High End Audio and Your hearing as you get older

I have wondered if as we age, do we hear familiar things differently without realizing it? For example; do we narrow in on some frequencies such as treble sounds that we can hear, and yet because we don't hear all the harmonics that are generated from the those frequencies, hear them differently to the point that we now perceive them as brighter because they are incomplete?

Here is the link: http://www.ted.com/talks/evelyn_glennie_shows_how_to_listen.html

Great presentation!

There's a difference between "hearing" and "listening". Even though our ears may not be able to hear as well as we age, our mind is able to listen and comprehend better. It's similar to being smart vs. being wise. ;)

As for our mind and mental skills fading as we get older, well, that's another issue. :(

There's a great presentation by Evelyn Glennie at TED that addresses this issue. Even though she is deaf, she is a world class percussionist. I'll find a link and post it.

54, I believe that the quality of one's sound system becomes more important as we get older. Our hearing, mine anyway, has become more sensitive to harsh and overly bright sounds. This is why "Sound Matters" to me. Now as we get much older and our ability to hear deminishes to the point that hearing aids are required, well, I do not wish to think about that, all bets are off.

I have to agree with Tpreaves for now.
My listening pleasure and my ability to hear most positive attributes that we describe in the sound from our better stereos makes listening an absolutely glorious experience at my age - 51.
When I hear the level that my elderly parents have to turn up the volume on their TV I do wonder.

I'm 53 and I swear I hear better now than at 33!!Maybe it's because I've got better equipment now,who knows!!

Perhaps eventually but the loss in presbycusis is of sensitivity (not absolute) and it is, progressively, from the very highest frequencies down. Even with increased thresholds down to 10KHz (and at 68, I ain't there yet), most of what makes music interesting and subtle is still discernible and enjoyable. Sure, the highest overtones are gone but they contribute surprisingly little except in A/B comparisons.

Kal

J.K. Pushing 100.Let's ask him.I can guess his answer.

Absolutely Not!