Headphones and Hearing Loss

If you didn't use them at all,your hearing would be alot better now...

I was thinking that hearing aids may need to be calibrated in some way. So, for example, if they are setup for an average distance of 10ft for normal conversation, putting headphones on may overload the hearing aids. Kind of like if you have too much gain on a phono preamp.

Many thanks for these responses. I'm going to give the momentum a try. If they are not satisfactory for him, I'll probably take them for myself!

ZD542--yes, I'm not sure the answer to that, but I think some with hearing aids (like my dad) can use over ear headphones for listening.

I'll report back after he uses them a bit, in case others have similar questions!

I hadn't thought of that. I know very little about hearing aids, so another question. Would using a traditional headphone interfere with hearing aids? They would be so close together.

Zd542 wondered: "Why not get custom fit, inner ear headphones?"

Probably because he already has hearing aids in his ears and doesn't want to hassle with removing them to listen to music. The Sennheiser Momentum recommendation sounds (pun intended) like a good one...

-RW-

I own the AKG 701 the Sennheiser HD 700 and one that may be just the ticket the Bayerdynamic DT 770 pro, which are available in several impedances. They are an over the ear and closed back model. The 770s are not their top model, you may want to read about a few of your potential choices on Hedfi.org

Why not get custom fit, inner ear headphones?

I agree with Kijanki. Sennheisers are so nice to listen too and so comfortable. I only own AKG K702's and would NOT recommend them for your father. I do however have a son with the Sennheiser 650 I believe to be the model. They are fantastic.

Sennheisers are wonderful. I had HD580 (same drivers as HD600). Very comfy with great highs and midrange (last thing you need are bass heavy headphones) but high impedance (300ohm) made it difficult to drive to very high levels. It was also open back.

That's very helpful. I was actually considering a pair of momentum for myself. For my father, maybe these will work well too.

He'll be listening mostly to CDs on computer (no serious audiophile set up). Classical stuff, primarily. I've heard a few on audiogon saying they weren't crazy about Sennheiser, but it sounds like they may be perfect. I'll try to demo some this week to get an idea.

+1, That's what my almost deaf grandmother used to watch TV - large over ear headphones. They were low impedance providing insanely high sound levels, but it didn't bother us since it was closed back. I don't know Momentum, but many Sennheisers are high impedance (300ohm) and open back leaking sound to surroundings.

Maybe Sennheiser Momentum, the larger over ear models.

Very good Sennheiser sound, non fatiguing, comfortable, nice looks, easy to drive from most anything, portable, comes with nice carry case.