derekc

please see; http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f8-general-forum/hearing-aids-audiophiles-26970/ this maybe worth looking at again as to whether an hearing aid is really required to listen to recorded music. I know it depends on the impairment, but for age related loss DSP/PEQ can really help.

thanks Bluesman - I agree the word of audiophile and the world of hearing loss are miles apart. On the face of it, this topic could be considered as being outside the scope of computer audio, however, I believe there could be a demand for a bespoke computer based DSP facility designed for the audiophile minded hearing impaired listener. In the meantime, I hope we have given some ideas and encouragement to those who suffer from a hearing impairment.

I believe Bluesman, you indeed have greater knowledge than I have in this area and wish I had been in contact with you over a year ago when I started to look into this. Can I please clarify for anyone else following this thread, that if for example the audiogram gives you a 60db loss at 4Khz - do not despair - this does not mean you hear this frequency @ 60db in audio power terms below what a person with good hearing would hear. I.e. you would require a massive 60db insertion gain in your HA at that frequency. No PEQ DSP could match this either. The 60 db SPL requires to be converted into a audio power db - which is considerably less then 60db, and I have found even the conversion over calculates the true insertion value x >2. Well that is what my ears tell me.

my research concluded (and confirmed by my audiologist) the relationship between SPL and Audio Db is not entirely linear throughout the frequency range - bearing in mind dbSPL is a straightened out dbHL - which accepts that even for good hearing some frequencies require less/more power to be heard. Then add in the Fletcher-Munson effect that as the volume increases, our hearing profile changes - then you are absolutely spot on - use your ears.

Bluesman - absolutely agree - i can do a frequency sweep and can hear fine up to ~8K - but obviously hear the higher frequencies less and therefore, my solution is to use a DSP to gradually boost those higher frequencies. IMHO a far better proposition than using HAs. Also the SPL dB range on an audiogram bears no relationship to the db scale used in audio - I wonder if this has confused/misled many a person - just a thought. Sddawson - ACON is graphic based and curves can be created, displayed and manipulated and it sounds very good. I could not get on with the JRIVER PEQ. Sorry not used Roon, I have only just recently created a NAS and a pcp based playback system - trying to catch up here - honest :-) Your other point - I also have spells of tinnitus and have observed my hearing is not so sharp when this occurs. But, I never had an issue with distortion - is it always the same piece of music - does anyone else hear it?? I just wondered if it is a system/room acoustic issue. P.S. I am starting to get some good results with managing tinnitus by cranial osteopathy. But do not expect immediate results.

Hi - just had an alert this thread has gone active again and catching up with some of the responses. Sddawson - hi - it is studio software - which I access from Jriver - I use Acon Equalize, easy to use with excellent support. It is surprising that after months of fiddling about you find a sweet spot curve and just leave it alone. Also surprising is the gain I need at various frequencies is nowhere near the insertion gain that would be required according to my audiogram results. I suspect this is why HAs sound tinny. Insertion gain in relation to an audiogram is a thread in its own right - it is a black art and you will find little on the web about this relationship. My advice is that using your ears is best. Please PM if you need more info.

thanks Ted - bizarrely, when I clicked on either title 1 or 2 I only had the 6ch option, then earlier this evening for no reason at all a 2ch option appeared on title 2, then reverted back to a 6ch option, then back to a 2ch option - hmm, something a bit amiss here.

thanks Maldur - so am assuming then in DVD Audio Extract, if I select either title 1 or 2, the extract programme will downmix to two channels.

Hi - I have a DVD Audio disc (there are 4 tracks) which is claimed to contain; 24/96 5.1 surround sound, 24/96 2 channel and 16/44 5.1 mixes. When I use "DVD Audio Extractor" programme it shows both Title 1 or Title 2 as MLP 96Kz 24 bit - 6ch. I.e. no 2 channel mix - so was thinking I would copy the files associated with the 2 channel mix to another folder on my lap top in order to force DVDAE onto the 2 channel mix. But am unclear which files I need to select - the two directories on the disc are listed below; Directory of E:\AUDIO_TS 20/08/2004 18:52 <DIR> . 20/08/2004 18:52 <DIR> .. 20/08/2004 18:48 4,096 ATS_01_0.BUP 20/08/2004 18:27 4,096 ATS_01_0.IFO 20/08/2004 18:37 1,073,741,824 ATS_01_1.AOB 20/08/2004 18:43 1,073,741,824 ATS_01_2.AOB 20/08/2004 18:48 906,053,632 ATS_01_3.AOB 20/08/2004 18:52 4,096 ATS_02_0.BUP 20/08/2004 18:48 4,096 ATS_02_0.IFO 20/08/2004 18:52 585,478,144 ATS_02_1.AOB 20/08/2004 18:27 131,072 AUDIO_PP.IFO 20/08/2004 18:27 4,096 AUDIO_SV.BUP 20/08/2004 18:27 4,096 AUDIO_SV.IFO 20/08/2004 18:27 2,457,600 AUDIO_SV.VOB 20/08/2004 18:27 10,240 AUDIO_TS.BUP 20/08/2004 18:27 10,240 AUDIO_TS.IFO 20/08/2004 18:27 102,400 AUDIO_TS.VOB 15 File(s) 3,641,751,552 bytes 2 Dir(s) 0 bytes free Directory of E:\VIDEO_TS 20/08/2004 18:52 <DIR> . 20/08/2004 18:52 <DIR> .. 20/08/2004 18:24 14,336 VIDEO_TS.BUP 20/08/2004 18:24 14,336 VIDEO_TS.IFO 20/08/2004 18:24 157,696 VIDEO_TS.VOB 20/08/2004 18:24 57,344 VTS_01_0.BUP 20/08/2004 18:24 57,344 VTS_01_0.IFO 20/08/2004 18:24 278,528 VTS_01_0.VOB 20/08/2004 18:25 245,159,936 VTS_01_1.VOB 20/08/2004 18:25 55,296 VTS_02_0.BUP 20/08/2004 18:25 55,296 VTS_02_0.IFO 20/08/2004 18:25 157,696 VTS_02_0.VOB 20/08/2004 18:25 117,317,632 VTS_02_1.VOB Is anyone able to identify which files are associated with the 2 ch mix please? Or is it more complex than that - I have little experience of DVD Audio. Thanks for any help.

Go to Hi Fi Shows - OK they are a bit (I assume) like speed dating and it is not ideal for exhibitor or attendee - however, you will be become more the informed discerning listener and often (as in my case - Amphion - Class D) offer possibilities you have never even thought of.

agree it is difficult to hear everything, hi fi shows go some way to helping and am always surprised at shows just how indifferent I am to some kit that gets great reviews/feedback. Hence, it is always best to trust your own ears wherever possible. Speaking of which, looks like you can cover the ifi side of the equation :-) Stereo Electronics Pte Ltd. 1 Harbourfront Walk #02-118/119 Vivo City 098585 Singapore +65 6376 8252 +65 6376 8272 [email protected]

Hi TheKremlin - oops I did not realise the Rogue Audio is an integrated amp - so yes agree the itube is not required - the IDAC2 would work just fine though. Maybe consider the IDSD as well. If you went down a usb powered dac route, I would factor in a IUSB or the like. You now face the dilemma of buying hi fi - how do you hear all of them in order to make a decision. Where in the world are you?

sorry to throw a spanner into the works - I had the mytek 192 for over a year. However, I replaced it with a ifi idac2 + itube - IMO the ifi combination significantly bettered it in terms of clarity and musical engagement. Also the ifi kit produces that true out of speaker experience that only the best hi fi can give you. I always felt the analogue side of the mytek was letting it down - it sounded a bit shut in compared to the idac2. Rest of system is Bel Canto 500 mono blocks + Amphion one18s.

Hi Alex - glad to see you are following rule 1 - trust your own ears :-) Very good point - I also find I have absolutely no issue differentiating between equipment, 16 and 24 bit etc. My personal observations of the equipment I own/heard are always echoed in reviews/other people's observations. E.g. you mentioning your regen PSU - I just introduced the IFI IUSB into my system and it greatly improved SQ. I am finding all these responses very encouraging.

thanks - interesting response XP9433 - it confirms my findings that even with a poor audiogram result, one can still hear the higher frequencies. However, I do give the higher frequencies a few db boost. It doesn't need much but to me it transforms both the sound and soundstage. Apologies for straying off thread - tinnitus is another bane of my life. It was a constant companion for many years, then one day it disappeared. So could only assume the advice I had been given about it being a permanent defect were wrong. Sadly, it came back and some days are worse than others - however, some days are silent bliss. Just recently I have been having cranial osteopathy and this appears to have stabilised the problem. It might be worth checking out.