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!