I've got hissy tinnitus and loss of high frequencies, and I've worn hearing aids for over 20 years; they've made such an improvement in everything, including listening to music. They won't bring back lost hearing, but they can manage to adjust the EQ so you get the impression of a wider range at any particular volume. It's also good that they have multiple programs for different purposes. Doesn't help my tinnitus any, but I'm used to that anyway.
Any Audiophiles Here Have Experience with Hearing Aids?
About 10 years ago, I was diagnosed with Meniere's Disease, a pretty unpleasant inner ear problem that is characterized by horrible, but luckily sporadic extreme vertigo, tinnitus, and low frequency hearing loss. Dormant for about 6 years, it has come back in the last couple of years with a vengeance, with a lot of low frequency loss and overall difficulty hearing in the affected ear. It generally affects only one ear, in this case my left ear. It does not always lead to deafness, but definite hearing impairment. I used to be able to really discern the difference between various cables and components, even if subtle. Now, with my low frequency hearing loss and age-related high frequency hearing loss, I'm not sure that I can discern crap. Music still sounds good, but one of my friends was over listening to various music and could instantly say that "this sounded flat" or the "soundstage had no depth," etc. I could hear no difference at all. My doctor is recommending a hearing aid. Which brings me to the question: does anyone here have experience with using a hearing aid, and how does a hearing aid affect your listening to music? Does it restore some of your ability to recognize subtleties in the music? Does it distort the music? What is a good hearing aid that will not distort the music?
Showing 2 responses by larsman
@moto_man - if you've got a Costco nearby, you might want to investigate their hearing clinic; I sure did like buying a pair of last year's top-of-the-line Jabra hearing aids there for $1500 instead of the $6000 - $8000 I'd paid at regular audiologists for several hearing aids in the past. Quality is better than my last pair of those as the tech is 4 years more advanced. Appointments are not as convenient, so it's a bit of a tradeoff. |