Buying Hearing Aids

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371 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3361720 7-Apr-2025 14:26

johno1234:

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.

I sure appreciate all the comments I have had but your post today has made me book an appointment today for the one hour hearing test.

I have been in denial, but I think I have asked people to repeat themselves too many times now, and it must be annoying to them as well as myself.

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johno1234

2690 posts

Uber Geek

#3361737 7-Apr-2025 14:55

Fog:

johno1234:

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.

I sure appreciate all the comments I have had but your post today has made me book an appointment today for the one hour hearing test.

I have been in denial, but I think I have asked people to repeat themselves too many times now, and it must be annoying to them as well as myself.

Good luck - I hope they work out well for you.

vexxxboy

4235 posts

Uber Geek

#3361793 7-Apr-2025 18:44

Fog:

]I sure appreciate all the comments I have had but your post today has made me book an appointment today for the one hour hearing test.

I have been in denial, but I think I have asked people to repeat themselves too many times now, and it must be annoying to them as well as mysel

You wont believe how much you are missing, as i said it is all the small things and i am now the opposite to what i was. When i take them out the world goes mute and it is horrible.

Common sense is not as common as you think.

Gordy7

1892 posts

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#3361804 7-Apr-2025 20:54

Thinking of getting a bluetooth lapel microphone to feed my Phonak HAs.

Phonak have a Partnermic.

Very difficult to hear my partners voice because of health issues and more so in any noisey areas.

Anyone tried these sort of devices?

Gordy

My first ever AM radio network connection was with a 1MHz AM crystal(OA91) radio receiver.

johno1234

2690 posts

Uber Geek

#3361814 7-Apr-2025 22:23

Apple iPhone has “live listen” feature which adds the Apple microphone sound as remote input into the HAs but it doesn’t seem sensitive enough to boost the sound enough. I need to experiment a bit more with this.

Rikkitic

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#3361959 8-Apr-2025 12:02

I know I have old age hearing loss but it does not affect me in any of the ways usually cited. I live alone but have no difficulty hearing family members when they visit. We have normal conversations at normal volumes.

I do go deaf in noisy environments like crowded restaurants and I have trouble understanding some dialogue on TV though I don’t have any problem hearing people speaking directly to the camera like newsreaders. I use subtitles where available but I can also get by without. I enjoy good music and I don’t feel in any way deprived and I would really hate the idea of hearing aids. I also can’t help wondering if they don’t just make things worse, since they amplify sounds and loud sounds are known to damage hearing.

At my age I don’t go out much and my social life is usually limited to lunch with friends, where my friends don’t shout and I am able to fully participate in the conversation. At this stage I don’t see how hearing aids would benefit me in any meaningful way, but of course one needs to maintain an open mind on these things so I am happy to listen(!) to any arguments.

p.s.: I just reread the comments and I get the point about not knowing what you are not hearing. But I live alone with my streaming TV and my cats and I’m not sure what hearing aids would add to that.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

nutbugs

268 posts

Ultimate Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#3361961 8-Apr-2025 12:14

One of the statements that really pushed me into getting on with it is that over time the brain forgets how to interpret sounds into words as you stop hearing them clearly. The impact of that is that after time with reduced hearing, when you do hear clearly you no longer understand what is being said.

That might be my interpretation there, but was the thing that was a wake up call, along with the wife going nuts at my inability to interact in a sensible way 🤣

johno1234

2690 posts

Uber Geek

#3361963 8-Apr-2025 12:16

Rikkitic:

I know I have old age hearing loss but it does not affect me in any of the ways usually cited. I live alone but have no difficulty hearing family members when they visit. We have normal conversations at normal volumes.

I do go deaf in noisy environments like crowded restaurants and I have trouble understanding some dialogue on TV though I don’t have any problem hearing people speaking directly to the camera like newsreaders. I use subtitles where available but I can also get by without. I enjoy good music and I don’t feel in any way deprived and I would really hate the idea of hearing aids. I also can’t help wondering if they don’t just make things worse, since they amplify sounds and loud sounds are known to damage hearing.

At my age I don’t go out much and my social life is usually limited to lunch with friends, where my friends don’t shout and I am able to fully participate in the conversation. At this stage I don’t see how hearing aids would benefit me in any meaningful way, but of course one needs to maintain an open mind on these things so I am happy to listen(!) to any arguments.

p.s.: I just reread the comments and I get the point about not knowing what you are not hearing. But I live alone with my streaming TV and my cats and I’m not sure what hearing aids would add to that.

Completely understand. Although the cats may beg to differ.

In all seriousness, if I am in a quiet room with only a couple of other people and I can see their faces then I'm the same - can "hear" pretty much everything. On the other hand if I am out somewhere and there's background noise, then I miss a lot. If someone is to my right I'll barely be able to understand them.

eracode

Smpl Mnmlst
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#3361964 8-Apr-2025 12:20

Rikkitic:

I know I have old age hearing loss but it does not affect me in any of the ways usually cited. I live alone but have no difficulty hearing family members when they visit. We have normal conversations at normal volumes.

I do go deaf in noisy environments like crowded restaurants and I have trouble understanding some dialogue on TV though I don’t have any problem hearing people speaking directly to the camera like newsreaders. I use subtitles where available but I can also get by without. I enjoy good music and I don’t feel in any way deprived and I would really hate the idea of hearing aids. I also can’t help wondering if they don’t just make things worse, since they amplify sounds and loud sounds are known to damage hearing.

At my age I don’t go out much and my social life is usually limited to lunch with friends, where my friends don’t shout and I am able to fully participate in the conversation. At this stage I don’t see how hearing aids would benefit me in any meaningful way, but of course one needs to maintain an open mind on these things so I am happy to listen(!) to any arguments.

p.s.: I just reread the comments and I get the point about not knowing what you are not hearing. But I live alone with my streaming TV and my cats and I’m not sure what hearing aids would add to that.

Yours is pretty much an identical situation to mine and as mentioned above I have applied the same logic and come to the same conclusion - for now. Conversations at home and out and about, TV, radio and music - just the same as you.

I am also retired. Once a week I meet up with a bunch of old mates for a few pre-dinner beers at a local pub. Sometimes it can be noisy there and that’s my biggest hearing test. Over the past few weeks I have taken particular note of how I am doing - and on the whole I can hear quite well one person speaking above the background hubbub. Occasionally I might need to ask for a repeat but that doesn’t worry me.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

k1w1k1d

1475 posts

Uber Geek

#3361966 8-Apr-2025 12:31

I was referred to two hearing specialists when trying to get ACC to pay for my hearing loss and tinnitus. Both said my hearing loss was not work related, so no ACC.

Both stressed that I should/must get hearing aids as hearing loss is associated with Alzheimer's.

Just a shame that $3500 later I find that they seem to be next to useless.

johno1234

2690 posts

Uber Geek

#3361982 8-Apr-2025 13:31

k1w1k1d:

I was referred to two hearing specialists when trying to get ACC to pay for my hearing loss and tinnitus. Both said my hearing loss was not work related, so no ACC.

Both stressed that I should/must get hearing aids as hearing loss is associated with Alzheimer's.

Just a shame that $3500 later I find that they seem to be next to useless.

Bugger. Some vendors allow you a month to 'learn' them - and to return them if it is not working.

morrisk

363 posts

Ultimate Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#3362140 8-Apr-2025 20:18

One of the key points that I had not realised is that HAs don't just amplify all the sound around you but do this selectively. The frequencies that they select to amplify are those which have been shown on your individual audiogram to be the ones that you are not hearing so well.

This meant for me that much of the time the HAs didn't seem to make any difference but then when going to a orchestral concert I suddenly realised I was hearing the tubular bells and when out walking in the bush I was hearing bird calls. Some things sounded different like the piano - at first I wasn't sure that I liked the new sound but over a month or so my brain adjusted and now I am unaware of them. However if I turn them on and off using the app when listening to music it is very obvious how much I miss when they are off.

They are also great with my cell phone and computer with the sound going directly to my ears and not disturbing anyone around me.

Expensive but definitely worth it.

Rikkitic

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#3362146 8-Apr-2025 21:21

It is interesting to hear both sides. I am not anti-HA though I don't personally feel ready for them. I just don't see them as a value proposition at this point in my life. Maybe that will change. I don't know.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

mdav056

605 posts

Ultimate Geek

Subscriber

#3362154 8-Apr-2025 22:24

psychrn:

Ive had my hearing aids a couple of years. I went to Audika here in hamilton.

My aids are by Oticon. around the $6500 mark top end. BT. Rechargeable. (Oticon More)

Compatible with android and Apple.

Good app on the phone which you can change profile settings on the fly.

Charging time is 3 hrs to 100%

BTW oticon talk about the technology called Deep Neural Network (DNN) to mimick how the brain processes sound. Yes so far Ive found them very good.

Im 68

I too have Oticon from Audika, but more expensive ones (near $10k!) and they use batteries rather than being rechargeable. I find them very good, and it is very useful to be able to modify the settings like modifying the equalizer settings and enhancing speech.

Of course, the more you connect the app to the HAs, the more it uses battery life -- especially using BT to put sound (phone calls, radio, and so on) into your HAs. With everything connected, batteries may only last 2-3 days, and it isn't really necessary. Generally I turn the app off, and just use it for the occasional tweak.

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.

gml

mckenndk

911 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3362202 8-Apr-2025 22:54

Living with someone who needed hearing aids was frustrating.

They did not get the hint when you turned the radio and TV down and you had to yell to get their attention over the TV and radio etc.

I'm not sure if it's related but even after getting AIDS they don't seem to get your taking then so not sure if they was related to them not getting the aids earlier.

Def recommend them.

Music sound better, you can hear the birds when waking around the bush etc.

Dion

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