Going slowly deaf in London

[rdpx]

We are in N1, close enough on a calm summer day to hear it when Arsenal score a goal.

The hearing loss is a drag really but I have been galvanised into thinking I need to upgrade the kit whilst I can still hear it. Make teh most of what I have etc. I think I need to go do some demoing and find out what kind of sounds fit best with my ears as I imagine they will have vastly different requirements to most folk. I would also be interested to hear about Gordon's experience with headphones... I might need to try some out.

For now though I think my main aim is going to be to find a pair of new speakers.

The Croft Integrated Phono can wait...

[Andrei]

double post

[Andrei]

Robert
There is some music that is meant to be played loud. The Rite of Spring by Stravinsky for example and some dreadful heavy metal - but really 90%+ of music does not require that sort of level ... so keep exploring and you will find tons of stuff that you can get 100% enjoyment.
Welcome.

[Gordon Steadman]

We are in N1, close enough on a calm summer day to hear it when Arsenal score a goal.

The hearing loss is a drag really but I have been galvanised into thinking I need to upgrade the kit whilst I can still hear it. Make teh most of what I have etc. I think I need to go do some demoing and find out what kind of sounds fit best with my ears as I imagine they will have vastly different requirements to most folk. I would also be interested to hear about Gordon's experience with headphones... I might need to try some out.

For now though I think my main aim is going to be to find a pair of new speakers.

The Croft Integrated Phono can wait...

I think there is a basic misunderstanding of what happens when the ears start to fade. Completely deaf is one thing but as the sound changes, it becomes the new reality. We all seem to hear differently anyway, no-one has the same shaped ear canals and equipment so there has to be some shaping. When you start having to wear hearing aids, the brain adjusts - eventually - and what you hear in the 'real' world is reflected by what you hear on the hi-fi.

The main problem is volume. My loss is not the standard high treble loss but much lower. I have to turn it up to feel the bass. My wife, who has the ears of a bat, can't stay in the room which is why I tend to change to cans in the evening. She still finds it a bit loud as I obviously don't wear the aids with the headphones on so I have to turn it up a bit. At least the neighbours don't get to listen too. We have metre thick walls which is one good thing.

A good set of phones is a much cheaper option that the equivalent quality speaker. I have some Sennheisers and use an old Rogers Ravensbrook amp. Sounds lovely.

The one thing the loss is doing though, is making the Quads less enjoyable as they don't really like high volume levels. What used to be more than adequate loudness is now a bit low. I changed over to some big box speakers yesterday and I happily listened at somewhat generous levels. Not the same quality but sometimes sacrifices have to be made.

Getting old is a real bummer.

[rdpx]

Getting old is a real bummer.

I'm only 43! Been wearing hearing aids since I was about 36.

What you say about the hearing loss is correct though. My profile is generally profound loss but it is much worse at some frequencies. I would imagine that for headphones to be good I might need to play the sound through a graphic equalizer that was configured for my hearing curve, as is the case with my hearing aids?

The thing about the speakers being less enjoyable is also what is interesting - so for example a speaker that might sound awful to someone with perfect hearing might sound wonderful to you or I, because of our particular hearing curve.

But indeed we must adapt to what we have, so for me at the moment that means I have to work out how best to improve my system without having to remortgage the house!

R

[Gordon Steadman]

I'm only 43! Been wearing hearing aids since I was about 36.

What you say about the hearing loss is correct though. My profile is generally profound loss but it is much worse at some frequencies. I would imagine that for headphones to be good I might need to play the sound through a graphic equalizer that was configured for my hearing curve, as is the case with my hearing aids?

The thing about the speakers being less enjoyable is also what is interesting - so for example a speaker that might sound awful to someone with perfect hearing might sound wonderful to you or I, because of our particular hearing curve.

But indeed we must adapt to what we have, so for me at the moment that means I have to work out how best to improve my system without having to remortgage the house!

R

Strangely, with the phones, I don't seem to need any correction and everything sounds natural. I guess the same change in reality takes place. Having the sound so close to the ears does let me hear some of the small details that I miss with the speakers but then I suspect that is the case with them anyway.

36 is a bit young to start suffering this and you have my sympathies. However, that does no good at all and we just have to soldier on with what life hits us with as you say. I'm 68 in a month or so and I've had aids for 13 years now although the loss started some time before that.

Ebay is our friend of course and there are some superb things out there that won't break the bank. How are you with DIY? Some of the kits available would mean a quality item for a bit less than a second mortgage.

[rdpx]

Strangely, with the phones, I don't seem to need any correction and everything sounds natural. I guess the same change in reality takes place. Having the sound so close to the ears does let me hear some of the small details that I miss with the speakers but then I suspect that is the case with them anyway.

36 is a bit young to start suffering this and you have my sympathies. However, that does no good at all and we just have to soldier on with what life hits us with as you say. I'm 68 in a month or so and I've had aids for 13 years now although the loss started some time before that.

Ebay is our friend of course and there are some superb things out there that won't break the bank. How are you with DIY? Some of the kits available would mean a quality item for a bit less than a second mortgage.

Thank you for the sympathy (empathy) anyway, it is well intentioned.

I just realised there is a headphone output on the Marantz CD player - might look into getting a second hand pair of Grados sometime.

As far as the DIY goes, I suppose I am not incompetent, but I just saw the shiny white things you have made on your flickr page, and I think they are probably outside my comfort zone. Where would I even start looking for something like that anyhow? I keep thinking about starting a "what speakers should I get" thread, but I think it would just drone on and be incredibly vague, so I have stopped myself so far...

R

[Gordon Steadman]

Thank you for the sympathy (empathy) anyway, it is well intentioned.

I just realised there is a headphone output on the Marantz CD player - might look into getting a second hand pair of Grados sometime.

As far as the DIY goes, I suppose I am not incompetent, but I just saw the shiny white things you have made on your flickr page, and I think they are probably outside my comfort zone. Where would I even start looking for something like that anyhow? I keep thinking about starting a "what speakers should I get" thread, but I think it would just drone on and be incredibly vague, so I have stopped myself so far...

R

The white speakers were a Teufel kit of drivers and crossovers. You just had to make the cabinets which admittedly, were not the simplest. I ended up making two pairs as you can see on the Flickr pages. The kit was around €1500 and the manufacturers version €3000. I found them a bit bright and tamed my pair down considerably.

However, a basic box speaker can be made to perform pretty well. The non horn loaded Tannoys are just boxes after all and so is the LS35a and I've heard some really good B&Ws..

Asking what speakers to get is asking for 50 different answers of course. If you like the sound of your existing speakers, you could always try and find a bigger model from the same maker.

I would probably take a chance and buy something big from eBay and then sell it on if it didn't suit. There are always Celestions, Missions etc for sale. Some of the Japanese units are much better than people seem to think. I don't know the model but I heard a pair of Pioneers last week that were impressive (even if driven by a cheap crap amp), nice 12" bass units, mid ranges and horn loaded tweeters in well finished cabinets.

So much to choose from