Comments on: Hearing Test

By: Kradak

Kradak — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:05:09 +0000

If you want to settle the issue of whether or not someone can hear at 20kHz frequencies, why not make an audio file that is encoded (i.e. Morse code). If you can hear it, you should be able to translate a message as proof.

By: Brendan

Brendan — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:12:18 +0000

im 16, and i heard 21kHz, but couldnt hear 22 at all. for all the people saying you cant, i dont care what degree you have, i dont care who you claim to be or claim to know, i know i heard 21kHz. no matter impossible that is, i heard it. im sure of it

By: Jiiero

Jiiero — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:07:50 +0000

I’m 21 and heard it up to 21khz. Also heard 22khz but that sounded wrong – not as smooth as 21 or everything lower so I’m excluding this. Btw you would need studio equipment to reliably test this.

Anyways, for the folks wondering: there are hair cells in your ears. They are the things responsible for hearing – each cell for one hz. There are those born with less or more so it’s possible to hear above 20khz.

With akg k701 headphone (10-39800Hz).

By: Drew

Drew — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:11:35 +0000

I did a bit of reasearch, prompted by the argument of not being able to hear over 20,000hz, seeing as i could tell there was sound being generated when i was playing a 22khz sound. I came up with this found in a study.

“Hearing or audition is the sense of sound perception and results from tiny hair fibres in the inner ear detecting the motion of atmospheric particles within (at best) a range of 20 to 20000 Hz. Sound can also be detected as vibration by tactition. Lower and higher frequencies than can be heard are detected this way only.”

Essentially this states that the human ear cannot hear over 20khz, but it can still detect sound. you will not hear the frequency, but you will know that a sound is being made. Similar to hearing people speak in another room, you will know there is sound, but you wont hear the words.

By: Lee

Lee — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:03:16 +0000

I am 33, and i can vividly remember I was the same as you described – when I was about your age. I can’t remember when this amazing phenomenon disappeared from me because I never consciously paid any attention, but it’s gone. I remember I had a hearing range upto about 18~19kHz when I was 22 (tested by a friend working at an audiology lab. But the test I just did gave me much dizziness. I cannot hear higher than 15kHz, but my brain feels microwaved after listening to frequencies I can’t “hear”…
I fear that if some of us are around certain electronics which produce certain high frequencies, we are de-sensitized for good. I can hear the fridge making a noise from the kitchen while in my bedroom sleeping, I can only ignore it.

By: Lee

Lee — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:51:24 +0000

It detects the range of one’s hearing, not sensitivity. So if you had to crank up the volume for higher than 17kHz, then most likely it’s a distortion. Don’t think these sounds are very pleasant, and most people cerainly wouldn’t like to listen to them all day. Not sure that’s missing on a lot.

By: Lee

Lee — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:34:50 +0000

Hey man. Great sense of humour. I would suggest fixing all the ones above 15kHz, for I’m a 33 year old. If they don’t work for you, they’re equal to having broken. BTW, I just thought one advantage of being “normal” in hearing is to allow us get less disturbed by certain sounds which cats/dogs pay much attention to(no offence to those who can hear); though the flip side is not to be the first ones to know when an earthquake comes. Although many say it’s a deteriation of hearing, I can’t help wondering whether it’s a kind of evolution or adaptation to our environments?

By: David M

David M — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:04:38 +0000

I am 31 and can hear up to 18kHz. My wife introduced me to this a few days ago because she is going over this in her 5th grade science class. My wife is 26 and can only hear up to I believe 16kHz. I mean it might be possible that I could hear the next step if I was to use higher quality headphones, but I doubt it. Now I have a headache…

By: Jacob

Jacob — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:41:30 +0000

You MIGHT be able to hear sounds above 20 khz. Those are, however, not the sounds for the test, but rather the noise of your headphones/speakers trying the match it through the output. As long as the tone doesn’t “scar” in your ears, giving you an odd, painlike feeling, you CAN NOT hear those sounds. Stop imagining yourselves being “unique”, bullsh****rs.

By: Emil Siren

Emil Siren — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:41:44 +0000

I’ve read that humans can only hear from 20hz-20khz, and my music teacher told me aswell. I was surprised when i hear all of those, even 22khz.

I’m using Adam A3X speakers. The speakers frequency response is 60hz-50khz.

How can it be possible?

Btw. Im 16…