Like lots of people, I have word recognition issues. It recently occurred to me that I have zero issues with word recognition while listening to audiobooks – despite differences in gender, pitch, accents.
Similarly, I would rather have a phone call streamed to my ears than to listen to my phone without streaming. And a lot of forum members use TV streaming.
In layman’s terms, what accounts for the different experience?
Proximity, clarity and lack of competing noise.
Studio mic recordings are also mixed for the best speech balance and audibility.
I have a Phonak tv streamer. The quality of sound is amazing using my Paradise P90R’s
I have real issues with word recognition using these hearing aids as they are set up. They are 3 years old.
It’s been really stressful trying to hear for 3 years. Each day is very tiring trying to understand what’s being said.
I’ve wondered how the streamer works so well, yet word recognition is so bad with the Paradise P90R’s.
When sound travels through air, it weakens as it spreads out. This dissipation causes a decrease in volume and clarity over distance. Higher frequencies (important for understanding speech sounds like “s,” “f,” and “t”) dissipate more quickly than lower frequencies. This means that by the time the sound reaches your ears from a phone speaker, TV, or a conversation across the room, it’s lost some of its sharpness and detail. Streaming eliminates this. Also, assistive listening systems in public venues and remote mics do this as well.
In addition to the informative comments above about studio mic recordings and sound dissipation through the air you are also relying on the hearing aid mics to faithfully reproduce the sound reaching them when you are listening to the “real world.”
With streaming or phone calls direct to your hearing aids, the hearing aids only have to playback the digital audio source reaching them and the (likely less than optimal) small mics in the hearing aids are removed the equation.
Very helpful – thank you everyone! Dissipation makes sense. And the mic comment makes sense, too. In line with um_bongo’s comment, and I hadn’t thought about that.
Re public venues, find one that has the t-coil (loop) and you won’t believe how great you hear. Need the coil in your hearing aids also. Need to ask for the coil in aids; not all models offer it. No extra charge for it! Don’t believe when you’re told that it’s old tech & not used any more - bluetooth better. Not so. there’s a place for BT, etc. AND the coil too. Try it & you’ll want it everywhere you go. There’s even a portable one which works great but you need that coil in your HAs. Even land lines still have it! I love it.
I agree about T-coils. Amazing experience. Unfortunately there aren’t many venues around here that have them. I’ve only found one, and I don’t go there often. Last time, it wasn’t working (don’t know if they removed it or just didn’t maintain it). Decided to use that ‘slot’ on my HAs for another program. They’ve been badly promoted in this country.
What country are you in? that’s something we all need to make a lot of noise about. it works and it’s great. Have to keep asking for it. Here in the US, the folks in Oregon have managed to have it installed in many, many places; counters, court rooms, etc. Many states have become aware and have mandated coil be installed in public new construction and major renovation. We have to keep talking about it!
How are T-coils in public places and streaming related?
T-coils would improve word recognition.
I don’t have them; I am frustrated I don’t.
USA — Massachusetts. I had the experience of discovering how amazing telecoils and loops can be when I was at a church service, zoning out cuz I couldn’t understand the sermon, idly fiddling with my HAs, when I inadvertently clicked on my Telecoil program and heard the minister’s voice so clearly that it could have been God himself.
I became a bit of an evangelist, to extend the metaphor, looking up venues, encouraging various organizations to install them. Very little interest. People think it’s cheaper and easier to hand out FM transmitters. I’ve never used one —they gross me out.
I’ve tried the transmitters & didn’t work well. The coil is by far the greatest. First time I accidently used it at a church, I thought God gave me a miracle for attending this person’s funeral! Then we walked out of the church & it was back to not hearing well! If you have a landline, those phones usually have a coil in them too. People need to try it to believe it. If more people kept requesting the coil, it would become more widespread. Some states & a large part of Europe, require coils/loops in new construction/major rennovation. It can easily be done in many places, on counters, etc. at not that much cost. Problem is audiologists/mrfs don’t promote it or even mention it. It’s a shame. They give ridiculous answers as to why they don’t: it’s old tech, it’s too expensive, it makes the HA too large, etc. Yes it’s very old tech but it works better than anything else & is still being used & it’s still the best! I have a portable loop to take to dr. apts, use at counters, etc. We need to make a lot of “noise” about it & keep asking for it & promoting whenever we can. Audiologists need to have their office looped (or at least a portable one) & a set of aids for people to try. Once someone tries it, they’ll want it and want to find it in more places, like theaters, etc. I could go on and on, but you’ve experienced it & so you know how great it is!
That’s something I’m not able to answer. I don’t do much streaming because the word recognition, etc. when streaming is really not the best for me with my hearing aids. However, the T-coil is perfect. If you don’t know if you have the coil in your HAs, you can ask your audiologist and, if you do, have him/her turn it on. If you don’t, it cannot be added after the fact. From what I’ve found out and from personal experience,adding a coil to hearing aids is not an additional expense like bluetooth is. My 1st aids, the audi added it w/o telling me. When I experienced it by accident in church, it was miraculous. From then on, I’ve always made sure the coil is in my aids. I’ve so far trialed 2 other brands and now have K10s (Phonak from Costco). Every time I make sure the coil is in the aid & turned on. I use it w/my landline. We need to keep asking for it. Don’t believe the negatives. A church can coil a group of pews without any dismantling of carpeting, tiles, etc. Same with a theater; just do a group of seats! Counters in dr. offices, at grocery stores, just coil that counter! Sorry to go on and on. I love the system!
They basically both involve putting a mic on the speaker to reduce distance effects. Remote mic can work well too.
Yes, T-coils are sometimes installed in churches, auditoriums , theaters and telephones.
But how are they related to streaming?
T coils – I"ve always wanted them.
I was grossed out when my dispensing audi handed me my Phonak Audeo Paradise P90R’s. He told me he would try and get them for me because I had almost been hit 3 times on construction sites. Workman’s comp.
I was grateful I got high end hearing aids; wc doesn’t provide top models. He got them somehow and got them early. That’s a miracle.
But they had no T-coils.
And they had rechargeable batteries without enough capacity.
Finally, they had the worlds smallest wax guards. I used them 3 years and I never had the skill to get them in right.
End result–they never worked right. And T-coils would have made them better.
Hi Dave, odd but I have no issues with the wax guards, and when I was about to upgrade my Ha’s, looked into the specs, and I could not connect to my portables house phones at home like the Compilot did, so I made sure I had the coils on my P70’s, but Bluetooth to my cell is still the best. BTW after having these for 18 months, I had to change one speaker covered by the warranty, it just stated to fade out half way during the day. Called my Audi and had it done in 2 days.
I’m afraid the small waxguards were a deal breaker for me. I complained many times.
I’m happy that Phonak made the new 5.0 receiver available for my P90’s. I have 2 new Power Receivers that are the new 5.0 variety. I’m very happy!
Stepping back in time, when I first went to my dispensing audi many people here said he was just looking for more money providing me with new hearing aids. They thought he should jsut set up my old ones
He was a very polite man; he spent lots of time with me. I’m grateful for his work.
Back to word recognition…I still have issues 3 years later with word recognition. I was 3 feet from 2 colleages today. I couldn’t understand what they said because of noise about 15 feet away–a hand cart being pushed by on a ceramic tile floor.
I think my problems would be solved if I could find an audi who is a Phonak Audeo Paradise P90 setup expert here in Mississauga or Oakville.
Certainly not a ‘dumb question’! Here in UK, only occasionally are loops actually working. And even if they are, too often the microphone is pinned to the ceiling and picks up a poor version of the performance whether solo lecturer or an orchestra. When well installed, and what a joy when they are, there should be a direct feed to the venue’s loop amplifier from any mic/s that are actually on stage and close to performers.
As for newer tech: The celebrated play ‘Warhorse’ came to a major venue in Devon.
I checked first, do you have a hearing loop? Oh yes, they said. Well, it was in fact a Sennheiser system using infra-red to link stage sound to a pickup box plus headphones they proudly handed to me and my partner. Her device batteries were flat, but she coped.
I tried my set and it was indeed delivering a solid version of the stage dialogue… but the headphones were of a type that will not drive a telecoil. Essential - because without my HA boost my hearing is too muffled. So instead of what would have been perfect hearing, I had to wear the cans over my hearing aids, switched to normal mic. Far from ideal, because of extraneous noises plus the echo of the PA speakers.
Yes, coils forever - plus good backstage technique!