Air pods pro 2 vs hearing aids

Hearing Aids
#1

I have mild to moderate hearing loss through about 2000 hz, sloping down to profound at 4000 hz and above.

Profound is a misnomer: Put simply and realistically, I am deaf above 4000 hz.

The fact is that no amount of high technology is going to enable me to hear those high frequencies so expensive hearing aids would seem to be a waste of money.

The best I can hope for is improvement in the mild-moderate range, mainly conversations in person or on the phone.

I was thinking that the new Air pods pro 2 would do this about as well as hearing aids.

Comments appreciated. Thanks!

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#2

Frequency compression/transposition could potentially make a huge difference to the audibility of higher pitch sounds and speech.

Worth a trial tbh.

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#4

Yours shouldnā€™t be a ā€˜difficultā€™ loss. Do you have brand/audiologist options?

Someone with proper REM kit.

#5

Thanks Um_Bongo. Results seem to vary:

ā€œThere have been a number of published studies that investigated the efficacy of this feature, with the latest appearing just a year ago. On average, these studies have reported generally favorable results. However, the findings on all of them display large individual differences; about half the subjects show clear improvement with this feature, while the other half obtained similar scores in the treated and untreated conditions.ā€

The only real test would be to try the HAs with this feature. I guess my hearing loss does not bother me enough to go to the expense and trouble coupled with the chance of limited improvement. I would be content to get some improvement in hearing conversations which the Air pods may allow.

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#6

The last article above this speaks directly to this concern. Modern hearing aids can be programmed to ā€œechoā€ the highest frequency sounds (that you canā€™t hear) ā€œsuch as the /t/, /k/, /f/, /th/, /sh/, and /s/ soundsā€ to one octave below (in the range that you can hear). This needs to be programmed correctly by your audiologist or hearing aid specialist, but it will absolutely allow you to hear those very important sounds which would otherwise be lost.

As usual, I suggest going to Costco if you have one available, where you can test top name brand hearing aids with this capability for 180 days. The cost is about $2000 for a pair with a 3 year warranty.

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#7
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#8

But itā€™s Doctor Cliff! And itā€™s about the first gen APP.

#9

Is Doctor Cliff not to be trusted? The video seemed pretty well done and objective to me.

#10

Yes: it doesnā€™t suit everyone. The early versions seemed to struggle with some modes of implementation.

You said above that (in prĆ©cis) you were never going to hear certain sound pitches. Thatā€™s correct, however, this type of technology might allow sounds in this area to be audible to you.

You just need to get a trial of a couple of the systems. Weā€™ve found that the system on the Bernafon Alpha is pretty handy in this respect though YMMV.

#11

Appreciate all the comments, Gentlemen.

I will just have to decide if I want to give HAs with this technology a try. Unfortunately there isnā€™t a CostCo within reasonable drive distance.

Thanks!

#12

It was a little facetious. Cliff is annoying, all over the hearing loss sphere and sometimes self-serving. Doesnā€™t make him ā€˜not to be trustedā€™ I guess. I havenā€™t seen the video. It was about the previous model I think. Thatā€™s not the one Iā€™m interested in.

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#13

I used the AirPod Proā€™s (not the new ones) before I got my Lexiā€™s. What they will do is amplify sounds around you, making hearing things a little better and people donā€™t have to raise their voices when talking to you. Plus they sound great music/call wise.

The downsides: Battery life is awful and I found I was charging them more than actually using them (I bought two pairs for this reason), sometimes they just disconnect from my phone for no reason (not so great when in a call), thereā€™s no real controls like you would get with an HA and I found them just not quite loud enough for my needs.

The new ones are supposed to be better, but now that I have actual HAā€™s I have no need to get them. If you do decide to give them a try please post your findings. Iā€™d be interested in seeing how they work compared to the last model Proā€™s and Iā€™m sure it might help those considering them over real HAā€™s.

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#14

I hope this helpsā€¦

I waited too long to get hearing aids.
When I finally did the difference was magnificent. I regretted the time I wasted.

I found a wonderful book reference here. ā€œHear & Beyondā€ (Live Skillfully with Hearing Loss) It has changed my thoughts about being hard of hearing.

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#15

Thanks nayan and Dave. We all have different needs in hearing assistance. I am retired and most people I talk with I hear fine. A lot of situations where people need a good HA such as boardroom meetings, noisy lunchtime restaurants, or school rooms I simply donā€™t encounter.

Perhaps we will hear from people who have tried the newer version 2 AirPods. If I decide to give them a try, I will certainly post my experience with them.

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#16

The book I referred to has excellent information from hearing impaired authors. It provides links to good sites in case I need more information. The printed version helped me a lot. It talks about the stressful times dealing with being hard of hearing. Some include

  • first hearing aid purchase
  • setup
  • later, replacement of hearing aids for whatever reasonā€¦

It talks about family communication and makes suggestions about how it may be improved.

Please share your experiences when you buy your version 2 AirPods.

#17

Here is an article on the AirPods 2 as HA functionality updated 2 days ago.

BTW, see in the US, Walmart and Amazon have them for $234. May be some good deals with Black Friday approaching.

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#18

I just bought the AirPods Pro 2. I love them, but they donā€™t replace hearing aids at all. Battery life, as mentioned, is inadequate. When used to amplify sounds, the occlusion effect is so great that I canā€™t have a conversation. I use them in the car because I hate road noise when driving, and they have great sound for streamed music. I never use my Resound Fortes for streaming because the sound is so tinny with those tiny receivers. I am going to check out custom in the ear aids to get better music.

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#19

I truly appreciate you including that review.

I had hearing aids that didnā€™t work out before I changed audiologists; new audiologist has done so much for me.

The old audiologist and I had a discussion where I said that Steve Jobbs of Apple would have made hearing aids that would work. It was a serious comment to her. Iā€™m in Canada. And checking to see if thereā€™s a deal on your AirPods Pro2.

#20

Steward: Thanks for your comments. Battery life doesnā€™t really concern me since wouldnā€™t be wearing full time, but your other observations are concerning.

Dave. Iā€™m beginning to suspect the audiologist is more important than the HAs. When I had my audiogram, I had the impression the gal couldnā€™t wait to sell me some HAs and get me out the door.

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#21

@troutcm

Your exactly right.
I only tell my stories to help othersā€¦but I got kicked out of here for being off topic.
Iā€™ve had 3 sets of Phonaks. Before that i had a single hearing aid; another brand. Widex? in the ear. I bought the cheapest I could because I couldnā€™t afford a better one.

I finally got smart. I work for second largest school board in Canada. 150,000 kids. almost 300 schools. I hooked up with the woman who worked so hard to help children who were hard of hearing. She referred me to the best audiologist Iā€™ve ever had. Every time I went to her office with a problem she fixed it. My hearing aids worked.

She sold her business. Listen Up Canada.

I wento the same lady. She referred me to another audiologist. I went there with hearing aids that worked. My hearing kept getting worse. After a couple of years the hearing aids didnā€™t work. Word recognition. They sold me a brand new set of Phonaks. Hindsightā€“I should have left earlier than I did. Every time I left the office the hearing aids were worse.

The lady had retired; her replacement referred me to the audiologist I have now. My new hearing aids are much better. Lately his suggestions have really helped.

So in my 20 year experience, Itā€™s the audiologist. The setup next.

The book I referred to above is mind blowing.

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