ToTo Man
the band not the dog
What's the recommended procedure for a DIY hearing test? In particularly interested in the SPLs the tests are run at.
I remember having a hearing test as a child when I started primary school and I don't recall the volume of the test being very loud. So, when doing my own hearing tests I have until now simply set the output level where easily audible frequencies, e.g. 300Hz to 8kHz are at a comfortably low volume through my headphones, and then I simply increase the frequency of sine wave in the REW signal generator until I no longer hear it, testing each ear separately.
Doing it this way, the fall-off as I reach the upper limit is very rapid. e.g. I can hear 13.7kHz but I can't hear 13.8kHz. However, if I raise the output level by a few dBs then I can hear 13.8kHz and a bit beyond. So I don't really know what volume to be running the tests at.
I recently got myself a miniDSP EARS for measuring headphone frequency response so I'm now able to calibrate a particular headphone to an exact output level, e.g. 75dB with pink noise or a 300Hz tone, but I'm concerned that playing sine wave tones at this level would damage my hearing. According to the EARS mic, I've been running my hearing tests at around 55dB.
PS - I do of course understand that headphones do not have a flat frequency response and that my choice of headphone will affect the result of my test. However, I'm not seeking to measure the flatness of my hearing but rather keep track of how it changes through time and spot potential problems.
I remember having a hearing test as a child when I started primary school and I don't recall the volume of the test being very loud. So, when doing my own hearing tests I have until now simply set the output level where easily audible frequencies, e.g. 300Hz to 8kHz are at a comfortably low volume through my headphones, and then I simply increase the frequency of sine wave in the REW signal generator until I no longer hear it, testing each ear separately.
Doing it this way, the fall-off as I reach the upper limit is very rapid. e.g. I can hear 13.7kHz but I can't hear 13.8kHz. However, if I raise the output level by a few dBs then I can hear 13.8kHz and a bit beyond. So I don't really know what volume to be running the tests at.
I recently got myself a miniDSP EARS for measuring headphone frequency response so I'm now able to calibrate a particular headphone to an exact output level, e.g. 75dB with pink noise or a 300Hz tone, but I'm concerned that playing sine wave tones at this level would damage my hearing. According to the EARS mic, I've been running my hearing tests at around 55dB.
PS - I do of course understand that headphones do not have a flat frequency response and that my choice of headphone will affect the result of my test. However, I'm not seeking to measure the flatness of my hearing but rather keep track of how it changes through time and spot potential problems.