Hearing Loss | Can you hear this?
- Wednesday Jul 19,2006 01:57 AM
- By Mike Lopez
- In Science and Nature
Hearing loss is a fast-growing global problem that is often ignored by our society. Hearing can loss is often caused by loud noise which as you already know is pretty common in our modern world. Noise from household appliances, powertools, and worst – the modern craze of MP3 players / iPods which are almost always used with headphones.
As I searched and searched, I came across this 17KHz mosquito cellphone ringtone that most adults can’t hear. Try listening to it. If you can’t hear it, try asking a teenager or a child to listen to it. I tested it with my daughter. I can barely hear the sound at a distance of 1 foot from the speaker but my soon-to-be 7-year old daughter can hear it clearly from 7 feet away. By the way, I’m already 29 years old at the time of this writing. According to studies, most adults aged 35 and above can’t hear it.
Download 17KHz Mosquito Ringtone (WAV Version)
Note that this is not an official hearing loss test. Consult a physician if you think you have hearing problems.
8 Responses for "Hearing Loss | Can you hear this?"
Darn. I can’t hear anything with my laptop headset on at full blast! Must be due to all that hardcore/metal music I’ve been listening to and playing for over a decade now.
I can’t hear it much, but it does seem to give me a headache
For us guys that pretty much fall into the “can’t hear a thing” category, if you use Windows XP here’s something you try out:
1) Open the file (17KHz.wav) with “Sound Recorder” (Start->All Programs->Accessories->Entertainment->Sound Recorder).
2) Click the “Effects” menu and hit the “Decrease Speed” option.
3) Click on the “Play” button!
Sure it’s a cheat, but at least you’ll be able to “hear” what the fuss is all about
at least i know i’m not alone.
damn! can’t hear a thing… by the way.. i tried Bren’s suggestions, using headphones and damn! i think it broke my eardrums..
oh no hope you didn’t hurt yourself! maybe this is a good time to add a WARNING to you everyone: When you perform the steps outlined above, the sound clip will become significantly more pronounced (however, Sound Recorder does not increase the volume)… so, if you have your volume all the way up, it will be VERY LOUD
Hehehehe… I can hear it… It means my hearing are still good.
I think it depend also in your environment. If you live in a quiet area i think you can hear it. But if you’re in a busy city i guess your ear adapted to the noisy environment.
bonniecool, in a noisy environment, the ear is actually damaged and that lessens the chances of people hearing sounds in higher frequencies.
i can hear it. but it gives me a bad headache. haha!
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