[78-L] A doubt about EQ curves

[Malcolm Rockwell]

Spend some money and get a GOOD hearing test (not from someone trying to 
sell you a hearing aid! Their parameters are not broad enough for true 
audio applications). They'll plot your hearing loss EQ curve. Plot the 
reverse curve into your tail-end graphic equalizer (not the pre-EQ used 
for dumping the RIAA or any pre-emphasis/de-emphasis curves).
What you'll hear will be "flat", custom tailored to your ears. Keep in 
mind that you'll still have to fiddle with it a bit. Aural techs usually 
use headsets when giving the test, so if you use speakers when doing 
restoration work the curve will probably be slightly different. You 
might also want to check average curves for hearing loss for a 20 year 
old, a 30 year old, etc., to decide the final curve you're shooting for. 
Don't know if it'll help but it might.
Oh, and be sure to visually check and/or test your regular monitoring 
speakers for cracks, tears, buzzes, tweets, honks, etc. You want your 
audio chain and end components as clean as you can get 'em.
Good luck!
Malcolm

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On 10/15/2011 1:22 AM, Kristjan Saag wrote:
> Doug Pomeroy wrote:
>
>   >  Don't be afraid to use your ears!
>
> --
> Many of us who work with audio restauration or audio distribution in one
> way or another are close to or above the age level when progressive
> hearing loss sets in. 30 to 35 percent of adults between the ages of 65
> and 75 have some hearing loss, usually affecting higher frequencies.
> Logically we should be less susceptible to surface noise than colleagues
> and listeners 30-40 years younger - and be tempted to set the low-pass
> filter higher than a 30 year old.
> As long as our audience is our age there's no problem: the listeners
> hear what we hear and are happy with that. But what about younger
> audiences? And our younger colleagues? Could it be that the age factor
> is involved in some of those "insensitive" transfers that we complain
> about every now and then? And what about our own changes in hearing? Has
> anyone of you thought of "compensating" for the increasing difficulty to
> hear higher frequencies when doing restauration work?
> I'm curious to know.
> Kristjan
>
>