Hearing Aids

Lloyd-ss · Thursday at 12:59 PM

I bought a pair of generic MD brand hearing aids for about $400 USD to see if I could adapt to them. Wasn't ready to spend big bucks if I couldn't adjust or they didn't seem to work for me.
I have been using them off and on to hear people mainly. Harsh noises become harsher so I don't use them in the shop. But today I was trying to hear if a little check ball was rattling properly and ended up putting in one of the hearing aids, and then I could hear the rattle.
I am wondering if you get used to the harshness or do I just need to have more patience and fiddle with the settings (4 modes) and the volume. They seem to work fairly well for normal conversation.
Any thoughts on the subject?
Thanks, Lloyd

GreenTwin · Thursday at 1:07 PM

I purchased some hearing aids, and at the initial setting, I could hear music much better, especially the frequencies that were low on my graph.
For everyday speech, they did not really help much if any.
Some people tend to speak very fast, and that makes it difficult to pick out words.
Other people speak, and I can clearly hear that they are speaking, but I can't make out what the words are.

I had them adjusted, and that made things worse.

There is a phone app you can use to adjust them.
Of course the phone app won't load on my particular phone.

I gave up.
The hearing aids are on the shelf, of no use to me.

I did purchase a set of lightweight headphones, an equalizer/amp, and hooked that together.
Poor-man's hearing aid.
I think the equalizer thing will be what works for me, since I really only need them during meetings.
.

Scott_M · Thursday at 1:51 PM

Hi Lloyd
I hear ya...well actually I don't

my hearing is really bad. I started on the cheapo hearing aids from amazon about $50 and then went to a more expensive pair about $400 and none of them worked very well for my specific needs. All of the cheap ones are just amplifiers, they amplify everything even if you don't need it amplified. After a couple of years of dealing with the amps I decided to break down and go see an audioligist and get a pair of perscription hearing aids. WHAT A DIFFERENCE !! These only amplify the ranges I could not hear and do not amplify the ranges I can. It is almost normal now. I still have some trouble in a crowded room or resturaunt but it is much better than it used to be.
Yes, they were way more than I wanted to spend but they work. Plus I have been back to the audiokigist for check ups and adjustments and spares for the ear cups and even another hearing test a year later and they have never charged me beyond the initial cost. Coming up on 2 years since I have had them and I am very happy that I spent the money on a proper pair.
If they advertise not needing a prescription then they can't be perfectly suited to your specific needs.
I put mine in when I get up in the morning and take them out when I go to bed, I wear them all day and have no comfort issues.

Not sure if it was all the loud music , loud cars , the gunfire ( I'm a gunsmith ) or the fireworks ( also a bit of a pyro ) but my hearing is really bad. These gave me a new outlook on life and I rarely say "what" anymore. My friends and family are almost as happy as I am.

"Can you hear me now?"

Scott

Charles Lamont · Thursday at 4:09 PM

I suggest you get a proper hearing test with an audiologist. You should be under no obligation to buy. I have a horribly expensive 5-year contract. Pay up front and everything except new batteries (needed after over 3 years) is covered. Six monthly hearing check and adjustment. Spare parts. These are rechargeable ones that very usefully have a bluetooth connection to my mobile phone. Also very useful in a noisy environment - move a slider on the phone app to turn down the volume. The hearing aids are individually listed on the house contents insurance.

ChazzC · Thursday at 4:45 PM

Charles Lamont said:
I suggest you get a proper hearing test with an audiologist. You should be under no obligation to buy. I have a horribly expensive 5-year contract. Pay up front and everything except new batteries (needed after over 3 years) is covered. Six monthly hearing check and adjustment. Spare parts. These are rechargeable ones that very usefully have a bluetooth connection to my mobile phone. Also very useful in a noisy environment - move a slider on the phone app to turn down the volume. The hearing aids are individually listed on the house contents insurance.

Agree with the professional test, but afterwards ask if you need a pair true hearing aids or just a “booster;” Apple’s latest AirPods Pro 2 have a wide range of features, including a “hearing aid feature:”

https://www.apple.com/airpods-pro/hearing-health/

Lloyd-ss · Thursday at 7:05 PM

Thanks everyone for the input. I have had professional tests thru work as far back as maybe 20 years. Loss of high frequency was always present, and it just kept getting worse. I would have to dig out the results, but I think it started with major attenuation at 8kHz and now is down to about 5kHz, maybe even 4kHz. No peaks or valleys, just classic loss of high frequency. Honestly, if the cheap hearing aids had an equalizer, it seems like that might do the trick.
I will have to take a look at the Apple pods, and see if there is something decent like that for android.
My first line of action will be just to work with the settings on the pair I have. A box of 60 fresh new batteries just arrived today, so my excuses are being eliminated. My wife, kids, and grandkids would all be happy if I wasn't always asking them to repeat. I'd be happier too.
Thanks,
Lloyd

Gordon · Friday at 7:45 AM

As someone with severe to profound hearing loss I can tell you that wearing the hearing aids all day every day once they are adjusted to your specific hearing loss is the only way that you will ever get full use of the hearing aids. Your brain will adjust to the proper settings and the sounds which seem too loud are mainly a result of not hearing that range for years. They do not work in the drawer or in your pocket. Give it a week. You will be glad that you did.

CraigLD · Friday at 8:50 AM

My wife initially went to an audiologist and was told she had mild to medium hearing loss at certain frequencies. She was shocked at the prices she was quoted for the hearing aids. She then went to Costco and they gave her another hearing test and the results were similar. Their price for the same hearing aid was much less. My son's father-in-law paid 2 to 3 times as much for similar hearing aids at a audiologist. She goes back every 6 months and they do full cleaning.

At the price that these things cost, I definitely suggest checking out your local Costcos

Lloyd-ss · Friday at 10:13 AM

Gordon said:
.................................. They do not work in the drawer or in your pocket. Give it a week. You will be glad that you did.

I might be resistant in the beginning, but you guys are all giving me pretty much the same message. I will give it an honest effort, starting today. Peer pressure and accountability is a real motivator.
I am telling my wife, too.

Thx
Lloyd

Richard Hed · Friday at 12:45 PM

CraigLD said:
My wife initially went to an audiologist and was told she had mild to medium hearing loss at certain frequencies. She was shocked at the prices she was quoted for the hearing aids. She then went to Costco and they gave her another hearing test and the results were similar. Their price for the same hearing aid was much less. My son's father-in-law paid 2 to 3 times as much for similar hearing aids at a audiologist. She goes back every 6 months and they do full cleaning.

At the price that these things cost, I definitely suggest checking out your local Costcos

That's good to know. I have difficulty understanding what people say if I cannot see their lips. I have always been like that (apparently some nerve mis-wiring), but now, if I am in an environment with ANY noise, even not very loud, that is in the human speech range, I have difficulty HEARING. Hearing and understanding are two different things.

I am in a room with airconditioning and it is not very loud but I cannot "understand" my students. They also have a tendency to not talk loudly to begin with.

Richard Hed · Friday at 12:46 PM

Lloyd-ss said:
I might be resistant in the beginning, but you guys are all giving me pretty much the same message. I will give it an honest effort, starting today. Peer pressure and accountability is a real motivator.
I am telling my wife, too.

Thx
Lloyd

NOt peer pressure--that's for teenagers. More sensibility to listen to advice--that's for adults.

Lloyd-ss · Friday at 1:11 PM

Richard Hed said:
That's good to know. I have difficulty understanding what people say if I cannot see their lips. I have always been like that (apparently some nerve mis-wiring), but now, if I am in an environment with ANY noise, even not very loud, that is in the human speech range, I have difficulty HEARING. Hearing and understanding are two different things.

I am in a room with airconditioning and it is not very loud but I cannot "understand" my students. They also have a tendency to not talk loudly to begin with.

Richard, Interesting point about hearing and understanding. Even when my hearing was good way in the past, I had so much difficulty understanding the lyrics of all songs, even my favorites, even if I listened carefully, that I never even tried to learn the lyrics. But within the first few notes of a song, I could easily tell you who the artist was, and I still can do that. I am terrible at foreign languages, too. Maybe some of that mis-wiring or whatever the proper diagnosis is. I am a slow reader and slow typist, but mechanical aptitude is thru the roof. I guess all those missing connections ended up in the mechanical region of the brain, LOL.

Richard Hed said:
NOt peer pressure--that's for teenagers. More sensibility to listen to advice--that's for adults.

That might be true if you have to break the motivation down to just a couple of reasons, but I think there is a continuum of reasons/motivations that we do, or do not do things, even when we KNOW what we SHOULD do. I might just be lazy one day and not the next. We are very complex beings and most of the time we function well, but sometimes, not so good. For me, its realizing that I screwed up and truly admitting it.

Sorry for the philosophizing, it must be the hearing aids (which are in).
Lloyd

gbritnell · Friday at 3:40 PM

I've worn them for 3 years. Diagnosed with moderate to severe in the higher frequencies. Went through my health provider but still had a pretty good out of pocket expense. They are behind the ear with a a tiny wire going into the speaker in the ear canal. The audiologist set the initial settings and there are 3 zones with volume and pitch modifications. They work good for normal conversations with several people but in a noisy environment they pick up everything. You can make adjustments on the fly with your phone but crowd's and loud ambient noise aren't good. I mainly use them for TV and one on one conversations. They're better than without but by no means perfect.

Richard Hed · Friday at 7:21 PM

Lloyd-ss said:
Richard, Interesting point about hearing and understanding. Even when my hearing was good way in the past, I had so much difficulty understanding the lyrics of all songs, even my favorites, even if I listened carefully, that I never even tried to learn the lyrics. But within the first few notes of a song, I could easily tell you who the artist was, and I still can do that. I am terrible at foreign languages, too. Maybe some of that mis-wiring or whatever the proper diagnosis is. I am a slow reader and slow typist, but mechanical aptitude is thru the roof. I guess all those missing connections ended up in the mechanical region of the brain, LOL.

That might be true if you have to break the motivation down to just a couple of reasons, but I think there is a continuum of reasons/motivations that we do, or do not do things, even when we KNOW what we SHOULD do. I might just be lazy one day and not the next. We are very complex beings and most of the time we function well, but sometimes, not so good. For me, its realizing that I screwed up and truly admitting it.

Sorry for the philosophizing, it must be the hearing aids (which are in).
Lloyd

I like philosophy.

littlelocos · Saturday at 8:28 AM

I've had mine for about 11 months and they've been life-changing. I have had nerve deafness my entire life with loss that varies with frequency. Until the newer, digitally-programmable ones came to market, hearing aids were never an option. At 57, I'm still hearing various things for the first time and can now easily hear my grandkids (and my wife

). My advice is to work with a reputable professional and purchase the best ones you can afford.

The more expensive ones are smaller, have much better sound quality, are more adjustable, and are programmable. Filtering out unwanted sounds is another big consideration. (Hearing conversations in a loud restaurant is no problem any more. Wind is not a problem. These even enhance speech.)

A friend at work has the same ones and was leant a (slightly) less expensive one when one was being replaced. He said the difference in sound quality was huge. My granddaughter's choir recital sounded GREAT....and I was able to turn up the volume to hear the little ones even better.

For reference, mine are Oticon "Real" and were about $8k/pr)

Hoping this helps,
Todd.

trlvn · Saturday at 8:48 AM

Lloyd-ss said:
take a look at the Apple pods

The hearing aid feature was just approved for Canada and I'm quite interested in it. Between the AirPods Pro 2 and your iPhone, it performs a hearing test and produces an audiograph. The Hearing Aid mode in AirPods then applies equalization to compensate.

The sound pickups in the AirPods are also directional so there is a mode where it will emphasize a person right in front of you.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/120992

I think these features are all exclusive to Apple for the time being. I believe the other AirPod features remain available like the different configurations for noise cancellation.

The main drawback, as I understand it, is that you don't get all day battery life. OTOH, you could buy 3-4 pairs of AirPods for the price of dedicated hearing aids.

Craig

ian99 · Saturday at 8:50 AM

Another recommendation for Costco. I have been to two different stores with hearing aid service and the technicians in both of them were excellent. Price is half of what the professional audiology clinics charge for the exact same unit.
I never had this problem before I got married.

Lloyd-ss · Saturday at 10:22 AM

Wow! When I started this thread I had no idea of all the helpful, and varied comments, that would be posted. Thanks all, and keep them coming if you'd like to. I imagine that I am not the only person who is learning a lot!

It is day 2 on wearing my cheapies and so-far, so-good. My wife is giving me feedback, too. There are four mode settings and today is mode 2. We are doing a Christmas get-together for gifts for the grandkids today and it will be interesting to see how that goes. I still want to make sure that I WILL wear them before looking at more expensive options. I usually don't lie to myself, but it has been known to happen.

Lloyd

Richard Hed · 2024-12-22T11:29:45-0500

trlvn said:
The hearing aid feature was just approved for Canada and I'm quite interested in it. Between the AirPods Pro 2 and your iPhone, it performs a hearing test and produces an audiograph. The Hearing Aid mode in AirPods then applies equalization to compensate.

The sound pickups in the AirPods are also directional so there is a mode where it will emphasize a person right in front of you.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/120992

I think these features are all exclusive to Apple for the time being. I believe the other AirPod features remain available like the different configurations for noise cancellation.

The main drawback, as I understand it, is that you don't get all day battery life. OTOH, you could buy 3-4 pairs of AirPods for the price of dedicated hearing aids.

Craig

All I know is that these hearing aids, even the most expensive ones, are really only worth 50-100$. It's a terrible rip off. Of course, the technicians and "doctors" need to be paid, but in reality, the doctors take a HUGE cut and the salesmen take a HUGE cut and the manufacturers take a HUGE cut. There is noting that can be done except shop around and try alternatives. Also insurance helps.

Gordon · 2024-12-22T11:45:09-0500

Richard Hed said:
All I know is that these hearing aids, even the most expensive ones, are really only worth 50-100$. It's a terrible rip off. Of course, the technicians and "doctors" need to be paid, but in reality, the doctors take a HUGE cut and the salesmen take a HUGE cut and the manufacturers take a HUGE cut. There is noting that can be done except shop around and try alternatives. Also insurance helps.

Actually insurance is a big part of the problem. Folks don't care what the doctor/dentist/audiologist charges because it is cover by insurance. When the doctor talks to you for five minutes and charges the insurance company $250 you don't care because the insurance company pays for it. When the hospital charges $10 for an aspirin you don't care because the insurance company pays for it. If we had more involvement in our care and payment things would soon change. I know that many of these folks have put a lot of time and money into attaining their position but we have also put a lot of time and money into our position and deserve a good return on what we or the insurance company is paying for.

Hearing Aids

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