There is a huge distinction between the two technologies. Earphones/earbuds stream sounds from a pre-recorded source and then aim to eliminate ALL other external sounds. Hearing Aids (regardless if in an earbud format or not) does the exact opposite, which is to amplify ALL external sounds (to varying degree based on one’s hearing loss) to match normal hearing. They’re like apples and oranges in how they compare. Where the line gets blured is when you stream recorded sounds via the Hearing Aids, hence turning them into hill-fitted-for-the-purpose earphones, especially open domes fittings.
I have to add my update. The end of June this year I received my Oticon INTENT1 aids from the VA. The INTENT1 aids have changed my life to the best I have known in over 20 years. I am understanding conversations the best that I have since before my hearing got bad enough that I knew I needed help. I am also enjoying music again for the first time since my 20s and 30s. I am able to go to lectures and meetings with confidence that I am going to understand what is being said. I have been to several concerts and enjoying them. And the really amazing thing is that don’t need any other programs just my default general one. I feel like I have been given back my hearing that I actually lost some where around 40 years ago.
@DaveL
The real reason is I have an amazing audiologist that has gone so much farther to ensure that my aids are set as best possible for my hearing needs. And it isn’t just me he has done it for but every veteran that comes to him for help, and is willing to put their own efforts into the process of hearing to the best they can possibly hear. Hearing aids are only as good as the partnership between the patient and the audiologist.
It sadens me to read so many people posting complaints about their hearing aids when they should be complaining to their audiologist or better yet taking time to actually communicate with their audiologist bout their issues with hearing, and then when it is deserved complementing the audiologist for doing a great job.
Phonak Audeo Paradise P90R’s. Charger and both aids were replaced by Phonak
Hearing Well Matters has put 5.0 Power Receivers with good wax guards and vented domes and sports locks. They’ve made adjustments to the aids.
I’ve made an appointment for a full hearing test on October 10th. Doing a reality check. For now my Audiogram is current
I need to see my Brother in Ottawa. Check out what’s happening. He is schizophrenic. I would have had the hearing test sooner otherwise. I’ll drive to see him. I’m his principal care giver. And we are last two members of our family.
By then I shall be 78. He is 69.
Truly appreciate your values and help. Your patients are very lucky.
Don’t understand why this title has persisted, and with so many contributors, none/few of whom agree with the challenging title? Why are we here? I guess it is provocative!!
I totally disagree hearing aids aren’t really the problem the problem is that way too many audiologist don’t do their jobs properly. The other problem is that most patients either don’t communicate their issues correctly to the audiologist or they have expectations that are completely out of line to what hearing aids are designed to do. I have been wearing aids for 20 years, in the beginning I had no idea of what to expect, but I did my due diligence and found out the history of hearing aids and also learned about my hearing loss and what I should expect. I also learned how to explain myself and my hearing needs to my audiologist. I learned to respect my audiologist if they did a good effort to fit my aids to me, and praise my audiologist for listening to me. I also have been known to tell a few audiologist that they were a lousy customer service person. Hearing aids are wonderful aids for hearing loss, but they are called aids for a reason, they can’t replace our normal hearing.
Well, among the leading brands, I think most are reputable. Other than that, it’s true that there are scads of HAs out there, most of which we’ve not seen or tried. Some are surely fly by night and not worth their cost. But the major brands are reputable, including those sold at Costco for much less than Main Street audiologists charge.
Earbuds (I’ve got Sony, Bose and Apple) are designed to take some pre-recorded and mixed sound and play it back with high fidelity. They can have multiple drivers for different bands to try to overcome the limitations of individual driver sizes.
These days the earbuds offer a microphone to pass through external audio to either the drivers, the Bluetooth connection or to be used to create “anti-noise” for noise cancellation.
Hearing aids on the other hand are designed to capture external sound, amplify specific frequency bands and pass this through to a tiny driver, that for most, is positioned with your ear canal. The batteries on these (I’ve only used the rechargeable) last significantly longer than most earbuds. Newer hearing aids now offer Bluetooth streaming and selective cancellation of external noise to allow other external noise (speech) to be amplified.
During my varied career I’ve used some discrete “earbuds” that had drivers of a similar size to the RIC receivers I use with my Phonak Lumity. There was no comparison in sound quality, the wired “earbuds” were sh… very poor quality compared to the Phonak receivers, but they were only designed to pass the spoken word from security radios, not provide the concert hall experience I expect from good quality music earbuds.
Different tools for different jobs (but these days with some blurring around the edges).
I’ve just been inflating the tyres on our ancient Volvo (14 years and counting) using an electric pump (rather noisy, especially when placed on gravel) and I could barely hear the audiobook (human compatible) streaming off my watch, but when I adjusted the ambient noise slider in the myPhonak app, it was perfectly understandable (well, as much as first order logic and ProLog can be).
Hearing aid fitters are not audiologist they don’t have near the amount of education. At the VA clinics I have been to I have only been serviced by full doctors of audiology. But the clinics I had to use before getting in the VA system for my hearing loss had only hearing aid fitters which were very poor at the job in my opinion. The audiologist I have now is also a professor of audiology at the university and the two new audiologists at the VA clinic I go to are graduates of his. They were picked by him to work at the clinic and once he feels they are ready they will be transferred to other VA clinics in the state. My hearing loss case is one of his case studies that he presents for his graduating class each year. He calls it the case of being patient and working for the gold ring. It took 15 appointments for adjustments over a 2 year period to get my aids fitted correctly.
I used to live in London Ontario. University of Western Ontario has an incredible audiology teaching program. However I’m in Toronto. When I had to suddenly find a new Audi it was extremely hard and stressful. I’m grateful for the care I’m getting now.
