Buying Hearing Aids

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#3362210 9-Apr-2025 07:36

At 68 I decided to go to Bay Audiology (simply because I thought I should take up AA's offer of free secondary testing!) a few weeks ago. Didn't really thing my hearing was "bad" at all, but was a bit surprised to find how much my mid-high and high frequencies had dropped off (obviously some is expected as one ages). Long story short, I have ended up with some top range Amplifon (by ReSound) RITE ones - as other have noted, prices are pretty outrageous!). I'm still getting used to them (left them behind on a recent 4 day trip to walk Abel Tasman track) but the amount of extra high end sounds I am now realising I missed is significant. As others have stated, bird calls, insects and other higher frequency sounds are a refreshing improvement!!

I found Bay Audiology great to deal with here in Kapiti - the added benefit is I can go in for adjustments at any time and have three months in which I can swap out for other types if not happy.

Probably the other thing that convinced me was looking at the scientific literature around the links between hearing loss and increasing risk of cognitive decline/dementia, which is reasonably strong - anything I can do to help stave that of is definitely not a bad thing :-)

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Rikkitic

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#3362212 9-Apr-2025 08:03

I keep seeing that about poor hearing and dementia. What about deaf people? Are they all demented?

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johno1234

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#3362265 9-Apr-2025 11:55

mdav056:

I wouldn't buy from Specsavers, knowing something from about them from optometrists (family connection) because the initial settings are very critical and can make a great deal of difference to your experience with them. Audika gets me back yearly to check the settings across the frequency range, and this has been useful.

That's a opinion and having personally used SpecSavers Audiology I disagree with it. They use trained and qualified audiologists who know how to administer a hearing test and configure hearing aids. I can go back to them any time I need and last time I visited my local SpecSavers Audiology branch still has the same excellent young audiologist I first saw back in 2022.

On the other hand I would not go back to SpecSavers optometry. Too expensive, too keen to upsell features. I found OPSM better in those regards.

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#3362266 9-Apr-2025 12:02

Rikkitic:

I keep seeing that about poor hearing and dementia. What about deaf people? Are they all demented?

Those sort of stats tend to get misused. It sounds scary to say that <x> gives you a 33% higher risk of <y> but if the risk of <y> is tiny then it is still tiny despite <x>.

I would say that deaf people are all demented based on their highly expressive sign language gesturing but it probably wouldn't get past the mods so will not.

SteveXNZ

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#3367986 27-Apr-2025 15:39

Over two years ago Bay Audiology fitted me with their top of the line Amplifon Resounds. After multiple tuning sessions they just didn't perform, and I figured there must be something abnormal with my ears. Out of desperation I got a pair of Apple Airpod Pro 2s and what a revelation! Suddenly I could hear reasonably well, and I was astounded that a $400 pair of Airpods could outperform top line hearing aids costing thousands. After complaining to Bay Audiology they decided to allow me to trial both Phonak and Oticon aids, and interestingly both were better than the Airpods, but certainly not by an order of magnitude.

A parting of the ways with Bay Audiology then ensued when they wouldn't swap the Resounds out for the top line Oticon Intents, but they did give me a full refund. Cash in hand I knocked on Audika's door and now have the Intents fitted - and I'm very happy with them. Not perfect - no hearing aid will return your hearing to that of a "normal" person, particularly in noisy environments, but certainly good enough for 90% of my listening situations.

So I have some tips for anyone with hearing loss:

Get a pair of Airpod Pro 2 devices first to understand the nature of your hearing loss (and the Airpods' limitations - poor battery life, appearance, their fit & feel in your ears)
Fully informed, approach retailers to trial their hearing aids. Note they will have their preferred brands (where no doubt they get a better margin)
If you can, trial Oticon, Phonak and Resound at least. They are substantially different, and one may suit your hearing loss and listening situations better than the others
Decide if you want to spend anything from $3k to $10k on your hearing aids, bearing in mind you'll probably need to replace then in six years or so.

If you made the decision to buy hearing aids, were the Airpods a waste of money? No way! They helped you make an informed choice, they're great for Teams/Zoom calls, and they're a useful spare should you ever misplace your hearing aids (or the dog eats them). You can listen to music with them too!

Personally I'm amazed that Apple can produce such an effective hearing device for so little money. If they put their mind to it they could revolutionise the hearing aid industry with its cost-plus mentality. Just do a BTE (behind the ear) version of the Airpods, and throw in some AI smarts.

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#3368065 27-Apr-2025 18:05

Apple stuff just works. Too bad the battery life on the AirPods is so short.

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MartinGZ

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#3383008 11-Jun-2025 21:12

SteveXNZ:

Get a pair of Airpod Pro 2 devices first to understand the nature of your hearing loss (and the Airpods' limitations - poor battery life, appearance, their fit & feel in your ears)

Steve actually has some good info in that post, but I just want to emphasis that ear buds (or headphones) will only give you an indication, and to the best of my knowledge most app graphic equalisers will only have say 15 dB of adjustment in 6 frequency bands.

This is my hearing loss test from a few years ago, a classic curve caused by industrial noise and not having enough ear protection in my 20s. The grey band is considered normal hearing range, and the two curves are the left and right ears.

With this level of high frequency loss I cannot hear most birds or cymbols on the drums without aids. When I got my first set of hearing aids I sat down in front of my cheap stereo and had tears coming down my face. I could not believe what I had been missing for 30+ years. Hearing loss is a gradual thing and you do not realise it is happening.

If in doubt get a hearing test.

BTW, I no longer have a cheap stereo 😁.

johno1234

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#3413661 11-Sep-2025 09:54

FYI Apple Air Pods Pro 3 has been released on pre-order now has increased battery life to 10 hours in hearing aid transparency mode. The shorter battery life on the Air Pods Pro 2 was a real barrier to practical use for me.

https://www.apple.com/nz/shop/buy-airpods/airpods-pro-3

I still can't find whether these can operate in a CROS mode for people like me with no hearing on one side.

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#3413672 11-Sep-2025 11:07

johno1234:

FYI Apple Air Pods Pro 3 has been released on pre-order now has increased battery life to 10 hours in hearing aid transparency mode. The shorter battery life on the Air Pods Pro 2 was a real barrier to practical use for me.

https://www.apple.com/nz/shop/buy-airpods/airpods-pro-3

I still can't find whether these can operate in a CROS mode for people like me with no hearing on one side.

Been waiting for those Pro 3s and saw the announcement yesterday but wasn’t able to pre order, it was greyed out. They are sure to be an improvement in the hearing area.

Can’t you find someone that will let you try their Pro 2 pods? You can change the caps for hygiene but it will give you an idea. I have very little hearing on one side and my AirPods work wonderfully and seem to balance it out. Didn’t realise what sounds I had been missing for so long. I have two pairs so battery wasn’t a problem and I don’t wear them all the time when at home, but these new one have as much battery as a proper hearing aid.

Mine even survived being dropped into soup. I will stick with AirPods for hearing and fully expect Apple will improve them even more because there are a lot of people worldwide now using them as aids.

johno1234

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#3413752 11-Sep-2025 13:05

Eva888:

johno1234:

FYI Apple Air Pods Pro 3 has been released on pre-order now has increased battery life to 10 hours in hearing aid transparency mode. The shorter battery life on the Air Pods Pro 2 was a real barrier to practical use for me.

https://www.apple.com/nz/shop/buy-airpods/airpods-pro-3

I still can't find whether these can operate in a CROS mode for people like me with no hearing on one side.

Been waiting for those Pro 3s and saw the announcement yesterday but wasn’t able to pre order, it was greyed out. They are sure to be an improvement in the hearing area.

Can’t you find someone that will let you try their Pro 2 pods? You can change the caps for hygiene but it will give you an idea. I have very little hearing on one side and my AirPods work wonderfully and seem to balance it out. Didn’t realise what sounds I had been missing for so long. I have two pairs so battery wasn’t a problem and I don’t wear them all the time when at home, but these new one have as much battery as a proper hearing aid.

Mine even survived being dropped into soup. I will stick with AirPods for hearing and fully expect Apple will improve them even more because there are a lot of people worldwide now using them as aids.

Looks like there is still no CROSS or BiCROSS functionality in the hearing aid mode - bugger.

Juanmontoya

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#3419876 29-Sep-2025 22:07

Good morning.

I'm new here.

I'm trying to help my father with his hearing loss. A few days ago, he lost his hearing aids by throwing them in the trash without realizing it. His mind isn't what it used to be. They cost 5,000 euros, and I can't face the possibility of him throwing another pair away. I thought that AirPods could be a cheaper alternative for replacement.

Since I see you have used that device, I would like to ask you a question.

Can AirPods be used with an Android phone? (Edit: I have just seen that is not posible).
Can they be used without the phone? I mean, can he move around the house without carrying the phone with him (he only uses it when he goes out). (Edit: I have seen on this web, that seems you have with you the telephone in any time with no more 30 meters of distance).

Thank you very much in advance for your answers.

Edit: I have already seen both questions answered on another website. However, any comments about the AirPods are welcome."

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mattwnz

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#3419887 29-Sep-2025 23:31

AirPods seem to work ok as heading aids as I setup my mum with some AirPod pro 3s. You also don’t need an iPhone, you can use an iPad instead. iPads are potentially more useful for elderly imo. But they are for low to mild hearing loss

johno1234

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#3419973 30-Sep-2025 10:16

Juanmontoya:

Good morning.

I'm new here.

I'm trying to help my father with his hearing loss. A few days ago, he lost his hearing aids by throwing them in the trash without realizing it. His mind isn't what it used to be. They cost 5,000 euros, and I can't face the possibility of him throwing another pair away. I thought that AirPods could be a cheaper alternative for replacement.

Since I see you have used that device, I would like to ask you a question.

Can AirPods be used with an Android phone? (Edit: I have just seen that is not posible).
Can they be used without the phone? I mean, can he move around the house without carrying the phone with him (he only uses it when he goes out). (Edit: I have seen on this web, that seems you have with you the telephone in any time with no more 30 meters of distance).

Thank you very much in advance for your answers.

Edit: I have already seen both questions answered on another website. However, any comments about the AirPods are welcome."

You need an iPhone or iPad to run the hearing test and configure the iPods according to the test. After that you don't need the iPhone/iPad to use the iPods in hearing aid mode.

The battery life has improved with the AirPods Pro 3 but it is still not "all day" - you might get 6 hours before needing a quick recharge.

I lost a hearing aid while mowing the lawns - probably while brushing past a tree. Home and contents insurance replaced both hearing aids.

However it is not necessary to spend EUR 5K again on hearing aids. With the universal subsidy in NZ and additional subsidies for some people you can get good hearing aids practically for between free and NZD4.5K depending on subsidy level.

https://www.specsavers.co.nz/hearing/hearing-aids/digital-hearing-range-and-prices

There is no need to spend thousands of dollars on name brand high spec HAs. SpecSavers brand is a white box re-brand of the well known brands such as Siemens, Phonak etc.

Eva888

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#3419977 30-Sep-2025 10:32

Juanmontoya:

Good morning.

I'm new here.

I'm trying to help my father with his hearing loss. A few days ago, he lost his hearing aids by throwing them in the trash without realizing it. His mind isn't what it used to be. They cost 5,000 euros, and I can't face the possibility of him throwing another pair away. I thought that AirPods could be a cheaper alternative for replacement.

Since I see you have used that device, I would like to ask you a question.

Can AirPods be used with an Android phone? (Edit: I have just seen that is not posible).
Can they be used without the phone? I mean, can he move around the house without carrying the phone with him (he only uses it when he goes out). (Edit: I have seen on this web, that seems you have with you the telephone in any time with no more 30 meters of distance).

Thank you very much in advance for your answers.

Edit: I have already seen both questions answered on another website. However, any comments about the AirPods are welcome."

The AirPod pros need to be within Bluetooth range when in transparency mode which is what you have the phone set on to hear what’s around you, eg TV. There is a hearing test on the phone and most people say it is similar to the ones you do in hearing aid places. My results were almost identical.

If he had an iPhone he would also hear phone calls coming in and could speak to the caller via the speaker within the pods.

You can buy silicone safety straps to connect the pods so they are easier not to lose while wearing but they are not a great look. Some people find the pods uncomfortable to wear at first and fit is important to them working.

Battery life in the pro 2's is around four hours and 8 hours for the 3's and he would have to be capable of remembering to charge the case. Charging is fast. The phone shows the % charged level of the pods when you open the pod case.

A lot would depend on how bad his hearing is but they work well up to moderate hearing loss.

I use mine mainly for watching TV and they are amazing. I can go from muffled sound to completely hearing every word. I don’t need them when speaking with people in the room unless they speak very softly at a certain pitch therefore have not bothered with proper aids yet. AirPods are more than sufficient for my needs and are truly incredible. Hopefully Apple will continue to improve them.

johno1234

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#3420002 30-Sep-2025 11:49

"The AirPod pros need to be within Bluetooth range when in transparency mode..."

Are you sure? I don't have them as they lack BICROSS capability... but my reading of the specs says you only need to connect them to a device for configuration and can enable/disable transparency mode (with stored audiology config) with a button press on the airpod without a connected device..

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