# How old are your ears? (Hearing test inside) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 22, 2014, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-are-your-ears-hearing-test-inside/699280 "2014-09-22T22:27:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-are-your-ears-hearing-test-inside/699280/41 "2014-09-24T03:01:16Z")
> [@Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](#): > > I could hear the Under 50 - but nothing after that. Guess I’m average for my age. > You guys are right though - they need an Under 60 and even an Under 70 category. I’m wondering if they don’t because maybe age-related hearing loss levels off after a certain point. > [@Lsura](#): > > I could hear the Under 40 (and the others at lower frequencies) but none of those higher than that. I’m 41. That’s where I ended up too (37). I’ve had tinnitus since the age of 3, though, so I wonder _when_ I lost 16000 and above. ---
**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:** [September 24, 2014, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-are-your-ears-hearing-test-inside/699280/42 "2014-09-24T05:34:25Z")
Any of these tests on YouTube is bound to be broken because YouTube filters out any frequencies above 16 kHz. I can easily hear 19 kHz via tone generator but I can’t hear the 16 kHz on the linked clip. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-are-your-ears-hearing-test-inside/699280/43 "2014-09-24T05:38:27Z")
The last one I could hear was the “under 40” sound. I’m 24. I was gonna say that maybe I have really shitty hearing but a lot of the Youtube comments have apparently-young people not being able to hear any further than I can so I’m just gonna agree that Youtube isn’t able to accurately produce the right frequencies. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-are-your-ears-hearing-test-inside/699280/44 "2014-09-24T10:01:11Z")
On the youtube test I got “under 50,” and using an online tone generator I could hear 14kHz but not 14500. I’m 48 and frankly surprised. Besides getting definite hearing damage at a concert when I was 21, I’ve also worked in plenty of really loud facilities. My husband’s 52 and I’ll be interested in seeing his results. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-are-your-ears-hearing-test-inside/699280/45 "2014-09-24T13:44:08Z")
Re-tested myself on a tone generator and my ears quit past 11,500 hertz. Well, riding a lot of subways and playing in a band full of bagpipes, followed by hanging out around loud airplane engines, probably did nothing to preserve my high tones. ---
**Author:** ![TheFaerie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TheFaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFaerie)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-are-your-ears-hearing-test-inside/699280/46 "2014-09-24T14:49:02Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > I got “under 50” as the highest sound I could hear. I could’t hear the “under 40” sound. I got this too, but I’m 47, so I’m apparently good for my age. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-are-your-ears-hearing-test-inside/699280/47 "2014-09-24T15:01:12Z")
Heard the first sound at 8000. Nothing else. So I’m alive and not hearing impaired. I’m disappointed that I couldn’t hear 12000. ---
**Author:** ![SpeedwayRyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@SpeedwayRyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpeedwayRyan)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-are-your-ears-hearing-test-inside/699280/48 "2014-09-24T15:21:23Z")
On the YouTube test I could easily hear the 12kHz but not the 15. However, I wondered about the compression effects, and on a tone generator I could hear all the way up to 16kHz. I am 34 and have spent a lot of time at race tracks and rock concerts and spent a fair amount of time with my ears ringing for a day or two after an event as a result, so it certainly could be worse. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-are-your-ears-hearing-test-inside/699280/49 "2014-09-27T17:01:06Z")
I could just about barely hear 15000, which is under 40, and I’m a bit older than that. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-are-your-ears-hearing-test-inside/699280/50 "2014-09-29T13:01:33Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > But I heard all the others, except the last. Weird, but I have my suspicions as to why. And? I know from the other thread I can just barely hear the 16hz. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-are-your-ears-hearing-test-inside/699280.md?page=2)