physiology and psychology of hearing

May I recommend an informative read and a profound movie to all who love music. First, "Musicophilia", a book by Oliver Sacks. He is a pre-eminent neurophysiologist who wrote this excellent book on the psychology and neuroscience of hearing, and the understanding of music both physiologically and emotionally. He writes about loss of hearing, how differently we experience and compensate for alterations in hearing loss, stroke, trauma, etc. It is as informative as it is easy to read on a large variety of complex topics for the layman and non-neuroscientist. Many real-life examples, reference and footnotes. Second, the excellent and very moving movie "The Sounnd of Metal" is guaranteed to immerse you in the hellish world of profound sudden hearing loss and the emotional struggle to regain some hearing.

I found it fascinating to learn about the hearing loss experiences of other people: how it happened, how it altered their hearing, how they and their brain compensated for it, and whether or not hearing loss improved or evolved. 

Hearing isn't the same for everyone by any means. It may range from our natural ability to hear, our preferences, how our brain interprets and processes cochlear impulses with it numerous interconnected neural pathways, and (of course) our source material. Our hearing abilities are forever dynamic: trainable as audiophiles and musicians, or diminished by age, medications, trauma, environment, etc. I had near perfect pitch, and in an instant, I traumatically lost 70 dB of hearing above 500Hz.  Despite medical treatment, continuing to listen to music through my high end system or Bose clock radio (car audio sucks because of background noise), practicing classical piano, protecting my ears, seeking out a music-specializing audiologist and ENT, and finally numerous trials of hearing aids (costing $6-10k), I have been partially successful in improving my musical experience. Equalization helped little, as I have both loss of hearing, and what I hear is muffled and distorted so as to be raw, grating and irritating (For example, the attacks on playing my lovely 9-foot Bosendorfer are nearly intolerance, so I play by feeling the keys - braille-like?), and wearing "noise canceling" headphones. I used to listen in the dark exclusively (intensely focusing on the music, image depth and soundstage, the interpretation and performance, etc). Now I added an AWOL short through projector and 120 inch screen located just behind the plane of the Apogee Diva speakers and JL subs. By not focusing exclusively on hearing, and by adding HD video, I can add visual info that seems to mask my attention on distorted sound! Hence, my musical experience is often AV and enjoyable in a different way, altering how my brain interprets and filters out musical distortions and noise. I still can hear the soundstage, and can identify a good recording, just not how good reliably.

One does not ponder the obvious, so I'll state a few items! My take-home audiophile message is (1) protect your hearing, (2) experience music at reasonable sound levels, and then rest your ears (3) train your ears and brain to listen critically early in life, (4) invest in a pleasing and musically accurate system, (5) expect hearing to change over time (loss of high frequency details and cues come first by age 45) and (6) be flexible and explore different ways to adjust to hearing and interpretive changes that will occur gradually, and sometimes that happen instantly!

I highly recommend the above book and movie! They will truly add to your listening pleasure and understanding! The best to all! Joe

squared80

If you tell yourself a more expensive power cord, lifts, or some boutique speaker cables are going to change the sound, you've built in a bias where you think it DOES sound different. But it doesn't. Not one bit.  Snake oil companies appreciate your business

Not all are a snake oil company.

To hear the different sounds in PC compare video, click 3:03 (JPS), listen 10 sec, click 11:25 (WTPC) 10 sec. Repeat. 

Alex/Waqvetouch Audio

If you tell yourself a more expensive power cord, lifts, or some boutique speaker cables are going to change the sound, you've built in a bias where you think it DOES sound different. But it doesn't. Not one bit. And you've spent a lot of money for nothing. Snake oil companies appreciate your business, though. Keeps the economy humming.

@curiousjim

I can tell one note from another, I’ve been getting this high pitched noise in my ears and if it keeps getting louder I might not be able to hear any notes.☹️

My experience may give you some hope, but there's no guarantees.  About 40 years ago I suddenly got the high pitched ringing - tinnitus - in both ears.  It seemed to happen in a split second and stayed there for a couple of decades.  Then I became aware that it had gone away, almost completely.  It only comes back if I get very tired. 

My hearing today is good enough to almost instantaneously tell that a Super Audio Compact Disk was being played back at CD quality rather than using Direct Stream Digital.  This turned out to be an implementation fault in my Reavon 200 universal disk player. 

My selective hearing developed way before I got married - by three years old, I had learnt to block my mum, according to the doctor.

Hopefully one day your tinnitus will disappear ...

larsman

@mihorn - so you’re saying it’s physically impossible for a woman to be an ’audiophile’? I wouldn’t think they were mutually exclusive, but that’s just me.

I said "a’philes (men) can alternating between 2 sounds faster and easily than women." I should say "women in general." Few women have trained ears by exposed to hi-fi in young age.

Somehow more men are committed to hi-fi (un-natural) sound which takes much energy and effort (the listener’s fatigue). And most women refuse to fall for hi-fi sound and they tend to visit the live band cafe or concerts more.

Thanks! Alex/Wavetouch audio

@jsalerno277 

If I hear a note I cannot tell you what it is from memory, but I can go to a piano keyboard and play that note.  If I hear a song, I can play the melody and build the cords easily, with awful technique since I had never had piano lessons.  

I am amazed by those who can go into a foreign environment and tune a piano by ear, with no tools or meters, and have it in perfect tune. 

I am in retirement for a year.  I want to now take piano lessons.  I will start soon. 

Good for you. There are many teachers who would say don't bother; you're too old. Ignore them and enjoy it. 

In other words spousal selective hearing or pushing the mute button

I have that mute button. Took years to develop. Evolution. 

In other words spousal selective hearing or pushing the mute button on the TV remote. 

Difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments, Difficulty following multi-step directions, Difficulty reading, spelling, and/or writing, Difficulty remembering and summarizing information, Difficulty knowing where a sound came from, Difficulty in discerning one sound or one frequency from another, Difficulty listening to (my) music.  

Sound like marriage... '-)

@mihorn - so you're saying it's physically impossible for a woman to be an 'audiophile'? I wouldn't think they were mutually exclusive, but that's just me. 

Thank you for the link.  The medical term for what the content developer discusses is “auditory processing disorder” (ADP) - a disorder affecting the ability of the brain to process sound without loss of hearing sensitivity.  It manifests in one or more of the following conditions including:  Difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments, Difficulty following multi-step directions, Difficulty reading, spelling, and/or writing, Difficulty remembering and summarizing information, Difficulty knowing where a sound came from, Difficulty in discerning one sound or one frequency from another, Difficulty listening to music.  

Two of the many causes are genetics (as described by the content developer as differences in individuals) and, as in my case, age.  I have the first on the list. When in a noisy environment I focus on the noise and not the direct sound.   The Otolaryngologist has informed me my hearing is above average but this form of APD is common for my age.  It is a source of frustration for my wife when I do not hear what she says when there is background noise. 

When in junior high school (middle school for the younger), I was in the orchestra playing bass.  My music teacher wanted me to go to the NYC HS of Music and Art for music and my art teacher for art.  My parents said no.  I continued in high school but that was the extent of my training.  I have near perfect pitch.  If I hear a note I cannot tell you what it is from memory, but I can go to a piano keyboard and play that note.  If I hear a song, I can play the melody and build the cords easily, with awful technique since I had never had piano lessons.  I am in retirement for a year.  I want to now take piano lessons.  I will start soon. 

Of course none of us hear the same for many reasons but it's amazing to me how many people don't have the mental discernment to realize the vast subjectivity that goes along with listening.

One of reasons people hears differently is there are natural sounds and un-natural sound. People can only hear one sound only either natural or un-natural sound. People can’t hear natural and un-natural sound at same time. Therefore, a’philes don’t like noise when they are listening audio music.The natural sounds (dog barking, blower sound, washing dishes, people voices) disrupt listening audio music (unnatural).

Listening unnatural sounds takes lots of brain processing and energy that it results "the listener’s fatigue." ex.) many people fall a sleep in Sunday worship. A’philes fall asleep while listening audio music.

For trained ears, they can hear both sounds in alternating manner (I guess alternating 5~10 times/second between 2 sounds). A’philes can alternating faster and easily than women. Therefore, women hear the audio music like the left spkr in below video.

https://youtu.be/IHf_FSa8amE?si=_sH955SSrd5snFRu

Alex/Wavetouch audio

I can tell one note from another, I’ve been getting this high pitched noise in my ears and if it keeps getting louder I might not be able to hear any notes.☹️

Sigh.

Probably explains why a system sounds like heaven to one listener but awful to another.

I sang in choirs for many years, learned at a very young age I had pitch perfect capability. Question is would I have made different choices for a high end system devoid  this capability?  I'd also posit mental clarity or the ability to focus, clear the mind of distractions is a great variable.

and very many here do not have young ears...