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Can AirPods do the job of $10,000 hearing aids?
New Atlas ^ | November 16, 2022 | By Nick Lavars

Posted on 11/16/2022 7:12:23 AM PST by Red Badger

Hearing loss is thought to affect as much as 15% of American adults, but hearing aids aren’t always easy to come by. A team of scientists exploring low-cost alternatives has turned to Apple’s AirPods as a potential solution, assessing them alongside conventional hearing aids to find they stack up surprisingly well.

Not only are hearing aids expensive, obtaining them usually involves a series of medical exams, a prescription from an audiologist and then follow-up visits to ensure they are properly tuned. US authorities have made moves to improve access to these devices, with the FDA recently establishing a new category for cheaper, over-the-counter hearing aids that meet certain requirements.

Researchers at Taipei Veterans General Hospital have also been exploring ways to improve the quality of life for sufferers of hearing loss. This led them to Apple’s AirPods, which since 2016 have carried a feature called “Live Listen" that enables mobile devices to act as microphones that relay enhanced sound to the user’s earbuds (or Beats headphones).

In their experiments, the researchers compared basic US$1,500 hearing aids, premium $10,000 hearing aids, AirPods 2 and AirPods Pro, the upmarket version of the earbuds with noise cancelling capabilities. The four devices were tested by 21 subjects with mild to moderate hearing loss, with the researchers reading out short sentences and asking the participants to repeat them verbatim.

(Excerpt) Read more at newatlas.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Health/Medicine; Military/Veterans; Music/Entertainment
KEYWORDS: airpods; apple; hearing; hearingaids; tcoyh
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To: wattsgnu

” Plus I look cool at 60. “

I think airpods make a person look like a robot. I call them maggots.


21 posted on 11/16/2022 8:06:21 AM PST by cymbeline
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To: ClearCase_guy

Lol that was a funny skit- thnaks for the memory


22 posted on 11/16/2022 8:07:31 AM PST by Bob434 (question)
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To: AlaskaErik

My deafness was caused by years of B-52 engines, then years of steel shop work, followed by years of power plant operations.

And I wore hearing protection!


23 posted on 11/16/2022 8:14:32 AM PST by Ruy Dias de Bivar ( FR is on GAB! https://gab.com/groups/67851)
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To: Ruy Dias de Bivar

My SIL is working on the B52 re-power program.
We spent quite a bit of time at the Dayton Air Show looking at the one on display.

I know it’s popular to trash the military these days but I was impressed by the men and women who accompanied the plane.


24 posted on 11/16/2022 8:17:32 AM PST by nascarnation (Let's go Brandon!)
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To: cymbeline

Lol! I threw that line in at the last second. I thought it made me look pretentious like I was ignoring people instead of actually being able to hear them, but my kids said I looked like a cool hipster or some crap like that. ha!


25 posted on 11/16/2022 8:25:22 AM PST by wattsgnu
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To: cdnerds

I have an Android phone, but I don’t know anything about how to enhance hearing on it with earphones. I’ll have to try to figure it out because my hearing aids help but have limitations.


26 posted on 11/16/2022 8:30:23 AM PST by KittyKares
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To: Red Badger

“Not only are hearing aids expensive, obtaining them usually involves a series of medical exams, a prescription from an audiologist and then follow-up visits to ensure they are properly tuned.”

The medical exam (one exam, not a series) is essential to rule out serious medical conditions as the cause of hearing loss. I know two people who, as a result of the medical exam, learned that their hearing loss was the result of a brain tumor.


27 posted on 11/16/2022 8:31:29 AM PST by Labyrinthos
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To: Red Badger

Use an Apple product?

I can’t, wrong polarity or something.


28 posted on 11/16/2022 8:31:34 AM PST by doorgunner69 (Let's go Brandon)
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To: doorgunner69

That’s why Limbaugh died, right? /s


29 posted on 11/16/2022 8:32:46 AM PST by nascarnation (Let's go Brandon!)
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To: KittyKares

Look up “Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro”.


30 posted on 11/16/2022 8:37:53 AM PST by Joe Brower ("Might we not live in a nobler dream than this?" -- John Ruskin)
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To: Joe Brower
“Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro”.

They work very well.

31 posted on 11/16/2022 8:38:54 AM PST by 1Old Pro
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To: wattsgnu

“my kids said I looked like a cool hipster ...”

You got it. The kids view these gadgets entirely differently.


32 posted on 11/16/2022 8:54:17 AM PST by cymbeline
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To: nascarnation

No idea, never paid much attention to him.


33 posted on 11/16/2022 9:01:42 AM PST by doorgunner69 (Let's go Brandon)
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To: Red Badger

My legit hearing aids also function as Bluetooth connected ear pieces for my phone and music.

They are Philips.

$1800 for the pair with a better fit and insurance against loss and damage.

AND I don’t look like a dork walking around.


34 posted on 11/16/2022 9:10:38 AM PST by Blueflag (Res ipsa loquitur: ad ferre non, velit esse sine defensione)
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To: Blueflag

Got mine from the VA....................😉


35 posted on 11/16/2022 9:13:25 AM PST by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: Red Badger

bump


36 posted on 11/16/2022 6:28:15 PM PST by The Mayor (“Love the Lord your God,” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37–39))
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To: butlerweave

You’re paying way too much if you’re spending $10,000 for a hearing aid or even a set of hearing aids with conductive crossover for one ear. Yes, hearing aids have been overpriced for decades, but there are much less expensive alternatives available online that are every bit as good as the most expensive models out there.


37 posted on 11/16/2022 9:39:03 PM PST by Ronin (White privilege is not having to fake your own hate crimes. (HT: CrappieLuck) and )
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