Wildguzzi.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: mjptexas on May 29, 2019, 03:44:41 PM
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So far, the only advantage I've realized from getting older is being able to retire.
My ENT says it's time for hearing aids - he says that not doing so will lead to further (and rapid) deterioration of my hearing.
So what's the experience of this group with hearing aids? I assume some of you may wear them when you ride.
Thanks,
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Not when riding...ear plugs then.
I have been trying the Eargo, not bad, can't see them unless you are an ear peeker.
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I have had to use hearing aids for quite a few years now (I'm on my 3rd set and just about ready to go to my 4th set). Your hearing doesn't usually get better just progressively worse. The best value on hearing aids today is the Kirkland 8 at Costco. You can get a pair of these (setup by an audiologist) for about $1,700, most other places for equivalent performance will cost $5,000 to $7,000. It is worth the $60 membership fee (for 1 year) just to get the hearing aids.
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Oh yes, dguzzi is right, earplugs while riding but keep your aids with you so you can hear and understand people when you stop.
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Sorry to learn about your hearing loss.
I have found it is not engine noise that make you tired and ruins your hearing, it is the wind. I use disposable foam ear plugs from CVS; cuts out the high frequency noise. And I can hear people talk.
You might want to try them to preserve what you have left when you ride.
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This timing is perfect as I’m in the same situation, I’m tired of being told to turn the TV down and asking people to repeat what they said. The Cosco think sounds promising. Since on the subject of hearing aids, does anyone else think that “ I love you Dad” commercial is a little weird or maybe even in the sick side?🤮
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Maybe you just need louder pipes?
Nah.
Sorry about the hearing loss. This stuff just keeps happening. Ask me how I know.
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Yeah, I've been wearing hearing aids for years. Too many years of industrial noise, motorcycles, flying, rock music, etc. has taken it's toll. I have a medical condition called "deaf as a post." :smiley:
To the OP. Don't under any circumstance continue to ride without ear plugs. Hearing damage is *cumulative.* Save what you have.
The good news:
New hearing aids are wonderful compared to even 10 years ago. There have been many advances in micro electronics. I've tried about all of them, including the high priced spread. (not Guzzi content, $6K and above)
My current aids are Phonak from Costco. Just as there is a difference between Guzzi mechanics, there is a difference in audiologists. :smiley:
Phonak's software works, even if your audiologist isn't Roper. :grin:
Run, do not walk to Costco. For 2K, you can get what a "Doctor" will sell you for 6K. (Guzzi content) :wink:
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Back when I was - I was an audiologist. while it may seem the "buy two" is a sales pitch, it actually is normally a good idea to fit both ears simultaneously (if your hearing is essentially the same binaurally). 2 issues: comparing aided and unaided ears often reduces the maximum benefit and getting accustomed to the "new sound", and 2ndly, you can get up to a 3 dB increase (improvement) than in the threshold you heard a sound in each ear independently.
I am getting close to trying them again, did not get much hearing improvement with the last pair. A lot has to do with slope of your hearing thresholds from low pitch to higher freq's. The steeper to loss the more difficult it usually is to fit (say 45-55 dB difference in just say 2K -3.5K Hz.). (Mine is what we called a ski slope loss - not the one you want).
Best of luck, and it may well take a few tweaks to get a final most beneficial setting.
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I got the $1700 ish pair from Costco. The joy of listening to the hifi is back! Fidelity is amazingly good.
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At my family's constant urging I tried hearing aids this Spring. I have had a loss since birth I assume, because it was first detected in grade school. If you split the human hearing range in half; my lower half was perfect, but my top half was considered a profound loss.
I went through a local hospital because I was wary of hearing aid companies. I had very professional service with multiple adjustments over the trial period. The aids were $5000 - I needed them in both ears as my loss is almost identical in both. The aids had a 30 day trial period where the only risk to me was $100 if I decided against them.
I really gave it the college try. I wore them all of my waking hours because the audiologist explained that my auditory nerves need to adjust to hearing in a range they were not accustomed to. The audiologist extended my trial period to 6 weeks to give me a better chance to adapt.
At the end of 6 weeks I knew they weren't for me. I was looking for improvement in speech recognition, especially the female voice in an environment with background noise. Even with all the high tech noise cancelling features of the aids I did not experience any improvement in speech recognition that I was hoping for.
Besides not seeing the benefit I was looking for, my world was full of terribly annoying sounds. Running the kitchen faucet sounded like standing next to Niagara Falls! Taking a leak sounded like a 100 cows pissing on a huge flat rock. Bird chirps were the loudest, shrillest, most annoying thing ever. I would have put up with the downside if I had seen improvement in understanding speech. In the end it wasn't worth it to me. But every hearing loss is different
I did enjoy understanding movies in a quiet theater for the first time. But if there were more than a few people in the theater munching popcorn it was all ruined. I could hear loud chewers on the other side of the theater!
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My ENT says it's time for hearing aids - he says that not doing so will lead to further (and rapid) deterioration of my hearing.
I don't understand how a hearing aid is going to prevent further rapid hearing loss. Sounds like BS to me.
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To the OP. Don't under any circumstance continue to ride without ear plugs. Hearing damage is *cumulative.* Save what you have.
The good news: New hearing aids are wonderful compared to even 10 years ago. There have been many advances in micro electronics.
My current aids are Phonak from Costco. Just as there is a difference between Guzzi mechanics, there is a difference in audiologists. :smiley:
Phonak's software works, even if your audiologist isn't Roper. :grin:
Listen to Chuck.
I'm on my 5th set of aids, coincidentally also Phonak (Swiss) - the best I've ever had. There have been a few niggles, however.
I normally test different aids for weeks before I choose a set to have for the next 5 - 6 years. When choosing two years ago I might as well have chosen aids from GN Resound (Danish).
A good audiologist is key, however.
What to choose is a question of what sort of hearing loss you have, but also how you like the aids on offer. Good luck!
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Mike, good luck. I am hard of hearing, most of my life.
I wear ear plugs when I ride.
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I might as well have chosen aids from GN Resound (Danish).
A good audiologist is key, however.
What to choose is a question of what sort of hearing loss you have, but also how you like the aids on offer. Good luck!
The aids I tried were Resound brand. They were supposed to be top notch, but they didn't improve what I was looking for to be improved which was female speech recognition especially in noisy environments.
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I don't understand how a hearing aid is going to prevent further rapid hearing loss. Sounds like BS to me.
I don't know if hearing aids will prevent further hearing loss.
In my experience however, when not wearing them I easily get droning noises in my head, tinnitus-like, maybe. I imagine cancelling out sound brings on that noise.
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I don't understand how a hearing aid is going to prevent further rapid hearing loss. Sounds like BS to me.
I agree. That sounds like a snake oil sales pitch. If anything the extra amplification of sounds will hasten deterioration.
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Jus read about current era of hearing aids. I know I am about there. Concerning how hearing aids defend against future loss, my understanding is that with hearing aids, certain parts of the ear are stimulated again which slows down that deterioration that w/o aids the lack of stimulation would increase the deterioration. Sorry. cannot give a better explanation, but makes sense to me.
GliderJohn
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The aids I tried were Resound brand. They were supposed to be top notch, but they didn't improve what I was looking for to be improved which was female speech recognition especially in noisy environments.
Yeah, improving speech recognition with background noise is probably the single most wanted, but also the most difficult feature to deliver.
It certainly is what I'm missing the most. I believe voice recognition has a long way to go, but think noise cancelling has become much better during the years I have been using hearing aids.
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I won't wear a radio transmitter in my head. That's what most modern hearing aids have. the VA sent me to get one back in 20 12 and it took a week to get the custom fitted hearing aid. I took two visits for them to tune it for me.
on the way home I reached up to turn the volume down on the one in the right ear. this caused the volume to lower in the left one too. I adjusted it back up and the left one followed suit. I went back to ask why it did this. They told me that the two communicated with each other by radio. I complained that they could have told me that before all the work had been done. I gave them back their 6,000 dollar hearing aid and left. I don't want any radio inside my head, transmitter or receiver. I have done without a hearing aid since no one seems to make one that doesn't use radio.
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Yeah, I've been wearing hearing aids for years. Too many years of industrial noise, motorcycles, flying, rock music, etc. has taken it's toll. I have a medical condition called "deaf as a post." :smiley:
To the OP. Don't under any circumstance continue to ride without ear plugs. Hearing damage is *cumulative.* Save what you have.
Chuck, I usually wear earplugs - if I don't forget to put them in!
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Bose ear buds are less than $200 a set.
I cannot get a grasp on the extremely high price on hearing aids with today's low cost technology available to the masses.
I do my best to protect what little hearing I have left. It is annoying to no hear clearly and the continuous ringing. Loud music and working in the machine/welding shop environment from an early age has destroyed my hearing.
Teach your children/grand children well. Make them take hearing seriously.
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I don't understand how a hearing aid is going to prevent further rapid hearing loss. Sounds like BS to me.
Here is how it was explained to me (as I recall - remember, I don't hear so good): After a certain point of loss your brain will not relearn to interpret the sounds, so IF I don't correct now I run the risk of not being able to satisfactorily correct my hearing at a future date, as my hearing will continue to deteriorate.
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Here is how it was explained to me (as I recall - remember, I don't hear so good): After a certain point of loss your brain will not relearn to interpret the sounds, so IF I don't correct now I run the risk of not being able to satisfactorily correct my hearing at a future date, as my hearing will continue to deteriorate.
That makes sense. Glad there was an explanation as to why for you. I'm a skeptic! I always do the research and do the math. Frequently things don't add up.
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The aids I tried were Resound brand. They were supposed to be top notch, but they didn't improve what I was looking for to be improved which was female speech recognition especially in noisy environments.
It takes time. That's all I can say. It takes time for your brain to recognize it is hearing these sounds again, too. For a long time, *for me* many sounds were almost painful. Certainly aggravating. I'm talking months here, not days..
Is it like normal hearing? No.
But.
I can now understand Nora, the Kid's sweetie. For years, she was like the school teacher in Charlie Brown. :smiley:
Dorcia, of course is "selective" hearing, like all guy's wives. :evil:
I have been blessed/cursed with perfect pitch. For several years, I couldn't listen to music. I had the guy make a channel for music on my old hearing aids. It was..er.. ok. The Phonaks are pretty darn good. (!) I practically never change channels any more. Some of that may be just getting used to them, too. I've had them for 3 or 4 years now.
All this is to say that I wouldn't be without them. I can generally engage in conversations and understand what is going on. That certainly beats smiling and nodding..
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I appreciate the feedback here as I'm a candidate for hearing aids. I also suffer tinnitus, have had the audiology check, just don't know if it's worth it or not. I know for a fact NOT hearing well has kept me out of several fistfights and disagreements with the wife. Having to remove/insert hearing aids with helmet removal/installation is a major drawback. I've observed there are aids with Bluetooth that interest me but having to remove them when putting on a helmet removes the reason for wearing them. I suppose I'll take my deaf butt for a ride and think it over. :bike-037: :popcorn:
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I appreciate the feedback here as I'm a candidate for hearing aids. I also suffer tinnitus, have had the audiology check, just don't know if it's worth it or not. I know for a fact NOT hearing well has kept me out of several fistfights and disagreements with the wife. Having to remove/insert hearing aids with helmet removal/installation is a major drawback. I've observed there are aids with Bluetooth that interest me but having to remove them when putting on a helmet removes the reason for wearing them. I suppose I'll take my deaf butt for a ride and think it over. :bike-037: :popcorn:
Don't wear your hearing aids on the bike. You'll just be amplifying the sounds that made you deaf in the first place. As someone else mentioned above, Wear Ear Plugs when riding, take them out and put in your aids afterward. This isn't rocket science, folks..
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Don't wear your hearing aids on the bike. You'll just be amplifying the sounds that made you deaf in the first place. As someone else mentioned above, Wear Ear Plugs when riding, take them out and put in your aids afterward. This isn't rocket science, folks..
I always wear my custom-molded ear plugs on the bike, but I lost my second (and last) set on the 5-day trip I just got back from. They're corded together, so like an idiot I took them out at a gas stop and left them dangling around my neck, then forgot to put them back in and now they're laying on US460 near Narrows, VA somewhere.
My new Nolan helmet has ear-pads that (according to the manual) are designed to cut down noise, but nothing beats the in-canal protection, so I need to go back to the audiologist and get some more.
I'm glad to hear all the guys discussing hearing aids. Amazingly, many people will not get them out of Vanity, because they think it declares that they're "old" now. I don't know how attractive they think it is to always be cupping your hand behind your ear and saying "Eh? Eh? What's that you say, sonny?", but they won't get hearing aids ... You can't even see many of the new ones, and you can control them via Bluetooth from a smartphone ...
Lannis
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For those that don't understand why hearing aids can delay further hearing loss, read the current issue of Consumer Reports. It's a good primmer for those of us who've just reached the point of needing them. I'm getting fitted in 2 weeks. My brother's been wearing them for almost 10 years now and was probably smart for getting them before his hearing loss became too severe.
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Don't wear your hearing aids on the bike. You'll just be amplifying the sounds that made you deaf in the first place. As someone else mentioned above, Wear Ear Plugs when riding, take them out and put in your aids afterward. This isn't rocket science, folks..
I was talking to a rider the other week who wears hearing aids in both ears. He can control the volume level, tone, etc with an app on his phone.
He tells me that when he cranks up the bike, he just punches "Off" using his phone to turn off the hearing aids and they turn into ear plugs ... when he's done, he turns them back on and they're hearing aids again.
That should work, shouldn't it?
Lannis
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The Resounds I tried out had all the latest tech, Bluetooth and iPhone app to control and customize on the fly. Bottom line they didn't provide the improvements I was looking for.
On the plus side I added a bit to the cash set aside for the aids and got my Griso 😎
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I wear hearing aids and have for several years now.
I first became aware of my issue when I was about 18 and still in school. My doctor tagged me as a hypochondriac. 2 years later when I joined Qantas I went for a medical and they told me I had a serious hearing problem. From that day on, depending on what I was doing it was plugs or muffs or sometimes both e.g. if they blasting screws out with 10X guns in the hangar it was both.
Today I live in Denmark and it was whilst trying to learn the language it became obvious I needed help. I can hear and have a Cookie Bite graph with loss as much as 55dB in the meat of it, right where the human voice is. It became obvious I did a lot of lip reading as I know I need to see what is being said to understand the sound if there is any other noise around.
The BS about it getting worse if no action is taken is true. It is not the mechanics of it that gets worse though, it is the comprehension of what is being said and this is exactly why if you wait until it is too late, then it is exactly that. Just check how many older people have their devices stored in the top drawer of the dresser.
I use top notch kit and it transformed my ability to comprehend and speak Danish. The best I have had by a country mile we’re from Oticon and they were excellent. I have a Swiss brand today and they are only good.
Good luck. They are hard to get used to and it is different for each individual but for me at least it has been worth it.
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Ah. One of my major PITA subjects, hearing aids.
My loss is inherited. My grandfather lost his hearing at an early age, is did my uncles, my father, my brother. I'm sure the wind noise when riding year round contributed, though I usually used ear plugs.
Many years ago I got a simple set of 'amplifiers' at Sams Club. They had some form of generic profile, and they really did help a lot.
Then a few years back, I got this hearing aid 'system'. It includes a calibrated hearing test device, that then programs the aids to you. That worked well. But after a couple of years I realized I needed something a bit more, including something for my tinnitus.
So last year, I visited an audiologist, and was fitted with aids that included tinnitus therapy. But I returned to her a dozen times, and was never satisfied with the results. A one point, I connected an audio analyzer to them, and found that the aids were creating a HUGE amount of distortion. HUGE. No wonder I was having issues.
So a couple months ago I found another audiologist that worked with the same brand. He started asking about the tests that the first audiologist did, and no, the first one did NOT do a lot of the testing that was needed to configure the aids. So he did all of the required testing, and setup of my old aids. He is in the middle of properly (I hope) configuring the aids. It takes multiple steps, and months, to complete, because you have to adjust to the new sounds. And I have tested those same aids, and there is little obvious distortion from them now. Imagine that.
So, it is important that you get a good audiologist. I screwed up the first time. Virtually ALL of the online reviews for that audiologist claim amazing results from her. But I now realize that she was very clueless about the devices and the setup software. So no, I have no idea how you can tell audiologists apart. And hearing aid prices are stupid overpriced. Yet you are held hostage by them, without much choice. The only advice I have is, if the audiologist you visit, does not have a multi-step plan over many weeks or months, that you need to do to set up the aids, as in, they are going to set them in one step and send you away, RUN AWAY from that audiologist.
And don't be concerned about the radio in them. It is low powered, low frequency, non-ionizing radiation, and only powered on when you hit the volume button. No reason to be paranoid about that.
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My MIL dispensed Hearing Aids for 40 years. I learned 35 years ago to protect my hearing by wearing hearing protection whenever working with tools, around engines, riding, concerts, etc. At 57 I have great hearing, but that can go away in a heartbeat because of disease.
I was on heavy intravenous antibiotics for 8 weeks when I got an infection in my spine and ended up with some tinnitus as a side effect.
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The only advice I have is, if the audiologist you visit, does not have a multi-step plan over many weeks or months, that you need to do to set up the aids, as in, they are going to set them in one step and send you away, RUN AWAY from that audiologist.
Decades ago I learned the same thing about Optometrists. They take their measurements but then there's the "judgement" of what is needed. My experience is the judgement is more important. I go to the Optometrist that the Optometrists go to.......
Butt back on hearing.
I was worried about my hearing after Decades of Construction. 10 years ago I tested with an audiologist for custom hunting earplugs and she said my hearing was quite good.
Two years ago I had a sudden loss in one ear. It was weird, I lost my base, midrange seemed ok, more treble and lots of reverb - which really messes with your head. The local university hospital tested me thoroughly worried that I might have a disease that causes debilitating vertigo. They told me to come back immediately if I get hit with vertigo or in 6 months if nothing changes. Well my hearing slowly improved, mainly the reverb has gone away.
I researched hearing aids and found they don't work for reverse slope hearing. Not enough of a market.
I donated all my old stereo equipment and got a set of wireless headphones for the TV.
My brain seems to have reprogrammed itself so the disconcerting reverb is gone.
The good news is now with one ear I hear dog whistles better. :shocked:
The bad news is I can still hear the wife when she's mad about something. :thewife:
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I was talking to a rider the other week who wears hearing aids in both ears. He can control the volume level, tone, etc with an app on his phone.
He tells me that when he cranks up the bike, he just punches "Off" using his phone to turn off the hearing aids and they turn into ear plugs ... when he's done, he turns them back on and they're hearing aids again.
That should work, shouldn't it?
Lannis
Well Lannis, it should but it doesn't. I've tried it a couple times using my Resound aids. They don't block much
sound when turned off, the guy you talked to must be very deaf if he thinks that.
I have thought a few times that the Resound aids imbedded in molded silicone plugs might be able to do that.
I like fabricating and modifying things but so far I'm hesitant about messing around with tiny $6K electronic things.
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I was talking to a rider the other week who wears hearing aids in both ears. He can control the volume level, tone, etc with an app on his phone.
He tells me that when he cranks up the bike, he just punches "Off" using his phone to turn off the hearing aids and they turn into ear plugs ... when he's done, he turns them back on and they're hearing aids again.
That should work, shouldn't it?
Lannis
Not unless they are closed dome, and even at that I would doubt the effectiveness of db reduction.
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Well, you guys would know ... but just goes to show that it all flies in the face of what you might THINK.
I mean, I can put on a helmet that has pads right up against my ears; you would think that would knock out 50% of the sound, and THEN I stuff things (hearing aids turned "off") in my ears that block 95% of the ear canal. And doing all that STILL doesn't cut down the noise of a normal motorcycle ride so that it doesn't damage your hearing?
I guess it's why audiology is a science and not a guessing game. I've got to go back anyway to get some new molded protectors, I'll get them checked and see how close I am to this $6K deal ... :sad:
Lannis
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I have almost total hearing loss in my left ear, going back to when I was a kid. I've been to a couple of audiologists, but they told me a hearing aid wouldn't help with my type of hearing loss. I think hearing in my right ear is gradually getting worse, so I wear an earplug (I only need one!) for highway riding. I mostly used the orange foamie ones, but they tended to bother my ears and push the wax around so it clunks when I move my head. :tongue: This year I bought some silicone plugs that are supposed to be made for motorcycling. They're much more comfortable and I think they do a better job than the foamies of letting in vocal sounds and blocking out noise.
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I won't wear a radio transmitter in my head. That's what most modern hearing aids have. the VA sent me to get one back in 20 12 and it took a week to get the custom fitted hearing aid. I took two visits for them to tune it for me.
on the way home I reached up to turn the volume down on the one in the right ear. this caused the volume to lower in the left one too. I adjusted it back up and the left one followed suit. I went back to ask why it did this. They told me that the two communicated with each other by radio. I complained that they could have told me that before all the work had been done. I gave them back their 6,000 dollar hearing aid and left. I don't want any radio inside my head, transmitter or receiver. I have done without a hearing aid since no one seems to make one that doesn't use radio.
Did you think they would be two soup cans connected by a string? :grin:...
I have noticable hearing loss in one ear and my high range is both is poor... An audiologist expplained to me that hearings aids will increse the volume and range but not necessariy the clarity. She said to buy used ones and see if they will work for me.
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They told me that the two communicated with each other by radio
Uhh, bluetooth. If you are afraid of bluetooth, better get your tinfoil hat. :smiley: It's everywhere.
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Lannis, I believe there are aids that shuts out most sound. Nowadays however, people who don't suffer from severe hearing loss, use a tiny speaker kept in place in the ear with a "dome" - a small, thin rubber diaphragm which could be either perforated or closed. Like Chuck, I'd guess even the closed dome would let sound in.
Another angle: Helmets should fit so snugly that you can't wear a behind-the-ear aid with your helmet on.
Annoying, as by the time I've taken off my aids, put them in their box and put the box in my pocket and then put my helmet on - my riding buddies have left a long time ago!
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Uhh, bluetooth. If you are afraid of bluetooth, better get your tinfoil hat. :smiley: It's everywhere.
Actually, the communications between the aids is a relatively low frequency, and of course incredibly low powered. Many of them around 10MHz, as opposed to the high frequency 2.4GHz Bluetooth or wifi. And it is an extremely short burst only when you press the button to change a setting. Yes, there are also bluetooth aids, but even those talk to each other over that low frequency channel as far as I have seen.
And as you say, WiFi and Bluetooth are everywhere. Including high power versions. I am seeing 10 unknown to me, WiFi SSIDs as I sit here. (one of them call "get ya own") :cheesy: And I'm not in a city. But I'm not hiding.
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I mean, I can put on a helmet that has pads right up against my ears; you would think that would knock out 50% of the sound, and THEN I stuff things (hearing aids turned "off") in my ears that block 95% of the ear canal. And doing all that STILL doesn't cut down the noise of a normal motorcycle ride so that it doesn't damage your hearing?
You can get them where they are fairly open, allowing natural sound in and the aid just assists, or very closed, where most of the sound gets piped in through the aid. I have had to try most of them, and found that even the closed ones don't block a lot of natural sound.
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Actually, the communications between the aids is a relatively low frequency, and of course incredibly low powered. Many of them around 10MHz, as opposed to the high frequency 2.4GHz Bluetooth or wifi. And it is an extremely short burst only when you press the button to change a setting. Yes, there are also bluetooth aids, but even those talk to each other over that low frequency channel as far as I have seen.
And as you say, WiFi and Bluetooth are everywhere. Including high power versions. I am seeing 10 unknown to me, WiFi SSIDs as I sit here. (one of them call "get ya own") :cheesy: And I'm not in a city. But I'm not hiding.
Thanks for the clarification, Wayne. I *assumed* mine talked to each other on bluetooth because they can bluetooth to the phone or tv, etc.
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Oticon Opn’s are what you want. These are the only aids that can actively manage background noise, which is the most common issue for hearing aid users. All other current hearing aids do not have any real method of compensating for noise, so the user will suffer in restaurants or any place where multiple people are talking.
Costco sells rebadged hearing aids under their Kirkland brand. These are simply lesser versions of name brand aids.
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Oticon Opn’s are what you want. These are the only aids that can actively manage background noise, which is the most common issue for hearing aid users. All other current hearing aids do not have any real method of compensating for noise, so the user will suffer in restaurants or any place where multiple people are talking.
Costco sells rebadged hearing aids under their Kirkland brand. These are simply lesser versions of name brand aids.
Don't know about any others, but the Resound aids have a noise filtering feature that is controlled with the phone ap.
In restaurant mode you can dial down background noise and also narrow the focus to just the person you want to hear. Very effective and useful.
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Don't wear your hearing aids on the bike. You'll just be amplifying the sounds that made you deaf in the first place. As someone else mentioned above, Wear Ear Plugs when riding, take them out and put in your aids afterward. This isn't rocket science, folks..
I'm looking for information and experiences of hearing aid users. As I stated I know you remove hearing aids when putting on your helmet and use ear plugs mostly, my hearing loss isn't going away. That said unless you have some direct experience with hearing aids and their use maybe you could allow someone else to learn something?
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Just because you are in Costco, it doesn't mean you have to buy Kirkland aids. Because there is so much profit in hearing aids, the local audiologist, would let you do extended demos for free. I'm talking weeks here. Therefore, I demoed every one they carried, from the $2000 pair to the $6500 pair. This was several years ago, when that was a lot of money. :shocked: :smiley:
Costco opened a hearing aid department (sort of) locally, and I was one of Frank's first customers. They don't let you have an extended demo, but he set up a pair and let me walk around the store as much as I liked. They happened to be Bernafon, and were better than the last $6K pair I'd tried. They were $2500.
Wayne and I have PMed back and forth for years. We've both had the same issues with setup and distortion. The person that sets them up is almost as important as the maker themselves.
HUGE amount of distortion. HUGE.
I never could get Kathy at the audiologist's place to understand that one.
After many years with the Costco Bernafons, I asked Frank at Costco what the best they carried were, now. He told me Phonaks. "Want to try some?" Absolutely.
As I mentioned elsewhere in this thread, the Phonak setup is "different" than others I've tried. It plots frequency response in real time, and the computer can make automatic changes depending on your particular hearing loss. That takes *some* of the skill out of it, but definitely not all. One time, another employee tuned mine up. A week later, I had Frank redo what she had done. :grin:
It's way past time for me to go back and get a tuneup. Your hearing continues to deteriorate as you age, and the aids need to be tweeked occasionally for best results.
That is FREE (Guzzi content) at Costco. The only thing you have to buy is batteries. Kirkland batteries rock, btw. Cheaper by far and last longer than the higher priced spread.
I have no dawg in this hunt except to tell you guys that you *can* hear better if you want to put in the time and some money. I fully remember when I first started using them and thought they were a ripoff *many* years ago.
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What Phonak model are you using?
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What Phonak model are you using?
Brio. I have the com pilot also..
Phonak Hearing Aids: The Phonak Brio 3 sold at Costco Hearing Centers are available in custom in-ear, BTE and RIE models and a Power RIE hearing aid that works well in the most challenging hearing environments. Phonak hearing aids boast an exclusive operating system used to analyze sound levels around the wearer to automatically adjust the settings.
phonak hearing aids
Source: Costco
Brio 3 hearing aids come in a variety of colors, and the Phonak Remote app for Android and iOS acts as a remote control for Brio 3 R-C hearing aids. You can enjoy the convenience of hands-free phone calls and streaming music or TV audio directly to the Brio 3 R-C model.
If you choose a lower model Brio 3 hearing aid, you can use the Phonak ComPilot Air II to send stereo-quality streaming sound to your hearing aids. The ComPilot lets you stream from Bluetooth-enabled devices and works with the Phonak TVLink and RemoteMic hardware for streaming TV or audio over distance directly to the hearing aids. Top of the line Phonak hearing aids cost around $1,400 at Costco.
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So far, the only advantage I've realized from getting older is being able to retire.
My ENT says it's time for hearing aids - he says that not doing so will lead to further (and rapid) deterioration of my hearing.
So what's the experience of this group with hearing aids? I assume some of you may wear them when you ride.
Thanks,
So you weren't just ignoring me at Cedar Vale , feel a little better now :grin:
In all seriousness , hope this has a workable solution :thumb:
Dusty
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My dad and his brother both lost their hearing, beginning in their 30s. With me it's going more slowly but I've got 80% loss in the right ear and about 20% loss in the left. A couple of years ago I bought the Kirkland 8 at Costco and they make a big difference in one-on-one conversation, conference-room meetings, movies, listening to radio/TV. Not so much help in background-noise environments like restaurants. Partial solution is to select the restaurant mode and get a table in the corner and face the corner. The hearing aids also help when driving with Gail, because without them and my deaf ear facing her conversation is limited. In general she's happier when I wear them than when I respond to each of her sentences with "What?). While driving I use the Outdoor mode which knocks some of the wind noise out.
Behind-the-ear units need to be compatible with the temple pieces of my spectacles. Not much a problem with wire-frames, but my thick sunglass frames can get in the way if anything else goes over the ear, like my ski helmet. Pressure on the mastoid soon grows painful. As my hearing deteriorates I'll need hearing aids to communicate with my ski school clients so I'll eventually need in-the-canal units.
This is worth reading: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/04/03/high-tech-hope-for-the-hard-of-hearing (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/04/03/high-tech-hope-for-the-hard-of-hearing) According to this article, competition will soon drive the cost of hearing aids down, and companies like Apple and Samsung will enter the market with much more sophisticated products. I'm hoping for an in-the-ear plug-type hearing aid that can be toggled over to noise-cancelling mode, plus Bluetooth with audio, telephone and GPS devices. Then I won't have to take them out on the motorcycle and they'll be useful traveling by plane etc.
All this said there's a learning curve. It takes some time to grow used to having the domes in your ears, and mine tickled annoyingly for weeks until someone clued me in about lubricating with a drop of olive oil.
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I have been fitting hearing aids for 10 years. Most places that fit hearing aids have a relationship with one or two manufacturers and rarely change brands. Therefore they only really know what they are told about their aids from their brand representatives. At my practice we fit and tune all of the main hearing aid brands so I do have the opportunity to see how satisfied each customer can be. I can’t emphasize how enthusiastic and happy clients have been when switching to Oticon Opn’s. Most of them sound ready to make a commercial. We regularly give clients multiple demos with different brands and customers that try two or three different sets can always tell the difference.
Take a look at this video of an independent audiologist that reviews hearing aids. I like his videos because he does fit multiple brands and he does appear competent. Please look at 0:30-0:50 where there is a short description of how the Opn aids handle background sounds. All other aids simply turn off the back and side mic’s which just reduces what you are hearing. This means you will miss sounds you want to hear. Also, when rooms get truly noisy sound does not stay behind you. It comes in through that front mic and makes it impossible to follow the conversation you are trying to hear.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rk5vNaI-fls&t=64s
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The Bluetooth connections that are available to stream sound directly to hearing aids will make the user’s life a lot easier. However, Bluetooth connectivity should not be your most important factor for making your decision. All decent hearing aids can stream sound from your TV, phone, and tablet. There are plenty of adjustments that can be made so that the user will be hearing clearer than they thought was possible.
Everyone that wears aids should be working with their specialist to take advantage of these technologies. I am always amazed at the number of clients that weren’t fit initially at our office that aren’t taking advantage of their Bluetooth connectivity. Don’t turn down the opportunity because you think you are hearing pretty well with your hearing aids. You will be hearing that phone call or TV program with even more clarity. The bonus is it costs very little or nothing when you are already wearing aids.
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Thanks for the tips about Oticon Opn, Travman and others!
I'm already looking forward to the next time I will get new aids, in about 3 years. Sounds like Oticon have a good solution for a difficult problem.
Btw, several of the largest manufacturers of hearing aids happen to be Danish. - Oticon, Resound and Widex come to mind.
Some say the characteristics of the Danish spoken language make Danes need hearing aids far earlier than others. It's a strange language, every word sounds like a blur, hard to hear exactly which word is being pronounced, so I'd believe it.
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My wife tried several. Lyric was her absolute favorite. I think made by Phonak. Unfortunately they didn't work for her unique situation but I know would be her first recommendation as a user. She tried another brand their were CIC and hated them. Her current pair are Oticon over the ear. I wouldn't say she loves them but they meet her needs and serve their purpose.
Also, what Wayne said about setup. She goes to the audiologist multiple time for set up, fine tuning. Still makes an annual trip for fine tuning. I think she's had them about 7 years. Unfortunately they are probably near worn out.
-AJ
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I've had hearing aids for about a year (Phonak), what I've learned is that putting in hearing aids is not like putting on a pair of glasses. Everything will not suddenly become crystal clear and, sometimes, they are useless. But mainly they're pretty good.
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I appreciate all the information. It appears to me I need to shop for an audiologist first. Does anyone have a recommendation for one in the KC area? Thanks again for all the feedback. :popcorn: :bike-037: