As my hearing slips away and normal aids are less useful , I am looking at a build my own solution.
The basic model will be a set of nr heaphones with good passive nr, the head band will carry an array of forward facing directional mikes and a signal processor/amplifier
This is the easy bit and with active nc circuits and simple sound processing should let me hear in noise.
I don’t care at all about walking around in headphones as long as I can hear.
I then need to find someone to build me a sophisticated circuit that uses A1 to pick speech by pattern matching and distance. I want jen (my siri) to tell me what voices are available and ask me which voices I want to follow. Mostly I will say follow a set 3m radius… that will get me all the voices at the table.
This seems fairly simple science in todays world.
Would you wear headphones instead of invisible aids if you received almost clean clear speech in noise ?
No not all the time. While my aids aren’t invisible they are comfortable and never in the way. I also wear hats and baseball caps.
Nope. A Phonak Roger On is a handheld or tabletop microphone with directional beamforming and when set up correctly (mute the hearing aid mics, back to the noise when possible) work better than anything I’ve had. It can work with hearing aids or CI that have a tcoil, or with Phonak aids. I can hear everyone at my table about as well as they can. You can also walk around and discreetly point it at who you want to hear.
Maybe signals and systems too. Good feedback control system theory there. ( not the bad kind, but signaling to control amplification and other processes)
WH
I am kidding myself reading up on the tech, will have to find someone to build it for me.
Option b is to reduce my socialisation to o , grow a long beard and find a cave…
I have had a roger in for years, it is quite useful in low noise environments and gets lots of attention sitting in the middle of the table on it upturned wine glass. As soon as the room noise builds it does the same as the aids and amplifies garbage.
You can try phone apps with earbuds. They have apps that already boost voices to help with hearing.
Exactly. I don’t mind wearing bulky headphones.
I am really interested in your project.
How is it going?
Your Roger In is apparently not adjusted correctly by your hearing care provider. NoiseBlock needs to be in the “Strong” area. With my Roger In, in table mode, controlling sound directions with the My Roger app, i get my table loud and clear.
The A option might be a cochlear implant. Medicare, Advantage plans, and most other plans pay for them.