Can an audiophile be satisfied with music streaming sound quality from a hearing aid?

[al11]

Starting this thread to share experiences with enhancing hearing aids to achieve satisfying sound quality from streaming music sources such as Tidal, Amazon Music, etc that come from high quality sources such as digital audio players (DACs) and smartphones with USB DAC dongles.
My experience has been very rewarding and surprising. I have Phonak L90s with ActiveVent receivers and custom Ti molds. When typical familiar tracks that I use for reference comparisons are streamed thru my HAs the sound quality closely approaches the best I hear from several high quality totally wireless earbuds (TWS) that I have (Bowers & Wilkins PI7; Apple AirPods Pro 2; Fiio UTWS5 (with Fiio FH-9), Nuratrue Pro (With nura BT 5.3 Audio Transmitter).

Please share your thoughts and experiences.

[z10user2]

I get frustrated listening to familiar music. My memory says hey wait a minute where’s that piece of sound that I’m sure I remember should be there. I ask the able-hearing spouse and they say yup I hear it. Sigh. Or even subtle sound overlays where I primarily hear what’s going on but there’s another sound that was there from memory.
My thought is that as we lose more and more of our hearing that we spend more and more on external technology to try to keep up with the loss. I think that’s a losing battle.

2 examples: Beatles Day in the Life after the first crescendo just before Paul comes in there’s an alarm bell. Gone. Or Boston Smokin’ in the middle instrumental section where my memory says there should be kind of a springy sound. Gone.
If I blast the volume I think I can pick up the alarm. That springy sound I don’t know what to do.

[cvkemp]

I have completed given up on listening to music. I can somewhat enjoy to piano, drums and guitar. But don’t add singing to it then it is just garbage.

[flashb1024]

@z10user2

2 examples: Beatles Day in the Life after the first crescendo just before Paul comes in there’s an alarm bell. Gone. Or Boston Smokin’ in the middle instrumental section where my memory says there should be kind of a springy sound. Gone.

Not really a B’s fan, but I’m guessing both those sounds are in or around that 3k dip in your audiogram.
You may want to have your audi add more gain in that range in your Music Program.

Streaming from amazon UHD tracks is not really doable with HA’s or streamers, they only use the SBC codec with android.
When LE Audio becomes reality, we’ll see some improvement.

When I wish to hear detail, and fidelity I either use my Sennheiser over ear cans with my HAs on, or for walking about, my Etymotic IEMs. WIRED!!

[z10user2]

Yes probably. I wonder if those sounds are in those frequencies.
I ripped all my cd’s to flac and then out to mp3 variable rate for the sd card for my phone music player. I don’t stream.
I did “copy” a bunch of others where I already have the vinyl or 8-track or cassette. I otherwise have no other “copies”.
But at the end of the day I really actually rarely listen to music like I used to due to the frustration. New stuff can be enjoyable since I wouldn’t know what I might be missing.

[flashb1024]

@z10user2

I wonder if those sounds are in those frequencies.

One way would be to use a Frequency Analyzer app on your phone.
Or play the section for your audi, and ask them. At that time, you could have adjustments made.

I ripped my entire vinyl and reel to reel collection to WAV, and copied to VBR MP3 as well.
Now we have great streaming service, and my physical collection gathers dust!

[z10user2]

I guess I should have said I don’t stream from online sources. But yes I can listen to the player “streaming” to the HA’s. Certainly not out of the tinny little things they call speakers in a phone.

For the subject line - HA’s can’t do low bass and high frequencies let alone your own ears being able to. Low bass can be nice fill out the bottom end and high frequencies are generally just harmonics of the “normally” heard frequencies so are we missing that much…

[al11]

I would like to add some additional experimentation I am doing utilizing a DAC streaming source (Sony Walkman 707) with USB-C patch cable to the Roger One. The One wireless output to the L90 HAs is stated as: “Roger offers a comprehensive audio frequency bandwidth from 200 Hz to 7300 Hz. The internal signal-to-noise ratio of the system is approximately 55 dB”. I find the range of signal is much greater than bluetooth. Sound quality is quite impressive.

[al11]

The bass I experience is quite substantially boosted by increasing streaming programs (BT and Roger) 10db higher below 1K.

[michael1]

I tried the Beatles, I can hear the alarm but not loud.
Paradise naida 30 up with full moulds from Samsung tablet, utube source.
Perhaps you could try an adjustment.

[huck]

Streaming music from the internet can be a ‘hit and miss’ situation, as far as music quality is concerned,for example,I use a Bluesound NODE to stream wirelessly from Amazon Unlimited,plus Radio Paradise and I have listened to maybe close to maybe 1000 tracks since I bought my streamer one year ago and have ‘wittled’ those 1000 tracks to just 110 so far that have IMHO,some descent sound quality.
When I was searching for HA’s I checked around and first I trialed Widex Moment 330RIC,then Phonak Audeo Paradise 90 RIC,then went to and stayed with the Widex Moment 440’s RIC and my music has never sounded better!
I can mute the HA’s while music is playing and I am surprised how much of the top-end of the music I am missing,even though I knew my upper range was gone,being able to actually hear the difference
while listening makes me appreciate the HA’s even more.Huck

[al11]

I also enjoy listening to Radio Paradise (MQA) and Amazon Unlimited tracks from the Bluesound Node 130. Nice to have their curated streams to mix it up from your most familiar tracks.

[Reginald]

HAs use SBC codec, for energy efficiency, which is the worst one currently, arguably. It’s 16kHz at 16 bit with my Signias. So high quality sources are useless.
I’m quite satisfied with the sound though, the bass is lacking ( I know it could improved) but they’re very detailed, sound locality is amazing, and voices sound great. Also, they last forever and I keep forgetting that I’m wearing them.
LE Audio and LC3 codec should change things for the better.

[astrohip]

Yes. Streaming. Not from speakers.

I am bi-modal, CI one side, HA the other. Listening to music from speakers (AKA “thru the air”) was a distinctly unpleasant experience. I had to turn the volume waaay up and still wasn’t getting much of it. I only listened to music I knew from “before”, since new music was indecipherable, just a bunch of noise.

Then I started streaming, phone to ears. It’s like someone lifted a curtain. Music is crisp, clear, I hear nuances I hadn’t heard in decades. I can actually distinguish individual instruments.

I now stream all the time. I listen to new music all the time. A whole new world!

[al11]

Besides the basic speech recognition improvements that we get from HAs this music enjoyment is a substantial, great benefit that was not expected.

It is my hope that many folks can now say: “I now stream all the time. I listen to new music all the time. A whole new world!”

[RexMac66]

Hearing Aids low frequency sound will be attenuated, particularly if the HA has open domes.
You can probably notice the bass response improve markedly if you put your fingers in your ears!
This is because the HA is creating pressure in the space, rather than pushing air in a large space like a speaker has to.
One option open to apple users is to enter your audiogram into the iPhone, and use good quality headphones, that way the iPhone will automatically correct the frequency response for all sources.

[d_Wooluf]

@RexMac66

One option open to apple users is to enter your audiogram into the iPhone, and use good quality headphones, that way the iPhone will automatically correct the frequency response for all sources.

Don’t think so. Hearing accommodations only works for some Airpods.

[SOL]

Here is the complete list of headphones that work with it Customize headphone audio levels on your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

[tony2]

Seems that this is the right crowd to source for beginner advice on streaming audio quality.
Is there a possibility that some of you could start a new thread on quality HA audio for Newbs?
I’m close to my first hear of HA use, with Jabra Enhance Pro & M&RIE. The sound quality is particularly poor from the Resound Streamer 2.

Surely there are many here who have tried multiple audi fit adjustments but can’t quite get even a moderate level of sound accuracy for music & movies. Some guidance on the basics would be very much appreciated!

[philbob57]

I worked with an audi at Costco. She said she had a couple of users who liked the M&RIE, but most of the people who tried it didn’t like it. I know I didn’t. I live the streamer, which allows me to actually hearing what is said; I no longer need closed caption, unless the speaker has a non-standard accent. TOSLink from my TV to an receiver is just not as clear as HDMI.

What’s your frame of reference for sound form TV and music? Mine is live blues, bluegrass, and orchestra, and an analog hifi system that is not modern, so I don’t expect much from streaming to HAs, but I’m in a small minority - I like natural, not boomy, bass.