Are you old?

[vbloke]

Most humans are born with the ability to hear frequencies from about 20 Hz (low) up to 20,000 Hz (high) but that range shrinks as we get older.

See how bad your hearing is: http://www.ochenk.com/entry.php?id=63

I got up to 18,000Hz

[Aardvark]

13K, pah >:(

A lifetime of Pink Floyd has done me in ( age 46)

[median]

Got to 20k but could also just hear 21k O0

[tkingdoll]

16 for me. My ears probably need a candling :D

[median]

I bet you are hopi to know that :D :D

[Hazen]

Pardon?
Did somebody say something?

[Mojo]

I got to 16k, which isn't too bad for mid 40s, I guess.

[Admin]

I got to 15K - there's obviously something wrong with my speakers. ;)

I'm 42 btw ??? My avatar was taken a while ago ;D

[Admin]

Just as I thought it was the speakers on my laptop. ;D

I've tried it on my main PC and I can hear the 16,000Hz one but I'm not sure about the 17,000. I had it on full blast to give myself every chance (as if it defies age ;D).

[Mojo]

Just as I thought it was the speakers on my laptop. ;D

I've tried it on my main PC and I can hear the 16,000Hz one but I'm not sure about the 17,000. I had it on full blast to give myself every chance (as if it defies age ;D).

Tried it (very cautiously) with some reasonable headphones instead of the speakers on the PC: could just hear the 17k one.

[Mojo]

By the way, the cat left the room.

[Admin]

By the way, the cat left the room.


;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

I've just finished chiseling mine off the ceiling!!!

Actually, I seem to remember a pair of psychic children fooling their testers as they were using dog whistles to communicate with each other, and of course the testers were too old to hear the high frequencies.

[Mojo]

Actually, I seem to remember a pair of psychic children fooling their testers as they were using dog whistles to communicate with each other, and of course the testers were too old to hear the high frequencies.

There was a link posted over at JREF for a story about another use for high frequency sounds: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5434687

Note that it also talks about teenagers using the sounds to communicate without their teachers catching on!

[tkingdoll]

Note that it also talks about teenagers using the sounds to communicate without their teachers catching on!

I am very skeptical about that story, as by far the majority of posters of every age could hear that particular frequency, it's unlikely that all teachers could not.

[vbloke]

I was also concerned because I don't think that mobile phone speakers are that capable of reproducing sounds to that degree - you need a decent set of speakers to hear the higher end frequencies and most mobiles I know of sound really awful when they ring.

[Aardvark]

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D 16K through my Grado Sr 60 headphones ;D ;D ;D ;D

I am not as old as I thought

Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Now where did put ' Atom Heart Mother'

Just put my 13 year old son through the test, he plays drums, guitar and keyboards, but I insist he wears his defenders when drumming.

He could hear up to 21K but no more, however I am not sure my Grados are capable of reproducing much above 20K as this is the design spec for more quality headphones

[Aardvark]

http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~jw/hearing.html

More scientific with an ability to print your values, need to use enclosed headphones rather than open back ones like my Grados

[huw-l]

there is, of course, another way to tell if you are old.

http://www.gapingvoid.com/howtotell318.jpg

[Admin]

BT phone lines used to have a frequency range from about 300Hz to ~3.3KHz. That's enough for good quality speech, and can be surprisingly good even for music.

I don't know what modern mobile phones' frequency range is but I doubt that it will go from 20Hz to 20KHz+ as it's not required.

[doubting thomas]

BT phone lines used to have a frequency range from about 300Hz to ~3.3KHz. That's enough for good quality speech, and can be surprisingly good even for music.

I don't know what modern mobile phones' frequency range is but I doubt that it will go from 20Hz to 20KHz+ as it's not required.



These days its all digital and compressed so frequency range doesn't really matter so much.

[Admin]

Ah yes - showing my age again :-[

Digital signals are compressed and companded though in favour of better low frequency/audible response. So I still reckon that high frequency tones will not work.

[doubting thomas]

Ah yes - showing my age again :-[

Digital signals are compressed and companded though in favour of better low frequency/audible response. So I still reckon that high frequency tones will not work.


Hey, your not as old as me.

I think i like to keep up with technology.

[Harry Hotspur]

What a topic to reply to with one's first post on a forum........... I'm 61, that's enough about me and could hear the 20 KHz but then couldn't open anything higher pitched!

[Ginger Rogers]

What a topic to reply to with one's first post on a forum........... I'm 61, that's enough about me and could hear the 20 KHz but then couldn't open anything higher pitched!


Hello Tony. Fancy seeing you here! Didn't know you were that old!

I haven't tried them yet.. need to try at home ;)

[Ginger Rogers]

heard all of them but over 22 sounded like a series of clicks...

[Hazen]

BT phone lines used to have a frequency range from about 300Hz to ~3.3KHz. That's enough for good quality speech, and can be surprisingly good even for music.

I don't know what modern mobile phones' frequency range is but I doubt that it will go from 20Hz to 20KHz+ as it's not required.


These days its all digital and compressed so frequency range doesn't really matter so much.

BT landlines are still limited to 3.5 kHz, dynamic range compression has little effect on bandwidth. Digital compression techniques can do so, though, but if the delivery system is still limited to to 3.5 kHz, why bother?
Mobile phones are capable of much greater reproduction quality but ultimately these signals are still squirted down 3.5 kHz channels. With the virtual saturation of the airwaves by the number of people using mobile phones there is no need or requirement to improve audio quality.
Remember the 70's/80's when eurovision/football/skiing etc was commentated by phone lines?
If you think that 3.5 kHz is perfectly adequate for hi-fidelity audio reproduction, then I suggest you dont bother spending more than £25 on your sound system.
:)