Posted by Poindexter [ 4.63.6.54 ] on September 17, 2005 at 01:32:44:

In Reply to: "Shuddup Sylvia, I can't hear......" posted by Bill Epstein on September 14, 2005 at 16:58:39:

Like a lot of us who grew up on motorcycle races and rock concerts, you have a very hard time hearing speech detals over background noise.  I have forty years in workshops into the bargain, and I need a black background from which to pick intelligent speech.

There are more than one measure(s) of hearing acquity.  The above is one.  Another is the standard test of threshold of hearing / frequency.  In my youth (say, age thirty), the ultrasonic burglar alarms used by many retail stores would drive me right out of the place.  Fortunately, these monstrosities are no longer used, so I do not have to bemoan the loss.

My pal Ginger, the musician, loves to tease me about this, cupping her hand by her ear and saying, "What?, what?" when I ask her to repeat.  Then, she plays her mandolin ukulele for me (which I made for her), and I ask, "Is that fourth string right? It sounds cold, like a steel (rather than brass) wrap."

She stares at me like an alien, and shows me the uke; steel-wrapped fourths.  "They didn't have the brass .028", I had to take the steel.  Damn you!"

Threshold/frequency is not sonic accuracy.  Raw aural acquity is not skillful listening.  I would be afraid to take an aurigram at this point, fearing that it would disqualify me as a purist hi-fi gooroo; but I can listen to the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra play Bach in Ordway MT, and hear the tone of each individual fiddle.

Enjoy the music; let it bring you bliss, which you rightly deserve,

Poinz

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