Problem with headphones and hearing aids...?

Hearing Aids
#1

Hi…

This is my first post here so go easy on me…

I’ve had a pair of Phonak Virto B-Titanium hearing aids since 2018. They’re still working great.

I use them with over ear noise-cancelling headphones and most of the time they work really well. But sometimes I’ll listen to a song that has a fair bit of high-end frequency and my aids automatically make the sound go really ‘dull’ is the only way I can explain it. They just completely compress the high-end.

If I pause the music for a couple of seconds then restart it, the sound is back to normal for a few seconds until the aids make it sound dull again

It doesn’t happen on every song.

I’ve tried lots of different headphones and it’s the same whatever model I use, noise-cancelling or not. I don’t get the issue listening to music without headphones.

The one song that I know will always trigger this effect is ‘Columbia’ by Oasis.

I have been to my hearing professional who supplied the aids and they didn’t seem to have any idea what to do?

So, I’ve finally ended up here to see if anyone might know what’s causing this and if it can be cured?

I hope someone can help?

Thank you in advance…

#2

Is it possible to add a music program to your aids that don’t filter or compress the sound to your aids. I have a music program and don’t notice and sound compression.

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#3

The aids do have a music program. It kicks in automatically apparently.

The effect, when it happens, is a bit like if you were to throw a blanket over a speaker. It just dulls the sound. Pause it and instantly play again and it’s fine for a few seconds then goes dull again???

#4

That is different from a dedicated music program. My aids have a music setting in the default program to be it doesn’t come close to the dedicated music program.

#5

My aids’ regular program sounds brighter and sharper than their music program, making the music program sound dull by comparison. Maybe that’s what you’re hearing.

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#6

Maybe? Would I need to get the automatic music program disabled? I’m not sure if you can select programs manually? There aren’t any buttons on the aids?

#7

What’s the difference between a music ‘setting’ and a music ‘program’…?

#8

Okay… I’m not sure how a dedicated program would work with my aids or if it’s even possible?

#9

It may not be butnit should be, I have worn aids for 20 years, and in the beginning my aids only had the default program and no volume control. I was in heaven when i got aids with a volume control. And now my aids have as many as size options that i can control. General program has all of the basics and works about 90% of the time, music program for concerts and streaming music to my aids or even using my Bose over the ear headphones, lecture for meets and i do go to lectures at times, t-coils for when i am at our church for the services, TV adapter that streams the TV audio to my aids, and remote microphone for placing on the table at restaurant or in my case clipping to my wife at restaurants so i can her what she says.

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#10

Hopefully one of the Phonak gurus on the forum will be able to suggest a specific fix.

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#11

That is scary!
Your problem is Phonak’s “Autosense” feature settings are causing the aids to treat certain music frequencies as noise, so it attenuates the volume.
Your pro? needs to decrease the sensitivity of Autosense, and also create a manual music program (which is available in the programming software), which will enable you to enjoy your music w/out all the digital processing that goes on in the general Autosense program.
Take that info to your pro? :slight_smile:

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#12

You don’t post your audiogram so I have no idea what kind of high frequency loss you have, and you also didn’t say whether you have closed domes (or custom molds), or open or vented domes. But it’s possible that what you’re experiencing is a feedback situation. Using headphones tend to provide a physical medium for amplified sound that leaks out to bounce back into the hearing aids’ mics again, completing a feedback loop. You didn’t say whether your HAs have a tcoil mode or not, and if yes, whether your HAs are smart enough to kick into the tcoil mode or not. If you’re using Tcoil, and the mics are not activated in this Tcoil program, then it’s not feedback. Otherwise, that’s a distinct possibility.

Instead of hearing a whistling feedback, if your HAs have some kind of feedback suppression to detect and suppress the feedback, usually this suppression is done via a gain reduction until the feedback is gone before the HAs get opened up again.

Another possibility is if the high frequency sounds are loud enough to be considered sudden sounds, in which case, if your HAs have some kind of sudden sound suppression feature, that might also trigger the suppression, then the aids are opened up again, only to detect and suppress the sudden sounds gain in a vicious cycle.

Those are just hunches. I’m a bit surprised to hear that your HCP didn’t know what to make of it, to be honest. But those are 2 more possibilities to explore and eliminate as culprits.

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#13

I’d like to thank everyone who has contributed to this thread so far. You’re all very understanding and very helpful.

I have an appointment with the audiologist tomorrow. It’s the senior audiologist, so hopefully we’ll get somewhere this time?

I will update the thread accordingly.

Thanks again…

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#14

Hey all…

I’ve seen my audiologist today and she’s cured this issue.

The issue was exactly as @flashb1024 described. She immediately knew what the problem was and put it right. Listening to music through my headphones now on the dedicated program she created is nothing short of astonishing.

I want to thank everyone again who contributed here and pointed me in the right direction.

Much appreciated…

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#16

That’s great news!!
Enjoy your tunes, and thanks for the f/up.

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