My ears of tin are over 50

Whether you can hear well over 50 depends on many things, there is no bright line rule to that effect. Typically sensorineural hearing loss occurs either due to acoustic trauma or aging (presbycusis). Whether and when you suffer from hearing loss due to either cause depends a lot on your own makeup. The best way to find out if you do indeed suffer from hearing loss is to see an audiologist and get your hearing tested. The idea that if you are past 50 you can no longer hear well enough to care about sound quality is not only an overgeneralizatiom but is inaccurate.

Agree with Musicnoise. And let's not forget that sound differences are still apparent to anyone short of the totally deaf; thus even my 65-year-old ears, even with a hearing dip at 3k, can still discriminate and be pleased by some sounds more than others. Just like you kids!

Who is Jim Smith,and should we care what he says?