Hearing Tests in Denver and Surrounding Areas

Start Your Journey to Better Hearing at Colorado Ear Care

Before buying a hearing aid, you need a hearing test. At Colorado Ear Care, serving Arvada, Castle Rock, Greeley, Lakewood, and Louisville, our hearing tests identify the extent of your hearing loss and consider your lifestyle needs. With that information, our audiologists can help you find the best hearing aid tailored just for you.
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What to Expect at Your Hearing Test Appointment

Your first appointment typically lasts a little over an hour and includes a full assessment with one of our licensed audiologists. At Colorado Ear Care, we proudly serve Arvada, Castle Rock, Greeley, Lakewood, and Louisville, CO, and we want to understand the full picture of your hearing and how it’s impacting your life.

This step helps us personalize your care based on your unique background and experiences. Your audiologist will ask questions such as:
  • How long have you been experiencing hearing difficulties?
  • In what situations is hearing most challenging?
  • Do you have ringing in your ears (tinnitus)?
  • Have you been exposed to loud environments?
  • Do you feel fullness or pressure in your ears?
  • Do you experience dizziness or balance issues?

We use advanced diagnostic tools to evaluate every part of your hearing system. The testing process includes three components:

Mechanical Check

We begin by examining your ears for wax buildup or obstructions. If needed, your audiologist can remove the wax safely. We also use a tympanometer to assess the movement of your eardrum and middle ear bones, ensuring they’re functioning properly.

Hearing Sensitivity Evaluation

While seated in a soundproof booth, you’ll listen to tones of various pitches and volumes through headphones. This allows us to identify whether you have hearing loss — and if so, its severity and frequency range.

Speech Understanding Test

This test measures how well you recognize words and sentences in both quiet and noisy environments. This is especially important for determining how much hearing aids can improve your understanding in real-life situations.

After testing, your audiologist will explain your results in easy-to-understand terms and outline the next steps.

Medical Referral (if needed)

If your results indicate a condition that may benefit from medical treatment, we’ll refer you to your physician or an ear, nose, and throat specialist (Otolaryngologist).

Hearing Aid Options

If your hearing loss is not medically treatable, we’ll explore hearing aid solutions based on:
  • Your hearing profile
  • Your lifestyle
  • Your aesthetic preferences
  • Your budget and insurance coverage

Signs You May Need a Hearing Test

Most people wait an average of seven years after noticing hearing changes before seeking help. But the sooner hearing loss is identified, the more options you have and the easier it is to adapt. A professional hearing evaluation is quick, painless, and gives you clear answers. If any of the following sound familiar, it may be time to schedule a test at one of our five Colorado locations. 

Common Signs of Hearing Loss

You often ask people to repeat themselves 

Conversations in noisy places are difficult to follow 

You turn the TV or radio up louder than others prefer 

You find yourself reading lips without realizing it 

Phone calls are harder to hear than face-to-face conversation 

People seem to mumble or speak unclearly 

You miss parts of sentences, especially at the ends of words 

You have ringing, buzzing, or hissing in your ears (tinnitus) 

You feel left out of conversations or avoid social situations 

Others have mentioned your hearing seems off 

Other Reasons to Get Tested

You don’t need to have obvious hearing loss to benefit from a hearing evaluation. Consider scheduling a test if you: 

  • Have been exposed to loud noise regularly through work, military service, concerts, or power tools 
  • Are 50 or older (annual hearing checks are recommended from this age) 
  • Have a family history of hearing loss 
  • Take medications known to affect hearing (certain antibiotics, chemotherapy drugs, or high-dose aspirin) 
  • Have experienced a head injury, ear infection, or sudden change in hearing 
  • Notice differences between your left and right ear 

Understanding Your Audiogram

After your hearing evaluation, your audiologist will review your results using a document called an audiogram. Rather than walking out with a number or a simple pass/fail, you’ll receive a detailed picture of exactly how your hearing works across a range of sounds  and what that means for your everyday life. 

What Is an Audiogram? 

An audiogram is a graph that maps your hearing ability across two dimensions: frequency (pitch) and volume (loudness). 

  • The horizontal axis shows frequency, measured in Hertz (Hz). Low frequencies on the left represent deep sounds — a rumbling engine, a bass note, a man’s voice. High frequencies on the right represent lighter sounds — birdsong, a child’s voice, consonants like ‘s’ and ‘f’. 
  • The vertical axis shows volume, measured in decibels (dB). The top of the chart represents very quiet sounds. The further down the chart your results fall, the louder a sound needs to be for you to hear it. 

Each ear is tested and plotted separately, so your audiologist can identify differences between your left and right sides which is often one of the most clinically useful findings.

What the Results Mean

Your audiogram results are categorized by degree of hearing loss. Here is a plain-language guide to what each level typically means in daily life: 

Degree of Loss 

Normal 

Mild 

Moderate 

Moderately Severe 

Severe 

Profound 

Threshold Range 

–10 to 25 dB 

26 to 40 dB 

41 to 55 dB 

56 to 70 dB 

71 to 90 dB 

91 dB and above 

 

What It Means Day-to-Day 

You can hear soft sounds like whispers and rustling leaves without difficulty. 

You may struggle to hear soft speech, especially in noisy environments or on the phone. 

Conversational speech at a normal volume becomes difficult to follow without hearing aids. 

You likely need raised voices to follow conversation and rely heavily on visual cues. 

Most speech is inaudible without amplification; hearing aids or cochlear implants are typically recommended. 

Very little sound is heard unaided. Cochlear implants and specialist support are often necessary. 

 

What Happens After the Test

Your audiologist will walk you through your results on the day of your appointment you won’t leave without a clear explanation. If hearing loss is present, the audiogram guides every recommendation that follows: whether that is monitoring, referral to a physician, or hearing aid selection. The type of hearing loss (whether it originates in the outer, middle, or inner ear) matters as much as the degree, and your audiogram helps distinguish between them. 

Why Choose Colorado Ear Care for Your Hearing Test?

At Colorado Ear Care, we don’t just test your ears; we listen to your story, your challenges, and your goals. Our team is known throughout the Denver area for offering compassionate, evidence-based care that empowers you to make confident decisions about your hearing health.

We proudly serve patients from across the region, including:

  • Denver, CO
  • Lakewood, CO
  • Castle Rock, CO
  • Arvada, CO
  • Greeley, CO
  • Louisville, CO

Ready to Hear the Difference?

Whether you’re just starting to notice signs of hearing loss or you’re ready to explore hearing aid options, your first step is a professional hearing test with our trusted team.

Schedule now