I have worn hearing aids for many years. I’ve usually had RICs, but I’m now using Widex Moment BTEs. They help a great deal with understanding speech. However, listening to live classical music is a problem because the sound is often distorted. Do you have any suggestions?
–Steve
I’m a music lover. I was always unhappy with music, regardless of aid or even implant.
Until… I discovered streaming. The difference was night and day. I went from having to turn it way up just to hear it, to being able to hear almost all the range and detail of the music, at any volume.
I suggest you try streaming from {some device} directly to your devices. In my case, it’s Bluetooth streaming, and I put the music I want to hear on my phone, and then stream from that.
As an aside, I was never able to listen to podcasts before. Just couldn’t understand enough of the talking. Now I listen to them all the time. With almost perfect comprehension.
Good luck!
Hi, thanks for the advice about streaming. I had more in mind live concerts or musicals. My hearing aids work pretty well in the theater for speech, a lot better than the loops they give out. Sometimes I can even telecoil my aids in with the theater loop and hear the actors well enough if not perfectly. Thank goodness movies are now almost all captioned.
The problem for me is live music. I can hear it loud enough with my hearing aids, but there is generally a lot of distortion, even with the so-called “music program.” Any suggestions?
–Steven
Same issue. Live music is a challenge. It’s like a wall of sound coming at me, with little ability to hear details.
Here is a nice analysis of the Widex Moments and their behaviour with respect to music:
https://audioxpress.com/article/fresh-from-the-bench-widex-moment-mric-rd-hearing-aid
From this I decided that the Music program was not worth having and I removed it from my Widex Moment RIC hearing aids.
I take my hearing aids out when I listen to either recorded or live music as I consider they detract from the music rather than enhance it.
My listening to recorded music is done via headphones and an old Sony CD Walkman which has a built-in parametric equaliser that I adjust to provide some compensation for my hearing loss.
Try these settings in your music program.
Hope this helps.
Cool!
Thanks I’ve noticed how good my tv streamer is
If they can get that right why don’t my hearing aids play music as well?
I hope you’re wearing custom molds with that loss.
I’d suggest you go to your audi, and take some hi res music files, and good over ear headphones.
Have your audi fine tune that music program till it sounds good.
Make sure the feedback manager is off, as well as any speech enhancements.
I’m sure Widex is rated at the top for music, so that should help.
When you go to a live concert you should notice an improvement, and it may help to drop the HA volume a click or 2 if too much gain…
Here’s some great info.
Streaming music is not using the HA mics, whereas live or recorded music not streamed does, indeed use the mics.
In that case, the same info I suggested to Steve would apply to your case.
The music programme is great for me, and I use it as the default. This works for just about every normal situation… except live music. This is whether I’m watching a gig, or playing in it.
The volume levels are just too high for them to cope, and if the settings were altered for it, they wouldn’t be right for every day situations. Having earmoulds in my P90s and M70s doesn’t help either, as very little natural sound gets in, so the higher frequencies are distorted and sound false. My much older Spice+ (2015) with closed domes (2 holes) work best for me, or nothing at all. One of our previous drummers used to laugh: “As the rest of the band put their ear plugs in, you took yours out!” Earplugs are a nightmare, as all I then hear is my Tinnutis.
On another note, any “speech in noise” type programme, just takes a huge amount of top end out of the band, as it must consider the band are background/environmental noise.
Peter
(down to 1 gig a year… if that)
This advice is all so incredible. I have an appointment with my audi tomorrow and I will ask her to implement some of the suggestions in a music program. I’ll let you know.
In response to flashb1024’s comment, I do wear custom molds (attached pic) and they do help, but music remains a problem. BTEs are better for me than RICs. I have tried standard tubes and slim tubes. The standard tubes seem to have an edge. I hope some of the suggested tweaks will help me to hear music better.
–Steve
Thanks for your response.
We have similar audiograms. I think Phonak feedback manager is on in my hearing aids.
I’ve had a rough path. My audi tried to setup my hearing aids for two years, then quit. He suggested I find someone that could help me more. I did. And I can finally hear/ it’s a work in progress.
DaveL
Toronto
Thanks, Dave.
Whom did you find and what did they do? Right now, I usually remove my hearing aids and sit close. In symphonies and opera the sound is usually loud enough for me to hear without my aids and undistorted. Any advice would be very much appreciated.
– Steve.
I suggest you have your audi copy your Music program to a vacant slot, and adjust the gains to a lower level.
Now you’d have a “Live” Music program which you would just switch to at a live event, and a “Default” Music program, for every day use.
Thanks for the feedback on your molds.
Getting your Music program properly set up is key.
Streaming Music will never be as good as music played over the air or live, because of the limits of HA frequency response, but if you have a good seal with your molds, and add a bit of cotton behind them, you will add a measure of “Thump”. Just be sure your audi adjusts the streaming for max bass.
I find, even with my loss using IEMs without my HAs gives me the best musical experience.
With aids, I wear over ear headphones, and listen with decent HiFi speakers.
My molds are well sealed, but also vented to allow in the low freqencies because most of my hearing loss is in the high frequencies. It helps prevent the occlusion effect for my own voice.
I might try plugging the vents when listening to music for a better seal, even that would cut out natural lows. To Flashb1024: What is the “bit of cotton?”
–Steve
@StevenS Tear off a piece of a cotton ball, and fit it in your ear against your earmold to give you a better seal for bass. This is only when streaming…
I am about to get new hearing aids a d didn’t have bluetooth strea ing in my old ones. Everyone talks of the sound quality of the HAs or the program for music. If you a music app with an equalzer, doesn’t it work for HAs? I’m sure it won’t sound as good as earbuds (closed dome?).
I’m sending you a pm…I hope that’s ok.
Basic setup was awful. New practitioner’s setup fixed it, and I can hear music much better than I did before.
DaveL
Toronto
DaveL
Hi Dave, Of course. Great to hear from you.
Do you have any idea what they did? We do have similar audiograms. It looks like I’m a drop better in the lows and worse in the highs, but basically the same hearing loss in both ears as you have.
I’m seeing my audi today and will share suggestions with her. She is pretty open to trying things.
–Steven
Setup is key.
I can hear music so much better now.
I’ve tried having the music program set as the designated program. However, after trying this, my thought…my hearing aids aren’t “smart” hearing aids anymore. And they would stay in this single program no matter what the environment was.
Summary
Hearing Well Matters (Rob Hamilton) did a Phonak/Target quick fit. He also boosted volume. He set mid and high frequencies higher (don’t know how much). [Reason—I have a government workman’s comp claim. I don’t qualify for new hearing aids for 3 years. Service costs are covered. However, the rate is set by workman’s comp. He took me on but may not be paid for the setup he did. I’m very grateful I’m his client.]
I can hear with this setup. I couldn’t hear before.
I think the audiologist/practitioner is key. I think that they can work real magic if they know what they’re doing.
I love hearing music again!
DaveL
