For me, the results were that I have hearing ability on-par with a ~5 year old, and they only see adults like me every 18 months or so. I've got a printoff of the chart around here somewhere, but it's well outside the normal, especially for my activities.

On the flipside, I'm very ADHD, which I think hurts my loud-space conversational abilities some. I always figure my ears are trying to listen to all of it at once.

(Most lightbulbs and televisions drive me up a wall, because I can hear them all the time)

As a kid I always used to take the batteries out of clocks when I would sleep at other peoples houses on a couch or something but since becoming an adult around 29 I gained a little more mental control so I can deal with that stuff a little better.

OTOH, unplugging those devices saves you energy.

I also frequently have to ask people to repeat themselves and can't hear what they're saying well in noisy environments. I think I have superhuman hearing loss.

I think they're meant to scare cats away, but they work well for teenagers and people like myself (26)

Closer to what I think you're describing: The TV didn't "whine" really (at least, I was never completely conscious of it), but I always knew when it was on.

My hearing isn't quite as good now, but there are still a few devices that I keep unplugged because they're loud and high-pitched.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switched-mode_power_supply

"The operating frequency of an unloaded SMPS is sometimes in the audible human range, and may sound subjectively quite loud for people whose hearing is very sensitive to the relevant frequency range."

Even analog power supplies will generate a 50/60hz hum (depending on what the power-lines are providing)

Bonus: I leveraged it into the ability to emit (by sort-of-whistling with the tip of my tongue against my palate) sounds in the same frequency range (which has provided many hours of amusement over the years).

Oh, and this age-related degradation of hearing in the upper registers is also the basis of a few interesting things, like devices that discourage teens from loitering[1], and apps that allow teens to communicate under the noses of adults[2].

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mosquito

[2] http://www.psfk.com/2015/09/high-frequency-app-text-ringtone...

Yet when I am in noisy environments I often am much less adept at figuring out what people are saying than others.

Are these two things related?

Because people have no problems in the classic quiet room, one person talking sound test environment, it tends to slip through the simple screening tests.

This is exactly why every time I've had an Audiology test, I've never scored above "Average - Above Average", even though I can hear nearly every fluorescent light ballast, powered-on TV, etc. From my own personal tests that I've done with soundwave generators, I can hear up to about 20khz.

Curse you for this! I've had this monitor for years without a problem and now I can't unhear it!!

By the way, I have the same exact problems as you do: hypersensitivity to high frequencies, and I can't hear / understand crap in a bar.

Interestingly it's pitched above the range of my tinnitus so I get to hear both most of the time :/

Summer here is my favorite time of year for that reason - the insect noise gets so loud at night, and falls right into the range of the tinnitus and e-noise such that it completely obscures them. It's almost like those sounds aren't there for a few months every year.

On the other hand, you probably don't want the tinnitus that often comes with noise-induced hearing loss. Better to be able to turn off the noise (or wear earplugs) than to hear it all the time.

[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1tepwv/why_is_t...

When I wear earplugs I can understand conversations better. Like many others in this thread, I have uncommonly good hearing but find it difficult to hear any conversation in a loud environment.

On a related note, this is why people talking during movies is so infuriating for me: while they're talking the movie is basically turned off for me.

I'd definitely pony up for a pair from Bose. Their headphones don't impress me in the outright SQ department, but they have the best noise cancellation tech I've heard.

Can you elaborate on this? Is this good? Does that age correspond with undamaged hearing?

Today, many adults already have significant hearing loss from having regularly listened to loud music on portable players like the Walkman starting 30+ years ago. The first research on this seems to have been done in the mid-80's.

Believe I am well aware of that time before ipod/iphone/streaming services etc :)

However back then there amount of time spent by people wearing earphone and headphones was much smaller comparison. Even with the existence of the Walkman it was not common to see people using them for instance in the office and at their desks for hours at a time during the work day.

People also didn't spend hours on the phone chatting socially with them either.

My comment was really more about non-congenital hearing issues being potentially common place in the future as a result of this change.

You're only considering adults. Teens definitely did spend hours a day with earbuds in.

Same. I'm also pretty sure that extreme difficulty sifting through conversations in noisy environments is a symptom.

Has been like this forever and have never had any (other) problems with my hearing.

Its a signal/noise attenuation, you'll hear _more_ detail, not less.

A pair like these are what I'd consider 'high end':

https://www.amazon.com/ETY-Plugs-Fidelity-Earplugs-Standard-...

But I've always got a cheap set from the pharmacy in my pocket or the car somewhere. Something like this is perfect:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/HEAROS-High-Fidelity-free-case/15...

Bar type conversations usually have me decoding people's facial expressions and nodding or grimacing at the right times.

I've adjusted to the hearing changes for the most part, but the most insidious new problem is acute sensitivity to nearby conversations when I'm talking to someone else. The best way to describe it is that I've lost the dynamic range of amplitudes. Rather than being able to focus on one conversation and hear it as louder than the rest, I feel that all of them seem to be at the same volume. The worst is when I'm out walking with another person to have a conversation, and we come upon another walking/talking pair. I need to let the other people go ahead until they're out of earshot.

No complaints overall. I'd have died without the chemo, so it was a favorable trade.

I assumed I was losing my hearing, which would make sense as I was a DJ in my later teens and spent a lot of time with large speakers and no ear protection. I went to get tested this past summer and I passed - my hearing is basically "normal for my age". They didn't have much else to offer, unfortunately.

What I've noticed in loud settings, like bars or busy restaurants, is that I can hear the music and everyone's voice at once, but I can't seem to pick out the voices directly in front of me.

It can definitely be a bit embarrassing as I'm constantly asking people to repeat themselves if it's a serious conversation, and if it's not, I try for a while until I lose the thread and then zone out and ask my wife about it later.

What could this thing be? ENT was very unhelpful.

[1] http://io9.gizmodo.com/5839116/lifelong-musicians-can-unders...

I hear just fine (slightly above average 'signal' for my age), but in a noisy environment I struggle to focus on the voice of the person in front of me and exclude the 'noise'. That's processing.

My hearing is actually far better than it was when I was younger (32 now), I also had moderate/severe hearing loss from allergies (which I have mostly grown out of).

In every physical where my hearing has been tested I've always gotten average results, but quite often if there is some noise in the room (like a dining hall or a bar) I have really hard time hearing what people are saying

You usually don't need a referral as most hearing aid clinics will just let you call up and schedule an appointment. If you want to talk to an ENT specialist though, you'll probably have to go to your family doc first.