Hearing aids

I’ve had hearing aids for six months now (I’m 68) and, like so many, I did NOT want to go there. Stubborn, vain and also cynical about their effect on music. I needed them years ago. I was wrong. Music is not artificial sounding (my big fear) and my speakers have tweeters again! The small wire from in the canal (ITC) transducer to behind the ear electronics often goes unnoticed. Even family, I had to point it out. Bluetooth. My phone automatically rings and audio through them. Answer on an Apple watch and listen crystal clear. The TV pairs through them too, app controlled. And most importantly - I can have a conversation with my wife. For all you old guys in the same boat I was in. Just do it. It’s another Viagra moment:  Didn’t want to, put it off, Holy s**t, should have done this years ago. Now you get it. Hah! Punny.

I put off getting a hearing aid for a long time because I thought it would distort the fidelity of my high quality music listening. What a mistake. I have typical high frequency hearing loss with age - worse in one ear than the other. So I invested VERY heavily in the highest quality aid out there. The hearing aid has computer controlled 50-band frequency equalization, tailored to my hearing response in each ear.

Now I almost never listen to music without them. What a pleasure that I was missing. Plus, I can understand conversations in noisy environments, as the aids separate background noise from speech. The technology has arrived.

Carlsbad-- As I said, it's a psychological problem.  I never use headphones.  And yes, I have those modern hearing aids which are tuned to my hearing loss.  But couldn't I get the same compensation with a decent mixer on my system?  (This of course leads eventually to the unanswerable question of what music 'is'.  It's unlikely anyone in that orchestra has perfect hearing =- I'm told some are nearly deaf.  Plus we never are in the 'sweet spot' at a concert -- at least, I'm not. I hate 'enhanced sound' at the opera.  Why would I bring my own 'enhanced sound' with hearing aids?). This is not an argument--it's only what I at this point feel I need to do.  When my hearing gets worse, I might change my mind.

I've worn hearing aids for about 15 years or so, and have likely needed them well before that. Hearing loss runs in my family, plus I've been to hundreds of concerts! I love headphones and have a great headphone system as well as a 2-channel one. I do not blare them at earsplitting volume; dont do that with my speakers, either. I have in-ear hearing aids so I can use them with my headphones. I have hissy tinnitus too, but I've been pretty used to that for a long time. Sometimes it's louder, sometimes it's quieter. 

Listening to music with headphones on is like smoking cigarettes. Both cause problems to your body...keep your ear plugs in while working.or exercising and you will find you need hearing aids alot sooner....

I had a guy here one time wanted to hear my system. I said sure have a seat here in the sweet spot. He said no I will just stand here. No, really. No, I have hearing aids, both ears, it won't matter, I just want to hear it. Humor me. Okay.

Few minutes later the same guy only now with this astonished look on his face turns and says, "Wow I never knew these hearing aids were so good!"

That was 20 years ago. I have since lost at least half the top octave, if I had it even then. Tinnitus is a bother every now and then. Yet I have no problem whatsoever discerning all sorts of subtle and sophisticated variations in sound. So I will as Churchill once said KBO-  keep buggering on.

That is great to hear carlsbad. 

My hearing falls drops @7Khz 

Severe tinnitus too. Everyone should get their hearing checked. No hearing aids for me-yet. Fortunately, doesn't affect listening enjoyment.

I have them, and use them in restaurants, or when I'm around people.  I DON"T use them to listen to music or esp. when I go to concerts.  I can't get past the idea that they are just some of the cheapest crappiest speakers you could have.  Why would you put that between you and a symphony?  or in front of an audio system costing thousands of dollars?   (I am of course only speaking of moderate, i.e., normal hearing loss.  I am also only talking about what works for me psychologically, not what everyone 'should' do.)