This place looks interesting too https://www.resonatehealth.co.nz/

A subscription. $90 a month. New HAs every 3 years.

robjg63:

This place looks interesting too https://www.resonatehealth.co.nz/

A subscription. $90 a month. New HAs every 3 years.

Looked a bit deeper into that link I gave and decided it’s shabby. Wouldn’t trust it. I thought they were NZ based but appears they are not. 

robjg63:

 

Sony/Apple have been eyeing this market as it is a natural fit for them.

 

Apple are more than just ‘eyeing the market’ - a few months ago they released their updated EarPod product that can act as hearing aids. And by all accounts they are very good.

eracode:

 

robjg63:

 

Sony/Apple have been eyeing this market as it is a natural fit for them.

 

 

Apple are more than just ‘eyeing the market’ - a few months ago they released their updated AirPod product that can act as hearing aids. And by all accounts they are very good.

 

Well they apparently have an 'up to' 6 hour battery life in hearing aid mode - so I would say they need to make a few improvements.

I am sure the next model will probably tap more into the mainstream hearing aid market - its not a small market.

My partner also requires hearing aids and has been looking at Specsavers as the most cost-effective option.

In addition to the hearing loss, he suffers from quite severe tinnitus.

Does anyone have experience with this and/or suggestions on whether HA's will still help.

Due to the tinnitus, should he go for the better quality HA's, or would it have no effect on the tinnitus, whatever quality level he chooses?

FineWine:

 

My partner also requires hearing aids and has been looking at Specsavers as the most cost-effective option.

 

In addition to the hearing loss, he suffers from quite severe tinnitus.

 

Does anyone have experience with this and/or suggestions on whether HA's will still help.

 

Due to the tinnitus, should he go for the better quality HA's, or would it have no effect on the tinnitus, whatever quality level he chooses?

 

 

 

I also have tinnitus but have learned to ignore it. With wearing the AirPods because exterior sound is amplified I don’t notice it. Strongly suggest first trying the cheap option of AirPods Pro and if they don’t help go the more expensive route. Specsavers would be my first choice after the AirPods as an independent audiologist suggested them after her father found them to be excellent. Worst case is you will have some quality music pods. Friend has Rolls Royce $8k aids and in a noisy atmosphere he takes them out. Reckons he can’t adjust them enough in the app to improve them. 

I suspect that now FDA has approved AirPods and since the market is huge, Apple will vastly improve them.

When my current HAs need replacing I’ll look again at the pay monthly options otherwise will head back to specsavers again. 

i wonder if there’ll ever be an online disrupter as is the case with spectacles. 

Both Mrs Code and I have had our hearing tested in recent weeks - she went to a suburban audiology shop and I went to Specsavers. There's no doubt that both of us have hearing loss in both ears and could benefit from hearing aids. We are both in our 70's.

However it's clear that aids need to be worn all the time - not just when needed in a specific situation - due to the ‘brain adaptation’ aspect mentioned above. You can’t just swap them in and out when actually needed. I feel I need aids for only one or two brief occasions each week and I can’t reconcile the (albeit maybe minor) inconvenience of wearing aids ‘all day, every day’ just to cover those occasions. There are several days each week when I’m at home and don’t need aids at all. 

Although my left-ear loss is considerable, overall I don't feel I miss out on enough to warrant constant use. If I was working or out and about all day, it would be different. 

The cost (not monetary) v benefit thing doesn’t add up for me. Mrs Code is in an almost an identical situation and after a lot of discussion both of us have decided not to get aids at this time. I don't think I'm in denial - at this stage my strong gut feel is 'no'.

PS: I was very impressed with the audiologist I saw at Specsavers Albany - she was very thorough and did an excellent job in all respects.

I have seen it mentioned that if you need hearing aids, it is better to get them while your brain(and you) are young enough to adapt to them more easily.

I think there is probably some truth in that.

Also (not sure if mentioned on this thread earlier) https://www.costco.co.nz/hearing-aid-centre

Prices mentioned are good.

robjg63:

 

I have seen it mentioned that if you need hearing aids, it is better to get them while your brain(and you) are young enough to adapt to them more easily.

 

I think there is probably some truth in that.

 

I'm also sure that's quite right. We definitely took that into account when making our recent decisions.

eracode:

 

Both Mrs Code and I have had our hearing tested in recent weeks - she went to a suburban audiology shop and I went to Specsavers. There's no doubt that both of us have hearing loss in both ears and could benefit from hearing aids. We are both in our 70's.

 

However it's clear that aids need to be worn all the time - not just when needed in a specific situation - due to the ‘brain adaptation’ aspect mentioned above. You can’t just swap them in and out when actually needed. I feel I need aids for only one or two brief occasions each week and I can’t reconcile the (albeit maybe minor) inconvenience of wearing aids ‘all day, every day’ just to cover those occasions. There are several days each week when I’m at home and don’t need aids at all. 

 

Although my left-ear loss is considerable, overall I don't feel I miss out on enough to warrant constant use. If I was working or out and about all day, it would be different. 

 

The cost (not monetary) v benefit thing doesn’t add up for me. Mrs Code is in an almost an identical situation and after a lot of discussion both of us have decided not to get aids at this time. I don't think I'm in denial - at this stage my strong gut feel is 'no'.

 

PS: I was very impressed with the audiologist I saw at Specsavers Albany - she was very thorough and did an excellent job in all respects.

 

i was exactly like you, i knew i needed aids but i thought i didnt really need them. It wasnt until i started wearing them and realised how much sounds in the world i was missing that i regretted not getting them earlier. it is the small things that you notice , tapping your fingers on a desk, walking across a wooden floor, cooking bacon, hearing bird song in all its glory. Life is to short to go through a muted world when you dont have to.

vexxxboy:

 

i was exactly like you, i knew i needed aids but i thought i didnt really need them. It wasnt until i started wearing them and realised how much sounds in the world i was missing that i regretted not getting them earlier. it is the small things that you notice , tapping your fingers on a desk, walking across a wooden floor, cooking bacon, hearing bird song in all its glory. Life is to short to go through a muted world when you dont have to.

 

I understand that and know what you mean - all that was also taken into account in the decision making. Actually as I write this I’m sitting on our deck listening to a couple of tui squabbling in a large oak tree 50m away. I cooked bacon for dinner last night without difficulty. So I’m comfortable with the decision at this stage but will keep an open mind.

Individual differences - maybe your use-case was more marked than mine currently is.

Some points from a HA user:

You are generally not aware of your hearing loss. Just because you don't feel you are missing out doesn't mean you aren't missing out. If I leave mine off for a day I don't immediately perceive I am missing a thing... until I move into a room with a few people talking against background noise and I can't understand a damn word anyone is saying.

Your hearing loss is as much a burden if not more on those around you as it is to you. 

For me at least, there is zero discomfort or inconvenience in wearing them all day every day. I simply don't notice them.

The Bluetooth streaming from cellphone is just amazing.

Having said that, I do know others who have trialed HAs, hated them and sent them back.