A simple amplifier won’t make speech more intelligible with the background of amplified noises. I recommend Petralex. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_aid_application |
There is no audiophile hearing aid. There are a lot of HAs available from the major manufacturers, though. I started on this journey myself recently. I tried Widex Evoke hearing aids because Widexhad a reputation for good sound but I didn't like the way they reproduced music from my home system. With some recordings, they could be very harsh and place it sounded like sandpaper on metal. Other than music at home, they worked well. I discussed it with my audiologist after a four week trial and she thought I might like Oticon Opn S HA better than the Widex. I've only had them for a day but so far my home system sounds a lot better then with the Widex. I think you just have to start by trying HAs by a major manufacturer and see how it goes. You usually get a four to six-week trial manufacturer before buying. As you get to the end of the trial period, if you don't like the HAs, discuss with your audiologist and try a different model or brand. I did a lot of research trying to find an audiophile HA, pored over hundreds of internet discussions, read numerous articles on how to get your audiologist to set up your HAs correctly for music but have found that it still trial and error. A lot like buying speakers - every speaker is different and not all speakers' sounds appeal to everyone. I have read that some people love the old analog HAs reproduce music. Analog HAs are very rare now - many have transitioned to digital. I have seen recommendations for analog HAs using the K-AMP circuit for music. One example of this would be General Hearing's Simplicity model. It cannot be customized to your specific hearing loss. It comes pre-programmed for what they consider a typical hearing loss. They're available on Amazon. I haven't tried them, though. My audiologist gave me a funny look when I mentioned them; she obviously didn't think much of them. |
Although the same Widex Evoke didn't work well for me, their tech support was great. I had a number of technical questions about them that i didn't think my audiologist would be able to answer. They were excellent at getting back to me with answers. Oticon tech support, on the other hand, didn't bother to read my email and blew me off, telling me to contact my audiologist. My audiologist is not a tech geek about hearing aids, though. If you are unable to decide between brands or don't care which brand you use, avoid Oticon. Their tech support is useless and the company is too big and wealthy to care. |
Well, it's been a good while since my last post on this issue, and i am trying to get used to the Widex (top model) for music. I must agree that there may be more that I don't like than I do. There are many music programs though that may help with this experience. In the end, frequency adjustment is only the beginning of correction, and I couldn't tell you about the other aspects of this device. It has been two weeks so far, in general, yes they do their job, but it is almost tempting to get a 33 band EQ that may sound better and do it that way. I do have my hearing tests starting from an early age to present. I used to have Superman hearing, and as cool as it was, it also could be quite annoying. |
