Hearing Aids

If one were to stop and think about the possibility of hearing loss or hearing deficiencies and how much that can impact life then obviously getting a proper hearing test and professional guidance should lead to more fulfillment in all facets of life where an individual needs to hear well. School, the workplace, in the car, in the woods walking, understanding a waiter at a restaurant, hearing friends and family, etc. Having this benefit is far more impactful than listening to one’s music system and buying a specific brand or model with that particular purpose in mind. Being able to hear better is the end goal…. in all situations. I am certainly not knocking OTC solutions and DIY options but the fact remains that professional audiologists can give the best testing, accurate adjustments and overall reasonable advice much like a trained physician would do. In my case, hearing damage was done in the military by air defense artillery and field artillery rounds going off while I was too close. There is a narrow band of frequencies I don’t hear well. My hearing aids help with that band. They are not adjusted for me to hear the entire frequency range of my personal stereo setup. But they do help me hear what I am missing in that high middle to low high range. That’s how the hearing aids are adjusted to help with that dip.

I got the Widex Moment hearing aids about a year ago, and I am very happy with them. I found them recommended on a lot of on-line audio forums as well as a few reviews focused on music listening. 

Unfortunately, they are not inexpensive. On the plus side, it was like making a major upgrade to my audio systems. 

The biggest benefit has been that they have helped with my tinnitus. I find that I have more quiet days than noisy days. I'd estimate that I went from 40/60 (quiet/noisy) to 60/40. I also find it easier to listen through to the music on days when the tinnitus is present. But be forewarned, there is no guarantee hearing aids will help your tinnitus, so I consider myself lucky.

A friend has tinnitus, as I do, and found a hearing aid that helped.  So I decided to try the Widex Moment also.  During my hearing test, I found that I had “severe” hearing loss above 3,000 hz in my left ear.  I’ve only had the aid (I only have one and it only addresses frequencies above 3,000 hz) a few weeks but my tinnitus seems to be improving on some days (expectation bias?) although my audiologist said it will take time to improve.

What really surprised me was the soundstage on my system.  Female vocalists are in the center of the soundstage rather than off to the right.  Same with cymbals and other higher-pitched instruments.  The point is that I didn’t realize what I wasn’t hearing.  I wish I had had a hearing test years ago. 

I restored some hearing due to excessive ear wax. MediLisk HEARING RESTORATION SPRAY.....It seems to address the real problem. Just something to try...It works for me.

I have been wearing Oticon hearing aids for close to 20 years.  I've gone thru 3-4 generations, now using the Real 3.  It is not their priciest model, but it works well for me.  I just had my annual audiologist test and I asked the tech to spend some time on modifying the "My Music" setting.  Now they sound just fantastic for my surround sound system.  I wear them all the time and switch to setting 3 whenever I do serious listening.  All settings are available on my i-phone.