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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?

#61

Post by lnsru »

furyofantares wrote: post #40

There's something I think must be possible and wonder if it would be useful: using noise cancelling earphones to mimic someone else's hearing loss. The idea is if you live with someone with hearing loss, you could enter the frequencies they can't hear, and cancel only those. Then you could spend a day with these in to try to get a more direct understanding of which noises they can hear and which they can't.

It makes no sense at all. You have measurable frequency range. But you have no idea how particular brain weights the specific frequencies in the range. Some people can live comfortable life hearing only 200 Hz to 6000 Hz from birth. The other people freak out hearing 8000 Hz coil whine sound. It’s not an universal thing.

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

#63

Post by pndy »

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 tho.

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

#65

Post by deafpolygon »

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

these won’t work for me, as i have 80-100db loss.

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

#66

Post by samplatt »

JSR_FDED wrote: post #42

What about bone conduction headphones (like Shokz) typically used for swimming and running?

My anecdata for that is that they're all universally a bit rubbish. They're good for maintaining situational awareness but bad at musical quality or for communication in high ambient noise (like a loud room or restaurant).

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

#67

Post by Balinares »

mustntmumble wrote: post #26

I'll tell you what is NOT hot! I have Phonak Audeos paired over bluetooth with my iPhone. A few years prior, I used to have Oticon, also paired with my iPhone. With the Oticon, if I made a cellphone call, the iPhone would use the default iPhone microphone while the audio would stream to my hearing aids. It was good that way because in a noisy environment I could hold the iphone right up to my mouth and the other part…

I trialed hearing aids a little while ago and ended up not committing, because the sound quality was bad, wheezy and tinny, and gave me headaches. Particularly bad in noisy environments, which is where I'd most need the help. Also the app sucked, Bluetooth pairing broke all the time and the controls were just confusing.

They were Phonaks.

I guess I'm glad to hear that it's not intrinsically a hearing aid thing, and I may find a better experience with other brands.

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

#68

Post by Barbing »

mustntmumble wrote: post #26

I'll tell you what is NOT hot! I have Phonak Audeos paired over bluetooth with my iPhone. A few years prior, I used to have Oticon, also paired with my iPhone. With the Oticon, if I made a cellphone call, the iPhone would use the default iPhone microphone while the audio would stream to my hearing aids. It was good that way because in a noisy environment I could hold the iphone right up to my mouth and the other part…

iOS 26 finally enabled custom mic selection!

Settings > Sound & Haptics > Input > change from "Automatic: ..." to "iPhone Microphone"

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

#69

Post by adinisom »

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.

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

#70

Post by konradb »

Balinares wrote: post #67
mustntmumble wrote: post #26

I'll tell you what is NOT hot! I have Phonak Audeos paired over bluetooth with my iPhone. A few years prior, I used to have Oticon, also paired with my iPhone. With the Oticon, if I made a cellphone call, the iPhone would use the default iPhone microphone while the audio would stream to my hearing aids. It was good that way because in a noisy environment I could hold the iphone right up to my mouth and the other part…

I trialed hearing aids a little while ago and ended up not committing, because the sound quality was bad, wheezy and tinny, and gave me headaches. Particularly bad in noisy environments, which is where I'd most need the help. Also the app sucked, Bluetooth pairing broke all the time and the controls were just confusing. They were Phonaks. I guess I'm glad to hear that it's not intrinsically a hearing aid thing, and I…

The tinniness is something your brain adjusts to and prices in, and if your hearing aid is properly set up, it is very likely that to start with it will sound tinny if your hearing is deficient with high frequencies. It is boosting those frequencies to make up for your lack in hearing. You probably need a good 2-6 months to adjust.

Mine were exactly like this to start with and over time the effect goes away such that you don't notice. I'd recommend if you do actually have hearing problems, sticking with it for quality of life improvements.

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