Can't Hear Above 13.5kHz. What Am I Missing? Options

[botface]

Using pure tones at "normal" listening levels I can't hear above 13.5kHz. I was disappointed with that result initially, but on thinking about it I'm not sure.

Assuming the usual 20kHz ceiling for perfect hearing that equates to a D# (give or take a few cents). 10kHz is also D# but 1 octave lower. My 13.5kHz limit is more or less a G#, which is a perfect 4th above the 10kHz D#, or to put it another way I can hear more or less half of the top octave. Given that there are no fundamentals from real instruments up there then at worst I'm losing some upper harmonics.

Add to this the fact that many people found MP3 low passed at 16KHz to be perceptually transparent - and I'm only 2.5kHz short of this - and I'm wondering what I'm actually missing.

I'm sure there are many 20 year olds that could easily ABX a suitable "full range" sample and that same sample low passed at 13.5kHz but how would the difference manifest itself and does it really matter (in a musical sense)?

This post has been edited by botface: Mar 28 2012, 17:13

[DVDdoug]

Assuming the usual 20kHz ceiling for perfect hearing that equates to a D# (give or take a few cents). 10kHz is also D# but 1 octave lower. ...

... Given that there are no fundamentals from real instruments up there then at worst I'm losing some upper harmonics.

Right. There are no "notes" that high. But, it's not just harmonics, it's non-harmonic overtones too, which exist at non-octave intervals. At 13kHz, you are still getting most of the music, but you may also have some "loss" below ~13kHz. If you have loss between 5 - 10kHz, you'll definitely be missing some of the highs (as you probably know from playing with an equalizer).


You could get a real hearing test. Or, you might get some of your friends to do some tests with you just in case there is some drop-off in your speakers/headphones. And, you could compare your sensitivity at 10-13kHz (on the same set-up) with others about your age.... And, you could compare sensitivity at ~2kHz too...