Many species depend on two ears to locate prey, adversaries, even mates. And without two ears working evenly, their survival would be in doubt. Without such equality, our brain presents us with incomplete information. To prevent this, your hearing professional may recommend you wear two hearing aids. Correcting this difference can be important to your safely.
Balanced hearing is vital to our ability to locate where a sound is coming from.
Our brain instinctively locates a sound source by measuring the tiny differences in duration and intensity between each ear. When crossing a street, the sound of an approaching car reaches the closer ear slightly before the other ear, and at a higher intensity. These differences are translated by the brain, allowing us to recognize the car's location. One of the nice things about balanced hearing is what you DON'T have to hear. With two inputs, the brain can select a specific sound and concentrate on it.