Hearing Aid Confusion

First, I am an expert listener. Second, I have used hearing aids for almost seventy years, so I think I know what is important in getting hearing aids to help 'listening'.

Having said all that I suggest the following: Find a good audiologist, one who has a large base of clients that are professional musicians. Read Mead Killion's stuff. Mead also has been at it for almost fifty years. Get your hearing tests from a medical provider who is not going to be the audiologist that sells you the hearing aids. Avoid BJ's. Make proper fitting of the mold a top priority, it makes all the difference. Look into aids by General Hearing that feature the DigitK amps/circuits. Killion was involved in the design work on the latter. Killion is the design genius behind the ER ear buds.

About three years ago I paid $3K for a pair of General Hearing aids, olds, fitting and a ten year supply of batteries. Very pleased. They are programmable, and allow four programs, one of which can be a music program. Do not go for aids that are 'rechargeable', stick to batteries. A lot of audiologist do not carry General Hearing stuff, so you may need to search by getting a list of providers from General. The mark up on hearing aids is very high, like hi end on steroids.

Your effort will reward you with many, many more years of listening, not to mention that you will be able to understand what your grandkids are saying.

My choice of electronic components, including sources, is mostly based on value, speakers based on actual hearing using my aids. In the early sixties I had McIntosh and Marantz units, now its mostly Cayin/Vas tubes, which for me produce a 'warms' sound. So, in a way, my choices are filtered with what the aids produce. Also, for many years before digital aids came into existence, my aids were analogue. From time to time I go back to the analogue aids for a different listening experience. Prior to discovering ProAc speakers in the early eighties, I used AR and K=Horn speakers. I am a believer in that 'culture' makes a difference in how one hears. Think 'British' sound is a good example of that. So, speakers are always first biased to how one hears and one's first language. And yes, I think once you start using hearing aids your preference for speakers will change. It is very important that if you starting down the road of using hearing aids, that you always get a pair, no a single instrument. People like me drive audiologist nuts.

Kusina, pressure your audiologist to take on the General Hearing line, at least for a trial. General is always looking for new distribution and may make it worth the audiologist's effort with incentives that could provide you a price break. But beware, the markup on other manufactures lines is much higher then General's, so their would be resistance. For many years General's programming software was unique, but in recent years they are adopted industry standard software so it has become easier to sell General stuff.