This isn't a joke, so please no things like: no wonder you own Mac or GE or I knew you were deaf, you get the idea. I have been to an ENT already (my ears were professionally cleaned) and had a hearing test scheduled with an Audiologist but it has been cancelled until our stay at home order is lifted hopefully by the middle of May. I have done 2 online tests and have found I am not hearing anything above 11K. At 67 years old, I thought my hearing was still ok as I can hear differences in changes of equipment, cables, etc.
I would like to hear from other audiophiles either here or via a PM if you are too embarrassed as to what brand you recommend to give me a good sound. A friend said he won't use his hearing aid when listening to his system because everything sounds tinny. So, there you have it, any helpful response would be appreciated, as I am sure I am not the only one
"I have done 2 online tests and have found I am not hearing anything above 11K."
My hearing drops after 7K, and I have severe tinnitus. I'm waiting for things to settle down to address possible aids. My hearing deficit doesn't affect normal interaction or enjoying music, but the tinnitus may possibly helped with them. Good luck.
I wear high quality hearing aids to help understand conversations in crowded/loud conditions BUT not daily and certainly not with listening to my good system nor when playing guitar (classical) because it does sound strident. I have had many sessions with tech adjusting parameters of the aids and though improved still is not good enough. I would be interested if any forum member really hears better musical sound with these devises.
It depends on your expectations. In a general way I would say yes. My ears know the difference between the sound of my system and the reproduction of it coming through the hearing aids. When I am aware of that, it isn’t as enjoyable. I have tried an EQ adjusted to my hearing loss. Don’t waste your time. If you think that the hearing aids might be off, wait until you try an EQ this way. I am sure that it could be fined .... forever on!! Worse than an old Quadrajet carburetor. For the record, I will state that my hearing aids are made by Widex. Top of the line. Oh boy, do we have a long ways to go. $6,200 for this?
For some years I was reluctant to get hearing tested though I knew there was at least some hi freq loss in one ear. I was afraid it would make music sound tinny. But recently I got great quality hearing aids and now I don’t listen to music without them. They are computer controlled with 50 bands of equalization custom tuned to my hearing response. They dynamically distinguish between background noise and direct sound (music or voice), and only kick in to boost non-background sounds. Oticon $7000 - worth every penny. I use them at concerts, home stereo use and in noisy environments.
You guys have been fantastic and have really given me some things to think about. The Oticons sounds like something I would want to go with if I need to, but the price, ouch! If my hearing ability is 11K at best, how come I can still hear the snap in the treble, lush midrange, etc.? How come I can still hear differences in cables and platforms and such if I can't hear that high anymore? What to you guys think?
Ok, so you have a drop off at say 11k. That is like saying you know the sound of an amp because you have this ONE reference spec... at 11k. What you need to know to get a better idea of YOUR hearing loss, is a complete test. For example, I have quite a dip at 4k, one of the reasons that the hearing aids do help me out. If you look at a frequency graph or chart that denotes the pitch range of different instruments, you will see that 11k is nowhere near the midrange. And cymbals, though I can't state their given range offhand, start much lower than 11k as well. But of course their range does extend past 11k. Usual hearing tests even at the audiologist are from 250hz- 8khz. They are not a very broad range because their clients (and the hearing aids themselves) are only designed to enhance things in daily life such speech. You and I know that there is a vast amount of sound above and below that limited range. It occurs IN daily life and of course music as well! Trouble is, the thinking for this industry is sooo behind the demand for a much better product. Once again, even though we might demand a better product, we are not in the majority by a long shot.
Oticon for regular use... sounds more natural than other brands, but they all sound tinny when listening to my system . A Loki helps for my hearing deficit
Oticon does have the tone. The problem with Oticon is that you can only use the equalizer when streaming directly to your hearing aids. It is not available for anything but that. The presets cannot be customized and the music setting is not right. How can it be for so many hearing disabilities and types of high end stereo rigs. I might add here when streaming high res music from your phone and being able to use the equalizer the results are excellent. That,however will not help listening to your hifi unit. My audiologist has me testing some aids and the Oticon has by far the most natural sound. If they worked on providing access to the equalizer for all applications they might have a winner. Had a chance to try Widex. Was not at all impressed with them . I have been reading a bit about Sonic Innovations. They claim to have a very advanced equalizer.Did Anybody haveszxx any experience with these. I’m Canadian and can’t seem to find a distributer here. I’m convinced our answer is hearing aids with hi quality equalization. I would mind paying higher price tags for that.Widex at 8 grand Canadian are just picking our pockets. By the way putting an equalizer on your rig is making it right for just you. Tha audiophile deal is having buddies visiting and going to here setups You need your hearing aids to taylor your sound. A lot of really talented audiophiles are giving up this great hobby because of hearing.
Hmmm....I went to Costco. Tried a pair of Phillips walking around the store for over an hour. They were horrendous....it sounded like I was in a futuristic science fiction movie. I later went to another audiologist and and actually purchased a pair of Widex Moment 440 hearing aids, incidentally retail priced at $9800!!!....thank God for insurance and other discounts off of retail. I am literally on my 2nd day of wearing these. Now understand I own a $150k home 2-ch system and it sounds damn musical to my old ears without the Widex. Putting the Widex in my ears now gives me the equivalent of $899 all-in-one system you might buy at Big Lots. So far, music absolutely sounds better WITHOUT the hearing aids. While I do understand speech in conversations and TV dialog better, the Widex (so far) do nothing in making music more enjoyable. I have a 60 day trial period on the Widex aids and we'll see how this experiment turns out.
Hearing loss is usually so gradual that by the time we perceive the loss, it is usually pretty significant. What people are perceiving as unnatural is probably what they were hearing when their hearing was good.
My brother-in-law got some expensive aids and refuses to wear them because he hears sounds like gravel crunching under his shoes when walking. We tend to forget what good hearing is.
I was involved in a university sponsored hearing study several years ago and received a free set of aids at the end of the study. Although nowhere near high end what I learned from the study was more useful than the instruments. Don't be too quick to judge new hearing aids. You may very well be hearing what you used to hear when you were in your prime! Best to do your research and try to get something with a trial period and returnable if they don't work for you.
if you get a reputable, established provider, they will let you demo them for a few weeks before buying…so, there’s really nothing to lose except maybe the cost of appts.
There are many types and degrees of hearing loss…but I’m hear to tell you my hearing aids sound wonderful and even add sorely missed sense of air (I was missing some high frequencies and things were beginning to sound really flat before the Oticons). It truly is a new era of listening for me. Something I’m fortunate and grateful for…
Like anything else, you get what you pay for.
@stereo5pm me if you’d like to know more about my experience…otherwise, good luck.
You must have a verified phone number and physical address in order to post in the Audiogon Forums. Please return to Audiogon.com and complete this step. If you have any questions please contact Support.
