EQ Curve for Headphones

Hearing Aids
#10

Well, it is certainly true that if you a playing a Beetles album backwards different individuals may hear some sounds differently. But, if you haver heard an orchestra tuning the purpose is for all of them to hear the same notes in the same way. There actually is a “right way” to hear music accurately. But sure if it doesn’t matter to you, that’s OK too. I’m an amateur musician and it really does matter to me.

My hearing aids are wonderful for conversation, for music, not so good. I’m using M90s now, better than my others but still not accurate.

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#11

I think that is a way over sweeping generalization. There are way too many variables involved to even attempt to reproduce what the artist intended let alone the impossibility of hearing what the artist hears themselves.
For me, it’s about listening to music that I’m long familiar with and now knowing that I’m missing parts of it due to hearing loss.

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#12

I think the only way you’d make your aids “accurate” is for you to program them yourself. I got close with the fitter from Costco (I have the KS9s - same aids as the 90s, with a couple features removed for 1/5 the cost) but it still wasn’t “accurate” to me. So I ordered a Noahlink Wireless, downloaded the target software and, sitting in front of my reference music system, as well as my acoustic instruments, and electric instruments, and tuned my aids for what SOUNDED “accurate” or pleasing to me. No frequencies jumping out, no frequencies in deficit, to the best of my ability. Real Ear Measurements show just what can take place on the way to the ear drum that can color the audio for the listener. Which is why I say, once we have a loss, the best any of us can hope for is to get aids that make us perceive that loss is mitigated by the instrument. The audiologist, the fitter, or anybody else, can’t really do it. And once that loss is there, the only reference we have is judgement from what we remember something should sound like.

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#13

It all comes down to what sounds good to me may sound like crap to you, and what sound great to you may sound like crap to me. That in a nutshell is what hearing loss does to all of us.

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#14

I’ve been a musician my whole life. Pro for a while, semi pro most of the time, and still personally active. I have heard the orchestra tuning up live inside Abbey Road Studio One and have recorded in The “Beetles” Studio Two.

I worked with Sennheiser and Neumann for 20 years.

I will say this - the moment we had to touch an equalizer to perceive reference material “accurately” is the moment we gave up the “right way to hear”. Now…there is a right way to LISTEN actively, but we are at the mercy of our hearing instruments, both natural and artificial as far as the right way to HEAR.

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#15

For PC listening I can highly recommend the Asus Xonar DGX pci express sound card. They can be had for less than 50 bucks on Ebay. It has a built in headphone amp and a highly adjustable 10 band equalizer built into the driver software. If you listen to alot of audio as I do, the Xonar cards use a special mode for audio that presents voice much more clearly than other cards I have used.

#16

I’m getting ready to get ready to do the Noah link thing myself. Still have a lot to learn tho. I may be asking you for help as I get closer.

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#17

I just started with the KS9s (Marvels) but have been programming my own America Hears aids since 2008, so I’d be happy to help in any way I can. I am not an audiologist, so I am in learning mode myself.

I got NoahLink new from ebay for $175 10 days ago. I see the seller now has it listed for $209… I went with a US supplier for faster delivery.

#18

Yeah, I saw that, it was $175 “or best offer” so I offered $150 and didn’t hear back. That’s what I get for trying to save a few bucks.

#19

What about music composed by people who have hearing impairments?

#20

Just like in the audis booth. You do it through bone conduction but with a stick in your mouth.

#21

Several years ago I noticed a Kickstarter product that seemed to deal with the problem of EQ Curves for Headphones. I ordered it an after a long delay it finally arrived. It also works to adjust your headphones or other devices to your hearing profile using an app on your mobile device. You take a self test with the app to develop your profile. It worked for me and allowed me to enjoy music and hear the cymbals etc that I had missed before. It might be worth looking into. The only negative is that it is a wired device. The item is called Aumeo and was designed by an audiologist from Hong Kong. I just looked at their website (aumeoaudio.com) and they have now come out with a number of other products that might help when trying to enjoy your music.

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#22

If the KS9’s do not have an equalization program built into the software and the aids like the KS8’s do, have you considered dedicating one the the programs to streaming? The fitter could boost the bass (probably as much as 20 dB) for that program so it sounds better when streaming. You would have to manually select the program which would not be a big deal when listening to music, but would not be ideal when using the aids for phone calls.

A good start would seem to be making a copy of a music program and then boosting the bass for streaming, if the main purpose is for listening to music.

#23

Hi Sierra,

Target software DOES have separate settings for streaming music fine tuning vs streaming phone calls. I was nervous about boosting the bass as far as is shown in the example you sent, but will give it a try…

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#24

The Connexx software used with the Rexton/Signia/KS8 allow for a maximum boost of 18 dB. It sets a default amount based on the fitting type. Open fittings get lots of boost, while closed get much less.

#25

Let us know. I’m very interested.

I just came back from my audi appointment to try to address the lack of bass in streaming. She didn’t think I should go for closed domes, but gave me longer wires so I could get the open domes to at least point into my canal, notwithstanding the idiotic wire bend.

Bass response is already better, and by boosting bass by 10dB (the limit of Android Play Music equalizer) and depressing midrange slightly, I’m starting to get reasonable sound! I’m going back to the audi next week for some customization. Perhaps I should get a Noahlink now that this stuff is starting to converge on functional.

So let us know how you fare.

#26

Try as I might, I just can’t seem to get the streaming music part to sound good to me. I can’t push the bass enough (program won’t let me) and the mids seem to automatically follow. Neither could the two fitters. No big deal, for me, as I prefer my active listening be done through good headphones or speakers. I have my music manual setting on the KS9s tweaked perfectly for me, so listening through speakers in the room is an enjoyable experience, as is playing my instruments.

#27

Shoot. Too bad. Thanks for the info.

#28

Sonar Works is a software/app approach to headphone or speaker EQ that’s used by music-industry pros which takes into account what headphones or perhaps speakers you’re using. It also asks your age and sex, and supposedly makes suitable adjustments. There’s a 21-day free trial for the “desktop” (i.e., not smartphone) version. Would be curious what others think of it – I definitely thought music sounded better through it. Also, if you muck about on their website, you might find an A/B survey you can take, where you are played the same brief sample, selected based on the kinds of music you say you listen to, and asked to say which sounds better.

#29

Sonar Works is interesting. I tried it a while back and found it wasn’t quite ready for prime time. And, on my Mac, there are already enough tools built into the audio programs to tailor the experience to my loss. At the time, they were indicating they’d have an iOS version out which is what is really needed. That was at least 5 years ago. So far, nothing. I will revisit it for the Mac, though. Thanks for posting this.