I do not have the resonating, but everyone sounds like Donald Duck – I say a cartoon character – all the time, with and without hearing aids. Less, with the hearing aids in. I think this has to do with losing the high frequency range.
I have that quacking only with the aids. It makes my wife sound very unpleasant and hard to understand–not good for the relationship. That doesn’t encourage me to wear them, either. When the TV is on in another room, all I hear is the quacking, not the speech. It was worse with the Costco Philips HearLink aids. It’s still there with the KS10 aids. I’m in the DIY process to reduce the quacking. I’m no fan of REM (Real Ear Measurement). Of course what you and I call “quacking” may be totally different.
Please post your audiogram.
I haven’t had a “quacking” sensation with speech, but I’ve experienced speech that sounds somehow clipped. This event would typically occur when the barometric pressure changes. It’s nowhere’s near as noticeable with my aids in, but before I got the aids (at age 30-odd), it was really unbearable, making it difficult to comprehend speech.
So my advice is twofold: 1.) see if there is a “trigger” event causing this sensation (weather change, flying at altitude, food allergy, medication being taken, etc.,) and 2.) get in to see your audiologist to see what frequency ranges can be adjusted to mitigate that affect.
While I have a fairly FLATLINED audiogram, I tend to want the lower frequencies of speech boosted with a bit of high frequency turned down so the ambient sounds aren’t “shattering” in their sharpness. Hope that helps!
Thanks for the response. The resonating is constant and no 'trigger" event. My audiogram has a decline at the higher frequencies level in both ears. I have tried the latest technology in several hearing aid models with not much improvement over my current 6 year old hearing aids. Audiologists have tried various settings with no success. Is there a name for my condition that I can do further research? I also have low level tinnitus (sort of low roaring sound) but it does not really bother me. However, it may have some effect on the resonating.
Get away from Donald Duck.
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Could it be distortion
you hear with are without the aids?
it’s allergy season. Your eustachian tubes may be blocked, and there’s build up of fluid behind your ear drums. An ENT can tell if this is the case with an exam. As I recall you wrote that the distortion occurs with and without the aids…? this suggests something’[s off with your ears.
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It is definitely distortion. I’m trying to find a name for this condition in order to do more research.
My left ear sounds like a broken speaker.
I have been told I have nerve damage. Nothing can be done.
How was the nerve damage determined?
No one checked a thing. The ENT just told me I have nerve damage when I told him about the distortion.
I told him I still could hear the distortion with the aid.
It didn’t help me.
In retrospect I now realize I’ve had the distortion for years. I used to use a Bluetooth mic on my left ear all day. Thought the distortion was the mic.
It just became more noticable with the hearing aid. Especially my own voice.
I just live with it.
Would love to say that it doesn’t bother me but that would be a lie.
Sometimes it makes me nuts.
Especially when the occulusion kicks in.
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I woke up with Donald Duck hearing a year or two ago. Don’t know what caused it, i suspect allergies, but the ENT put me on prednisone and it gradually cleared up.
Mine sounds like a broken speaker.
When I get fluid build up in my middle ear due to blocked eustachian tubes (again, in allergy season) I’ll get that ‘broken speaker’ effect. This condition can take a good amount of time to resolve–month or more. But that’s me. I’ve read people on line who write the same thing, however. Chlo9rtrimoton help0s to open the eustachian tubes; or sudafed.
The distortion has been for years.
I take Claritin everyday.
Spray Flonase everyday.
Ears checked no fluid.
Sometimes left ear sounds like something ratiling around in it.
Might look for another ENT.
No one had really been interested.
That sure does sound like the “broken speaker” analogy. If you consider the diaphragm on some speakers, if it’s inflexible, cracked, etc., sound is very distorted.
I would DEAF-initely (pardon my pun!) find a new ENT. I mean, COME ON! There should be some kind of scan or test that would figure out that rattling sound. Rattling is not ringing, so I’m guessing it’s not some form of tinnitus. But you deserve a clear answer from someone willing to go the extra mile and give you a proper diagnosis.
Be sure to keep us informed! Like I say, my own odd, distorted speech sounds are pretty much triggered by barometric pressure changes, and there’s no rattling at all. Fingers crossed you get to the bottom of this.
The rattling is occasional.
It just happens out of the blue.
I don’t know if I really care anymore.
As they say it is what it is.
My cynical nature tells me ENT’s aren’t really interested if they can’t sell you hearing aids.
I have Audible aids because my insurance company at the time said they are who we will pay the most to.
My wife said go to Audible.
My aids are fine.
My perceived experience with ENT’s has been they want to sell you new hearing aids to help you. That’s not going to happen. So I think unless it gets regular I’m just going to roll with the punches.
Hi, new here so just reading a few threads. I have this although I describe it as sounding like a Daley ( if you have ever watched Dr Who you will know what I mean). Started after I had micro suction just before the pandemic started, I will never have that again that’s for sure. It comes and goes although I suffer a lot less these days. I am a musician(pro many years ago) and this has more or less ruined my pleasure of listening and playing music. The only thing that helps is to hold my nose and blow out my ears. From research I thought it was was a Eustachian tube problem but the hospital did some tests and said no. As all this happened during the lock downs etc actually getting to see anybody was difficult. I also get rattling in my left ear when I play the piano, it seems the vibrations set it off, I pretty much just try and ignore it these days but as a result I hardly play anymore (which makes me sad).
Sorry to go on, my tale of woe.
What HA’s do you have? I had the same/similar problem with my Phonak V90-UP’s.
(long explaination)
It was a problem from the start, massive amount of reverb. Replaced, rebuilt several times in my first year, then just gave up and dealt with it for the following two years. I got new HA’s last year (Phonak P90-UP’s) and sent the V90’s in for repair as backup. When they came back, they were completely reconstructed (so much damage from sweat), that all setting and programs were deleted.
When they came back and got switched on for the first time (as factory default), the reverb was all gone, until we put my previous setting on, and it was back. So we played (me & Audi). And we think the cause was the ‘SoundRecovery2’ function. Still researching.
I am still waiting for and iCube II to be delivered. So I can upload the current setting and check if I am right.
So, maybe if you have sound recovery of some sort, maybe the shift is causing the reverb for you?
Thanks for your reply. I have Phonek marvels. My description of the effect should read Dalek not Daley lol. Happens with and without aids so it’s my ears, most frustrating thing for me is it started the day I had microsuction , absolutely no issues before that other than the hearing loss of course.