Understanding Audiogram Sensitivity Curves
The human auditory system responds to sound pressure waves between 20Hz and 20,000Hz. Audiometric screening measures the minimum sound intensity (decibels relative to normal hearing level, dB HL) required for a listener to perceive pure tones across standardized octave bands (250Hz, 500Hz, 1kHz, 2kHz, 4kHz, and 8kHz).
All frequencies are heard cleanly at soft conversational levels without speech discrimination difficulty.
High-frequency consonants (f, s, th) or soft whisper tones require elevated sound pressure levels.