To be an audiophile is not just to love audio gear, but also the music that is played back on such a high-performance music playback system. Audiophiles live and breathe good sound, with a whole lot of emphasis on music, but few discuss the realities of hearing as it pertains to the hobby. It is much more fun to devote our time to fine-tuning our listening environments and meticulously selecting components to hand-curate our systems. It’s a joyful yet endless pursuit that blends technical expertise with an emotional connection to music, resulting in a heightened appreciation for the finest subtleties of sound in all its forms – much like a chef who seeks to create the perfect dish, or the sommelier searching for that one sip of the world’s finest red or white.
So, what happens when your primary listening devices – your ears – start to fail? Hearing loss in men is quite normal as they age, yet in the audiophile hobby, there is an implied “I have great hearing” vibe (regardless of age or gender). But that’s just not reality for so many audiophiles. Hearing loss is natural as we age, specifically an issue with men, and the audiophile hobby couldn’t be much more of a male-dominated hobby. With that in mind comes an interesting question … Can you still call yourself an audiophile if you can no longer hear the sparkle of the highest perceivable frequencies, or detect the overtones in a perfectly locked-in four-part vocal harmony?
As a medical professional who teaches people how to speak again for a living (often after a stroke or other dramatic health event), I’ve got good news for you … The answer is an enthusiastic YES. Allow me to explain …
If You Can Keep Your Third Michelin Star with Only Part of Your Tongue – Then You Can Be a Major Audiophile with Only Part of Your Hearing!
As a native of the Chicago area, food is a big part of my DNA. The Windy City is home to many fantastic restaurants, including 21 with Michelin star designations. As a lover of the culinary arts, but also as a professional specializing in swallowing, speech, and sound (basically everything from the neck up), I’ve always been fascinated with one local chef in particular, Grant Achatz, founder of Alinea (one of few three-star Michelin restaurants in the United States), whose story is unique within the culinary world, and an inspiration to anyone who was forced to overcome adversity without sacrificing self-identity.
In 2005, Alinea garnered international acclaim for its innovative tasting menus, which showcased Achatz’s inventive culinary vision and unique approach to food. The restaurant’s avant-garde dishes, served in a theatrical and immersive dining experience, earned Alinea three Michelin stars and a reputation as one of the elite best restaurants in the world.
Things came to a halt in 2007 when Achatz was diagnosed with stage IV squamous cell carcinoma (cancer), which spread to both sides of his neck. Surgeons first proposed an operation involving the removal of his tongue, to be replaced with muscle from elsewhere in his body. The surgery carried a grim prognosis, offering only a 50 percent chance of survival beyond two years.
Achatz refused to allow his illness to dictate his identity as a chef. He declined surgery and instead chose to participate in an experimental clinical trial at the University of Chicago, undergoing a regimen of chemotherapy and radiation. This resulted in severe side effects: his tongue was scorched, the lining of his esophagus was stripped away, and his taste buds were destroyed. The chef had lost his greatest tool, but remained committed to his lifelong craft and passion. He recovered, and continued to innovate and create groundbreaking dishes, relying on his memory, intuition, and the feedback of his diners to guide his cooking. Some even say his food became better and more interesting, as his loss of taste, coupled with his heightened reliance on other senses, enabled him to approach food from a fresh perspective, unbound by conventional limitations.
The parallels between Achatz’s story and many lifelong audiophiles who are now suffering the throes of moderate to severe hearing loss are obvious. While cancer and its treatment are medically incomparable, the thought of losing one’s sense of hearing (even a little bit of it) can be devastating or even humiliating. But losing a small percentage of your hearing isn’t a death sentence for your hobby or love of music. So, what is an audiophile experiencing hearing loss to do? How can one continue in this hobby with a diminished sense of auditory processing and hearing?
What Should an Audiophile of ANY Age Do Right Now to Guard Against Losing More Than Their Fair Share of Hearing?
- Get your hearing tested. Now. Even if you think you hear perfectly. Attack the problem head-on and book an appointment with an audiologist or hearing specialist. They will perform an audiogram, which will pinpoint which frequencies and what amplitudes are most affected. This is an important first step in recognizing that hearing loss is just another chapter in the audiophile journey, but not necessarily the last. Note: most hearing tests in the real world don’t test frequencies much above the spoken word, but they are a great baseline for you to test how you are hearing, even if they can’t measure ultra-high-frequency sounds as easily as more common lower-frequency sounds.
- Learn to appreciate the hearing you have left and enjoy the hell out of it. Sensorineural hearing loss typically impacts higher frequencies first. Many who suffer from hearing loss report loss of high-end sparkle, lack of upper-frequency definition, and reduced ability to detect overtones, as well as difficulty discerning high-frequency (usually female) vocal harmonies. While there’s some incredible musical information to be had in the 4,000 Hz–20,000 kHz range, the majority of what we hear in most musical genres falls between 60 Hz and 4,000 Hz. You may be missing out on some high-frequency brilliance, but there is still plenty to appreciate elsewhere along the spectrum. Try exploring some new genres that tend to be more bass- and midrange-heavy, and be open-minded about the beauty of low and midrange presence in music.
- If your tests reveal serious hearing loss, check your ego and embrace wearing hearing aids. A study in the late 1980s revealed that 79 percent of participants in a 206-person sample felt music enjoyment was impacted by their hearing loss. Common complaints included distorted sound, unrecognized melodies, and unclear lyrics. 60 percent used one hearing aid, 40 percent used binaural aids. Among them, 67 percent found music enjoyment improved with aids, and 74 percent used aids regularly for music listening. A good audiologist will coach you through the process and help you select the best-fitting pair of hearing aids that are personalized to your listening habits and preferences. There are plenty of modern hearing aids that focus on and can even enhance music listening (check out my article on audiophile hearing aids).
- Consider using headphones with noise cancellation. Headphones in general offer a more intimate and right-in-the-ear listening experience, but active Noise Cancellation (ANC) takes it to another level by blocking out unwanted noise, putting your musical selections front and center. For those with hearing loss, this may improve the listening experience overall, allowing the listener to focus on individual auditory information without dealing with unwanted noise or having to worry about room acoustics. There are some great high-quality ANC headphones on the market that won’t break the bank and could make a world of difference for someone with hearing issues, but be careful as always not to overdo it and damage your hearing further by listening for too long or at dangerous volume levels.
- Take enjoyment in sharing what you know about the hobby with other audiophiles – especially younger ones. Our hobby is unique in that it spans generations. I cherish the conversations I’ve had (and continue to have) with the older generation of HiFi experts. In fact, at Axpona 2024, I shared drinks with two guys twice my age and had some interesting conversations about audio and gear. There is a wealth of knowledge to be shared and passed down, which will only help our hobby survive and thrive. Join groups on social media and engage with others new to the hobby. Attend trade shows and conventions and look for local meetups. You’ll leave a lasting impact on the hobby we love in a very positive way.
Final Thoughts on Potential Audiophile Hearing Loss…
Hearing loss is a natural part of aging that unfortunately affects the male population at a higher incidence and prevalence than women. Our hobby is mostly older males, so the reality is that hearing loss will inevitably affect a large portion of the audiophile community in the near future, if it hasn’t already. If you are experiencing hearing loss, I urge you to consult with a hearing professional as soon as possible. While your hearing may no longer be the same, there is still plenty left in the tank and music enjoyment to be had. It just might sound a little different.
The short answer to the question, “Can You Still Be a Real Audiophile If You Have Lost a Little of Your Hearing?”: yes.
The long answer: you can read my thoughts about it here: https://www.psaudio.com/blogs/copper/hearing-loss-and-the-need-for-high-end-audio?_pos=3&_sid=17a4a87dc&_ss=r
Here’s an excerpt:
For a growing number of us, our hearing may be flawed. Does that mean we should just give up…and listen through crappy audio systems for the rest of our lives? Of course not.
On the contrary, if our ability to perceive sound is more limited, then why not enjoy what we can hear to the best degree possible? I say, if anything, that having lessened hearing is the strongest argument for having as good an audio system as possible! To switch to a visual analogy, if you could only see through a small window, wouldn’t you want that window to be as clean and transparent as possible? And wouldn’t it be better than looking through a big but dirty picture window?
I posted a comment about my embrace of hearing aids in response to the previous article, but I hope the author will say more in future articles about tinnitus. More of my elderly friends admit to tinnitus than inability to hear particular frequencies and, personally, I find my own tinnitus a far greater threat not only to my wellbeing but, also, to my enjoyment of home audio than is my age-related hearing loss. Soft musical passages just can’t compete with the constant whine in, particularly, my right ear.
My ENT and audiologist both have told me to grin and bear it and the Widex tinnitus relaxation app just highlights the difference of the howl in my two ears. Any tips to manage this will be useful for those of us who just hear there is nothing we can do.
Tinnitus is REAL! Thank you for bringing this up. I’m actually hoping to do a story on this soon. My dad suffers from moderate tinnitus and I have a mild case of it as well. There have been some advancements in treatment but the jury is still out. I hope you find some relief soon.
Birds Aren’t Real.
Tinitus IS…
(the publisher has spoken!!! 🙂
Not long ago, I experienced a sudden change in my hearing. I was shocked at the sudden onset of this problem and thought for a couple of months it might be transitory. It’s not. All of a sudden, sound I hear sounds as if, with “normal” hearing, I cup my hands over my ears, giving a “hollow” kind of effect. All of a sudden, my 6 ft. grand piano sounds just awful.
I had my hearing checked with what I’d call some rudimentary tests by a hearing aid salesman. Turns out, it didn’t seem too far out of normal. And when I told the guy my main concern was music, specifically my piano, his whole demeanor changed to one of pity and helplessness, admitting that hearing aids really are for speech, not music.
I have an appointment next week with a real ENT referred by my physician. I’m dreading the news or diagnosis.
I thought that, as I age, if my hearing began to fade, no real problem. Just turn up the stereo. And a grand piano is plenty loud, right? That’s, apparently, not the way this works. And I am, frankly, quite distressed.
I’m sorry to hear about your sudden changes in hearing. I would recommend meeting with both an ENT and audiologist to figure things out. And there are a few hearing aid manufacturers with aids geared towards musicians. You might want to check those out or mention them during testing. I mentioned them in my previous article, see link below. Best of luck! Eric
Thanks for your reply and I’ll definitely check out your article on audiophile hearing aids.
As a long time member of the audio/video community (retail hifi sales, hifi mfg. representative, senior executive major A/V tape manufacturer and finally DVD replicator) my hearing has been crucial to my career. After blasting away for 50+ years in many sound rooms and studios my hearing is starting to fray around the edges. The opportunity for a high end speaker/headphone manufacturer to create a new product category for audiophile hearing ‘enhancers’ (rather than aids) is there for the taking. Imagine a pair of custom Golden Ear, Martin Logan, JBL, Stax etc. enhancers marketed through traditional audiophile dealers. Hell, I’d wear em and I believe most of my aging audiophile friends would too. Make them ‘cool’ looking and cool sounding and they would sell like crazy.
I belive a pill is coming. Not kidding.
I couldn’t agree more. There will be a huge market for this type of product if there isn’t already.
My experience over the last twenty years is that as hearing loss progresses one’s ability to hear nuances fades but one can still enjoy music & movies. Up until three years ago I was able to hear small differences in speaker sound in YT reviews but that is fading now. I know how voices & music used to sound & my brain is able to compensate greatly including making up for complete loss of hearing in one ear. When listening on headphones sound appears centered. My hearing only works from single sources, conversation in a crowded or echoey room, will confuse me. It’s important to experiment with what works best, voice intelligibility being the best guide & to remove distractions such as surround sound & excessive bass, two channel sound with no center channel or surrounds works best for me. Good luck.
I’m late to this comments section, but thought I would share my two-cents.
In response to the question: can one be a “real” audiophile with compromised hearing(?), I would start with an attempt to define the word, “real.”
If “real” is defined as a thing understood to exist according to quantitative means or epistemology, where the means or tools are developed by humans to account for what can be known or measured according to the limits of the means–what the means/tools can detect–then the answer is, yes.
That is, a real audiophile can exist in cadence with the above definition of real, because we are unable to account for all the parts and pieces of all the things we have yet to learn about, let alone all things existing in the cosmos–including labels ascribed to human beings, e.g., real and audiophile.
Our species exhibits a propensity to absolutize the concept of what is real and true, often concretizing what is conceptualized to be real and true into unchanging fact.
If, however, the nature of nature requires all that comes into existence to eventually exit existence, then we’re left with the conflict between concepts of permanence and impermanence, or what could be phrased, absolutism versus relativism.
That said, if there is a half-life to all things yet known to exist according to our latest quantitative means, then it appears there may be at least one unchanging truth most can agree upon, namely: change happens.
That other word, “audiophile” I find a bit easier to manage: a lover of audio.
Given audio refers to sound we hear through a specific sense organ (the ear, or ears if we’re lucky enough to have two), but sound requires the movement of air, then it would be fair to say the movement of air can be experienced with other senses, inclusive of movements of air at frequencies beyond what most of us we might be able to hear.
Fortunately, sense experience brings us back to a kind of relativism and impermanence that takes into account both quantitative (prescriptive) and qualitative (descriptive) realms.
And then there’s the concept of love or loving (philos).
As qualitative phenomena, the movements of air that one person loves will vary from individual to individual and within/between groups of people on a temporal basis–moment to moment, day to day, decade to decade.
Even definitions of the same words, e.g., love & loving, can over time take on new meaning, not unlike new preferences one may develop for different sonic characteristics.
I suppose if we take note, each of us will notice that, indeed, change happens for each us.
Do these changes determine our real love for audio, our capacity to love music?
And who would be the one to make such a determination?
The arbiter of real, in this case, remains well above my pay grade and anyone else I’ve yet to meet.
I suppose if I were to consider the role of our senses to have special importance when it comes to audiophilia, the products selected by audiophiles, and the role of the reviewer, I would want to understand the pros/cons of a review when/if the reviewer intentionally alters their sense perception (via alcohol or other imbibables) in the process of conducting a review.
I’ll admit to having hearing loss but not to being an audiophile.