I was of the same mind (hanging it up at 75) but my family has pretty good genes provided they didn't drink and smoke too much as they live well into their 90s.
Before all the know it alls come out of the woodwork decrying that your hearing is basically shot (a great example of conventional wisdom proved wrong) by that age, citing their last hearing exam I have this to say: learn to understand your hearing exam and find out if your doctor is up to snuff as well.
I recently had my ears examined for issues with constant pressure in them, colds that settle in them, tinitus levels never experinced before (like white noise turned up) balance issues,etc. The first exam was for my hearing. There were dips in the 2K to 8K area which is expected at my age. It doesn't mean I can't hear in those regions at all. The same goes for over 14K.
What poeple overlook is that the signals are emtted at the 30db range. That's the level of a soft whisper and at the beginning of being in a library. Levels have to be increased to around 50db for me to hear the ones that dip. That's at the convesational level and where a normal living room measures.
I listen at ranges from the low 60s to the mid 80s, well above that 50s level needed to hear what people mistakenly say us older gents can't hear and that we're imagining it. When I told the doctor who did my hearing exam and the ENT specialist I was an audiophile and swear I could hear notes clearly in those ranges they both had the same answer coupled with the same look like of how could I not know it: you just turn the volume up.
The hearing exam tech said there are some very good hearing aids I could use but I deferred and he understood. He recommended them not for listening to music but to hear conversations better when in noisier settings that make it harder for me to make out what's being said.
In the hearing exam my ability to understand spoken words (in that setting) was great. 100% in my left ear and 96% in my right. That's no small feat at my age of 71. They also did a bone conductive test (nothing in the ears) and it's amazing at how much one can clearly hear and understand so factoring in that helps in hearing music.
As for the results from the ENT specialsit, it turns out that even with one cuppa cofflee a day, the caffeine was just too much. Just 3 days after stopping with the coffee, almost everything went back to normal. Not as much as I would like but it's getting better each and every day. I've now learned to enjoy some good old black tea now and again and that seems to satisy my lust for the old ritual.
Long story long, don't listen to the naysayers and (unless they're joking) get your hearing checked. You might end up being in the same boat as me and fully able to appreciate your system well into your golden years.
All the best,
Nonoise
