Companion Instrument

The Hearing Range Test

Tones climb from 8 kHz until you stop hearing them. Two minutes, headphones recommended, ego optional.

Fig. 1 — threshold finder● PLAYING

Before the numbers mean anything, two rules. Set your volume with the calibration tone — comfortable, clearly audible, not loud. Then don't touch it again. And know that above ~17 kHz many speakers quit before ears do; the main generator's speaker reality check can tell you which one taps out first.

What this does and doesn't measure

This finds the highest frequency you can hear at a fixed, comfortable volume — the number that falls with age as the tiny hair cells tuned to high pitches wear out. It does not measure hearing loss in the medical sense, which is about thresholds across all frequencies and needs calibrated equipment and a quiet booth, neither of which is your kitchen.

If you stopped hearing tones around 16 kHz: welcome to adulthood, that's typical. If speech sounds muffled or you're turning the TV up — different problem, real appointment.