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[John Ashdown]

Hi.
Apparently 1 in 6 people suffer from hearing loss, unfortunately I'm one of them. I don't enjoy listening to music anywhere near as much as I used to and that is a major impact in my life: a cruel blow for any music lover.
I am in my 60s and my hearing loss is pretty typical age-related amount so presumably many other media centre users will be equally keen to know if it is possible to at least partially  compenste by adjusting the graphic equalizer.
I am also aware that you should know what you are doing before you fiddle with a graphic equalizer too enthusiastically cos you can easily end up even deafer than you were before you started.
I haven't got my hearing aid(s) sorted out yet but it seems highly unlikely that I wiill find any that will actually make music sound better when heard via a hifi system.
So back to my question: can I adjust the graphic equalizer on MC26 specifically to compensate for my hearing loss? Better still: is there a formula that I can use to invert the results I got from my last hearing test at the audiologist.
If any other users have the same problem and been able to overcome it to some degree I would love to hear (best I can  ) from you
Thanks
John Ashdown

[JimH]

There's a thread here:
https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,112187.msg775351.html#msg775351

and in one of my posts, there's a link to a thread Matt started about his dad.

[wer]

Fiddling with an equalizer will not increase your deafness.

EQs, including the graphic EQ in MC, are limited to the amount of boost they can provide.  The real issue is where you put the volume knob on your stereo (or the volume of your headphones.  Any change you make with EQ is dwarfed by your volume control. If you keep the volume knob at a reasonable level, the small boost from the EQ won't be significant. The graphic EQ in MC can provide a 12db boost per band. So keep your volume control more than 12db below the threshold for exposure your audiologist sets, and the EQ won't push you above it.

There's no trick or secret formula for what you want.  The thread above has some good info.

Get your audiologist to tell you how many db you have lost in each octave (frequency band) and make the corresponding amount of boost (to the extent possible) in the EQ. 

If you try to boost the signal too much, you can cause clipping (distortion) not hearing damage. So if you need extra boost, you may have to digitally reduce the overall volume to provide more digital headroom, and then rely on your preamp's volume knob to raise the level back up for comfortable listening.

Just remember there's a limit to how much EQ can shape the signal: if you're totally deaf to certain frequencies (or have lost 60+db), that can't be compensated for.

If your audiologist refuses to give you specific data, you can download a free tone generator (google it) and use it to test yourself at 500 or 1000Hz increments, then determine how much boost you need at each frequency to perceive it at equal loudness.

Good luck.

[John Ashdown]

There's a thread here:
https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,112187.msg775351.html#msg775351

and in one of my posts, there's a link to a thread Matt started about his dad.

Thank you for your reply. I will look into his further.
Given that 18% of all music listeners are short changed in their enjoyment of music, one of the most fundamental sources of wellbeing, by this condition I am incredulous that this hasn't been addressed much more fully both on and off the web.
Much appreciated
Large plural of regards
John Ashdown

[John Ashdown]

Fiddling with an equalizer will not increase your deafness.

EQs, including the graphic EQ in MC, are limited to the amount of boost they can provide.  The real issue is where you put the volume knob on your stereo (or the volume of your headphones.  Any change you make with EQ is dwarfed by your volume control. If you keep the volume knob at a reasonable level, the small boost from the EQ won't be significant. The graphic EQ in MC can provide a 12db boost per band. So keep your volume control more than 12db below the threshold for exposure your audiologist sets, and the EQ won't push you above it.

There's no trick or secret formula for what you want.  The thread above has some good info.

Much obliged. Very important subject which isn't covered enough on the web especially as 18% of the world's population would benefit from it

[wer]

From what I understand, this is often addressed by audiologists when hearing aids are sold. I know some people who use in-ear hearing aids, and one for example has a very fancy model that pairs with his phone and has all sorts of different settings and capabilities, and is preconfigured to adjust for his deficit in certain frequency bands. In that case, adjusting with an equalizer would be redundant with the device's "music" setting.  Some of the devices are very capable, and expensive. Of course this way, one is listening to the hearing aid and not your speakers.  I couldn't explain or understand what that is like; it's the same problem as using words to explain the color orange to a blind person. You should consult your audiologist for more info.

Good luck.

[JimH]

Much obliged. Very important subject which isn't covered enough on the web especially as 18% of the world's population would benefit from it

You're right.  I just added a wiki topic that links to this thread and others mentioned.  That should make it easier to find with a Google search.

Audio and Hearing Loss

I also changed the subject of this topic.

[John Ashdown]

thanks to all contributors.  i will make it my first priority as soon as lockdown ends.