One of the top complaints I hear is about the sound level of background noise on TV programs. A recent caller complained that background music drowns out dialogue. Dr. Catherine Palmer, director of audiology and hearing aids at UPMC and an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh, said she frequently gets similar complaints about television. She said the most common type of hearing loss is one of sensitivity to certain frequencies. High-frequency hearing gives clarity to speech.
Consonants are what people spend money and energy on.
It's the same in hearing. And it's one of those bad jokes in life that consonants are what we need for understanding and hearing, and that's exactly what we lose due to aging and noise exposure. Palmer said people are often able to understand what's going on even if they don't hear the words, thanks to context clues or seeing the movement of lips. Leo McGarry's office, where it's usually dark, can be difficult because viewers can't see the actors' lips moving. Similarly, if the actors turn away from the camera as they rush down a White House corridor, visual cues are lost.