Topic: What frequency can you go up to? (Read 18769 times)

johnny5 · « **on:** 24 Mar 2011, 11:42 »

http://www.noiseaddicts.com/2009/03/can-you-hear-this-hearing-test/ if you have to turn your volume up all the way to hear something that doesn't count!

on my laptop speakers, i could hear up to 17 khz. going to try this with headphones later, but i wonder what else my increasingly frail body is failing me at

Elysiana · « **Reply #1 on:** 24 Mar 2011, 12:08 »

I only heard up to the 14khz mark. Couldn't hear 15khz or higher but there's also a lot of ambient noise in the office today, so dunno. Hell, I don't even know if these crappy speakers can go that high.

<edit> Turned up the volume just a little higher and was able to hear 16khz very clearly but not 17. </edit>

<edit again> Oh, and since the article mentions age... I'm 32. </ea>

Avec · « **Reply #2 on:** 24 Mar 2011, 12:35 »

21. Woah

scarred · « **Reply #3 on:** 24 Mar 2011, 12:45 »

I cut out around 20, which is better than I was expecting because I go to a lot of shows without ear protection and blast my earbuds on my iPod.

KvP · « **Reply #4 on:** 24 Mar 2011, 13:29 »

17 or 18. I go around in noise-cancelling headphones with my zune volume in the upper registers for several hours each day.

celticgeek · « **Reply #5 on:** 24 Mar 2011, 13:32 »

Fascinating. I can't hear ANY of the sounds, even with my volume control set at maximum.

However, I can hear my music pretty well, I think.

sean · « **Reply #6 on:** 24 Mar 2011, 13:40 »

i can't hear anything above 17, which makes sense i guess cause i go to shows and blast music, so whatever. i can still hear fine so what of it?

TheFuriousWombat · « **Reply #7 on:** 24 Mar 2011, 13:57 »

Can hear 17 pretty clearly, 18 and even 19 if I really listen. Nothing above that. Not awful I guess considering I have headphones on several hours a day.

JD · « **Reply #8 on:** 24 Mar 2011, 14:08 »

All the way up to 22

the_pied_piper · « **Reply #9 on:** 24 Mar 2011, 14:34 »

Hmm... only 15KHz.

However, I already knew my hearing was fucked anyway so eh.

KurtMcAllister · « **Reply #10 on:** 24 Mar 2011, 14:39 »

Quote from: The Site with the Frequencies

It’s fairly common for people who are over 25 years of age to not be able to hear above 15kHz, so this will help you find out where your high frequency hearing cuts off.

I can't hear past 15. I'm only 18 years old.
Hmm. Hmmmm. This may not be the best thing.

johnny5 · « **Reply #11 on:** 24 Mar 2011, 15:13 »

Quote from: Ptommydski on 24 Mar 2011, 13:22

Twenty two, like the rock band of the same name.

I suspect this test is bullshit because my hearing is utterly fucked.

that's pretty cool, on headphones/what kind or just speakers? maybe you just think your hearing is fucked because youngsters these days mumble

smack that isaiah · « **Reply #12 on:** 24 Mar 2011, 15:41 »

I'm using my headphones and I could hear up to the last one, except for 19 kHz. For some reason that one was silent for me? 18, 20, 21, and 22 were all crystal clear. I don't know what that means.

ThePianoMan · « **Reply #13 on:** 24 Mar 2011, 15:59 »

Beyond 15 it's more a matter of feeling it than anything else, but I can tell it's on up to 17 or so.

Dimmukane · « **Reply #14 on:** 24 Mar 2011, 16:13 »

It's possible for people to lose specific frequencies or ranges of frequencies in their ears, and not necessarily in order of highest to lowest. Which would explain being able to hear all of them but 19 kHz.

pwhodges · « **Reply #15 on:** 24 Mar 2011, 16:33 »

I could hear the 14kHz clearly, which surprised me a little, as last time I tested it my limit was barely 12kHz. (When I joined the BBC at age 23, they measured my limit as 17kHz.)

What I did notice is that even on bloody good headphones through an excellent interface there were clear artefacts audible to me on every higher signal. In some cases these even sounded like a tone, but not the right one (which presumably would have been louder if I could have heard it); but this possibly means that some care may be required to choose the right answer.

I'm interested by the number of people claiming to hear appreciably over 20kHz. In my experience this is really unusual for people of age 20 or more. I have been led to believe that there may be a correlation with suffering from asthma (indeed, the person I knew who could hear highest as a student - 23kHz - not merely suffered from asthma, but died as a result of an asthma attack at the age of 50).

Quote from: Dimmukane on 24 Mar 2011, 16:13

It's possible for people to lose specific frequencies or ranges of frequencies in their ears, and not necessarily in order of highest to lowest. Which would explain being able to hear all of them but 19 kHz.

But that's also true to some extent of headphones or speakers...

pwhodges · « **Reply #16 on:** 24 Mar 2011, 16:57 »

I expect that if you can hear them all you can tell that you're hearing the right thing really - so ignore me; I'm just feeling a bit jaded tonight (I've got a stinking cold). I may only have heard the artefacts because I'd turned the volume up higher than should have been necessary, but I was struck by the fact that some of the artefacts were tones that sounded somewhat convincing except that I knew I couldn't possibly have heard the intended frequencies.

I wanted to see what format the tones were being downloaded in, but the code has thoroughly obscured that. Also to see if the frequencies were generated digitally, which is often done badly in a way that introduces artefacts. But that's just me being nerdy.

Elysiana · « **Reply #17 on:** 24 Mar 2011, 17:09 »

I tried this on my home speakers and found the same thing as you, Paul - I am hearing *something* at all the frequencies, but not the right tones. In fact, they sounded lower than some of the lower frequencies, so it's like I'm hearing some sort of harmonic instead.

WriterofAllWrongs · « **Reply #18 on:** 24 Mar 2011, 17:38 »

18, which is really strange, because I live a pretty quiet life, so you'd think my hearing would be more intact.

whom · « **Reply #19 on:** 24 Mar 2011, 18:46 »

Apparently mine is horrible. I heard up to 14.

David_Dovey · « **Reply #20 on:** 24 Mar 2011, 19:15 »

I couldn't hear 16KHz or over, which is a bummer, because I was able to hear 17KHz last time I tested myself, which was about 3 years ago.

JimmyJazz · « **Reply #21 on:** 24 Mar 2011, 22:11 »

I can only hear up to 17Hz.....guess I should stop blaring the Stooges in my headphones

actually no I can't stop the temptation is too great

Method of Madness · « **Reply #22 on:** 24 Mar 2011, 22:15 »

Up to 17 clear, but I could tell it was on up to 20. I'm 23, and my hearing is kind of ok, I guess.

ackblom12 · « **Reply #23 on:** 24 Mar 2011, 22:32 »

I can hear up to 15. I'm 27.

johnny5 · « **Reply #24 on:** 24 Mar 2011, 23:16 »

everyone below 17 is going to die soon

pwhodges · « **Reply #25 on:** 25 Mar 2011, 00:09 »

Remember that the Fletcher-Munson curves show the upper limit of you can hear to be very strongly dependent on volume, and so without calibrated volume settings these comparisons are quite unreliable. Many headphone amplifiers are designed to limit volume to some arbitrary "safe" level, as well.

Quote from: johnny5 on 24 Mar 2011, 23:16

everyone below 17 is going to die soon

Tell me about it!

KharBevNor · « **Reply #26 on:** 25 Mar 2011, 05:33 »

I could hear that something was on (i.e. a difference between something and absolutely nothing coming out of my speakers) all the way to the top but I don't think this is the same thing as hearing the tone. There's a reason they record silence for use in films and music. I don't think I could really hear the tone anywhere above 16-17.

Johnny C · « **Reply #27 on:** 26 Mar 2011, 11:45 »

i got up to 15 khz and couldn't hear shit after that

The extra letter · « **Reply #28 on:** 26 Mar 2011, 14:49 »

14. Dang.

Mind you, my ears have always been fairly screwy.

Tom · « **Reply #29 on:** 26 Mar 2011, 15:08 »

Eh, I have a medical excuse.

David_Dovey · « **Reply #30 on:** 26 Mar 2011, 20:10 »

Me too (I'm old as shit)

Phaedra · « **Reply #31 on:** 26 Mar 2011, 21:21 »

14, and I'm 24.

Kids, don't drive with ipod earbuds in if your radio is busted. It's just not worth it.

Method of Madness · « **Reply #32 on:** 26 Mar 2011, 21:48 »

Also, I'm pretty sure it's illegal.

Phaedra · « **Reply #33 on:** 27 Mar 2011, 03:18 »

It's a completely retarded thing to do but I guess back at the time I thought I was being all cool and nihilistic and shit, you know how it is, that and AM radio in Australia is a bit questionable

Method of Madness · « **Reply #34 on:** 27 Mar 2011, 12:21 »

Ha, auxiliary cables are like $5.

KharBevNor · « **Reply #35 on:** 27 Mar 2011, 12:48 »

My sister has this thing which plugs into her ipod and broadcasts a weak FM radio signal which she picks up on her radio. Seems pretty neat.

Method of Madness · « **Reply #36 on:** 27 Mar 2011, 12:57 »

I was going to get that but if your car has an auxiliary input it's a lot cheaper and more direct.

johnny5 · « **Reply #37 on:** 27 Mar 2011, 18:05 »

i was able to find some company that made an adaptor for my stock unit that they just attached to the back and it could run an ipod usb cable out...so i'm able to control my ipod with my stereo and my wheel and it charges.

Be My Head · « **Reply #38 on:** 29 Mar 2011, 22:36 »

I can hear all of them perfectly? I was honestly expecting to not be able to hear that high.

Quote from: pwhodges on 24 Mar 2011, 16:33

I could hear the 14kHz clearly, which surprised me a little, as last time I tested it my limit was barely 12kHz. (When I joined the BBC at age 23, they measured my limit as 17kHz.)

What I did notice is that even on bloody good headphones through an excellent interface there were clear artefacts audible to me on every higher signal. In some cases these even sounded like a tone, but not the right one (which presumably would have been louder if I could have heard it); but this possibly means that some care may be required to choose the right answer.

I'm interested by the number of people claiming to hear appreciably over 20kHz. In my experience this is really unusual for people of age 20 or more. I have been led to believe that there may be a correlation with suffering from asthma (indeed, the person I knew who could hear highest as a student - 23kHz - not merely suffered from asthma, but died as a result of an asthma attack at the age of 50).

Quote from: Dimmukane on 24 Mar 2011, 16:13
It's possible for people to lose specific frequencies or ranges of frequencies in their ears, and not necessarily in order of highest to lowest. Which would explain being able to hear all of them but 19 kHz.

But that's also true to some extent of headphones or speakers...

I've had asthma since I've been born, I'm 20, and I listened to this test on a pair of Denon AH-D2000 headphones.

I think some of the people who tried it on that site just had crappy speakers that couldn't go higher than 19khz...

IronOxide · « **Reply #39 on:** 30 Mar 2011, 08:49 »

I could hear clearly up to 17, I want to try with better reference headphones that I know go a little higher, but I'd be entirely unsurprised if I cut off around there, given that my occupation and all major hobbies involve listening to high reference levels without being able to use earplugs consistently. That said maybe I should buy the -25dB plugs for my earplugs.

But first I'm going to test the new QSC loudspeaker system I got.

That being said, I wonder if a lot of people who think they're hearing 22kHz (extremely high frequencies) might just be hearing digital aliasing somewhere on their systems? Most computers are only made to support 44.1kHz and most web streamers a substantially below that. Just a thought. That being said, I tested myself in audacity and I definitely have a noticable roll-off starting around 18kHz, and artifacts become apparently louder than the direct frequency for me at about 19,000. Am I really missing that much from that extra ~20th of an octave?

Christophe · « **Reply #40 on:** 30 Mar 2011, 09:11 »

I peter out between 17 and 18kHz. Man that's bad.

Rizzo · « **Reply #41 on:** 30 Mar 2011, 19:37 »

I get to 16 without issue but beyond that there's nothing. I got my ears tested professionally by a friend who's an audiologist a few years ago and was starting to show the signs of noise related hearing loss so it's not exactly surprising. In saying that, I highly doubt my laptop speakers can actually output the tones correctly so I'm not overly concerned.

If you're actually worried about your hearing it might be worth seeing an audiologist, I don't think it's particularly expensive and I know some do free tests (with a view to getting people into expensive hearing aids).

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Author Topic: What frequency can you go up to? (Read 18769 times)

ackblom12