Hearing issues and signal attenuation

Those are good thoughts and much appreciated. I tried the speaker angle approach even to the point of exaggerated positioning but the issue of right side upper level detail remained. I tried installing a 2 ohm 100W resistor in series on the right speaker and wasn't able to hear the difference in right weighted upper level frequencies either. I'll try the method discussed in the ditaudio article and still use the L pad to find a resistance value that might work. BTW, my amplification equipment is Peachtree Audio. I don't know what I was thinking when I said it was Nova. .??

Thanks, Lloyd. Both sets of hearing aids I've tried were BTE with in canal receivers. My problem seems related, at least to some degree, on the abnormally small diameter canals. We even worked with the manufacturer re tip size and material. Nothing worked so I gave up trying and sold both pairs on eBay.

Ok and thanks for these observations and suggestions. I'll address the hearing aids once again first. In the last two years I've tried two different aids manufacturers and 3 different audiologists. These were high end aids costing over $9000 between the 2 of them. No matter what we tried I could not wear them for more than an hour before itching turned into a significant earache which would last into the next day or two. We even counseled with the manufacturers in an attempt to find some modification that might alleviate my issues. Thank goodness that I received a refund after one of the providers gave up but I sold the other pair on eBay for a major loss. So, then, I totally agree your observations and opinions but I simply can't wear them and will no longer try.

On top of simple age related hearing loss I also have a case of hyperacussis and tinnitus. I have an appointment with a tinnitus specialist next week; he sounds knowledgeable but, based on my general knowledge of cure failures for that issue I'm not getting my hopes up.

To summarize my hearing issue as I understand it I offer the following. Using a test cd, sitting in my normal (centered) listening position, using a gradually increasing frequency from about 25Hz to 2KHz the sound seems centered to around 4KHz where it begins increasing right weighting through to my loss of hearing somewhere between 7500 and 8000Hz. I also feel discomfort in the area of 1400 to 1500Hz

With these amateur findings in mind, coupled with my inability to use hearing aids I think the only logical choice may be an equalizer so today I bought an inexpensive graphic equalizer just to experiment. If it looks like it may be my answer I'll come back to seek more advice on types and brands that would be best for more permanent use.

Correction.....I should have stated that the range of frequencies tested was to 20K, not to 2KHz

I'm looking into the various pro EQ's like the DBX 321 but my experimentation just suffered a temporary hit; there will be a Christmas tree partly in front of my right speaker for awhile. I do have another question, though. In setting this up is there any reason to consider using an "unbalanced" connection from the EQ?

Thanks Pryso. I have no doubt that aids are in my future at some point and for more than just listening to music but, as I mentioned, I purchased a graphic EQ today and finished installing it about 2 hours ago. There's no doubt that an equalizer will be a permanent addition for at least until that time that I find a way to use hearing aids.

The frequency control is impressive and the ability to bring the stage to the center where it belongs brings even more enjoyment back into listening than I had anticipated. The only drawback so far is that I think it degraded the overall sound quality which may only be a matter of adjusting to this new balance.

The EQ I bought is an older Soundcraftsmen 12 band per channel unit with sliders that are a bit rough so I'm going to be looking for advice in my search for its replacement that won't break my bank.

Maybe I should start a separate thread for this question but I'll try it here in regard to adjusting the EQ. Now that I have the experimental equalizer in place I've been attempting to achieve the R/L balance not just for volume balance but for frequency balance as well. This activity is not as straightforward as I, without much thought, anticipated because changes especially in the mid to upper frequencies affect the directionality and, therefore, perception of where the sound source is strongest.

So, this is the approach I've been trying. Starting with right and left channels set at neutral volume and flat frequency settings I used an audio test CD and stepped through frequencies listening to how closely centered the signal seems. As I come to a frequency that appears weighted to the right side I adjust the dB on the left side of that approximate frequency upward until the tone centers. I do this through to 8 KHz where my ability to hear pretty much ends.

Here's where it stops being simple. It seems that increasing the dB of those frequencies resulted in my overall perception of balance change when listening to music, migrating now to the left side. Using music to adjust balance, though, has other issues, mostly I think, based on how the music was recorded in the first place. For example, I listen to some small jazz groups which seem to record in a way that represents poisoning of various instruments accentuating, for example, that drums are located at stage right. This seems especially to be the case with the older recordings when there seems to have been more effort given to demonstrating stereo effect.

I don't claim to know what I'm doing here but, regardless of that, I'm very much satisfied, so far, with the listening improvement resulting from the addition of this equalizer.

Lowrider, I will do as you suggest and have started looking into the pro EQ's and how to incorporate one into my system. I guess, though, that my hope for a simple solution is dashed. I was thinking that an EQ would have simple RCA in and out connections like in the old days but it appears that's not going to happen. In reading a couple of articles on how to use a pro audio EQ with a home stereo setup, it isn't a very straightforward operation. I don't mind expending some effort but having to solder resistors across connections and add an an external DAC, etc. seems a bit more involved than it should be. Don't get me wrong, I'll do whatever it takes but is there something out there that will help me do this that is a little less demanding?

Ok, I spoke too soon re the problem using the pro audio EQ and the difficulty using it with RCA interconnects. I called Guitar Center and it turns out that they have adapter cables that allow connection to and from XLR and RCA. I'm living so far in the past.... Those 2 articles that I read that described the need to modify the inputs by soldering resistors into the circuit must be for some other application.

Zd, the articles I referred to re the soldering in of resistors was as a result of my having googled a general inquiry of something like "how to connect RCA cables to pro equalizer". This was before I learned that there were pre manufactured adapters for this purpose. I wasn't referring to a specific manufacturer, though, and maybe I asked the question in a way that the articles that I read were about something a little more specialized than what I meant to ask.

That's where I also learned about the options of modifying these connections to accommodate balanced or unbalanced operation. Based on this info and your advice, I assume that the adapter cables also come in balanced and unbalanced versions.