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Bose Hearphones

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341–350 of 429 posts

Re: Bose Hearphones

#341
post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you sure you have decent hearing? I thought I could hear what people were saying in noisy environments, but couldn't understand anything. This was one of the major symptoms for me before I was diagnosed with moderate/severe hearing loss. It's very isolating. No problems now with a decent set of hearing aids. Have yourself tested! The quality of life improvement from a set of hearing aids is incredible! edit: I wa…

I became unable to understand conversations in noisy bars and restaurants. I had my hearing tested, and it was normal. I can hear one person talking quietly from across the house, but can't understand a person right next to me in a bar. It's very frustrating.

Like the others who have replied here, I've found that I have the same issue. I started noticing at maybe around 35 (I'm 38 now), and I know it was something new, as I spend a lot of time in social settings.

I assumed I was losing my hearing, which would make sense as I was a DJ in my later teens and spent a lot of time with large speakers and no ear protection. I went to get tested this past summer and I passed - my hearing is basically "normal for my age". They didn't have much else to offer, unfortunately.

What I've noticed in loud settings, like bars or busy restaurants, is that I can hear the music and everyone's voice at once, but I can't seem to pick out the voices directly in front of me.

It can definitely be a bit embarrassing as I'm constantly asking people to repeat themselves if it's a serious conversation, and if it's not, I try for a while until I lose the thread and then zone out and ask my wife about it later.

Re: Bose Hearphones

#342
post #335

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where "left on" means "merely plugged in, because they used a shitty noisy capacitor that whines even when on standby" OTOH, unplugging those devices saves you energy.

i've noticed more and more cheap USB wall-wart chargers. I can hear them pulsing, it's sort of interesting, but super frustrating when trying to go to sleep (I end up just unplugging.. for which you can hear it scream as it drains)

I used to love the idea of a device without fans or spinning hard drive. But the last two "silent" tablets I've had randomly made very faint, but annoying, high pitch squeaking. Vibrating capacitors, I think. So ironically, I was better off with at least a low speed fan to provide white noise to cover up this faint electronic noise.

Re: Bose Hearphones

#343
post #77

Wow, this address a major problem I have. I have decent hearing, but when I'm in a noisy environment like a bar, I can hear but can't understand what other people are saying. It's why I don't like going to bars/pubs with live performances or ambient music. People think I'm bored or brooding because I'm not talking to anyone, but I just can't understand anything anyone says, so I can't participate in a conversation.

I have this exact same problem. It's been something that has bothered me for over a decade. I'm really excited to see if these work for me!

Re: Bose Hearphones

#344

If they could just remember someone's name for me the first time they say it that would be great ;-)

You are spot on. Please, let augmented reality help us with this without ads. (Edit: I personally would be willing to pay a monthly subscription)

Re: Bose Hearphones

#345
As someone who is unilaterally deaf, this is very interesting to me. I hear fine in one ear, but am completely deaf in the other.

People who hear in stereo seem to isolate particular sounds (like a voice) much easier from background noise without any/much conscious thought; whereas, I have to consciously focus on filtering out the ambient noise. Having 2 audio channels seems to allow for a sort of spacial filtering/differentiation to pinpoint particular streams of sounds. I have found that turning my head in space allows me some ability to differentiate foreground/background noise by comparing their relative change in volumes as my ear changes direction. That is more fit for deciphering sounds coming from a distance and not helpful in the case of a close conversation. If I am having trouble with a conversation in a noisy setting I normally revert to lip-reading. Unfortunately lip-reading makes it difficult to read body language and facial expressions.

As a young kid I felt a bit left out of the experience of stereo music. I experimented with setting up several of my family's radios around my room and tuning their equalizers differently to roughly separate parts of the music. By moving and turning through the room, I was able to experience the music in a slightly more spacial way.

Re: Bose Hearphones

#346

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I went to an audiologist a few years back because I could hear certain things that would drive me up the wall. I thought it might be tinnitus or something like that- I ride motorcycles, am on the water in boats, use power tools, etc. Turns out I have exceptional hearing as well, and much better high frequency responses than an average 30 year old. Certain cheap lights and power transformers can drive me absolutely fr…

Also known as the "I'm certain there's a TV that was left on somewhere in this house" phenomenon. I agree, annoying as hell.

I so happy to know there are other people that experience this. When I try to explain to people that I can hear a CRT TV with with no sound/muted just because it's on they think I'm crazy.

Re: Bose Hearphones

#347
post #262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those are the ones I have - they make loud concerts much more enjoyable actually, since sometimes the volume seems to be adjusted for people who are already half deaf, as a result of going to loud concerts... it's a vicious cycle.

To be honest, I'd rather go to a loud show with earplugs than a quiet show without. Half the fun of a live show is the visceral punch of the literal sound waves.

Having said that, earplugs can't protect against lower frequencies (that bass through the bone, rather than the air).

Because of this, even with ear protection, damage still occurs at clubs/concerts.

Re: Bose Hearphones

#349
post #77

Wow, this address a major problem I have. I have decent hearing, but when I'm in a noisy environment like a bar, I can hear but can't understand what other people are saying. It's why I don't like going to bars/pubs with live performances or ambient music. People think I'm bored or brooding because I'm not talking to anyone, but I just can't understand anything anyone says, so I can't participate in a conversation.

Had that my whole life. I was diagnosed with "Hyper-Hearing" were normal people have a frequency bumps and dips in their hearing my was a straight line all at the top.

Now that I am lower I have ringing ears and lost the high frequency range of sound to a "slightly bellow level" and will probably never have to have hearing aids. My brain just couldn't figure out how to filter out all that noise.

Re: Bose Hearphones

#350

Are they calling these headphones to avoid medical device testing? These aren't headphones and that's not their main feature.

There's more money to be made in certified medical devices. My father worked in medical device certification before he retired and fought a long and eventually losing battle with a businessman, who wanted to have his vacuum cleaner product certified as a medical device(ostensibly it was supposed to somehow deliver drugs by spraying them on the floor).
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