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Ask HN: Hearing aid wearers, what's hot?

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Re: Ask HN: Hearing aid wearers, what's hot?

#201

Post by gramie »

fsniper wrote: post #112

With so many hearing aid users around, this may be the perfect time for me to ask what it is like to wear one, and how it improves dayly life. I have some hearing loss (suppose moderate) only in my left ear. As this is only on single one I think I am coping enough with the right for now. With regular "ha , sorry, what?" moments. In your experience should I be investing in one immediately or trying my best with curren…

I also have hearing loss in one ear. I have a hearing aid for that ear, and it dramatically improves my higher-frequency hearing on that side. My wife certainly appreciates it. If I start speaking loudly, she will often say, "Do you have your hearing aid in?", and either I forgot to wear it or the battery is dead (typically lasts about 16 hours).

One drawback is that I can't listen to Bluetooth music because it only comes through the one side. It's good enough for podcasts, through.

Mine is a Costco one (manufactured by Phonak, I believe). Nothing really fancy, but only $1,000 -- and the Ontario government covered half of that.

I kind of resisted getting a hearing aid for a long time -- even though I used to date an audiologist -- but it's a significant improvement to my quality of life.

Re: Ask HN: Hearing aid wearers, what's hot?

#202

Post by BobaFloutist »

julianlam wrote: post #28
retrac wrote: post #5

I have worn hearing aids since childhood in the '90s. Moderate sloping to profound loss. Been through all the tech since the equalized analog era. For a while now, like the last 15 to 20 years, since hearing aids went DSP, I had not been much impressed by each new generation. At the risk of sounding like a bit of an advertisement, that changed this year. I have the new Oticon Intent. RIC style aid. They have some of…

Thank you so much for commenting. As a parent with a child with mild-to-moderate hearing loss it is heartening to know that the hearing aid technology is progressing, and progressing well! He's been using a pair of Phonak Skys since infancy, and while they can be tuned by the audiologist I sometimes wonder what it'll be like if and when he gets his next pair.

You probably already know this, but if not, I urge you to learn sign language as a family! Hearing aids will always be helpful for when he's out and about in society with people who don't know sign language, but it's a much more reliable, concrete, comfortable way to communicate with people with hearing loss than hearing aids, and it both had extra benefits for people with full hearing and people without.

Re: Ask HN: Hearing aid wearers, what's hot?

#203

Post by pndy »

gertlex wrote: post #148
pndy wrote: post #63

Bit a side question since OP mentioned company's name: anyone from Europe with Phonak devices with recently replaced earmold? I wonder if you got a soft silicone or something that appears to be some firm 3D printed material. Mother uses hearing aids since end of 90s and most of the time it was in-the-ear but recently due to increased hearing loss she had to pick a new behind-the-ear device - still with button battery…

I wear BTEs and got new earmolds made by phonak this past summer, but I'm in the US. I'd classify them as firm silicone, and doesn't seem 3d printed. Seems like the same material as the previous molds (which I wore for almost 8 years).

I'm asking because my mother is really unhappy with the quality of new mold and she says there's a difference in material. This new firm material rubs her auricle to the point she needs to apply some healing ointment now and then - it's a little bit too big.

Woman who accepted the order for replacement mold said that production plant uses now some kind manufacturing with printing and they also replaced soft silicone for this firm stuff. In fact it's the second new mold and despite her detailed notes on how and where to cut it so it wouldn't damage the ear, it seems they just did the job and sent it back to us.

Re: Ask HN: Hearing aid wearers, what's hot?

#204

Post by BobaFloutist »

Semaphor wrote: post #18

I’ll chime in with a sidebar: Anyone got any experience using hearing aids for the "hearing in noise" issue (aka. King-Kopetzky syndrome or lack of cocktail party effect [0], part of a whole bunch of things also called adhd for ears). Essentially I have filtering issues, as soon as multiple people talk, I can’t really understand anyone anymore, unless they very directly speak into my ears so they are significantly lo…

I know nothing about this, but if you have slightly above average hearing, maybe that's part of the problem? Have you tried weak earplugs (like loops or etymotic or flare or whatever)?

They sure seem to be marketing in your direction. No idea how well they work though.

Re: Ask HN: Hearing aid wearers, what's hot?

#205

Post by cheschire »

dhosek wrote: post #194
cheschire wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Losing audio in front of a certain house may be related to devices I’ve noticed my own neighbors beginning to use, which are those high pitched audio emitters that ward off voles etc. We don’t have that issue in our neighborhood and especially in front yards so I suspect it’s to keep dogs from pausing in their yard. In any case it’s a periodic high pitched burst. I wonder if that was what caused your issue with the p…

How would an audio emitter affect a bluetooth signal?

Well you didn’t say it disconnected you just said you lost audio so I was saying it was messing up the EQ and volume.

If it lost bluetooth connectivity as well, that could have been a fail state, but that seems less likely.

Re: Ask HN: Hearing aid wearers, what's hot?

#206

Post by dfex »

hxorr wrote: post #64

One of my friends has the latest Apple Airpods. He has had various (expensive) hearing aids over the years but these are much better for him (and cheaper). For the first time he can actually hear everything going on

I have had fairly extensive hearing loss in my left ear for about 20-something years and finally decided to investigate options about a year or so ago.

I tried a set of Phonaks for about a fortnight, but I found them tinny-sounding (which I'm told you get used to), and their automatic mode switching (for when you walk into noisy rooms) was incredibly frustrating.

A month later, Apple dropped the Airpods Pro hearing-aid mode software update and I have never looked back. The feedback from my family has been overwhelmingly positive, which more than offsets any qualms I had about them being so visible when you wear them.

My (obviously subjective) view is that the sound quality of the AUD$400 set of Airpod Pro 2s completely smokes the AUD$5,000+ set of Phonaks, and that's before you account for all the UX niceties you get from Apple when you play in their ecosystem (virtually seamless transition between phone, computer and TV (with AppleTV box)).

The fact that you can run an on-demand hearing test on your phone for free, giving you the ability to track any decline yourself without having to front up to an audiologist is just the icing on the cake.

Re: Ask HN: Hearing aid wearers, what's hot?

#207

Post by danielparks »

jonathanlb wrote: post #168
danielparks wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you tried the non-over-the-ear cochlear devices? The kind that have everything built into the part that sticks magnetically to your implant — I don’t know what the term is; I don’t use them myself. I know somebody who really dislikes the over-the-ear type devices and swears by the all-in-one kind. She seems to get a full day of battery out of hers, but I don’t know what kind they are and I imagine usage patterns…

> Have you tried the non-over-the-ear cochlear devices? No, I have not, but from what I've heard, the sound processing isn't as strong because with the BTE (Behind the ear) models, the microphone is unobstructed and can pick up sound coming from the front. With the all-in-one devices, the microphone sits slightly behind the head and has a horizon (and hair) obstructing the audio. If I'm wrong and the sound processing…

Yeah, I’ve wondered about that. Apparently it works for her, but… everybody’s different.

I actually know a number of people with CIs, but everyone else is at ASL club, so we’re not doing a lot of speaking. I’ll have to ask folks what they’ve tried, if only for my own curiosity.

Re: Ask HN: Hearing aid wearers, what's hot?

#208

Post by adinisom »

adinisom wrote: post #69
Semaphor wrote: post #18

I’ll chime in with a sidebar: Anyone got any experience using hearing aids for the "hearing in noise" issue (aka. King-Kopetzky syndrome or lack of cocktail party effect [0], part of a whole bunch of things also called adhd for ears). Essentially I have filtering issues, as soon as multiple people talk, I can’t really understand anyone anymore, unless they very directly speak into my ears so they are significantly lo…

Hearing in noise is both what most people want from hearing aids and what they are least equipped to provide. The traditional solution is an FM system where you give the person speaking a microphone linked to your hearing aids. There are dedicated ones like Phonak Roger. You could probably also use your phone as a microphone if it's bluetooth connected to your headphones or hearing aids.

Addressing comments on hearing aid technology:

Often people who lose their hearing want to be able to hear in social situations such as restaurants and family gatherings. In this context, the signal and noise have similar properties and are coming from the same direction. Directionality helps but can only do so much. Noise reduction can make hearing aids more comfortable to wear but don't necessarily improve comprehension in challenging situations. Progress here is fantastic -- at the same time it helps to have realistic expectations.

Putting the mic on the person speaking sidesteps the problem -- it's like the rest of the room isn't there.

Re: Ask HN: Hearing aid wearers, what's hot?

#209

Post by gertlex »

pndy wrote: post #203
gertlex wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wear BTEs and got new earmolds made by phonak this past summer, but I'm in the US. I'd classify them as firm silicone, and doesn't seem 3d printed. Seems like the same material as the previous molds (which I wore for almost 8 years).

I'm asking because my mother is really unhappy with the quality of new mold and she says there's a difference in material. This new firm material rubs her auricle to the point she needs to apply some healing ointment now and then - it's a little bit too big. Woman who accepted the order for replacement mold said that production plant uses now some kind manufacturing with printing and they also replaced soft silicone…

That's certifiably not fun :(

Not that one ever should have to do such for medical equipment, but wonder if someone could grind down the firmer stuff on the first new mold, assuming it was kept...

(Not really useful anecdote:) I remember circa 25 years ago, my audiologist had a benchtop grinding/buffing wheel that she'd take the earmolds to a few times when modifications were needed. Even at that young age, it was clear that grinding soft materials didn't work very well.

Re: Ask HN: Hearing aid wearers, what's hot?

#210

Post by resoluteteeth »

Lerc wrote: post #120

I have a related question. What is the best thing for people with no hearing loss but need help in noisy environments? My partner and I both have difficulty listening to conversations in crowds. Logic tells me that there must be some noise cancelling devices with directional mics that let you hear just what is in front of you, but querying staff in stores gets me the same bemused look as when I asked about Arm laptop…

Look elsewhere in this thread. Apple airpods pro apparently have such a feature.
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