains hearing, the temporary hearing loss is called a temporary threshold shift. The temporary threshold shift largely disappears 16 to 48 hours after exposure to loud noise."
Source: Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

This applies to warming your ears up/down and is a basic representation of the ears adaptation to loud noise. Sometimes you can cause damage and it can go away years later... (for example; if you are at a mixing desk and you overgain the controls and you get a feedback loop, you are likely ot have a damage at that frequency for some time)
Most significant changes will appear in your hearing, but from an audiophile sense you will find that your hearing does improve slightly over the course of several years, not just several days.
I do not believe that you can recover frequencies that have been totally lost.

I should clarify the blind guy quote, I mean they hear, for example, where doorways are by listening ot the echo of their footsteps in a hallway. Not that they dont hear music.

Music is sound, but not noise. Learning about music doesnt let you understand sound from an audiophile perspective because most musicians do not educate themselves in that area.
Ever wonder why so many bands have crap sounding albums despite having millions of dollars?
a. record companies
b. they like the sound
Quote:

Originally Posted by b0dhi /img/forum/go_quote.gif I once saw a hedge.

I once saw the mighty boosh

people are pretty hostile on head-fi because of my join date and number of posts even though I offered one of the most realistic and effective options to improve how well you listen.

 

[Uncle Erik]

MrOutside, people here are not hostile because of your join date or postcount.

The problem is that the culture of some other message boards is different. Here, if you call someone a dick the assumption will be that you are.

There is no need to be abrasive or call names. Just make your argument and leave the insults out.

Disagreement is fine, but be civil.

 

[Berlioz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrOutside /img/forum/go_quote.gif "Exposure to impulse and continuous noise may cause only a temporary hearing loss. If a person regains hearing, the temporary hearing loss is called a temporary threshold shift. The temporary threshold shift largely disappears 16 to 48 hours after exposure to loud noise." Source: Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

If you re-read that quote carefully, you will see that the article is talking about regaining normal hearing after 16 to 48 hours. An example: A very loud, short noise goes off nearby and your hearing is impaired; sounds are muffled, there is a slight ringing etc. A day or two later your ears feel better and you can hear normally again.

That was the kind of situation that the article was talking about. Nowhere on the page that you linked to, or on the entire site for that matter, did it state that long term hearing loss can be healed gradually. You misunderstood the articles statement.

I'm willing to re-evaluate my position if you can find another respectable source that supports your view on this matter. For now, I still hold the belief that hearing loss can not be healed over time. I could be wrong still, so I'm looking for any other information you have. I'm sure this topic carries a certain amount of interest for some people on this forum.

 

[ThePredator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by calvinjai /img/forum/go_quote.gif As a person who has spent hundreds of dollars on headphones and such, i'd like to hear whats different about my headphones. Sure, i enjoy my music, but i'd also like to be able to discern differences so i can justify my purchases. Otherwise i might as well stick to cheap phones. With better hearing/sensitivity, i might be able to appreciate music more too.

Now I just outright don't understand. You spent hundreds of dollars even though you didn't hear a difference and now you want a post-justification (with the possible side effect of enhanced music enjoyment)? Are you listening to equipment or to music?