When the TV is too loud for everyone else

Why consonants disappear before the volume drops

Hearing loss rarely makes everything quieter at once. The inner ear usually loses its sensitivity to high-pitched sounds first. Vowels are low-pitched, so they still carry through. Consonants like t, s, f and th are high-pitched, and they vanish.

A person can hear that someone is speaking without catching the words. Television dialogue suffers the same way. Turning up the volume makes the vowels louder but does not bring back the missing consonants. So the sound gets bigger without getting clearer, and the rest of the household feels it.

This pattern explains why someone insists the TV is fine while others leave the room. They genuinely hear the noise. What they cannot hear is the detail that makes speech intelligible. Raising the volume is a natural response to that gap, even when it does not fix it.

What the audiogram shows

An audiologist measures hearing across a range of pitches. The result is plotted on a graph called an audiogram. Low pitches sit on the left, high pitches on the right. The line shows the quietest sound a person can detect at each frequency.

In age-related hearing loss, the line slopes downward from left to right. Low notes register normally. High notes need much more volume before they register at all. That slope matches exactly what happens with television dialogue: the rumble comes through, the crisp edges of speech do not.

The audiogram also reveals whether both ears are affected equally or one has dropped further. That difference matters because the brain uses two working ears to separate speech from background noise. When one ear falls behind, following a programme in a busy living room becomes harder still. An audiologist reads this chart to decide whether hearing aids would help and which frequencies need support.

Raising the subject with a parent

Telling someone their hearing is going often starts an argument. Nobody wants to feel they are losing a sense, and pointing out the TV volume can sound like criticism rather than concern.

It helps to describe what you notice instead of naming the problem. Saying you struggle to follow the programme over the sound is less confrontational than saying they are going deaf. Framing it as your difficulty invites them to help rather than defend themselves.

Suggesting a check-up works better than insisting on one. Mention that hearing changes slowly and most people do not notice until someone else does. A routine assessment takes under an hour and produces a clear picture of where things stand. There is no pressure to accept treatment if the results show only a mild shift.

If they agree, you can make the enquiry on their behalf. Provide their name and availability, and the specialist clinic will handle the rest directly with them.

Arranging an assessment in Mitcham

Once someone agrees to have their hearing checked, the next step is booking an appointment with an audiologist. Clinics in Mitcham offer private assessments that include a full audiogram, a look inside the ear and a conversation about daily listening situations.

You can enquire for yourself or for someone else. If you are arranging it for a parent, mention that when you get in touch. The clinic will confirm what information they need and how to schedule the visit at a time that suits.

Sometimes the cause is simpler than expected. A build-up of ear wax can muffle sound enough to push the TV volume up. Microsuction ear wax removal takes minutes and restores clarity immediately if wax is the issue. The audiologist checks for this during the appointment before moving on to other tests.

If the audiogram shows a genuine loss of sensitivity, the conversation turns to options. Hearing aids programmed to match the exact shape of the loss can restore the missing consonants without making everything louder for the rest of the room.