Does anyone use hearing aids when listening to your hi-fi audio system?

Only if cry'od.  

Seriously, not me....at least not yet.

This is fairly recent so I will post for posterity. I have classic Noise Induced Hearing Lose (NIHL) also known as Noise Notch. One of the most significant losses are transient like cricket chirp frequencies. I remember when I first got my Oticon aids I was getting ready for bed one summer night and the windows were open and the crickets were at full chat. I pulled out my aids and my heart just sank. The crickets literally just vanished. :( As I type this I am listening to a tune that has what sounds like claves and if I pull out my aids the claves become significantly veiled (Thick curtain is more like it). Now the tune has changed to percussion that has brushes and without the aids the brushes are gone, sad. If I cup my hands around the back of both ears, like grand paw, the brushes return but not as clear as with the aides. I have 4 program settings that can be programmed. #1 is normal settings targeted to aid my loss, #2 is set to cull out background noise and focus on the sound coming directly at me.#3 is wide open. #4 is turned down to a lower volume and I try that setting when listening to music. My audiologist said she would come to my house and program them while I listened to my system. When I crank the volume I take them out. My version were about $3k When you jump up to higher end models ($4K-$6k) you get many more sophisticated program options and features like mobile device control apps and blue teepher. I got the $3k model cause that is what my insurance will pay. I highly recommend getting a pair if you have hearing loss and especially if your insurance covers them, but be warned they take some getting used too and some noises will cause you to rip them from your head like the continuous clacking of a Mazzer dosser being used in a busy coffee shop or someone hitting a spoon against a saucer as they eat. Thank god for the mute setting. I just wish I had used them when auditioning my speakers. Let me tell you people, if you like live concert music or exposed to any loud noise, for gods phuck’n sake, take measure to protect your hearing or risk losing one of the greatest gifts of existence.

2psyop

If my hearing got to a point of questioning it, I’d be selling the expensive speakers and amp, and getting the best headphones and headphone amp I could get.

Cheers George

psag, I have Oticon Intiga 10 hearing aids.

The newer aids have faster processors and software.

lloydc, what make and model?

Thanks for the response and tips. Interesting notion thinking of your hearing aid as part of your hi-fi (lloydc). Another thing, I did spend much of my time on the firing range, and back in the 80’s not too much hearing protection was provided or thought of .. as a safety net for hearing...like today in the US Army. Although I am not whining or finding fault at all. Guess like all things I will get used to them even though they still make me feel old!

Like you, @2psyop, I have hearing damage from shooting guns in my adolescent days and although I scored 100% on word recognition, I have trouble hearing normal conversation in a noisy setting like a restaurant. All the consonants like ch, sh, ng, th, etc. tend to smear and are at a lower level than the rest of conversation. It’s right around the 3Khz level where my hearing drops well below the rest of what I can hear. Anyone who’s gone shooting without ear protection, just once, will have this deficiency and never get it back. Once, broken.....

I find I don’t need hearing aids since the drop starts from 2Khz and continues slightly after 3Khz area and my brain, such as it is, easily makes up for it. The only downside is a loss of shimmer, air and presence with some music in that area.

Granted, you’ve had years of abuse from your service but I think you can work around it all unless your tests show that the damage is more severe than what I think you have. I wish you the best on this.

One thing I’ve found is that ribbon tweeters go a long way towards restoring some of that lost area of hearing. When I had speakers with them, everyone thought my system was a bit too bright but it sounded fine to me.

All the best,
Nonoise

I sometimes do. Cymbals otherwise have no shimmer, and so forth.  A hearing aid is an equalizer matched to the curve of your hearing loss, for each ear, with some extra processing (admittedly, some compression.) 

Inexpensive aids won't do.  Mine are adjustable out to 10 mhz and have 4 eq curves, including one which is uncompressed.  Few of them adjust anything above 8 khz. 

I rationalized the $6K cost in part by considering them a component of my hifi system.  Not ideal, but what can you do if you have a big dip in your hearing in the typical 2-4 khz range?  Which, I suspect, considering their average age, most audiophiles do. 

I went through this with my dad.  Hearing loss is not equally distributed.  There's a couple of options that help.  You can go with mono and just lose some imaging.  Another option is headphones-you would most likely want a headphone amp with a balance control and skip the hearing aids.
Finally, keep in mind that what you end up enjoying may sound "off"  to someone without your disadvantages.  Audio can sound great but this might be more of a very personal experience.