<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> <head> <meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)">  <title>Message</title> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"/>  <style>  </style> </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=blue> <div class=Section1> Geoff,<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> After all the list talk that began about hearing, I made an appointment for Tuesday to see my audiologist. Around here, they give hearing screenings for free. Might be true in your area. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Also, I asked the audiologist about whether our specialized listening could modify our regular conversational hearing ability. (Not a damage thing, more of a filtering type thing.) He thought it sounded reasonable, though he had never read any study about it. He’s a former band teacher, so is familiar with our field and our needs as piano techs. He also has a testing device that will test up to 12Khz, so I will be interested to see how hearing tones up there compares with being able to hear speech.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> John Formsma<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <div> <div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'> <hr size=2 width="100%" align=center tabindex=-1> </div> From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of Geoff Sykes Sent: Saturday, June 10, 2006 4:38 PM To: Pianotech@Ptg. Org Subject: Follow-up on hearing protection<o:p></o:p> </div> <o:p> </o:p> <div> Well, my original question about the Zem ear plugs never even got addressed, but the thread turned into something interesting anyway. Now let's take it a step further. <o:p></o:p> </div> <div>  <o:p></o:p> </div> <div> I had an experience yesterday that suddenly slammed this subject home for me. While prepping a new piano at a store the manager claimed to be hearing a squeak in two adjacent keys. I could hear a slight rubbing, but no squeak. Everyone else in the store, (much younger than me btw), could hear it. Just by chance a fellow tech walked in. This person is a little younger than me but what makes a real difference is that this person is female, and it has been proven that women have much better hearing then men, and keep it longer. She could also hear it fine. She also found the problem and fixed it. Turned out to be a small piece of wood shaving between two of the keys. She blew it out and the squeak was gone. <o:p></o:p> </div> <div>  <o:p></o:p> </div> <div> So, today I decided to check out just how my ears were behaving. Just what COULD I still hear? Surely there must be an online resource that could provide some clue prior to actually paying to see a doctor. Well my friends, there is! A company called Digital Recordings offers a free "professional" hearing test online. It offers 24 test frequencies from 20 Hz to 20KHz with SPL ranging from 0 - 80 db in 1 db steps. It requires the Java plug in, some VERY good headphones and a VERY quiet room. I could not get it to run in IE but on Firefox it ran perfectly. Check it out.<o:p></o:p> </div> <div>  <o:p></o:p> </div> <div> <a href="http://www.digital-recordings.com/hearing-test/www-ht-pro/ht_help_p.html">http://www.digital-recordings.com/hearing-test/www-ht-pro/ht_help_p.html</a><o:p></o:p> </div> <div>  <o:p></o:p> </div> <div> Needless to say I was extremely disappointed in my results. But, as an excuse, I have old crappy headphones, live next to a busy street and there is street construction going outside. I plan to find some decent headphones and try it again in a quiet place, but I don't expect significantly different results. (- sigh -) Fortunately the top note on a piano, (C8), is only around 4186 Hz. Well below where my HF degradation started to kick in. (Whew!) Still...<o:p></o:p> </div> <div>  <o:p></o:p> </div> <div> Enjoy. I expect reports.<o:p></o:p> </div> <div>  <o:p></o:p> </div> <div> -- Geoff Sykes<o:p></o:p> </div> <div> -- Assoc. <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Los Angeles</st1:place></st1:City><o:p></o:p> </div> </div> </body> </html>