Hearing aids for music?

my work is based, in a large part, on my ability to judge musical instrument sound but i think my hearing loss is starting to effect what i do. there isn’t much loss up to ~2k but by 3k l -55 r -15
4k l -65 r -45
6k l -60 r -45
8k l -55 r -45

does anyone have any recommendations for aids that give very clean sound and that i would be able to adjust myself? i use spectrum analyzers, etc. so i’m fairly comfortable with not too technical, technical issues. i was thinking i could even possibly have different settings adjusted for concert hall simulations, chamber music simulations, etc. any thoughts would be appreciated and thank you in advance.

Hi Tmb, I just joined the forum. One thing I have learned from playing music. The violin. A wondefull instrument!! To pick an hearing aid thats has the most headroom. So sounds stay pure without the aid causeing peak limiting or distortion. SO if it is up to me the louder and less distortion a hearing aid can handle its better for music, just needs to be turned down in the programming to suit your loss. On being able to adjust your self, I would love to beable to do that. In fact right now I am trying to figure out how to get that done also!!

I’m a sound designer/mixer who slowly lost my highs over about 20 years. I just took possession of a pair of Phonak Audeo YES IX aids, and I’m pretty impressed with the sound quality. I thought my career was over, but now I think I can still do some useful work. Also, I’ve been wearing them for two weeks now, and NOBODY HAS NOTICED!

audeos could be more suitable who is has a dead cell region- which isnt your case.
i would strongly look any instrument with extendent bandwith, like the Oticon duals,
or Siemens Pure or Bernaforn Verite or many others…

have your audi set a music program

You may be interested in these articles:

Musicians and hearing aid design
http://www.hearingreview.com/issues/2009-02.asp

Note that you may not be happy with a “music” program set by the audiologist since often these programs “boost the bass” so-to-speak. You may simply want a custom program that turns off noise reduction/speech enhancement etc.

I agree with HA user, see your audiologist; he can make you special programs on your hearing aids to adjust to music. I would also recommend that the hearing aid be digital because the digital aid can actually differentiate between sounds and make them sound more clear.


Best Of Luck
Dunshaw Hearing

I wish I could get the stuff for self programming, I am researching. I am sure it has been tried before.

Heres a question, do any of you know if the input of a hearing aid can handle sounds above 90db? if so how much more? This is a question to which I can find no answer to!!

I don’t think you’ll find an aid that can handle 90 db input. 90 db + your amplification db = ??? db
I would think that would exceed your comfot and safety level. Here is an artical thay you may find particularly interesting.

http://www.hearingreview.com/issues/articles/2008-06_04.asp

i have heard of the digi-k they are suppose to be the best for music right now!! Thank you you guys! it hink your some of the first to understand what I was asking lol!! Also see in playing music and also going to concerts people are exposed to spl levels of up to 120 db spl!! I do agree if your gain on you amp is set to hegh it will flatten out the sound no dynamic range. I do believe that when you start using a hearing aid, you have loss some dynamic range

Need Help with Aids- Wierd music response !!

OK guys, I’ve have Yes IX’s for 2-1/2" weeks now. Original adjustments were ok for speech, but terrible for music. She made adjustments last week, MUCH better. However, here’s the problem. I am an organist at my chuch. When I played the organ this weekend, I got this wierd feedback while I was playing a hymn on a rather full setting. It “chirped” in my ear. I tried to reproduce it later, and found that when I played a simple scale at that same setting, it began to “chirp” at a certain note (C above middle C and above)… It doesn’t “chirp” with every note, but randomly. Any Ideas !!

It’s the feedback manager believing pure notes are feedback. The effect is called ‘entrainment’.

(I’m sure it is discussed here about once a week!)

All suppliers should warm clients of this effect.

It can be cured by turning off the f/b manager in the music program … but then you might get REAL feedback.

My take is that hearing aids are designed to improve speech … it’s a free bonus if they help with music too.

So, lets thinks for moment. if this is price to pay to have open fit (or tulip, even power) or full molud BTE + oclusions and so on - lets music go to hell :D…
Speach is primary…

So point is for music some unconfortable aid… just for that purpose… (even analogue one?)