If we dont sense any lost before any test it is better to stay in the dark...
I dont sense any lost at all ...Then even if i had one at 72 i am lucky to be unable to guess it ...
I will not test ... Why ?
I tuned my own room by ears for one year , even if it is imperfect with my unknown possible impaired hearing , it was tuned for me by me ..
Anyway appreciating music is through hearing but does not reduce to the resolution in Hertz scale and in DB levels...
I wish to never use hearing aids ... No tinnitus even if i use headphone often ... I listen mostly on ly speakers in near listening now...To see sound you dont need a db level perfect resolution and precise hertz scale all along ...
I flee all my life any concert of rock or pop or any popular music because it is intolerable for me it is always deafening ... I hate loudness level almost to wish killing ... 😊😁
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Jabra Enhance Select 200
HA - Over the counter.
Just got these - good product - great support.
Worth it for mild hearing loss.
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If you love music why in the world would you try to hold off getting hearing aids?????? Makes absolutely no sense. You aren't going to accommodate hearing loss with screwing around with your system. This thinking hurts my head.
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On the other hand (or ear), you can hear what you're missing....
...instead of letting ones' imagination/memory fill in the 'blanks'. ;) *G*
I was doing that a lot.....imagine my delight....👍😍
Phonak Audeo M90s'; the only thing I'd like better would be a more 'detailed' onboard eq....*darn*L*
Lost the right for awhile....wouldn't charge, but suddenly and without previous warning, it came back! I be binaural again....
Was considering Widex Moment 440s' as a 'step-up' (...and who sez I don't do that sort of thing....silly boyz....), but I'd need the molded earpieces, which gets $+ onto the total....comes recommended by the audiologists for those of us that want 'earphone levels of response'....
Picky picky....*L*
(...@mahg, 'phile that he is, will be...'intrigued'....*good natured snicker*....besides....CN health services, being so good....and he's in my aged range.....)
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....and if the repartee' gets redundant....
You can shut them off.
"....pardon, my aids need charging...."
"Huh? What?"
🙄
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I can totally understand why you wouldn’t want to get hearing aids. I got one (I only lost hearing in one ear) a few years ago, and I rarely wear it because it distorts the sound so badly. It does help me understand what others are saying, but at the expense of “normal” sound reproduction. I would never wear it to listen to music, although I sometimes wear it if I’m trying to hear others in a noisy room. I would say try to find the best combination of settings with your equalizer, and then decide whether you like it better that way or without any enhancement. Personally, I’m pretty happy with my system with no enhancement, but in the end, it just comes down to what sounds better to you!
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@cheeg , and I can understand why wearing only one would be 'off-putting'....no pun intended. When my right earpiece punk'd out for awhile, I preferred to not wear my left one. It was weird to hear clearly with my left, and felt like my right was AWOL....
In the interm, I just defaulted to running eq 'up' to compensate, since I know my 'basic curve' of correction. I use this curve with 'real' headphones, since it's a bit much having 'phones into aids' which creates an over-correction...
You might try the 'dj running with 'phones on one ear' to see if that's a comp that works...🤷♂️😎...
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I've posted on this before as I am in similar position. If audiologist told you that it's all fine in frequency but simply lowered, for music you'd simply use the volume control. If you found you had loss in the left, you'd could just use the balance control. Let's be clear: I'm not referring to daily living, just music listening. If you have freq loss why not use an audiophile solution like a quality EQ. Why on Earth would you pass up on an audiophile solution by having your $$$ audio go thru a miniaturized device that is small enough to well, fit in your ear. For TV, family, socializing, public, by all means use aids. In your audio room, why not use your system. But like Mahgester says, if it seems fine to you it's because you've adapted. So simply start adding back as you like. FYI, it's my understanding that the audiology dB scale isn't the same as spl dB.
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20 dB is normal for your age in the medical world. You did not state what it is after 8 k on the audiogram.most men lose thier hearing in the higher frequencies hfsnhl high frequency sensory neural hearing loss called presbycussis. That is where the women's voice is alot at least my excuse.there can be a conductive hearing loss such as fluid behind the eardrum that can cause hearing loss of up to 30 dB. This is acute and most likely why some people get thir hearing back because the fluid goes away after a while. A tympanogram is a great way of testing for fluid behind the drum.you audiogram should have that in the report somewhere.idought you have a conductive loss more like nerve loss due to aging. Long term loud noise exposure without hearing protection leads to high frequency hearing loss..again need to see you hearing in higher frequencies on the audiogram. I would not recommend hearing aids for a 20 dB loss but I'll bet you have more in the high frequencies.digital aids now can be programed frequency specific.of course we have to give the disclaimer of see your local ent md.ive been doing it 30 pluss years.enjoy the music
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My wife tells me she just read a yahoo feed that the Maine shooter, still at large as I write this, apparently just started using hearing aids prior to then hearing voices. I can’t wait until a firearm advocacy groups points out that while the right to own firearms is constitutionally guaranteed, that document says nothing about the right to use hearing enhancement devices.
So I did my audiology test yesterday. I have been having problems with conversations in crowded places for years. I therefore wasn’t surprised when my results were similar to the OP, but slightly worse. I asked the audiologist how this would affect my ability to hear music. She said it would mainly affect the treble. My speakers are B&W 803-D, now almost 20 years old. They have diamond tweeters and were largely criticized for being excessively bright. I listen to Classical exclusively, and perhaps I’ve adapted, but I don’t notice any issue with. Music. Flute, piano, oboes, sopranos, if anything there are certain recordings that I avoid because there is to much treble for comfort.
So I am going to get hearing aids for conversation but will be removing them while listening to music
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If you don't know, what difference does it make ? Just had some ear surgery and now I have the dreaded ringing in my ear.
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I have owners the Widex Moment 440 for about a year now
first tried Odicon in ears and they were horrible
read Michael Fremers review of the Widex Moment
there aids only transmit what you are deficient in
Also they have the lowest delay .3 milliseconds of any other aids in the world
Call Aaron at Hearsource Send him your test and he will get your aids programmed
best decision I ever made
I hear like I’m 21 again and turn 60 on Saturday the 28th
Good luck
Willy-T
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Short answer, two words:
Loki Max
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I have significant loss in my right ear, and tinnitus. I usually wear 2 hearing aids during the day. Hearing aids are designed and engineered for speech recognition, but maybe there are audiophile hearing aids out there as well; I'm thinking that that gold is being mined... Mine are blue tooth, which I use for the hands free telephone, but lately have been visiting my playlist on Spotify. .and the sound is not that good. I'm thinking of BT headphones... When I A/B with my hearing aids in and out at home, my systems sound better with the aids in place than not (totally my subjective opinion). Wearing them at home is, maybe, a habit I should develop, But like contact lenses there are reasons not to wear them for extended periods. Although I don't have the super critical hearing that seems prevalent in the audiophile world ( I probably never did) I do appreciate MUSIC and the process and physical nature of re-playing it. Having my recorded music sound good to me (it doesn't have to be perfect, I mean there are all those artifacts involved, and my ancient and abused ears) during playback is important to me. To get to the point, for less than a pair of speaker cables you can have an exam and a prescription for hearing aids. You can decide when and where to use them. You can decide if they are of a benefit or not, and proceed with your life.
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Held off getting hearing aids until this year. "Say again" was beginning to sound like a skipping LP! I have Signia AX7, both for $4K no tax. Love them. My audiologist added a program that allows me turn on a program that is for music listening which means it turns off all the automatic stuff so they listen to the entire room like normal hearing. I now can hear like a kid again. If I don’t want to use them I take them out but for me I love them for listening to music. They have blu-tooth so I always have earbuds that nobody can see. Can adjust with an app on my phone to improve how they work in tough situations or to help hear the TV. The new hearing aids in 2023 are absolutely amazing but you need to be the judge.
One option which a friend of mine did was went to Miracle Ear and tried them for 30 days but did not end up buying those and went with Widelux. Hers are about 4 years old and the improvements that have occurred in just the last years are amazing. All major brands let you try them and you can return them for full refund if you just don’t want them.
I recommend getting prescription vs otc. Enjoy the music and hear what you been missing!
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I am 74 and have worn hearing aids for about 15 years. I have very acute tinnitus so a lot of high frequency loss. My current aids have bluetooth and I can adjust them on my iPhone if necessary which I rarely do. They can never replace a good set of ears so protect them when you are younger.
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Widex Moments are audiophile hearing aids designed for music first then speech
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Research is showing that loss of hearing has a direct connection to dementia. Apparently there are noises that the earth makes a hum I guess along with basic conversations. So as much as we may hate to use hearing aids, the benefits of being senile outweigh the deficits in my opinion. As I am aging out I am going to start saving so that I can get the very best hearing aid, that is available. I lost my mother this Friday, and I will attest that when she had her hearing aids in she was a different person even though he has passed, my father was a really cranky person until he got his hearing aids.
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As a 69 year old man I was tested to have -60Db at 8K. Even though I was used to the loss (very slow over many years) the fact was that music lost it's balance completely. Hearing aids are great and once you have them you will not want to give them up.
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I’m in the upper 60’s group and while I can hear conversations very well, like most everyone else, my hearing is gone a bit above 12k. I guess because it happened so slowly, I never noticed.
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First thanks to all for weighing in on this topic. I found all perspectives helpful. @mark200mph pretty much nailed my situation exactly.
- I'm 67
- My wife says I can't hear her sometimes; I hear her just fine one on one; but with a lot of background noise her voice is can be muddled. She reserves the right to speak to me under any conditions 😂 and truthfully as long as she's there I'm happy.
- My assessment was mild to moderate; didn't see a rating at 12K Hz. Audiologist said I'm borderline on benefits of hearing aid; probably don't need one yet. But I made an appointment to demo since I have the time.
- I got my ears cleaned professionally; that really does help across the full spectrum. Going to do so yearly now. Clear line of sight to ear drums.
- I thought I heard music just fine; so the EQ tuning is just "fine tuning" I feel I still hear a full spectrum of sound at 70-80 dB. I can go louder when I prefer, my listening room is away from other living areas.
- I really protect my hearing; have done so for a while, but wish I had done so in my 20s (as well as a few other things). I'm using the new Sennheiser plugs at movies and concerts to reduce sound by 10-15 dB without loss of detail.
- Many of my friends are experiencing the same conditions. At least they are still around to complain about it (They have a long list).
- Both ears are about the same; my left is just slightly better at highs, but not by much
- Thanks again to all; I'd say admonish the young to protect their hearing, but they won't listen.
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I've been wearing hearing aids for the past couple of decades. I've been wearing eyeglasses for longer than that.
I would no more listen to music without my hearing aids than I would read a book or watch a movie without my glasses.
I'd suggest giving them a try; most places have a refund policy if you don't like them....
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One point of consideration is that it is apparently harder to adapt to hearing aids the older you are. Best not to leave it too long. I have relatives who waited till their late 70s and could not adapt, even though their hearing was quite bad.
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Sorry about your hearing issue. My hearing is very compromised, right ear major loss of high frequencies, left ear lower frequencies. I researched the 7 best top of the line hearing aids plus sought out recommendations from a dozen hearing specialists. Each had their favorites for various reasons. The majority agreed that Widex 440 Sheers were best for music given their dedicated program. After trying several brands, I purchased Widex's top of the line. I noticed the difference immediately. I mentioned my hearing issue to a manufacturer friend. He told me about a transaction with an elderly man wearing hearing aids who auditioned a low end, middle, and a very high end piece of equipment, purchasing the latter. When asked about why that piece, his response was "I heard the difference". While I notice my hearing deficiency, I can still hear the difference and enjoy the music. Hearing loss sucks, but it does not have to be the end of enjoying music.
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I have 2 LOKI Mini's @ $149 ea. FANTASTIC eq's...bought the Loki Max @ $1500....It's already on the way back...The Mini's are more "Musical" Spend $149 and fix your problem.
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@mbmi that's exactly what I did since left and right ears differ in frequency/overall response. Curious as to why you also have 2. The OP using Treble controls while likely not exactly centered at his needed points is likely getting 90% of the correction he could possibly need. It's a hi-fi solution using some very nice gear. Most "audiophile" pre and amps don't have tone. As this is demographically a, shall we say, older persons pursuit, maybe more designers could include them. With bypass for the rest or who don't need them. Without monitor or a process loop its hard to execute. Again, outside the listening chair, pop those aids in if needed.
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The hearing aid recommended by ny audiologist at University of Chicago costs $5600 if I purchase through them. Costco offers the same for $1500. The Costco is also half a mile from my home, vs the 20 mile commute to U of C and the 10 buck parking fee there, which is an issue if one needs adjustments or has issues. I’ve long heard (no pun intended) that Costco was the place to go for hearing aids, but this pretty startling
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@mahler123, Ditto! Can't beat Costco. I went to both Costco and HearUSA yesterday and found similar results. BTW; found similar with optical the same frame with prescribed lenses at Costco were hundreds less than private.
Hearing Aid Price: its a bit of apples and oranges; Costco didn't carry the exact same brands as HearUSA. Costco carries Jabra Pro (latest version $1600 and Philips (latest version $1500). 6 month full refund policy.
HearUSA carries the Widex and Signia plus an in-house option. Widex and Signa model comparable to Philips were $4550 with a 60 day return policy and this was after my Kaiser $1000 benefit was applied. So figure $5550 at HearUSA.
Note: I found Jabra 200's direct from Jabra online store at $1900. Philips (new) on eBay for $2600. Philips, Widex and Signia not sold direct online only Jabra.
Consultations: Both Costco and HearUSA technicians advised while I could benefit, I should have limited expectations since my hearing loss is minimal at higher frequency. They both said results are very individual and it can take months to get used to wearing the aids.
The Costco tech advised he had patients with musical needs, but he said the aids are optimized for human voice, not music. Even after many fine tuning adjustments and using music mode the results in music applications were mixed.
My likely next step is order a pair of Philips at Costco (recommended by tech for me) give it a few months and see how they work. But I may just put this off as the music I listen to sounds just great.
For TV / Movies, I have a B&W / Sony 5.2 AV system. I can raise the center channel for vocals or just increase overall volume. The musical presentation with 5.2 is strong and I sometimes lose some background dialogue, but closed captions are an option to just higher volume.
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@socalml528
thanks for that. My actual appointment with Costco is this afternoon (I have to go to work to turn in my laptop, ID Badge, etc in the AM-I retire today).
I was at a wind band concert Friday night. It was a great concert, but there was a lot of percussion, and at one point the triangle player (apparently) had a prominent part, whacking the thing, and I couldn’t hear any of it. It’s the first time I’ve noticed any defecit listening to music
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@socalml528 - they told you that it could take months to get used to wearing them? I suppose it could, it depends on the person, but in my experience with many hearing aids, days is more like it to decide if they'll work for you or not.
That said, I am going to investigate CostCo for my next set of aids....
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@larsman since you have the personal experience I'd default to your assessment. But as is often said, "individual results may vary" 😉.
Since you have extensive experience; I tried some on at Costco and I noticed I could "feel" my voice when speaking like when you have a cold and your ears are plugged. It was a short demo, but my question is: does this sensation go away or is it non existent once they are tuned? Or is that what you get used to?
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Your hearing loss is so mild, hearing aids wouldn’t help.
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@socalml528 - that ear-blocking sensation can be alleviated with the right dome; you'd want one that would let in some sound from outside as well as the hearing aid's own speakers. I'd suggest going back to CostCo and telling them about this, and they may have domes there that would be of help...
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@mahler123
The right to bear arms doesn’t mean the right to have them for free. Same for hearing aids. You have the right to own both, you just have to pay for them.
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I got tired of asking my customers to repeat themselves, same for my son. 6 months ago I got a pair of Oticon’s top of the line hearing aids and haven’t regretted it one second. When listening to my hifi the only thing I notice is slightly improved hearing in my left (worse) ear at about 9k hz and up. But in daily life they are invaluable.
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I ordered the Phillips from Costco. They arrive in 2 weeks. Apparently you can stream from an i device directly to the phones via Bluetooth, although not using the conventional BT pairing settings. The tech said that his customers hated streaming with Jabbra hearing aids, complaining that music sounds screechy, which is kind of surprising because Jabbra makes conventional audio Bluetooth buds. However I mainly plan to keep listening to my system and just stream for convenience
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I will not test ... Why ? I tuned my own room by ears for one year , even if it is imperfect with my unknown possible impaired hearing , it was tuned for me by me .
I like this. I don't have much trust in the relevance of hearing tests. I have hearing loss and tinnitus, but I mess around with my audio system until it sounds great, just like anyone else.
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h3aring aids make it better at great cost of reality
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@mahler123 Congrats on retirement! I did it in 2015 and it has been challenging. You've got to look for ways to stay busy.
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One item that going to an audiologist v. OTC is the option of having custom earpieces molded for your aids. Yes, it does add $, but the comfort factor (imho) is worth it. I've lost count of the times I've gone to bed to remind self to put them into the charger; there was the time I got into the shower and realized I was still 'aided' just as I began putting my pate under the showerhead...
The shock of bailing out nude and wet into a cold room to hastily dry off 'enough' to remove them Will embed that routine. Trust me on that, if nothing else... ;) 🙄 *L*
There are some 'side effects' of wearing aids over the long term (4ish years in my case) one may notice...(this or these may be distracting to some, and tend to be of a transient nature of notice....)....
Jaw movement can cause the in-ear aid to wiggle slightly, a 'rubbing' sound, typically when eating or a yawn...
There's a slight 'tin can' quality that shows up in certain situations; hard to quantify if it's due to the space one's in (room eq strikes again! *L*). Widex has a 'demo' that exhibits this, although slightly exaggerated to make the point....
....but I'll hold off until under IRL experience....
I was classified as 'severe', everything above 6~7Khz rolls off and down.
The eq curves on my 31 band units, before and after (the latter 'tweaked for taste v. need') is depressing on the one hand; the other a testament to how much and how well aids can restore ones' enjoyment of the music we live for.
Look @ it this way, go get tested. The majority will do it for free, the better ones will tell you precisely what's 'gone south'.
Even mild losses can be corrected for, the ones' that age almost inevitably causes; if you find a way to avoid getting old (or older), please share it with us....
...and don't limit it to hearing, either... ;)
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...BTW, have a good weekend....*S*
"What?"
😒
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@dweller thanks for the good wishes. I’ve already started by tackling some cleaning and downsizing projects that I always claimed that I would tackle in retirement. It’s a great excuse to pull CDs that have been unplayed for years off the shelf as background. There is enough to keep me going for a few months here. I have a pile of books that I’d been wanting to get too and have already read two of them. I started Piano lessons a year ago and now have more time to practice (unfortunately the results don’t seem to reflect the increased elbow grease). I have joined two book clubs that meet monthly and already me a great groups of people, and I am looking to sign up for a creative writing course. I haven’t missed work for one second. Last night I dreamed that I had to return to work for some reason and that I was going to be unable to do all of these activities. I’ll take this “nightmare” as a good sign, as I years past that dream would have had different content.
fwiw, I had asked my audiologist at U of C about having custom molds, and she blew me off. I don’t think she understood the importance of music to me ( she also looked to be about 12 years old, and we all know that generation views music listening in a very different way than we seniors). The audiology tech at Costco, who looked more like my contemporary and who also listens to my genre, was more sympathetic but advised me to try going without them first. We actually have two family friends in the field, one a retired audiologist and the other in her early 30s, whom I intended to curbside
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