Have you tried Lucid hearing aids offered at Sam’s Clubs? Disclosure: I am an HIS at a Sam’s Club.
Lucid aids use a totally different algorithm than any other aid of which I’m aware. Whereas other aids use WDRC (Wide Dynamic Range Compression), Lucid aids use ADRO (Adaptive Dynamic Range Optimization). The explanation of the differences between the two is the perfect cure for insomnia, but in short, instead of compressing sound to fit a specific sound “picture”, ADRO uses fuzzy logic to optimize output in each frequency linearly. In fact, ADRO is used to some extent in cochlear implants.
I have worked with both WDRC and ADRO. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the feedback from patients who have worn both and love ADRO. Granted, that is anecdotal, but it won’t hurt giving it a shot. A top-of-the-line pair of 128 channel hearing aids at Sam’s runs about $4800. You won’t be able to have a trial run with them, however, as Sam’s is not going to let ANYthing leave the club without it being paid for. That being said, you get a 90 day, no quibble, 100% money back guarantee.
Not trying to advertise. I’m just giving you facts as to what to expect.
One other thing that Lucid does that I didn’t experience anywhere else is a part of the fitting process called Loudness Balance. It essentially takes the place of REM. What happens is a “first fit” is applied to the hearing aids. Then, the specialist plays a tone at 1.5Hz. You are asked if that tone is a comfortable volume to you, or is it too loud, or too muffled. After that, tones are played at 2k, 3k, 4k, and 6k with the goal of adjusting the volume to equal that of the first tone played. If you are wearing an occluded fit, you will also repeat the process going down the frequency ladder. It’s kind of a cool concept in that it combines verification with validation, giving comfortable, even sound across the sound spectrum. If nothing else, the test and fitting cost you nothing. Trying a whole new algorithm that uses more linear adjustments vs. compression, might give you the sound your looking for.
I hope this helps.