Hearing Test

Hearing tests is more than whether you can hear a tone—at Toronto Hearing Services, we assess how well your entire auditory system is functioning.

Diagnosis comes before treatment. Our comprehensive testing protocol includes 3 different parts: standard audiometry, extended high frequencies, and listening in noise. 

Here are the types of hearing tests that will complete your hearing profile:

Standard Audiometry

Standard audiometry is a foundational hearing test that measures your ability to hear tones across a range of frequencies— from 250 Hz to 8000 Hz. This range includes the most important frequencies for understanding speech, such as vowels and key consonants. The results help determine:

• Your hearing thresholds (the softest sounds you can hear)
• The degree and type of hearing loss, if present
• Whether hearing loss is symmetric or it affects one ear more

We test a range of speech and tone frequencies across both ears to establish your hearing thresholds and identify any degree of hearing loss. 

The standard audiometry also includes information about your word discrimination ability and speech recognition thresholds, also tympanometry for your eardrum functions.

Extended High-Frequency Testing

Extended high-frequency testing evaluates your hearing above the standard speech range. These higher frequencies, typically from 9000 Hz to 20000 Hz, are not included in routine hearing tests but are often where early signs of hearing damage first appear. Many early-stage hearing losses begin in the high-frequency range—frequencies not typically included in basic hearing tests yet are critical for understanding speech clearly and distinguishing speech in noise.

Extended High-Frequency hearing contributes to speech understanding in noisy environments, through adding acoustic detail that enhances the clarity, sharpness, and naturalness of speech. This loss can be a result of noise exposure, aging, ototoxic medications, or childhood ear infections.

This test is especially valuable for:

• Musicians
• Individuals exposed to loud environments (e.g., concerts, machinery, power tools)
• People experiencing age-related hearing changes
• Anyone with normal hearing who struggles in noisy settings 

Speech-in-Noise Testing

Hearing in a quiet room is one thing, understanding speech in real-world environments is another. Speech-in-noise testing evaluates your ability to follow conversations when background noise is getting in the way a lot, such as in restaurants, meetings, or social gatherings.

During this test, you’ll listen to spoken words or sentences presented with competing background noise. Your performance helps us assess how well your brain processes speech in such complex listening situations.

This test is especially useful for:

People who struggle to hear in noisy places despite having normal or near-normal hearing thresholds

Evaluating the real-world impact of hearing loss

Guiding recommendations for hearing aids or assistive listening devices

Follow this link to learn more about hearing in noise.

Cognitive Screening

Hearing is one of the three sensory organs our body uses to comprehend the world around us. When hearing is impaired, your brain has to work harder to process sound in order to fill out the missing information that you’re not picking up. And this means your brain might be at risk of overworking. 

Read this page to know more about how to prevent cognitive decline.