Hearing loss that harms multichannel dialogue clarity can begin as early as age 30.
Evidence
These data do not paint an attractive picture for multichannel audio for those among us with deteriorated hearing. The good news is that other tests done by these authors indicate an improvement in speech clarity when the person speaking is facing the camera; consciously or subconsciously, we read lips—all of us. Perhaps changes in cinematic technique can compensate somewhat for the reduced speech clarity caused by the invocation of distracting sounds in other channels. Otherwise it would seem that multichannel audio is a medium best suited for normal, usually younger ears. It is interesting to note that in their population of 41 subjects, with ages ranging beyond 75, those exhibiting hearing impairment began showing up in the 30–44 age group, with progressive deterioration at more advanced ages. The message here is that this is a factor to consider in all home theater installations. — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1440
Categorization
- XREF: connects to: Hearing impairment commonly begins between ages 30 and 44 — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 1913; Hearing sensitivity degrades with age and is lower in early childhood; Age-related presbycusis limits high-frequency hearing by the mid-twenties (+7 more)
Broader Connections
- Age-related presbycusis limits high-frequency hearing by the mid-twenties
#corroborates(0.90) - Human upper hearing range collapses above 16 kHz during the twenties
#corroborates(0.85) - Age-related hearing loss affects high frequencies most and strikes men more than women
#corroborates(0.85) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 603 - Hearing sensitivity degrades with age and is lower in early childhood
#corroborates(0.80) - Cochlear gain declines with age before measurable threshold elevation appears
#expands(0.80) — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 959 - Much age-related hearing decline stems from environmental noise, not aging itself
#qualifies(0.75) — Schafer, Murray R, The Soundscape- Our Sonic Environment…, 621 - Hidden hearing loss can impair speech in noise without raising thresholds
#complicates(0.75) - Monaural temporal fine structure processing declines with age even without hearing loss.
#corroborates(0.75) — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 824 - Age-linked decline in cochlear function stems from falling endocochlear potential
#expands(0.75) — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 959