Hi Guys
I would be interested to know if there are any hearing aids that are especially good at handling music in clubs as opposed to music via tv/stereo/ipod.
Sometimes a go to bars or salsa and it would be good if i could hear the tunes better.
Most hearing aids now come with multiple programs. One of the programs can be set up specifically for music, it will usually give you a richer fuller sound. It can also be further tweeked to add more bass or treble as you desire. But keep in mind that the louder fuller sound may hinder your ability to then hear conversations.
Most aids are not good at this part. With streaming, the aids and wireless/Bluetooth devices are designed for clarifying speech. The components are too small to render music with any kind of good fidelity. Music can sound horrible streamed through aids.
Yes, outside of streaming, digital aids can be set for an optional music program which helps but perhaps more to suppress the feedback that aids can otherwise generate with certain musical tones than the music program helps with otherwise rendering the music per se.
Usually in clubs, most of which are cranking the music at 90+dB, though, many users would take OFF their aids and insert earplugs–I would, for sure, but my loss is only mild-to-moderate (and I’m wearing earplugs to try and limit it to that). In a quiet club, aids might be worn to hear conversation more than the music, generally. Your mileage may vary depending on your audiogram and needs.
If you had a hearing aid with multi memory capability, you could have a program designed to resolve the music better. It could be set nice and low so that the sound is not too much for you. When you leave the club, you switch back to your regular memory.
I my opinion, Widex is much better the Oticon in music, so I suggest you to try Widex.
Also, find an audiologist who can make real-ear measurement (REM). Any sharp peaks or dips in the response of the hearing aids will make music much less enjoyable. This can be fixed with REM only.
Another thing to consider is that if you are spending a lot of time in clubs where the music is blasting you may be doing further damage to your already damaged hearing.
The best aid for music in night clubs is hearing protection. The sound level in clubs is usually loud enough to be damaging.
Jeff
PS. I’m being serious. In the past, one of the things I measured as an industrial hygienist was sound levels. A county fire marshal once asked me to investigate night clubs in his jurisdiction. Not good!