Hearing aid advise needed.

[leopud]

trying to find a better performing hearing aid and seek suggestions.

[Karoo]

Just remember - if u have old age hearing loss then the problem is clarity, not volume.

So get hearing aid that improves clarity.

I have also learned that everyone - if they live long enough - will go deaf. The little hairs in ear get old and damaged.

[curious7]

Have you considered a bone-conduction headset? They’re pretty cheap. And work. They can usually provide a Bluetooth connection for your cell phone.

[Izzy Dunne]

He said "TRYING TO FIND A BETTER PERFORMING HEARING AID AND SEEK SUGGESTIONS".

[TheDon]

Family member has used the Widex Evoke for a number of years and is quite happy with it.

https://www.widex.com/en-us/hearing-aids/evoke/

[Billthedrill]

Ah, thanks. I heard “bitter performance and sex suggestions”. Probably get banned for the answer.

[SaxxonWoods]

I have Phonak aids. They have 3 levels, $2k, 4k, 6k at the time I bought. I got the top of the line, they are pretty good. You can adjust them specifically for music or noisy eateries, etc. There’s another company that has aids that use AI to adjust, don’t know the name, will get it and message you. Musician friend says they are fantastic. Take your time investigating, it’s a sizeable investment. I wouldn’t go cheap if you can pull off buying the better ones.

[enumerated]

Huh? Tying two fenderbender who?

[jimbug]

My wife has Jabra from Costco. I will be getting them as well.

[GailA]

Good brand. I’m nearly deaf due to 2 Menires attacks, the steroids they used destroyed the ear hairs. I heal on the low Flat end and still need to crank them up for soft-spoken people, grocery stores noisy places, REMOVE them as the massive sound overwhelms them. Starky, same as Hubs Vet. Carrier Deck aids, only I got the smaller red/blue wifi, stuck to batteries. My phone is Android and won’t support the App.

[lucky american]

Looking into Audien com just today. $3,000 is a little out of our league.

[Dave911]

Oticon has been fabulous for me. Numerous settings for various situations. Literally changed my life!

[enumerated]

My wife is dealing with this issue.. so far, she’s been disappointed by everything that is affordable..

My hearing is still great at 73, but my eyesight is poor.
Her eyesight is great but her hearing is poor.

It’s amazing though how different these two afflictions are in the way they affect our lives. I get inexpensive corrective lenses - problem 100% solved.

Meanwhile, her hearing loss affects me (and us) profoundly. I can never seem to say things loud enough, or turn the TV volume up enough. I avoid any “small talk”, or spontaneous comments about a beautiful sunset, a bird at the feeder, or something I think is funny…. since most of those things seem pointless when repeated, once the moment has passed.

I really sympathize with her though - she can hear better with the hearing aids, but she often doesn’t wear them because the amplified sound is unpleasant.

I get the feeling the technology needs to improve a lot - at least the technology we can afford.

[RckyRaCoCo]

I cannot believe it took 13 replies...we Freeper’s must be getting old. : )

[vortigern]

If you’re a veteran, go to the VA. They’ll treat you right.

[1FreeAmerican]

What is (Medicare+)?

[TexasKamaAina]

I, too, have hearing loss from Meniere's. My symptoms also include, ironically, hyperacousis to some sounds. So there are things I don't hear well and other things I hear too loud. This is all fairly recent for me following two closely timed severe, totally incapacitating dizzy spells lasting about 8 hours each. It sounds like you are familiar with those.

Just yesterday I purchased top of the line Oticon Intent hearing aids. So far I am beyond pleased. The Meniere's affected only my right ear but it turns out I had a bit of hearing loss in my left ear, too. It is hard to believe how much I had been missing.

I was concerned about whether or not they would help me in noisy environments or social gatherings. I can say that, so far, they work great. Last night I sat around a table with about 5 or 6 other men and was able to understand everybody and participate in the conversation even when there was cross talk. Thursday I'm going to a convention and I'll see how it does in that even more challenging environment.

According to Oticon:

Hearing speech amid background noise remains the number one challenge and complaint for people with hearing loss. To address this issue, today Oticon, Inc. launches Oticon Intent, the world's first hearing aid equipped with user-intent sensors that understand and adapt to what individuals want to hear. Oticon Intent gives people with hearing loss improved engagement in difficult listening situations.

New BrainHearing™ insights show that monitoring head and body movements can provide crucial information about a hearing aid user’s communication intent in various listening situations.* Pioneering 4D Sensor technology, Oticon Intent taps into these insights, combining inputs on head motion, body movement, conversation activity and acoustic environment to understand precisely what users need and want to listen to. It then seamlessly adjusts the hearing support it provides. This offers a more intuitive, responsive and personalized hearing experience that mimics the brain’s natural way of processing sound.

Oticon Intent provides access to 360 degrees of sound while prioritizing each individual’s listening need — all in Oticon’s smallest, most discreet rechargeable hearing aid to date. This could mean providing spatial awareness to help wearers navigate environments and find conversation partners. To support intimate one-on-one chats, Oticon Intent focuses on the speaker amidst surrounding noise. Meanwhile in group conversations, the hearing aid responds to the turning of a wearer’s head from side to side to detect and heighten speech access to multiple voices.

“Oticon has always been driven by the understanding that while the ears hear, it’s the brain that makes sense of sounds. With Oticon Intent, we’ve enhanced our BrainHearing approach to give wearers greater access to the sounds and speech that will enable them to actively participate in everyday situations,” said Virginia Ramachandran, AuD, PhD, Head of Audiology at Oticon. “Our new sensor technology allows the device to understand the wearer's listening intentions and adapt in real time, providing unparalleled support and clarity in every conversation. With Oticon Intent, we ensure you can more easily communicate in any situation.”

Powered by advanced features, including a second-generation Deep Neural Network (DNN), Oticon Intent improves sound quality, listening comfort and speech comprehension, and delivers more sound nuances and access to speech.**

Oticon Intent is also user-focused in design and comfort. The hearing aid features up to 20 hours of battery life, as well as faster charging time than ever before. A quick 30-minute charge provides the hearing aids with 8 hours of power, while a 2-hour charge will provide power for a full day’s use.*** The device's sleek design and IP68 dust and moisture resistance rating demonstrate Oticon's durability and style commitment.

Oticon Intent utilizes next-generation Bluetooth® LE Audio that supports modern connectivity standards. This includes those Made for iPhone® devices with iOS 15.2 or later and select Android™ phones with OS 14 and newer updates, tablets and PCs. It is also compatible with select Android phones for one-way direct streaming with the Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids (ASHA) protocol.† Users can now seamlessly connect to a wide range of devices and accessories for hands-free calling, direct streaming of music and audiobooks, and more. Furthermore, it is a future-proof hearing aid, ready for future communication technologies, such as Auracast™.††

Oticon Intent is compatible with the Oticon Companion app, allowing users to manage their hearing experience conveniently from their smartphone or Apple Watch®.

This launch marks a significant milestone for Oticon, as it continues its legacy of pioneering hearing solutions that empower users to engage fully in life.

I bought my hearing aids from an audiologist recommended by my ENT. They were very expensive but after the first few minutes wearing them I was convinced they were worth it.

[Deaf and Discerning]

My hearing loss is judged to be ‘severe’ (80 to 90 dB loss), and I have had my Phonak digital hearing aids for 5 years:

Advantages:
- The Bluetooth connection significantly improves TV and internet sounds, and dampens the room’s noise
- The audiologist can program the hearing aid to match my hearing loss to the audiogram’s results
- Being digital hearing aids, as the battery slowly dies, the amplification level does not change. A big plus for me: In older models, it was hard to tell if I couldn’t hear from my impairment, the battery is dying, or the hearing aid has a problem, and I miss hearing something important
- As the battery slowly dies, it produces an audible signal to let me know to change the battery soon

Disadvantages:
- They use the 675 batteries, which not only are tiny for my big hands to install, but also only last than one week, instead a month with larger batteries that my old hearing aids used

[ThePatriotsFlag]

I’ve got these, darned expensive. They are state of the art. But they just amplify everything for me. In a room full of people, I hear them ALL equally well, no matter their distance. I would probably go to Costco next time. Many of my friends are happy with the ones they bought there.

[nagant]

My wife has Jabra from Costco. I will be getting them as well.
~~~~~

My wife has Jabra from Costco. She likes them. Through trial and error she discovered that dome size and hardness are extremely important. She had to get smaller domes, and get the softer Philips domes. She changes the wax filters every other weak.

[i get it]

I like my Phonacs and concur with previous comments. They’re my first hearing aids. The charger is a little box that you charge then drop the devices in so you don’t need to bring a charging cable for a short trip away from home. The Phonac app enables you to make many adjustments on the fly. They are waterproof too. They are made by a Swiss company called Sonova and I would definitely recommend them to a friend.