Enhanced hearing

Enhanced hearing
Dale listens to rap music to drown out other noises.
Originally held by:	Dale Smither (deceased)
Absorbed by:	Sylar (lost)
Ability to:	Hear any sound at any volume

Enhanced hearing is the ability to hear any sound at any volume, even over vast distances.

Characters

• Dale Smither was the first character to display this ability.
• Sylar stole this ability from Dale, but lost it after being infected by the Shanti virus.

Limits

Dale Smither

Enhanced hearing appears to be a passive ability which is always active, yet controllable. With some concentration, the user can isolate particular sounds.

Dale had at least enough sensitivity to hear a human heartbeat from a few feet away. She had enough practice to detect changes in a person's mood by changes in their heart rate. She claimed to be able to hear every individual footfall of a cockroach.

Sylar

Sylar experienced some difficulty controlling the power after first obtaining it. He was sensitive to loud noises, such as a car door being slammed, which produced flinches and enough pain to make him groan. Mohinder was able to use this sensitivity against Sylar and torture him with a tuning fork. (Parasite)

Currently, Sylar seems to display mastery over the ability. He was able to eavesdrop from across Kirby Plaza, as well as detect Hiro's beating heart from several meters away and later recognize it (The Hard Part). He also claimed to be able to hear a pin drop from a mile away.

Examples

• 
  Dale is able to hear Sylar's heartbeat change pace.
  (Unexpected)
• 
  At night, Dale hears a noise in her shop.
  (Unexpected)
• 
  After obtaining Dale's ability, Sylar experiences headaches, similar to those Dale explained.
  (Unexpected)
• 
  Mohinder taps a tuning fork and places it next to Sylar's ear, causing him tremendous pain.
  (Parasite)
• 
  On the phone, Sylar hears Mohinder dialing 911.
• 
  Sylar hears Ando gulp behind a painting.
• 
  After hearing Hiro's heartbeat, Sylar tells him that he recognized it from Isaac's loft.
  (The Hard Part)
• 
  Sylar eavesdrops on Mr. Bennet, Peter, Claire, Matt, and Ted.
  (Landslide)

Memorable Quotes

"I- I-- I thought the headaches at first were gonna kill me. I'd lie awake at night thinking that my head was gonna explode. A cockroach crawling across my neighbor's floor was like a marching band parading through my house."

"I'm sorry. It must be quite a burden."

"A burden? Hell, no. This is the best damn thing that ever happened to me. Well, now that I've learned to control it, I'm like Superman or something. I can hear rain coming from forty miles away. I can even hear someone's moods -- the tiniest changes in a heartbeat. Yours, for instance. It's racing kind of fast. You nervous about something?"

- Dale, Mohinder (Unexpected)