A question for Audiophiles...
 

Hi.

I am extremely hearing impaired and recently had a jack installed in my 2013 Limited so I could plug in some headphones and listen (monaurally - and without cabin noise) to AM news and talk radio.

For 14 years previously I had a jack installed in my Dodge Dakota and could understand speech well enough to understand news and talk programs.

Having the jack installed in the Limited has not given me the vocal clarity I had with the Dakota - even though I'm using the same headphones as I did in the Dakota. The voices are just "blah, blah, blah... I can't make out what they're saying. So I have to think it's the adjustment to the radio that is wrong.

I'm 66 and near deaf for 30 years, so stopped learning about the latest audio tech decades ago. In my Dakota there used to be two dials - "Base" and "Treble." I turned the base to the lowest setting possible, and turned the treble to as high as possible, because I best understand "sharp" speech. As sharp as possible.

With this radio there are about a million possible adjustments and I know how to do none of them. A friend told me about the "equalizer," I think he called it (seven columns that can be adjusted up or down,) and he told me to put the first three columns (representing base) to their lowest setting, and putting the next four (representing treble) to their highest setting."

I did that and it sounds a little sharper and clearer - but still not enough to make the voices clear and understandable to me.

So I was wondering if anyone here might have some adjustment ideas to give me clearer speech?

I would greatly appreciate being able to use my radio. Thank you for any help you can provide.

:)

You have the right idea:

https://text2go.files.wordpress.com/...zer-preset.jpg

Not sure what else you can do.. maybe someone else will chime in.

How much power is your line out pushing? You may need an in-line headphone amp.

I went looking for headphone amps with their own EQ, because the BRZ's eq is not all that great, and I found some interesting things. SoundBlaster's E1, E3, and E5 have a computer-configurable EQ program that, among other things, will reduce background noise and amplify dialog. They're designed as portable amps, but it may be worth contacting them and outlining your needs to see if their products can meet your goals. Maybe you can hardwire one into your car.

http://us.creative.com/p/sound-blaster/sound-blaster-e1

You should raise the 1k and 2.5k. Slightly raise the other high bands. Don't drop the low frequencies completely out, but you may want to cut 250 band down. If you need a picture I can provide.

However, what headphones are you using? As said above, you may need a line driver.

Do Not completely deminish the 250-500Hz range. That is the frequency range in which we hear vowel sounds. If anything, that segment should be made the loudest it can.

Take this two pages for reference:

http://www.proav.de/index.html?http&...ech-level.html

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu...sic/vowel.html

I suggest actively listening to the radio while making changes to the EQ.

I want to thank you all for your input. :thanks:

>How much power is your line out pushing? You may need an in-line headphone amp. <

I really don't know. I had the jack installed by a professional audio shop. The guy said he checked my headphones for "proper resistance." So I hope that's what you're talking about.

The radio is loud enough, I just can't make out the words. I need more clarity. That is why I think it just needs proper adjusting.

>what headphones are you using? As said above, you may need a line driver.<

The phones are JVC - but not expensive ones. I think I paid about $25 for them on sale. They worked fine in my old truck. If anyone can suggest high-clarity phones, I'd appreciate the recommendation.

>Take this two pages for reference:<

Thank you for that! I will follow all of your collective advice and keep playing with it and adjusting it - listening as I go along.

I'm pretty certain that if I can just find the right combo of settings that this radio will probably be better and clearer than the one I had in the old Dodge. But finding that combo is the hard part. :sigh:

Thanks so much for your suggestions and input.

:)

i suspect they connected the headphone jack to the door speakers, which subaru sets up as 'subwoofers', so only the low tones go to them.

you would need to verify which speakers wiring the shop connected to-- if they connected to the door speakers, i suggest changing to connecting to the wiring for the speakers in the dash. those will have the higher tones that you're looking for.

Thank you very much, Soundman!

I'll contact the shop tomorrow and ask them. I'm sure they'll make it right if that's the case.

Thanks again.

:)