# Hearing Test: How High Do Your Ears Go? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 22, 2013, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-test-how-high-do-your-ears-go/659067 "2013-05-22T21:11:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mathematics](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@Mathematics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mathematics)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-test-how-high-do-your-ears-go/659067/21 "2013-05-23T05:40:18Z")
My vote is wrong. I had about 13k when I tried it at first, but I turned the sound up, and got about 16k. I have no idea how my hearing is but I suspect it’s bad based on experiences in day to day life. Interesting, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Rala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@Rala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rala)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-test-how-high-do-your-ears-go/659067/22 "2013-05-23T05:53:34Z")
The first time, I got 13 500, and that’s what I voted in the poll. Then I tried it with a different pair of headphones (the kind that go over my ears, not earbuds) and got 14 200. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-test-how-high-do-your-ears-go/659067/23 "2013-05-23T06:05:03Z")
I verified that the test outputs nothing, other than a faint noise, above 16k. It’s very easy to see in a spectrogram of a recording. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-test-how-high-do-your-ears-go/659067/24 "2013-05-24T01:25:31Z")
15333 ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-test-how-high-do-your-ears-go/659067/25 "2013-05-24T10:04:42Z")
Yep, I’m deaf. Lost all my high frequency hearing in my early 20’s, sitting in front of computer monitors. At the start, it hurt to go into the room. A couple years later, I couldn’t hear it at all. But a lot of Doctors back then didn’t really belive in noise-related hearing loss. ---
**Author:** ![StJoan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@StJoan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StJoan)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-test-how-high-do-your-ears-go/659067/26 "2013-05-24T14:27:28Z")
Around 12500 Hz. There is a lot of muted traffic noise in the background, though. Cool test. Anyone know a site which gives the low frequency threshold as well? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-test-how-high-do-your-ears-go/659067/27 "2013-05-24T14:37:56Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > I verified that the test outputs nothing, other than a faint noise, above 16k. It’s very easy to see in a spectrogram of a recording. yeah, I’m hearing aliasing when it says it’s just above 15000 Hz. This “test” is not valid. ---
**Author:** ![StJoan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@StJoan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StJoan)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-test-how-high-do-your-ears-go/659067/28 "2013-05-24T14:44:34Z")
Never mind, I just found [one.](http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSkH45nGuM8) for the low frequency threshold. I could do 2 Hz at full volume, but the “pulsations” turn into a continuous sound only at 22 Hz or so. I also find that \> 10 min of exposure to this low frequency test is beginning to hurt my ears. Does anyone else have a similar experience? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-test-how-high-do-your-ears-go/659067/29 "2013-05-28T04:11:20Z")
15,666. Something uncomfortably number of the beast-y about that. ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-test-how-high-do-your-ears-go/659067/30 "2013-05-28T04:47:45Z")
I got about 12,000, best I could tell. Having no earphones I held the speakers next to my ears and watched the scale. I worked construction for many years and am surprised that it’s that good. I’m 66 so I guess it could be a lot worse. ---
**Author:** ![AngelSoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angelsoft/32/440_2.png) [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-test-how-high-do-your-ears-go/659067/31 "2013-05-28T05:47:38Z")
Well my headphones are crap and only one side works, so I did the test for each ear. Right ear got 15500 and left ear got 13791. Is it normal to have a large difference like that? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-test-how-high-do-your-ears-go/659067.md?page=1)