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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?

#141

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…

This is the case for any Bluetooth microphone headset, it has nothing to do with the hearing aid “trying to mimic AirPods “it is because Apple refuses to give us fine-grained controls on our Bluetooth devices

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

#142
I’ve been using Phonak app for a little over a decade now, I’ve tried to Oticon, but had disappointing experiences.

Currently using rechargeable Phonak Audeo with an air fly for connecting to any device other than my phone to avoid Bluetooth switching chaos.

I wish iOS had better control controls over microphone routing but with iOS 26 you can change the microphone during a call to be the phone microphone, even though the hearing aids have their own microphone.

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

#144
post #46

Here's a crazy idea. I personally prefer the fidelity of an active ambient in-ear monitor (IEM), as used by musicians on stage over the best hearing aids. Once a year, I do a monthly trial with the latest hearing aid models and IMO the fidelity (especially low-end) and the comfort just is not there compared with the best active ambient IEMs. The difference between hearing aids and IEMs is blurring, but they are not y…

They only get a couple hours better life even with a belt pack to fit more battery?

Power requirements, moving mass and audio sampling and processing.

Hearing aids run on tiny voltages (typically ~1.4 Volts). They are designed to amplify speech (a small frequency range) at moderate volumes. An IEM is designed to handle the massive energy of a live drum kit without distortion. To do this, the internal amplifier needs Headroom. It likely steps up the battery voltage significantly (internally converting to higher voltage rails) to ensure that when a snare drum hits 120dB, the amplifier has enough electrical height to reproduce that spike without clipping.

Hearing aids use microscopic balanced armature receivers that require almost zero power to move because they are only moving a tiny amount of air near your eardrum. IEMs use dual-driver miniature subwoofers and tweeters that are physically larger and heavier. It takes significantly more electrical current to push these drivers back and forth.

Hearing aids often use aggressive battery-saving tricks, such as lowering the sampling rate or "sleeping" processes when silence is detected. The processor of an IEM is running wide open 100% of the time. It is constantly digitizing the world at a high sampling rate to ensure zero latency. If it tried to save battery by "sleeping" between notes, you would hear a delay (latency), which would make it impossible to play in time.

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

#145
post #131
post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They only get a couple hours better life even with a belt pack to fit more battery?

A belt pack can fit a battery literally ~1000x as large as a hearing aid battery. Is there a little computer doing DAW work inside the earpiece?

> Is there a little computer doing DAW work inside the earpiece?

Yes, and likely always running all filters at high fidelity rather than power-saving whenever there isn't something to amplify.

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

#147
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…

I'm in a similar age range (HAs since 1991 I guess). I also have fond recollections of the pre-digital HAs' sound.

I'm using a pair of 8 yr old phonak BTEs, which have various levels of directionality focusing. (Actually, I'm down one HA; 8yr old on left; 13 yr old left one one on right ear... getting new ones in January) I too prefer a lower level of directionality as my default.

I assume your HAs are doing bluetooth for the music setup you describe? Or are you describing a setup with speakers at home?

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

#148
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).

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

#150
post #141

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…

This is the case for any Bluetooth microphone headset, it has nothing to do with the hearing aid “trying to mimic AirPods “it is because Apple refuses to give us fine-grained controls on our Bluetooth devices

Depends if the hearing aid presents itself as an audio sink (with no mic) or as a headset with mic. The phone will only use the mic if it's available (which is generally what you want if you're using an actual headset).
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