Are any hearing aids good for streaming in a noisy environment?

[knodalyte]

I have a new pair of TruHearing/Signia AX 7 ITC hearing aids, and so far, I have been disappointed in their performance when I am trying to listen to podcasts while walking the dog along a busy street.

Besides the issues of Bluetooth dropping unless I carry my phone in my chest pocket, the real issue is that I cannot turn the volume up enough so that I can still hear the podcasts when a car or truck goes by. The audiologist said the HAs would automatically adjust when ambient noise increased, but that does not seem to be happening. Maybe she needs to tweak or enable some feature. I think she did the bare minimum in configuring them, and I do have a followup appointment in a couple weeks.

Are any HAs actually decent at this?

[tenkan]

@knodalyte

the real issue is that I cannot turn the volume up enough so that I can still hear the podcasts when a car or truck goes by. The audiologist said the HAs would automatically adjust

Yeah a really annoying situation but easily fixed, you can ask to them set manually and turn auto off, the microphone can be attenuated to suit your situation.

[hass5744]

The phonak app allows you to adjust background noise while streaming. Of course you need to own phonak aids.

[flashb1024]

@knodalyte

I have a new pair of TruHearing/Signia AX 7 ITC hearing aids, and so far, I have been disappointed in their performance when I am trying to listen to podcasts while walking the dog along a busy street.

As @tenkan replied, have your audi set them manually, and I would add to ask how to enable the Mute function, which will turn off the mics, and quiet that outside noise down.

[Zebras]

@hass5744

You can’t access the App when on a phone call tho………

[hass5744]

He specifically asked about, when streaming. Just trying to answer the ops question without judging the app

[Zebras]

@hass5744

He specifically asked about, when streaming.

Streaming is both music / audio and phone calls.

[hass5744]

He we go again. He said streaming podcast when out walking . Not phone calls. Why can’t we just help people instead of getting involved in this nitpicking. Zebra. I have the utmost respect for you and your contributions on this forum, but the op was very specific about his request. Any suggestions made should then be looked into by the op to see if they solve his problems. Contributors getting into this kind of discussion is one of the major complaints filed by some about how threads on this forum go off on a tangent and are useless to the op. I made a suggestion and now I move on.

[HitFactor]

Starkey Evolv has the Thrive app. In the app I can specify what the HAs should do while streaming. The settings are “No Change”, “Decrease”, and “Mute”. Normally I set it to mute.

If I enter a noisy environment (wind, traffic, machines, etc.) I’ll switch to streaming mode by starting the music player on my phone. This turns off the external mics and plays some classic rock. Works well for me.

Regarding the phone and BT signal dropping. The phone plays a big roll in that, it’s not all about the HAs. I traded up from a samsung s21 5g to a Pixel 7 and BT is not a problem any longer. There are several threads about BT that you can search up.

[sterei]

@HitFactor

The phone plays a big roll in that, it’s not all about the HAs

Agreed, I also made a comparision:

Range of resound omnia vs previous generation

This test is a joke. Instead of putting the HA in his own ears, he makes a big show with this dummy called Chris. The “meter” only shows if the sound is still being received. He uses a normal phone as a source with a direct line of sight. We can all do this ourselves, without a meter. In the free field, the biggest problem is that the signal cannot be reflected anywhere. In addition, our body is a big obstacle because it additionally attenuates the signal. My own findings with my Phonak Para…

[hass5744]

Paul Winchell had two dummies. Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smith. Knucklehead Smith sounds like a perfect candidate for this.

[stevek1959]

I have the same level AX 7. Only difference is I have the RIC type. I use a power dome which for the most part, keep outside sounds from “leaking” in. In other words, all sound comes from the hearing aid. I had tried a closed dome which allows some some external noise. What I noticed is that while streaming music, the clarity with the power domes is incredible. As an FYI, i previously had a pair of Truhearing CIC that I absolutely hated. Way to much feedback and just really noisy sound. I switched audi’s and when I walked in to her office, she could hear the feedback. Personally I think the custom mold was a bad fit. That audi wanted nothing to do with Truhearing (she no longer carries them). So make sure you’ve got a good fit. I’m only 3 weeks in with the new aids but love the “noisy environmen” setting. Went to a kids basketball game and I could hear the person next to me as well as the refs calls - perfect. The bluetooth for the phone part is flaky - keeps disconnecting and most of the time isn’t their for the phone call. I had the audi turn up the gain slightly and she sharpened the mid range on my second visit. My insurance allows for unlimited visits for 1 year so I’ll keep tweaking them as long as necessary. So far lovin the aids.

[HitFactor]

@hass5744

Paul Winchell had two dummies. Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smith. Knucklehead Smith sounds like a perfect candidate for this.

I don’t get it, what is this about?

[astrohip]

I think there are two different issues at play in your problem (which I have had, and now solved!). And your solution is going to be determined by your HA’s capabilities (along with a good audie).

The first issue is the ratio of BT streaming vs mic input. The default for me was 50-50. This was waay too much outside noise for me. I prefer 90-10

The second is the ability to MUTE outside noise.

I have Phonaks (one HA, one AB CI). I use the AB app (which can also control my Phonak Link HA). When I stream podcasts/music, the first thing I do is move the streaming/mic ratio slider over to about 90%. This works well, and outside noises are reduced to a minimum. Yet I can still hear ambient noises, which can be handy in many situations (eg, grocery store, someone yelling “coming thru, move aside”).

When I’m in a setting where I don’t need any outside feedback, in addition to the 90% setting, I will also tap the Mute button. That removes almost all outside noise, by turning off the mics. Now I’m drowning in my music (which is a good thing!).

Hope this helps.

[mystuart]

This situation is when the new class of wireless ear buds excels–think Air Pods–although now there are new brands coming out every week, it seems. Many of then are terrific solutions for many hearing needs. Lots of people who are experiencing hearing loss would do just fine with modern/streaming ear buds, never mind the more-expensive ‘hearing aids’. I’m still delighted with my Bose Hearphones (wired) after 3 years. Unfortunately, they are no longer manufactured, although they do show up for resale on eBay. Many ear buds feature ‘noise-cancelling’.

[prodigyplace]

@mystuart

Air Pods

On an iPhone you can set AirPods to adjust for your audiogram.

[mystuart]

Thanks for this add-on!
I wonder if the noise-cancelling kicks in on top of that, so you’d get excellent help hearing, plus the diminuition of external noise when it happens? I imagine so. I wish some Air-Pod (and other ear bud) owners would weigh in on this Forum and give us the benefit of their experiences!

[prodigyplace]

@mystuart

I wish some Air-Pod (and other ear bud) owners would weigh in on this Forum and give us the benefit of their experiences!

AirPod Pro 2 as hearing device

Has anyone seen a review of how the Apple AirPod Pro 2nd generation work as hearing devices? I have profound high frequency hearing loss and didn’t really notice any benefit to loading up my individual audiogram for use with the AirPod Pro 1st gen. Wondering if it’s worth trying 2nd gen.

[cvkemp]

I mute my hearing aids microphones then stream my audiobook or music and even phone calls at times

[mystuart]

Here you go-- How to Set Up your Apple Airpods Pro as Hearing Aids: Guide and Review 2023 - YouTube