We got a lot of positive feedback on our Can You Hear Like a Teenager? article, and it inspired us to take it just a little bit further.

Check your hearing with a list of tones that go from 8Hz all the way up to 22,000Hz. It’s fairly common for people who are over 25 years of age to not be able to hear above 15kHz and also experience some level of hearing loss or hearing damage such as tinnitus. This online test will help you find out where your high frequency hearing cuts off.

Musicians have a much higher risk of hearing loss that most people do, and many of us don’t really wear proper hearing protection. Even just listening to an iPod for an extended period of time can permanently damage your hearing. We also gradually lose our high-frequency hearing as we age.

Take our online hearing test: listen to each of these tones and let us know where your hearing cuts out. Make sure to turn the volume down on your headphones or speakers and gradually turn them up to a safe level.

8 kHz http://www.noiseaddicts.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/8000.mp3 10 kHz http://www.noiseaddicts.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/10000.mp3 12 kHz http://www.noiseaddicts.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/12000.mp3 14 kHz http://www.noiseaddicts.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/14000.mp3 15 kHz http://www.noiseaddicts.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/15000.mp3 16 kHz http://www.noiseaddicts.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/16000.mp3 17 kHz http://www.noiseaddicts.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/17000.mp3 18 kHz http://www.noiseaddicts.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/18000.mp3 19 kHz http://www.noiseaddicts.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/19000.mp3 20 kHz http://www.noiseaddicts.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/20000.mp3 21 kHz http://www.noiseaddicts.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/21000.mp3 22 kHz http://www.noiseaddicts.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/22000.mp3

Importance of Hearing Protection

If you’re around loud music a lot like I am, or if you are experiencing some hearing loss, I highly recommend getting a pair of hearing protection earplugs.

The Etymotic earlplugs don’t muffle the sound like conventional earplugs – they basically give you the same frequency response as without, but with a bit lower volume. If I wear them out to a club, they also help me carry on a conversation without yelling. Etymotic earbuds are also great in that they isolate your ear so you don’t have to turn up the volume as much on your MP3 player (ambient noise is one of the biggest reasons we turn up the volume). I love mine.