[neilep (OP)]

One of my staff (it's good to be the boss*smug mode*) has noticed that when listening to music he hears the majority of vocals through his left ear...........in all seriousness everything else is normal, instruments are heard equally well but vocals (and only vocals) seem to be faboured by his left ear....he says it's quite dominant....I listened with him yesterday and all was well for me and for another person too.

Any ideas about this ?...is it a brain thing or an ear thing or a figment of imagination thing ?

Your mono, stereo or surround sound answers are most welcome.

'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'

[tweener]

Is it possible that his hearing is damaged in one ear so that the vocal range is stronger in that ear and/or weaker in the other?  I guess that doesn't make sense if he can hear instrumental music equally well in both ears.

Personally, my hearing is damaged in my left ear so that I can't hear the high frequencies.  Also I have some tinnitus in that ear.  My right ear is good.  But I need both ears to hear very well - they definitely work together.  Maybe this guy's ears are just not working together as well as they should.


----
John - The Eternal Pessimist.

[bezoar]

Maybe it's a sort of tone deafness in only one ear.

[chris]

If he can hear the music, which contains sound frequencies overlapping with the vocal line, then it cannot be an 'ear thing' and must be a 'brain thing'. There are some tests which deliver split audio in the form of 2 different words presented simultaneously to each ear (the dichotic listening test) but these produce mixed results for various reasons.

Usually the right ear is termed the dominant ear (like the right hand of most people is their dominant hand) - is this guy left handed ?

Chris

"I never forget a face, but in your case I'll make an exception"
 - Groucho Marx

[neilep (OP)]

Thanks Chris ! !!..I'll ask him which 'handed' he is and report back. When I speak with him again I'll ask him how long this has been happening and how frequent it is,

John...I'm fairly sure his hearing is undamaged....well ,that is, when he has his hearing aid turned on  !![]....*chuckle*...( *sigh*...I must be really sad to laugh at my own jokes like I just did !!...it's late....I'm weak !!!)....getting back to what you both said though, I'll speak with him further and investigate...it is an intriguing dilemma.

'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'