Reality check on upper limit of human hearing.

[k brown]

Since it came up in a now-closed thread in this section, I'm posting this info here.

From the book "Neuroscience" on the National Library of Medicine website:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK10924/". . . the upper limit in average adults is often closer to 15–17 kHz."

Male adults fare even worse; most hear little above 10-12kHz.

Anyone doing serious work in audio should see an audiologist every 20 years or so to see where they actually stand. It can be very eye (ear?) opening.


I had the unfortunate experience of having the upper limit significantly lowered in my left ear after working in a loud disco for only a month. Ears rang like crazy after work, every night. Once I read that any loud ringing in the ears causes permanent damage, I quit the next day.

 

[Ricardus]

Yup.

 

[living sounds]

When I was 15 I got to play around with the tone generator from my school's physics storage space during a project week. Me and a classmate could hear sounds up to the ca. 23.5 khz point on the scale. I have no idea how accurate that was or if any lower concurrent resonances / IMD or whatever were produced.

I did test myself regularly using my own speakers later, and at 20 or so I could usually hear up to 19 khz. It went down over the years and now at 43 stands at about 15.5 khz.

 

[k brown]

It's also good to keep in mind Masking Effect when discussing artifacts that may be measurable, but many dB down in relation the audio signal.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditory_masking
Conversely however, I also personally believe that sound and human perception are so complex that some things that can be heard, are extremely difficult to measure and objectively quantlfy.

For example perceptual illusions (Shepard tones, mirages) - the perceptions are utterly real, even though there's nothing actually there. We actually DO hear a constantly-rising pitch, even though there isn't one. A mirage looks exactly like water, though there isn't any.

 

[k brown]

When I was 15 I got to play around with the tone generator from my school's physics storage space during a project week. Me and a classmate could hear sounds up to the ca. 23.5 khz point on the scale. I have no idea how accurate that was or if any lower concurrent resonances / IMD or whatever were produced.

I did test myself regularly using my own speakers later, and at 20 or so I could usually hear up to 19 khz. It went down over the years and now at 43 stands at about 15.5 khz.

You're one of the fortunate ones.

 

[living sounds]

You're one of the fortunate ones.

Yes, but I've got some dents in the upper mids, according to tests at the doctor's lab.

 

[Ricardus]

You kids and your crazy rock and roll!

 

[k brown]

You kids and your crazy rock and roll!

I'm sneaking up on 70; my month in the disco was 40 years ago - the mark on my left ear hearing was a lasting one.

 

[Ricardus]

I'm sneaking up on 70; my month in the disco was 40 years ago - the mark on my left ear hearing was a lasting one.

I feel you. My drummer friends are suffering after decades of playing as well.

 

[NOON]

CRTs used to be a good hearing check, I wonder if I could still hear the whine. Probably not at 49, although I still could at 30 after abusing my ears for years playing in bands and going to loud gigs.

 

[HP200CD]

I am 66 years old and I don't hear much above 8k. I checked using my studio, and as a control, someone who can hear above 8k. I cannot hear the shaker egg at all, when it is properly sitting in a good mix. When I need to set level for a shaker, I crank it until I CAN hear it, and then back it down until I can't hear it any more. I probably will not be mixing music any more. It didn't take much to ruin my ears. One day as a drag race mechanic (in the pit and on the starting line) and fewer than a dozen rock concerts in my entire lifetime. And yes, I used to hear the CRT flyback quite well, when I was younger.

 

[Gavin Pursinger]

I am 70...can't really hear above 12 k. But my jbl 075 put a component in the sound that I seem to 'sense'...with the 075s out...I noticeably miss there contribution...make cymbals sound 'real'

 

[molke]

Not that is has much practical value in audio design, but e.g. this study or this article might be interesting if the question is really about an upper limit.

 

[terry setter]

The person with the highest hearing response I was able to reliably measure was a 19-year old woman. She could hear to just above 23KHZ. She said that she could not stand to be in large stores where there were 1000+ 4' florescent tubes burning because the high frequency sound they emit was intolerable to her. I believe those sing at about 17KHZ. Hearing the flyback transformer in a CRT would be no problem for her. She also hated loud sounds of any kind.

 

[zamproject]

At near 45, my left is 14k and my right is little over 16k with a DT770 and REW ... so probably not very significant
It's the lost in the noise floor so in practice not really useful.

Hearing well over 20k in our -modern- age is probably a nightmare...so many device producing noise

 

[Gavin Pursinger]

REALITY CHECK.
This thread caused me to check my hearing upper limit with my K240s...just shy of 10khz now....but I can still mix what people enjoy and my rings are JBL077s...not 075s...guess my brain needs a recone !!!

 

[living sounds]

Another factor in hearing loss is general health. Blood pressure, stress, sleep (regneration) etc. Being slim, doing regular workouts and eating high quality nutrition will influence the progress of hearing loss just as it influences general age related decline.

I am regularly subjecting myself to whole body red and near infrared light (primarily to cure sports injuries), and I do at least imagine that my hearing (as well as vision) has since improved. Cell and tissue regenerating properties of these devices are scientifically proven, but it might have been other factors. No idea if it can improve high frequency hearing as well.

 

[13engrsapper]

I blew up stuff and ran away (Sapper), before starting a job as a guitar tech. My ears hiss and ring all the time. Surprisingly your ears sort of auto correct. I can still hear what our recording engineer is talking about within the mix... I have no trouble putting together good sounding mixes even with the hiss and frequency dips in my hearing.

If I put on my specially eq corrected $4000 hearing aids the VA gave me - it totally messes up my ability to properly hear. lol The nice lady at the hearing test place gave me my results, it was interesting. Looked just like one of my audio analyzer test results. There were no "holes" in my hearing, but dips in certain areas one in ear more than the other. The only thing the hearing aides seem good for is talking to people in a crowded/noisy room.

I am going to be 57 soon, I am honestly more concerned about my vision at this point than hearing. My eyes held out not needing reading glasses until about age 50. I could keep working without my hearing, it would just be less enjoyable. Plus my test gear largely tells me how things "sound."

I could not keep working without my vision.

 

[Mr. Moscode]

When I was a teen into my early 20s I could hear the 19kc subcarrier for FM multiplex, those same HF florescent lights in Alexanders dept store, the 15,750 kc horizontal sweep.

When I had my hearing checked at an NYC AES show around 1990 I had lost all of that but could hear up to around 12-13K. But my left ear lost all bass below 400, probably a physical hearing bone issue. The right ear is good, which is important because I'm a jazz bassist. I'm 71.

I wonder if driving with my window open beat up my left ear. Just a theory. Anyone lose bass?

I can still mix but don't do it professionally any more, just recording of my gigs. But the HF loss of sibilants leads to hearing some funny malapropisms.

 

[13engrsapper]

I've never really thought about driving with the window open. Ohhhh I like driving with the window open, but I am so short my ears don't come up high enough to get buffeted by the wind, lol.