I am 26 years old and have mixed hearing loss of 55 dB in my right ear. However, the conductive hearing loss is quite minimal as I have undergone tympanoplasty to repair the perforation. In my left ear, I have a 45 dB sensorineural hearing loss with no conductive component since 2015.
I am looking for hearing aids that will provide excellent speech understanding in all environments, including quiet, noisy, and reflective settings. As I am currently enrolled in university in the United Kingdom, I need a hearing aid that will support me in my studies and daily life.
I understand that there are many expert audiologists available, and I would appreciate your recommendations on the best hearing aids for my situation. I want a device that offers the clearest possible sound in all the mentioned environments. I am not concerned about the number of channels—if a hearing aid with fewer than 64 channels provides better clarity than one with 64 channels, I will choose clarity over numbers.
I am open to any brand available in the UK, including Starkey, Oticon, Signia, and Phonak, as well as different types of hearing aids such as BTE, ITC, IIC, and CIC.
I have a lot to accomplish in life, and as a young person with many years ahead, I want to ensure I have the best possible hearing solution. I am truly upset about my current condition, and I am determined to find the most suitable hearing aids to support my future.
I have had hearing aids since 2002. My first set was Siemens which unfortunately never seemed to work well for me. I was 22 at that time and never wore them for over a couple of weeks. My parents paid $2000 back then and coming from a middle class family in India… I even to date feel like kicking myself in the butt. I went without aids for a long period and by god’s grace hit upon Starkey in 2015. This changed my life forever and for the better. The first day I wore them in office it seemed magical that all of a sudden I could hear 1 on 1 conversations so clearly. That’s when I realised what I was missing. I started with Starkey soundlens IIC moved to Muse 2400 IIC and currently contemplating evolv 2400 vs genesis 16 now. Both hearing aids have been solid. I love my muse so much so that I even kiss them once a while. Offlate there is too much hoopla about blutooth and other features which I feel are only wants and not needs. Need and top priority for you should be speech clarity and everything else could be easily ignored. I have worn muse 2400 RIC aswell but never got over the fact that they r visible and I might have used them for a couple of months. Wasted dollars there again.
All in all I am a huge fan of Starkey because it has given me a new lease of life. Having said all this, your audiologist plays a very important role in ensuring you get the best fit and best programmed device. Go to the person who is compassionate, understanding and willing to sit with you analyze your situation and recommend based on what you need.
Try few brands and go with what gives you comfort. But don’t discount Starkey. Definitely give them a try.
All the best! Do let me know how things progress for you.
As said, you should indeed trial various models. What is very relevant here is the skill of your audiologist. In the end I programmed my HAs myself (huge improvement), but you will need some hardware (Naohlink wireless) and software (Target, people here can help) for that.