Hearing Aid

[ldj]

Has anyone used any of these hearing aids that sell from $100 to around $600. As the old saying is when it sounds too good to be true it usually is. I would like to hear from people who have used them that doesn't come from the sellers web page.

 

[Janicholson]

I had a pair that were in the 100 range. They amplified well, but amplified everything. The reality is that frequencies within the normal range, when
missing or shadowed by tinnitus, reduce understandability. I now have tailored frequency real devices that assist correctly. Could they be cheaper?
Yes. Could really good ones cost 200. Yes. they are no more complex than a modest cell phone, just small. Jim

 

[Russ from MN]

I have heard they work for some people, I got a pair at Costco that were $2600 for the pair. They are digitally programmable but they still amplify too many
sounds that I don't want to hear. I understand that's a common problem.

 

[JF in MI]

My doctor gave me a referral to a hearing specialist, Medicare paid for that. Took the audiogram and emailed it to a place that programmed the hearing aid to that need for about
$450 for a pair. They help a lot with speech and the areas where I have lost hearing. I find I don't like wearing them in general and am glad I didn't spend a ton of money. The
reason is; I never realized what a nice peaceful world I lived in until I could hear everything. I don't need to hear my own foot steps or pee in the toilet. I've also realized
that people talk a lot but still don't say anything worth listening to or else I've heard it all before ad nauseam.

 

[Mutt and Jeff]

The guy walks into the coffeeshop luncheonette where all the wannabe and retired farm buffs congregate and tell stories.

He stands between the door and them and just mouths a few sentences without saying a thing.

They all reach to their ear and finger fiddle.

That's an old story. I suppose nowadays they grab their iPhone and adjust or check the bluetooth hearing aids app

 

[WNYBill]

Take a look at the BEAN. They are an amplifier and made by a reputable company, that makes the aids you see
musicians wearing. I use just one and move it from ear to ear.

 

[Stan in Oly, WA]

ldj; One consideration is that the inexpensive ones that only amplify have the potential to make your hearing worse over time. Hearing loss is normally most extreme in some range of frequencies, not all frequencies. For example, I have severe hearing loss in the higher frequencies, but normal to above average hearing in some very low frequencies. This causes me to have trouble understanding speech because the initial consonants of words are unclear. That is, I have trouble understanding whether someone has said bake, or take, or cake, or make, etc. I can hear a low pitched motor running better than most people can, but a fat lot of good that does. If hearing aids amplify all frequencies to the level of the specific frequencies you need amplified, eventually you might damage your hearing right across the board. I don't enjoy wearing my hearing aids, but I do enjoy having almost normal hearing. I view severe hearing loss as being in the same category as crippling hip or knee problems. The important difference with hearing loss is that you don't realize how disabled you are, but other people do.

Stan

 

[Elmo]

If you are a vet the VA will outfit you with a pair that are tuned to the frequency that you can t hear. Mine work!
Elmo

 

[fixerupper]

Our hearing adjusts to noise levels naturally to some degree. I am told I have fairly significant hearing loss. When I take the hearing aides out the world around me goes silent but after the aides have been out for awhile a small degree of hearing comes back. When I put the aides back in the world seems very loud for a short time. I too wonder if the high magnification of the sound being piped into my ears by the hearing aides is doing damage. My aides cost $5000 for the pair so I would think they limit noise spikes.

 

[Stan in Oly, WA]

fixerupper; My previous hearing aids cost about 10% less than what you paid for yours. They were Phonak brand, made in Switzerland. I thought they were great, but when the three year warranty ran out, I was told that I could get third party support for them for another year (maybe two---I don't remember) but then repair parts and software would no longer be available. One day I asked someone about his hearing aids and he told me they were Phonak, and that he got them at Costco. I checked there and found that they were selling a version of that brand which were equivalent to one grade higher than the ones I had, and charging only about half as much, $2600. I bought them and had very good experience with them. Now it's time for another pair, and I'll be going back to Costco for them. Now they offer three or four top brands at that price.

Stan

 

[ke8wo]

If you are a COSTCO member or near a COSTCO .. I highky recommend COSTCO for a free extensive hearing test and evaluation. They sell several brands of hearing aids that are all of high quality. They currently have their COSTCO 'Kirkland' KS9 aids for under $1600 for the pair. These are very high quality, state of the art digital aids that will fit the specific hearing loss of most people. COSTCO's support after the sale is also excellent and free. I have pair of the last Kirkland KS8 aids and like them .. if I have to have aids, that is!

 

[IaLeo]

I have worn HA for years. The last pair fitted by a nice doctor lady went from over the ear to an in the ear Starkey $5000 model. I lost a lot of hearing after chemical chemo treatments for colon cancer. Going to in the ear was supposed to be for better, bigger battery life to get the amplification I needed...but wow! now I hear ALL my chewing and even walking due skeletal vibrations! But frustrating-these expensive aids will not pickup Bluetooth except for their special cigarette pack sized extra booster Bluetooth. So the next pair will have to have me get a newer telephone and Bluetooth connectability. Leo

 

[JMOR]

(quoted from post at 20:53:23 11/06/19) I have worn HA for years. The last pair fitted by a nice doctor lady went from over the ear to an in the ear Starkey $5000 model. I lost a lot of hearing after chemical chemo treatments for colon cancer. Going to in the ear was supposed to be for better, bigger battery life to get the amplification I needed...but wow! now I hear ALL my chewing and even walking due skeletal vibrations! But frustrating-these expensive aids will not pickup Bluetooth except for their special cigarette pack sized extra booster Bluetooth. So the next pair will have to have me get a newer telephone and Bluetooth connectability. Leo

he radio link for my Oticons acts like Bluetooth, but is not, but rather a different radio transmission technique. So need Oticon transmitter to go with them.

 

[IaLeo]

Another problem wearing in-the-ear HAs is...they fall out!
Pull your stocking cap off and it flips the aid..who knows where..spent a lot of time not daring to step anywhere and searching on my hands and knees.

Outdoor wind will drive ya nuts with the warbelling unless you wear a hoodie. lol

Also, do not carry your grandchild on your back to watch a combine across the fence! His leg disappeared one of the $5000 aids. Much stress looking for it...found it in my undershirt that night!

Leo

 

[brooktre]

OP - I have only used a higher costing hearing aid. Fortunately they were paid for by my insurance. This is my first time wearing aids. As other posters have said, there are different types of hearing loss, so what works for some may not for others. If your loss is across the entire frequency range, a lesser priced aid may help. If your loss is in specific frequencies, you may need an aid that can amplify in those frequencies.

There are apps you can download to test your own hearing loss. These should only be used guide and should not replace a test by professionals. However, if used properly they can give good information.

Also, when you do purchase aids, some companies will let you try aids for a brief period and return them if they are not working. I suggest looking for a company that will work with you.