Hearing aids

Brendan Mitchell · From: Melbourne Australia

As I get older my hearing deteriorates , I am at the point where I am thinking about hearing aids .These where discussed on this forum a while back but I would just like to know what is available now and any opinions you might have about them .
Regards
Brendan

LaVern Skarzenski · From: North East,Pennsylvania, USA

Hi Brendan,
I'm 59 yrs. old and have had Starkey 'Completely In the Canal' hearing aids for 5 yrs. now. It is so true that no hearing aid can replace ears once they are damaged. For me the TV was always too loud for others in the room, or I was was saying uh? too much, missing out on conversation, reading lips etc. When I got my aids they were considered the top of the line and one of the most advanced aids available. It took a long while and quite a few trips back to the audiologist's office to get them adjusted to suit me. They also have been back to the factory to be repaired at least once a year, the first year they went back 3 times. After getting a different 'wax interceptor', and a drying cup, my problems have occured much less. But all that being said, I would never again get CIC hearing aids due to the moisture problems from sweat that they are susceptible to. I would now only consider 'Behind the Ear' aids but they too could have problems with moisture and sweat from the back of the head.
They do help tremendously and for the most part give me very few problems but there are certain situations that they just don't perform like my ears did at 20 years old. My aids have 3 channels, and can be switched to different channels depending on the environment. They are completely programable and as long as the person programming it knows what they are doing it is fine. For a while my aids were adjusted to shut down if the noise became too loud. That presented problems, especially while playing music. It was just like plugging you ears when they shut down. Many times while playing guitar at church the organist would play something, not necessarily loud but a certain tone and they would shut down completely and at that point I would just have to back off and play at a lower level until they came back on. As I said though they can be programmed for just about situation and I am sure that since mine are already 5 yrs. old, the technology has advanced a lot in that time. I think one of the most important aspects of getting hearing aids is going to a qualified audiologist and getting a hearing aid with a good warranty. One of the things that took me by surprise was the fact that even though I paid quite a bit of money over and above what my insurance paid, I still have to pay $375 every year for 'insurance' to cover repair costs, but was not told that until the first insurance payment was due. Well that's about it. I hope this helps a bit. I'm sure that for every person out there who has had aids, there is a different experience to be told.

LaVern Skarzenski

Al Udeen · From: maple grove mn usa

Just to let any one that suffers from hearing loss,know that I have been in the hearing aid business for well over 40yrs, If I can be of any help to any forum member that needs any kind of hearing help, I offer, repairs, hearing aids, & product information, for a fraction of what they would have to pay elsewhere, I presently own a hearing aid repair lab,& I wear Open Fit aids, which are a real blessing to me, my main reason for wearing them is, to keep my volume down when playing steel with the present band I'm with, My Best! Al Udeen
E-mail sent to Brendon.

Al Udeen · From: maple grove mn usa

Just to let any one that suffers from hearing loss,know that I have been in the hearing aid business for well over 40yrs, If I can be of any help to any forum member that needs any kind of hearing help, I offer, repairs, hearing aids, & product information, for a fraction of what they would have to pay elsewhere, I presently own a hearing aid repair lab,& I wear Open Fit aids, which are a real blessing to me, my main reason for wearing them is, to keep my volume down when playing steel with the present band I'm with, My Best! Al Udeen
E-mail sent to Brendan.

Al Udeen · From: maple grove mn usa

Sorry! just tried to correct Brendan's name

Bob Blair · From: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Brendan, I put off looking into hearing aids for years - I knew I had some hearing loss (thanks in no small part to one unaccountably popular, rather mediocre but spectacularly loud Toronto bar band that I played in for the better part of a year) but thought I was coping with it ok and was concerned that hearing aids would have a negative impact on music. Two years ago I went in, got my ears tested, and was fitted with a pair of modern digital devices. It was astounding. Even in the audiologist's office, wearing loaners which were programmed to my particular hearing loss in each ear, I was stunned by what I was hearing. I said to my audiologist that I hoped she wasn't expecting to get them back, and she let me keep them until mine came in. Leaving the office, I heard a sound that was strange to me - new snow squeaking under my feet! I'd forgotten that sound. In the car I turned on some music (Ry Cooder's version of "Stand By Me") and had to pull off the road as I was so overwhelmed by the quality of the sounds I was hearing. Tears were literally streaming down my face. I got them just before noon. Mid-afternoon I had to lie down and rest because I was so exhausted from hearing and processing all kinds of forgotten sounds. It was quite a day.

I don't understand all the technology - Al can no doubt fill you in on all that. Mine (made by Oticon) have two setting programmed in - one is for music (and I don't always use it but it is there if I need it) and one for everything else. They are programmed for my particular hearing loss - they enhance frequencies that need to be enhanced, rather than simply amplifying indiscriminately. I use them on stage, and I use them in the studio (under headphones). I can watch TV at a manageable volume - I hadn't realized how loud I was turning it up. They make my day job (I'm a labour lawyer and do a fair bit of litigating) much easier.

Did they cost a lot? I suppose, but not everyone is self-insured the way I am - you might have a health care plan that at least subsidizes the cost. Are they worth it? Many times over.

I sure ain't no preacher, and the rampant evangelism on the SGF makes me darn cranky, but I am pleased to be an evangelist for this particular cause! Get thee to an audiologist, and take your chequebook!

Brendan Mitchell · From: Melbourne Australia

Thanks for the reply's and emails .
Thanks to Al Udeen for his kind offer , unfortunately Al I live in Australia and probably should buy closer to home .
How do they work when playing with a band ? Are you happy with them ? Someone said their's cuts out at a certain volume , anyone else have this problem ?
I am sure I am missing out a lot when playing these days and am paranoid about not hearing myself playing in or out of tune properly .

Bob Blair · From: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Brendan, mine have caused no problem at all in a band or studio setting. I suspect that they help me to play better.

I was telling someone today that when I am at our acreage on the west coast the first thing I do when I wake up is put them in so I can hear the birds better. The new digital ones are that good. The hearing I was born with would be better, but the fact is I don't have it anymore, and I'm not getting it back.

LaVern Skarzenski · From: North East,Pennsylvania, USA

Hi All,
I must clarify that my hearing aids were cutting out when I first got them, and we were still in the "setting up mode". Mine do not cut out now, though I still don't know if they are really set up as best as they could be, even after 5 yrs. As far as wearing them while playing in the band, I think overall they are better, but the other guys say I don't play loud enough when I do wear them. That may just be a case where they are set up to 'amplify' too much.
I have four settings on mine and they are changed by depressing a small button on the face of the hearing aid. The first setting is for every day use, normal everyday volumes. The second setting is for large gatherings. The third is what my audiologist calls the music mode and this is the loudest setting. He tells me that this is the mode that is normally used to listen to music such as concerts, operas, etc. I can't use this for my music because it is too loud. I really use this mostly for watching TV while I am with others. This does allow the TV to be set so that it is not too loud for the other people watching. The fourth setting is for phone use, but I have that set so it kicks in automatically as long as the phone receiver is setup for hearing aids. If the phone isn't setup for aids, I can manually put it in this mode.
Now the real question is....Are they worth it? Or would I go without? No once you hear what you were missing, you'll probably not go without. I put mine in when I first get up in the morning and don't take them out until I retire for the night. That being said, they still aren't as good as my hearing was when I was younger.
LaVern

Al Udeen · From: maple grove mn usa

Hi again Brendan: I agree 100% that you should deal with someone local, Hopefully, they will give you a fair price, as most dealers here are Very expensive! I have no problems wearing my open ear aids when playing,& as I stated earlier, I wear them to keep from being too loud, I've always positioned my amp right next to my left ear, aimed mostly to me, rather than facing straight out front, My aids are ReSound model AIR, very small & not noticable! Hope this helps! au

Tony Farr · From: Madison, Tennessee, USA (deceased)

Hi Al and other aiders, I now have new aids made by Phonak, they have a music program ,and they work 100% better than the M-Ear aids that I had. The audiologist has them set for two programs, regular and a music. I had been having trouble with one of them clipping the sound. I went in tuesday and she narrowed it down tothe left aid. I have o try it this weekend, and if it does it again they are going back to shop to be completely redone. She is very nice and realy works with me. She also sings and has several friends who are musicians that wear them. I even take my steel to the office so we an do a test rum there.

Gerry Brown · From: Asheville, North Carolina, USA

My daughter in law is an audiologist. I've been discussing my hearing loss with her for a while and then a couple of months ago she showed up at the house with her testing gear and a loaner pair of hearing aids and she fitted me right there on the spot. My hearing loss has to do with working with power tools and playing in rock and roll bands. I procrastinated for all the usual reasons.... mostly vanity. But my dear daughter in law reminded me that my hearing loss was a lot more conspicuous than the hearing aids. I had lost a lot of the higher frequency range and to have that part of the sound spectrum restored has been fantastic. My advice to anyone considering hearing aids is to not put it off. No point in denying yourself access to an entire block of the sound spectrum.... especially for a musician.

Gerry

Bud Hall · From: Evansville IN USA

Got my aids about 1 year ago, (Whoops need to rephrase that), make that (Hearing aids)Please!! When I got them, went straight home to my music room and sat down to my in tune steel and hit a g# it literally sounded like about 10 auto harps all at once, they were totally usless to me for pickin. Went back like 3 times and they adjusted and adjusted to no avail, then they called the factory and was told to take out the PHASER, what ever that is on a hearing aid, but it worked!! now music on TV sounds fine (except for Kid Rock), I still prefer to pick without them, but they work for me if I want! They sound a little bright to me, and I wish they had a tone control, now if I could just hook my MPX1 to them, I'd be a very happy little OLD steel picker.

Hook Moore · From: South Charleston,West Virginia

Owen Barnes · From: Utopia, Texas, USA

Me too. I got mine about 6 months ago (Belltone). My first big question to the audiologist was ...how will these react to my music playing?... I tried them first time, and I thought my amp's speaker was cracked! It didn't dawn on me at first, then the light came on. I took out my hearing aids, and the speaker was clean! Mine get overdriven into distortion. I've gone back for several setting changes all to no avail. I just continue to play guitar without them. Smile

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LaVern Skarzenski · From: North East,Pennsylvania, USA

As I said in an earlier post, I have Starkey's, they are Destiny, not sure of exact model number, but they are completely in the ear canal. I have to take mine back a minimum of once a year, sometimes several times, to get them cleaned, and at times they have to go back to the factory for new parts. I do believe that as each day goes by, our hearing changes and needed adjustments must be made. I know that mine get re-programmed, and re-adjusted, even if it is just a bit each time I go in, plus they also do any updates on the hearing aid software.
So it does take a while for the audiologist to get it right, and from my experience, it is a constant unending process to get it right. I think it is important to know all of the details concerning readjustments, how many a you can get a year and extra cost if any. Multiple year warranties, how much it will cost to keep them in warranty. Do the warranties cover being sent back to factory and full cost of parts and repair. I think this is where I messed up. I assumed that for the price I paid, and the term "a lot of years of trouble free hearing", I assumed no additional cost for at least a few years. I found out that at the end of the first year, I had to make fairly high payment of $375 yearly. But also as I said earlier, You won't want to go back once you get them adjusted and working properly.
LaVern

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

My problem isn't so much a loss of hearing, but rather a change in the frequency responses of my ears. This makes it difficult to mix music correctly. Are there any "prescription" hearing aids to remedy the ravages of ride cymbals in the left ear and loud pedal steel in the right? The problem is most apparent when listening to mono mixes in stereo headphones. Mono ain't mono anymore. Oh Well

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Bob Blair · From: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

b0b, the answer is yes. The new digital aids don't just amplify indiscriminately - they are tailored to meet your particular needs. Basically mine are programmed to enhance the "lost" (or at any rate the frequencies that I don't hear so well anymore - I don't think they can do anything about complete loss), but they don't amplify frequencies which I can already hear well. Mine were programmed based on the results of tests conducted in respect of each ear. The programming of the devices can happen right while you are in the audiologist's office.

John De Maille · From: On a Mountain in Upstate Halcottsville, N.Y.

Not to barge in on this thread, but, will hearing aids help with "Tinnitus"? I've been diagnosed with it in my left ear and its driving me crazy.

Stan Paxton · Posted 24 Nov 2010 7:18 pm

Brendan; all these guys got good advise. My .02, I wouldn't hesitate to get the devises. Be prepared for it to be expensive. I haven't upgraded for 5 years because of the cost, but probably should. ...Depending on the nature of the problem, would predicate whether you should not wait. My loss is the high frequency range, both ears about equally the sounds just drop almost off the scale at certain frequency; got where didn't hear the birds sing, or the crunch of dry grass underfoot. ...
Hi tech digital deals with only the frequencies you are deficient in, so do not make a bunch of stuff louder that you hear good anyway. ...
Problems are there tho', at least with the type I have: behind the ear Audibel, with clear plastic in-ear molds (ears kept rejecting the CIC), cannot wear headphones as creates feedback squeal badly. Technology at 5yr ago was such, there is no adjustments except in their lab on the computer; all is supposed to be automatic compressor and the like, but find sometimes playing in band with electroic instruments such as keyboard, it creates high frequency & echo/reverb (building accoustics I think)that causes feedback to start and doesn't die away until all soundwaves in the building have dissipated. ...
Mostly this is just annoyances, no big deal, and being able to hear full range of sound frequencies sure makes up for that. ...

As to tinnitus: I have that too, but can't tell it makes any difference, since that sound is generated in your head, and is not effected by the hearing aid. ...
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Bent Romnes · From: London,Ontario, Canada

Bob Blair · From: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

I have a mild ringing, and for some reason my hearing aid helps a bit with that. I know that I barely notice it all day until I crawl into bed and take my devices off.

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