Understand speech - yes. Sounds good - no

Hearing Aids
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Hi - I’ve got some new hearing aids : Signia Pure Charge and Go 7ix (although I suspect that the brand and model is irrelevant to my questions). I’ve had them for almost a week.

(Two weeks ago I got some new Unitrons which where an upsetting and totally abysmal fail that I returned within a few days.)

The Signias are proving to be helpful, but I am wondering what other peoples experiences are with what their hearing aids actually “sound” like.

I have had “success” in several scenarios which is great. It turns out that my wife has some interesting and useful things to say…I haven’t “heard” everything she has said for a few years, and now I can :wink:

However, the “sound” on my Signias is terrible. Tinny, cheap, nasty, noticeable hiss (especially in quite situations), like the crappiest and cheapest ear buds, or a single small speaker in a transistor radio that everyone’s Grandad used to listen to the sport on a Saturday afternoon…
Streaming/phone calls sound terrible to the point I have turned off this functionality on my phone and tablet…but this was not what I needed hearing aids for anyway, so it’s not a big deal…however, it would have been nice…

My audiologist is of the strong opinion that the role of hearing aids is to help to enhance and understand speech. So, my allegedly fancy and VERY expensive Signia’s are therefore doing the job.

But, I am (among other things) a musician. I know what “good” sounds like. I have spent decades in recording studios with fancy microphones and speakers and headphones and audio processing equipment. And my allegedly fancy and VERY expensive Signia’s do NOT sound good.

I am struggling with the decision to either keep (and pay !) for them, or return them and try something else. I will admit to having high expectations, but the reality is completely underwhelming. I don’t want to pay a large amount of money to be underwhelmed, and so I am overwhelmed.

Do I need to adjust my expectations ? Is my audiologist correct ?

Do your hearing aids sound “good” ?
Or, are they simply a means to helping you to better understand speech ?

Thanks,
SaxMan
(Melbourne, Australia)

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Your audiologist can program seperate modes for different settings so you can have best of both worlds. Surprised they didn’t offer this to you.

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Thanks @Tee . :slight_smile:

My audiologist did set up 3 separate listening programs or modes. They all “sound” terrible (but they all help with understanding and enhancing speech).

I recognise now that my hearing will never be what it was. I am interested in what other people perceive as what “good” hearing aids do and sound like.

Thanks,
SaxMan

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If you had an abysmal failure with the first brand and model, and on this second brand and model you are not satisfied, try a third! A fourth if need be. Did you go to a private audiologist? A government clinic audiologist? A second opinion might not do any harm.

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Thanks @AttilaDaPun .

You are, of course, correct.

But, if it turns out that i’ve already got the best that I can possibly expect, then there is no point in seeking alternatives. And therefore I need to reset my expectations.

That’s why I’m interested in if other peoples hearing aids “sound good” or not.

If multiple people suggest that yes, their hearing aids sound great, they can hear mids and low frequencies, they can hear warmth in their favourite music, things and situations sound “normal”, and they can hear flatulent mosquitoes from 15 miles away, then I will summon the strength and seek alternative hearing aids and opinions.

If multiple people say no, their hearing aids are just a means to an end, are an over priced tool with which they can hear and understand their friends and loved ones, and speech is enhanced but ultimately it sounds “bad” then I will probably sigh heavily and accept what I’ve got.

Thanks,
SaxMan

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Perhaps put your audiogram up?

You need to consider that what you consider ‘normal’ to be and perhaps if you’ve been living in your own bubble of ‘warm’ sounding mids and low sounds without equally accentuating the highs. When these are reapplied by the hearing aid algorithm to improve your speech understanding, the aids sound ‘tinny’. Unfortunately it’s likely that you need the tinny.

Get the app/iPhone menu to control the output a little and persevere with the Audiologist settings, perhaps in a slightly turned down version.

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As a hearing aid wearer for checks notes 35 years, I’ve had a bunch of variable experiences which I think are all down to how good the audiologist was at the time. I tend to program my own now as I have a better understanding of what I want and need. My current ones (Phonak Nadia L50 SP) are probably the best I’ve had, although I did love my Oticon Xeeds. There are still some things that the Phonaks mess with a bit, dogs barking for example still sound like someone bashing a metal spoon on a pan :joy: but mostly I’ve got them how I want for speech and daily wear, with specific settings for music, loud environments and cinema. I have found that sometimes how I like them to sound doesn’t always match what my audiogram says they should sound like, and that’s my pesky brain refusing to adjust. But there is an adjustment period too, up to six months for some people (sorry!) so it’s always worth persevering with smaller things as long as overall you’re getting a good benefit. For me, it’s about quality of life and what they give me. TL:DR you don’t have to settle for them sounding awful but you should expect some slight differences for a while until your brain readjusts.

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How do you know you have the best?

There are many other hearing aid brands to try and even a new audiologist might be able to program them better.

Hearing aid is 10% and how the audiologist programs them is the other 90%.

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I should also probably mention that for too long I resisted getting the super powerful ones that I needed because of how big and bulky they were. Which meant I was wearing aids that simply could not do what I needed them to do. That was a mistake. Getting ones with more oomph meant there was more room to play and better chance of getting them sounding right. If you’re “maxed out” with your current aids you might be hitting your limits even though they seem to be doing a good job.

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Welcome to the forum Saxman. I have the same Signia aids as yourself and I find them to be very good. I am an amateur musician, clarinet mainly but have played sax, and I’m also an audiophile so am used to good sound reproduction. You don’t say how long you have been wearing aids and haven’t published your audiogram so is this your first experience of them? If so it is common to be overwhelmed at first by hearing high frequencies that you haven’t heard perhaps for several years. If this is the case your brain will gradually get used to this and adjust to this new normality. Depending on the severity of your hearing loss your audiologist might have set the aids to transpose the higher frequencies to lower ones so that they are within your hearing range. This is, of course, unacceptable for music and a music program/mode needs to avoid this strategy. Also if you are a relatively new user of aids they are usually set to introduce the high frequencies gradually over a few weeks to give your brain time to adjust. You say you miss the low and middle frequencies. This is partly due to them being overwhelmed by the high frequencies you haven’t been hearing for some time and your brain will gradually adjust to this but also the tiny speakers of the aids are not able to boost these very low sounds. Hope that helps.

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Only trying 2 brands makes me doubt “the best” is what you are wearing, but even the absolute best hearing aids (not always based on price, by the way) cannot help if the settings are not what you need. Part of the tinniness and hiss in my initial settings, which is not usually the final setting, was simply the default volume being too high. I took care of that through the manufacturer’s app for hearing aid wearers, and the hiss diminished quite a bit. I also was able to use the app to make some adjustments to various sound properties in the programs the audiologist had loaded, and save the adjusted ones as new programs. Then she loaded those adjustments into the initial programs, increased the bass settings so I could hear low notes better, changed to a slightly more occluded type of dome, and did an REM. First settings are just the beginning. Don’t be convinced you have to accept the 1st, or 2nd, or… brand and model of hearing aids you’re offered. Don’t give up on those flatulent mosquitoes just yet!

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By the way, many people are fond of Costco, because their in-store hearing aid centers have high-end hearing aids (rebranded specifically for Costco) by the leading manufacturers at very appealing prices, with a 6 month trial period. I have read that they don’t work with insurance - but the prices I’ve seen online are often less than what a co-pay cost would be with insurance. I have no affiliation with Costco, not even a membership, but if my insurance didn’t cover audiology or hearing aids at all, I’d give them a try. Might be worthwhile if there’s one near you at all.

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I think seeing your Audiogram would really help here, and do you use domes or molds?

If your loss is severe, there may be some pitch shifting going on. Pitch shifting is used to help speech AND reduce chances of feedback?

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How something “sounds” is going to change over time as you get used to it. You’ve been missing highs for quite some time and it has become “normal.” Give yourself some time to get used to the “new normal.”

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If you don’t mind sharing, how much will they charge you to keep the Signia pair you are trialing? Solely for the purpose of seeing if there’s a less expensive alternative that might work for you. I’m not a salesman. You can message privately if you prefer, or tell me to MMOB.

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Thank you @Um_bongo - you have raised a very valid point. 7 of the 5 voices in my head are agreeing with you that perhaps my warm bubble, being devoid of trebles, was a comfortable place to be. Now that it is being hit with new sounds I may need to get used to it. :saxophone:

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Thanks @Zebras - by “the best”, I meant “as best as the current model and setup for my hearing can be”. I have only just realised that the audiologist has such a big influence.
I am questioning out loud at what point to stop trying and testing……how does a person know when they have the right brand, the right model, the right audiologist, and the right settings/configuration ? Is there suddenly a holy moly Batman wow moment ?

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Unfortunately you’re right @Tee - powerful and oomph is what is required, but this comes with a price tag.

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Thank you so much @JohnA . I’ve had hearing aids for about 12 years, but since I started working from home about two years ago I pretty much stopped using them after realising that they weren’t doing much for me anyway.
“Overwhelmed” both auditorily and mentally is correct.
Yes, you have helped, thank you. :pray:

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Interesting @Tee . Six months adjustment period isn’t something I had contemplated. Bouncing between several makes/models and their associated multiple configurations sounds like a nightmare for both me and probably several audiologists.

How do you do that ? I would LOVE to do that !! :hear_with_hearing_aid:

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