Surround sound....

[walkin jack]

I hardly know how to begin this. I'm sitting here with tears in my eyes...tears of joy. Tears of relief. Tears of gratitude. I'm not just exaggerating here as I sometimes do, or using a figure of speech. I really do have tears in my eyes. I'll try to explain.

If you are an amputee, blind, paralyzed, it doesn't make any difference. People will be kind and patient with you, hold doors for you etc. But if you can't hear you are just a stupid old man beneath contempt. I don't think people mean to be unkind but it just seems to be a natural reaction. the fact is people don't like to repeat themselves.

So after a while you learn to just smile and "fake it". Movies and tv are usually torture. You either have to keep interrupting the show to find out what was said or just sit there in silence and let it go. I'd love to have a dollar for every time I just sat there and watched the moving picture on the screen with a bunch of gobbley-gook going into my ears. Even with hearing aids. I often have to turn them up so loud that all sound is distorted.

I used to see my uncle and a few other old people that were deaf. Never included in conversations going on all around them. Just sitting there with a blank stare in their eyes not really being a part of anything. Well folks I'm there to some extent and I must accept it. People joke about it, I even do that myself, you know laughing to keep from crying kind of thing.

But with this surround sound. I don't miss a word... not one syllable. But the thing that put the tears in my eyes was how music sounds to me now. Some of you know how much I love music and have heard me say that the more of my hearing that goes away the more I love and crave to hear music.

We will get our new 55" flat screen hooked up and hung on the wall tomorrow and that'll be nice but the thing that put the joy in my soul is the surround sound. Listen, if you are loosing your hearing and having trouble with tv and home stereo please PLEASE take a tip from me and get surround sound. I mean it!!! You won't believe how wonderful it is to hear what you have been missing. I just can't overstate this.

Please y'all, be happy for me tonight. This is a monster of an improvement in my quality of life. If I was 5 years younger I'd do a back flip! RILLY!

 

[shouldazagged]

I'm very happy for you indeed, Jack. Your post is very moving to another deaf old man.

I live in an apartment and can't use high-octane sound equipment, so I'm considering a good pair of earphones. I love music too, a very wide variety of styles.

There's absolutely no way, short of winning the lottery or publishing my best-seller, that I can afford the highly sophisticated hearing aids required to cope with the kind of hearing loss I have after way too many years of shooting without ear protection. They're around five grand each, the last I heard. Maybe more by now.

 

[federali]

Surround Frustration

I'm relatively new to surround sound and home theatre. Just because you have it, does not mean it is perfect. You may find that the backup channels may be drowning out the front center speaker, from which most audio arises. Depending on your system, receivers come with a tiny mike that allows you to balance the sound output to a degree. An audio geek would go into the settings menu of your receiver and further custom tailor the sound to suit you.

The rear surround speakers should not be too close to you as they can drown out the center front speaker.

When watching cable and some premium channels, you also have the option of adding closed caption to the mix. This is usually found in the settings menu.

 

[da gimp]

I have closed captions on all the TV's here....... being around too many power tools, heavy equipment, firearms etc. took a toll on my hearing.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Glad to hear you've found a solution.

Bluetooth for TV is also an alternative. You can use a simple high definition earpiece or headphones if you like.

 

[ralph7]

I'm very happy for you indeed, Jack. Your post is very moving to another deaf old man.

I live in an apartment and can't use high-octane sound equipment, so I'm considering a good pair of earphones. I love music too, a very wide variety of styles.

There's absolutely no way, short of winning the lottery or publishing my best-seller, that I can afford the highly sophisticated hearing aids required to cope with the kind of hearing loss I have after way too many years of shooting without ear protection. They're around five grand each, the last I heard. Maybe more by now.

Yeah, ok

Actually My hearing is also the subject of ridicule as well, and I have some pricey hearing aids. What irks me are people that repeat in the same low tone that I couldn't understand in the first place.
Look at me and say it a little louder, dammit!!

 

[THEWELSHM]

Bose, make some really good equipment to help hearing the impaired. Plus they make a heck of a surround sound God bless


thewelshm

 

[walkin jack]

I'm very happy for you indeed, Jack. Your post is very moving to another deaf old man.

I live in an apartment and can't use high-octane sound equipment, so I'm considering a good pair of earphones. I love music too, a very wide variety of styles.

There's absolutely no way, short of winning the lottery or publishing my best-seller, that I can afford the highly sophisticated hearing aids required to cope with the kind of hearing loss I have after way too many years of shooting without ear protection. They're around five grand each, the last I heard. Maybe more by now.

.

Mike, et al, My hearing aids run about 7 grand a pair and I'm on my 4th pair. No way I could ever afford them if it wasn't for Workmen's Comp. I went to work for a major oil refinery BEFORE they had any kind of hearing conservation program or offered any kind of hearing protection. If you wanted to have hearing protection on the job your were free to bring it with you from home.

One year during the hearing test that comes with the annual physical I lost patience with the guy testing and his lack of knowledge of the equipment or just what he was supposed to be doing. I came out of the sound booth, hit him in the chest with the head phones and told him to take a flying leap at the moon.

The company doctor had enough info from the part of the hearing test that I completed and set me up with workmen's comp.

I was sent to a doctor who gave me a REAL hearing test and rated me as having a 36% "shif" in my "base line" test from when I was hired in. So, I was informed, I would be getting some new hearing aids for free. I expected that.

But what I didn't expect was the I would also receive a weekly benefit check in the amount of 366 dollars each week for ever 1% of hearing loss. So for 36 weeks i got a check in the mail for 366 dollars. Got to where I really loved Friday's.

Depending upon where you have worked and what their policies were you MAY be elegible for Workmen's Comp. If you have ever served in the military you ARE eligible for hearing aids from the Veteran's Administration. My dad got his that way. And if I ever lose my WC benefit I'll just get them through the VA.

I'm betting that some of you are eligible to get them one way or the other if not both. Couple of phone calls could be worth your while. Good luck. I some some of you get helped.

 

[jarhead1178]

Hearing aids and surround sound didn't work for me. Have been using Sonny wireless ear phones for the last 5 years. They work great for the TV. My VA hearing aids work for general conversation but not for TV. Glad youare having success with surround sound. Enjoy.

 

[Maddog 521]

Walkin' Jack I know what you're talking about. I will look into this surround sound you speak of.

BTW I copied your original post and hand delivered it to my wife. Sometimes she forgets about my hearing defect and I wanted to give her a friendly reminder. Thank you sir.

 

[kpap]

Well I'm just a kid my hearing is good, but my wife bought a pair of the high end headphones. One night I tried them out watching Netflix on the iPad, I swear it was better sound than being in the movie theater absolutely amazed at the sound quality...congrats on getting some quality of life back.

 

[H Richard]

I understand what you are saying about missing things. My hearing isn't that bad, I can actually carry on a conversation without my hearing aids. But, I have ranges where I have real blanks. Quite a few years ago when I was still working the company installed a new telephone system that was all electronic, including the "ringer", it was some kind of "tone". My secretary came by my office and asked me why I wasn't answering my phone, I could never hear it. The company had to install a different phone with a different ringer that I could hear. Last Dec. I got my 2nd pair of hearing aids, and when I got up from the chair to put my coat on, I heard the rustle of my arm going down the sleeve of the jacket for the first time in ?? # of years. I had 3 or 4 blank ranges and my new hearing aids handle it well, plus a control for up 5 ranges and down 5 ranges in volume.

 

[S42N8]

I'm relatively new to surround sound and home theatre. Just because you have it, does not mean it is perfect. You may find that the backup channels may be drowning out the front center speaker, from which most audio arises. Depending on your system, receivers come with a tiny mike that allows you to balance the sound output to a degree. An audio geek would go into the settings menu of your receiver and further custom tailor the sound to suit you.

The rear surround speakers should not be too close to you as they can drown out the center front speaker.

When watching cable and some premium channels, you also have the option of adding closed caption to the mix. This is usually found in the settings menu.

As a proud audio geek, I recommend getting a receiver with sound balancing software (I like Denon, which uses Audyssey, but Yamaha, Marantz, Sony and others have similar setups.) After running that (takes about 10 minutes tops) you will hear noticeably better sound. You can also use equalizer functions to enhance certain ranges as desired... But the software balancing adjusts the receiver output to a much better soundstage. Makes average speakers sound way better, and good ones much more detailed. It will also expose speaker weaknesses... But to my less-than-golden ears, it's all good. Good headphones can also make a significant difference, even at the $200-300 price point, and spare others the TV blaring syndrome as well.

 

[walkin jack]

Mine is a Yamaha I'm still in the process of figuring out how to get all the good out of it but I'll get there.

 

[bigride]

Good for you, friend. Listening is often taken for granted. Thanks for reminding us how special listening really is.

Just pretend this is witty.

 

[venomballistics]

often times surround sound isn't properly mixed resulting in messed up dialog no one can hear.
in these cases .. turn off the surround and use a little EQ to add in a few db around the 800 - 1000 hz range.
this usually brings voices to the front of the mix.

 

[m1gunner]

My problem isn't not hearing, I hear stuff that isn't there.

Probably a combination of damage from jet noise and gunfire, always a constant ringing in my ears.

Certain fans, like AC fans or blower fans make me hear melodious music, complete with violins.

Running water makes me hear the ringing of my cellphone.

I am just trying to understand why my wife often looks at me, moves her lips, but says nothing ??????

 

[venomballistics]

My problem isn't not hearing, I hear stuff that isn't there.

Probably a combination of damage from jet noise and gunfire, always a constant ringing in my ears.

Certain fans, like AC fans or blower fans make me hear melodious music, complete with violins.

Running water makes me hear the ringing of my cellphone.

I am just trying to understand why my wife often looks at me, moves her lips, but says nothing ??????

Jet noise being a contributing factor ... perhaps the order of the tinfoil hat has something with the chemtrail conspiracy


another one from the home studio for those who have issues with sound being "crowded and shrouded"...
While not as cheap as adding some EQ in the vocal range (midrange bands) to accent dialog ... there are a variety of products offered by BBE called the sonic maximizer.

smart phone users can test drive it for free with their music player app.
there are several hardware versions as well. The most practical home audio version is probably the 282iR.

How they work is signal is divided into high and low bands like a crossover. they are fed through a processor, witchcraft happens, and it gets remixed with corrected phase and dynamics.
End result ... everything in the mix gets better defined space in the sound field, allowing it to be heard.

 

[the ringo kid]

Yall spent too much money on these hearing devices.All I do is to turn up the volume to the loudest and I dont miss a thing. Well, cept for the next door neighbor banging on the wall in extreme ire. JK.

Good show WOT.

 

[shouldazagged]

My problem isn't not hearing, I hear stuff that isn't there.

Probably a combination of damage from jet noise and gunfire, always a constant ringing in my ears.

Certain fans, like AC fans or blower fans make me hear melodious music, complete with violins.

Running water makes me hear the ringing of my cellphone.

I am just trying to understand why my wife often looks at me, moves her lips, but says nothing ??????

Uhhh...some people who hear things like that sit in corners, smiling a lot and saying, "Wow, man..."

I sometimes think I hear my land line phone ringing while taking a shower, but I haven't had the experience with fans. Kind of envy you that one.

My cell phone ring tone is the first few bars of the scherzo movement from a Mozart flute concerto, so I'll be pretty sure it's mine and not the guy behind me in the checkout line.