Here's some info that might explain why you may be able to hear your stereo but can;t hear your wife call you fron the other room ...
According to the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders, men are twice as likely to experience hearing loss, but are less likely than women to seek help. Men are also less likely to talk about their hearing loss.
When it comes to hearing loss men tend to lose their ‘hearing’ in the higher frequency levels first. For women, hearing loss generally occurs in the lower level frequencies.
How does this affect communication between the sexes? This means men are less likely to understand consonants, and women are less likely to understand vowels. As you can imagine, this creates an array of misunderstandings and can strain a relationship. At last, an explanation for miscommunication!