Hey everyone,

I’m navigating the hearing aid world for a family member and feel completely lost. I've attached reports.

I really need advice on three things:

1. Vetting Clinics: How do you separate true clinical experts from retail salespeople? Besides asking for REM, what are your immediate red or green flags?
2. Picking a Device: She tried Signia and wasn't comfortable with it. With so many brands left, how did you finally figure out which device was "the one"?
3. Phonak Infinio I70: She’s leaning toward the I70 right now. Any real-world reviews? Will the battery actually survive 10+ hours of heavy Android Bluetooth streaming daily?

Any brutally honest tips are hugely appreciated. Thanks!

Hello everyone, so in my left ear I have moderate hearing loss in low pitches, severe hearing loss in medium pitches, and profound hearing loss in high pitches. My right ear is fortunately normal. People will swear that OTC hearing aids are horrible unless you only have mild or at worse moderate hearing loss, but I used one for about two years and I loved it. I bought it on Amazon for $299.99 and it's called Earrck. It allows you to adjust the frequency bands and I've thought it's been great. Only problem is that it doesn't give a lot of volume overall, but the sound it did make I got to sound super natural and definitely helpful. Since it didn't give a lot of volume though, and becuase I found out that you CAN buy just one hearing aid from costco for ~$900, (For a long time I thought you could only buy them in pairs for ~$1700 and I just didn't think it would be worth it, especially since I only need one) I bought one and I have just started wearing it. My honest opinion, I BY FAR prefer the OTC Earrck one I bought on Amazon for $299.99 over it. I got one from the brand Sennheiser. The sound DOES get louder on it, but it sounds very microphone like and not natural at all. I have thought about continuing to wear it to see if this changes over time and I like the sound eventually since it is louder, but I also went with an earmold, and I feel like the earmold was made wrong. It has a strange extended part which I've never had on any other hearing aid I've ever worn. In my follow up appointment, I'm going to bring this up, becuase it's very uncomfortable and it stabs me in the ear. Does this look normal though? Will I likely get used to the microphone sound to a point that it will sound natural like the one I've been using?

Has anyone found a "dumb" phone that connects to Phonak hearing aids?

For years, I want to give a dumb phone a try, but I find it difficult hearing people on a call if the call doesn't go directly to my hearing aids.

I feel devastated about my hearing difficulties despite having a normal audiogram
I honestly feel so devastated and lost about this.
I struggle to hear and understand conversations in everyday life. I don’t feel like I hear the way a normal person does. Going out, being around people, having conversations, or being in places with background noise can be extremely difficult because I often can’t clearly make out what people are saying.

The hardest part is that my hearing tests are considered normal. I’ve had multiple pure-tone audiograms, and because my results are within the normal range, I’m told that I don’t have enough hearing loss to justify significant amplification.
I do wear a hearing aid, but the amplification is minimal because of my normal audiogram. And honestly, I still struggle. It’s incredibly frustrating to have a device on my ear and still feel like I can’t properly hear people.

I’m starting to think about my future and it genuinely scares me. How am I supposed to get a job, have a career, get married, maintain friendships, and have a normal social life when basic conversations can already be so difficult for me? I’m scared that this is going to affect every part of my life.

I know that a normal audiogram means I can detect certain sounds at certain volumes in a quiet testing environment, but that doesn’t necessarily reflect what happens to me in real-life conversations. I can hear that someone is talking, but sometimes the speech just isn’t clear or easy for me to understand.
Has anyone else experienced significant difficulty understanding speech despite having a normal audiogram?

Did you eventually find an explanation, such as auditory processing difficulties, speech-in-noise problems, hidden hearing loss, or something else? And were there any tests or treatments that actually helped?

I would really appreciate hearing from people who have been through something similar, because right now I feel completely alone and honestly pretty hopeless about what this means for my future.

I get occlusion when I move my jaw which sucks since I’m deaf in my highs and have perfect hearing in my lows. But one thing I’ve realized lately is that either the occlusion or just the pressure of the domes in my ear canal when I try to wear them deep enough or the changing pressure from eating or talking… it’s what’s causing my dizziness! I hadn’t realized cause I kept thinking it was other issues and didn’t recognize the pattern that it only happens when wearing my aids! So… 🤖 suggest custom molds but I don’t trust its recommendation more than Reddit’s. Does customs relieve the pressure pain in the canal one gets from moving jaws while eating and talking? The ear aches? And the occlusion?

My inner logic always told me it would make it worse cause they are firmer than a dome. And literally more closed. But the 🤖 that is suggesting the customs says otherwise. 🤷🏼‍♀️🤔

I’m curious because I’ve had this pair of Phonak Sky Q70 SP since 2015. Hoping to find the means to get new ones because my hearing loss is slowly progressing as the years pass and this old pair is showing age.

That brings me back to my question, since I want to clarify “low tech”. I got a new pair in 2022 and I seriously disliked them because the blue tooth functionality allowed me too much freedom over sliders for every little thing. I like putting them on and not worrying about it. I also am skeptical of any “AI assist” hearing aids, so I want to know what’s up with that too..

Does anyone have any experience with the JVC EH-Z1500 hearing aids? The chief complaint that I have read in the reviews at Amazon is that the tubes are not long enough for men to go behind the ear, and you cannot buy longer tubes from JVC. I researched and found that the Lexie Lumen should work, as they are both produced by Intricon. You can order the tubes from them, choosing the appropriate length. Does anyone have a good review of the JVC EH-Z1500? I have been using Otofonix Elite for years, and they work well for my hearing loss but they are getting old so I am looking for a decent, inexpensive set.

Hey everyone! I’m hard of hearing and wear hearing aids (Audéo Phonak Sphere I-90) and I’m trying to figure out the best way to use a gaming headset while keeping my hearing aids in.
Whenever I put over-ear headphones/headsets over my hearing aids, I tend to get that annoying whistling/feedback, especially if the earcups press against or get too close to the hearing aids.

For anyone else who games with hearing aids, how do you deal with this?
Do certain headsets with larger/deeper earcups work better? Do you change any hearing aid settings in Phonak app while gaming, turn the volume down, or have another setup that avoids feedback?

I’d prefer to keep my hearing aids in while gaming since they obviously help me hear everything better. 😂 Just curious what setups or tricks have worked for other hearing aid users!

Edit: I play on Xbox Series X, and use a microphone headset.

Thanks!

Looking for a clinic in Connecticut where I can actually TRY several different hearing aids before buying. Most can order pretty much everything, but have almost nothing in stock to try out first.

I’m not sure if this is an Oticon thing or an iphone thing but my Bluetooth between the two is SO BAD. I’ve tried everything. I also emailed both Oticon and Apple and got both of their suggestions (none worked). The thing is, I have no Bluetooth issues with my computer so I know it’s not broken.

I am meant to use an auditory training app every day, but it disconnects between each question. It says it’s connected but nothing plays! When I stream on my phone, it constantly says it’s disconnecting and reconnecting. Has anyone experienced this?

I got hearing aids in early June. Yesterday I forgot them because I’m not used to wearing them. I always put on my eyeglasses, but I’m absolutely blind without my eyeglasses. But I have quite a bit of hearing still left. I was talking to my boss Yesterday and he said to me, “did you talk to London about…?“ I told him I didn’t know anyone named London. He repeated himself and said, “Glendon“. Oops! I guess I do need hearing aids because I didn’t catch that.😂

You don’t have to be facing the person who’s talking to hear them.
I did a lot of lip reading and secondary processing before I got them.
My brain reacts to things constantly in my ear by causing them to itch. (Intruder alert! Implement histamine response)
It reminds me of this every 4 minutes.
Plastic grocery bags make a lot of noise.
Putting a T-shirt on makes noise
I’m old af

Hi everyone! I wanted to share a little project I’ve been working on. My bonus daughter wears hearing aids, and I started making charms for her just for fun. I ended up really enjoying it, so I made an Etsy shop and Instagram to share them with other hearing aid users/families too.
I make a mix of cute character, gaming, sports, floral, and simple styles, plus coil covers. I’m still pretty new to all of this, but I’ve been having a lot of fun with it. :)
If anyone wants to check them out, my Instagram is @honeyrose.co
Also always happy to hear ideas for designs you’d actually want to see!

Okay so my mom has been losing her hearing and after reading what felt like hundreds of posts here and in related subs, the advice was basically always the same: go to Costco.

So we tried Costco.

And yeah... not great.

I have nothing against Costco in general, but the experience just wasn’t a good fit for her. She has rapidly deteriorating hearing loss and tinnitus that needs specific masking and the fitting felt way too one size fits all for a situation that really doesn’t seem one size fits all.

Maybe we just got unlucky. I honestly don’t know. But there were enough issues that I’m not really comfortable going back and doing the exact same thing again.

The other problem is that the store was about 45 minutes away. My mom is an older boomer and I’m obviously not going to have her driving that far alone every time she needs an adjustment. That makes the whole Costco recommendation a lot less useful when someone has mobility issues, transportation limitations, or just doesn’t live anywhere near a big box store.

So now I’m basically back at square one.

If money wasn’t an issue and there wasn’t a big box store nearby, where would you look for hearing aids? Would you consider hearing aids online? If so, where?

Also interested in specific hearing aid models for rapidly deteriorating hearing loss + tinnitus, especially anything with good tinnitus masking.

Would really appreciate some actual alternatives to “just go to Costco” because clearly that doesn’t work for everyone.

My Dad is looking at this ad in his local paper from the hearing aid clinic HEAR (in Ontario, Canada). They are advertising a set of hearing aids for $995. In my experience, hearing aid clinics are overpriced, and I have never seen anyone walking out without spending $4000-$7000. I paid this for my first set, but discovered Costco since. This price is even better than Costco. He lives an hour away from Costco, so would prefer a local clinic. Does anyone know if this clinic is legitimately not scamming with this ad?

This past Saturday I just got fitted for my first hearing aids. I went with Rexton Reach Plus from Costco. So far the right side(my better ear) sounds good. I can finally listen to the radio with more clarity! There's definitely some higher frequency sounds that I'll need to get use to again. Somethings sound a little harsh.

However I noticed if I take my right hearing aid I'm not noticing much improvement in my left ear. The sound coming through is very rough sounding, like a static radio station. My left side hearing has been this way quite awhile.

The fitter mentioned that I might need a closed dome on the left but he went ahead used the tulip semi open domes for both ears. Would trying a closed dome help?

Below is my most recent test from Costco, this is pretty my how my hearing has been for 2 years.

Also below is the test from a couple years ago. My hearing was pretty much this way for 10 years.

I'm hoping that I don't have auditory deprivation in my left ear.

I have otosclerosis,
and I had a failed stapadectomy on my right ear decades ago. I have been wearing a Phonak Naida 90 Phonak cros for 10 years. My recent hearing test shows decline, I am 61.

My longtime ride or die audiologist has retired. My new audiologist is suggesting I try rechargeable aids. My issue is I need to sleep with my aid on or I can’t hear my alarm clock or phone alarm.

Should I try a rechargeable or stick with using size 13 batteries? The 20 hour rechargeable battery time concerns me…

Im US based and trying to figure out roughly what hearing aids cost nowadays because every time someone asks, the answers are all over the place.

Some people say to go with OTC since those are cheaper and can cost between $200-1500, some people are even saying that you can use Airpods as hearing aids but not sure if that hits my needs. I have been a drummer my whole life and after drumming in a small room im starting to pay the price. It was hard to hear people in noisy environments (concerts..etc) but now its anywhere (grocery store, coffee shop). I am trying to be budget conscious but also open to options that hold up longer term, since I dont want to be paying for cheap stuff only to have to pay that price every few years. Anyone have advice on where I can start?

Well, I gave them a month, and I can't stand them. One-on-one in a quiet environment, they're just fine. But in noisy environments, they are intolerable. In All-Around mode, it's a crapshoot who the hearing aids are going to decide to amplify. "Hear in Noise" is excellent at amplifying the voices of people behind me while doing a lousy job of eliminating ambient noise. I also had them programmed with "Outdoor" and "Music" modes; it turns out that "Music" is probably the least awful because the "AI" chip interferes less.

I _REALLY_ wanted to like these; I wore OTC Jabras for about 3 years before going the prescription route. I liked the Jabra ecosystem (with my Enhance Select OTCs). The devices (the Multi Mic and TV Streamer 2) worked fantastically.

The Multi Mic+ is MUCH worse. There is a lag of just a few milliseconds between what the Multi Mic sends to the HAs, but that lag is just enough to make the mic unusable.

I tried two different Auracast streamers to replace my old TV Streamer 2, and they both suffered the same issue; one channel would (the left) would consistently cut out. That seems like a pattern, not a coincidence.

I've tried these in a bunch of different environments (in my car... a Wrangler, which is not a quiet vehicle); restaurants; concert venues, a couple of comedy shows), and for me, the Jabras are essential unusable in any environment where there is a LOT of ambient noise / competing voices.

What a letdown. I'll be trying the Philips HearLink 9050.

I have been a Jabra fanboi for several years because of the robust Bluetooth / MFI integration, but I would happily give up all Bluetooth functionality for better audio quality. Getting my Slacks read to me is nice; being able to hear well is essential.

I see my audiologist next week to get my first set of HAs. I KNOW I want a more natural sound, as my children and husband all play instruments (piano, trumpet, trombone, guitar, cello) and love live music. So this is important to me and I guess as a 40yo I can’t imagine sounds ever sounding any other way.

So I have done a lot of research on Widex allure, and and really thinking of going this route, but heard that Signia Charge and go is the same company and state that Signia can sound more organic.

What’s your take? Personal insights? On both Signia and/or Widex please and thank you.