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Hearing loss woes and aids?

Moppit

pfm Member
Im sure this pops up as a common theme for many fishes but due to recent chemo and radiotherapy my inner ears have lost significant high frequency response. NHS hearing aids help normal conversation but sadly the HiFi sounds rubbish. I'm missing my Harbeths etc big time.

Has anyone found any success with more esoteric hearing aids? Noticed some from 1500 to £3k ..are they any good. I'm thinking phonak or widex? Alternatively a set of decent headphones with an extreme frequency correction via roon etc, any experience much appreciated
 
Haven't quite got to hearing aids yet but researched for my mother and things are moving on. A lot are available with settings controlled from a phone to adjust frequency response and gain.

A simple ancillary to noise cancelling is enhanced pass through of ambient sound so you can combine phone integration and a directional hearing aid.

With my mother we ended up with a £50 amplifier / mic box connected to earbuds which works better than her old £3k per ear traditional hearing aids.
 
My experience may be apposite to your situation. A few years ago I had my first 'flu jab, but also had a pneumonia one at the same time (aged about 75). Whereas I never had 20-20 hearing, my right ear lost sensitivity immediately upon returning from the surgery; later confirmed by hospital consultants and many private tests as at least 40% down.

I was very concerned at that time for my life-long pleasure of music sessions on my hifi, but somehow, the brain adapted (?) and even today (80+) I still get a kick from my big ESLs/valved kit. More to your point, I found a superb can amp (soooo much better than the Naim Headline I had before) which improved my Senn. 650s no end. I then bought Focal Elears, with a more distinct and transparent presentation and I find myself getting as much pleasure from (moving coil) cans as from my ESLs; different, but equally satisfying. At no time have I been aware of the lower sensitivity in my right ear; strange but I ain't complaining !

I guess my higher frequency hearing doesn't much exist but somehow, this isn't a music appreciation issue as it still seems to be there. Listening to music through further amplification (i.e. h/aids) has always been a no-no for me on principle alone. I've tested £3K aids and NHS ones; there's a heck of a difference, but still haven't got any, despite being referred for them 4 years ago. Can't hear what anybody says on the tennis court, but maybe that's a good thing !!!!

DO investigate quality cans (assuming you can cope with this listening form; not everyone can) and amp; you may be surprised. Don't know Harbeths except by reputation so can't comment on that aspect of frequency loss. Not sure ESLs would be a better solution here, or maybe more up-front, dynamic and higher frequency biased speakers?
 
At my age (64) my hearing is losing some acuity, but for me this is not a problem. I'm not able to hear beyond 10kHz now, but still enjoy live music - what I hear is simply what it is. I don't miss the last octave on top, because it hasn't been part of my listening experience for a long time.

This makes my hi-fi system's job a bit easier, if anything... I wonder what the 20-year-old me would make of my current setup, which he could not have afforded?
 
Has anyone found any success with more esoteric hearing aids?

My deaf drummer friend suggests yes, very much so. You do apparently get what you pay for to a large extent. He’s an extreme case as a) totally deaf in one ear since childhood, and b) a drummer. Still very much enjoys his hi-fi (Gale 401s driven with Conrad Johnson).
 
I presume that it largely depends on your particular condition. My Mum has been deaf for around 50 years. Over the years we have spoken about purchasing expensive hearing aids with a number of her consultants and on each occasion they have manitained that the NHS aids are very high quality and certainly in her case buying anything more expensive would not be beneficial. I suppose the answser is to ask someone who knows and who is unbiased in their reply.
 
I’m on my second set of Phonak, so year 5 of hearing aids. They have been worth every penny to me. The first set took at lot of tweaking with the audiologist, with a lot of back and forth to get them sounding optimal with music, I found the Phonak music program too harsh on the treble. On my current set I find the music program works fine, not needing any fine tuning.

They do take a while at the start for your brain to assimilate. (In hifi we call it burn-in). I could have cried when I first heard music through them and thought I’d have to use DSP, but with encouragement from a forum member on the Naim forum I persevered with the audiologist and got my music back in all its glory again.
Most audiologists here in Ireland give a month’s free trial more or less.
Worth at least trying 2 brands. I preferred Phonak to Widex but they have different approaches so you could find the opposite. A good audiologist is the most important thing and be one that is not tied to one brand.

.sjb
 
My experience may be apposite to your situation. A few years ago I had my first 'flu jab, but also had a pneumonia one at the same time (aged about 75). Whereas I never had 20-20 hearing, my right ear lost sensitivity immediately upon returning from the surgery; later confirmed by hospital consultants and many private tests as at least 40% down.

I was very concerned at that time for my life-long pleasure of music sessions on my hifi, but somehow, the brain adapted (?) and even today (80+) I still get a kick from my big ESLs/valved kit. More to your point, I found a superb can amp (soooo much better than the Naim Headline I had before) which improved my Senn. 650s no end. I then bought Focal Elears, with a more distinct and transparent presentation and I find myself getting as much pleasure from (moving coil) cans as from my ESLs; different, but equally satisfying. At no time have I been aware of the lower sensitivity in my right ear; strange but I ain't complaining !

I guess my higher frequency hearing doesn't much exist but somehow, this isn't a music appreciation issue as it still seems to be there. Listening to music through further amplification (i.e. h/aids) has always been a no-no for me on principle alone. I've tested £3K aids and NHS ones; there's a heck of a difference, but still haven't got any, despite being referred for them 4 years ago. Can't hear what anybody says on the tennis court, but maybe that's a good thing !!!!

DO investigate quality cans (assuming you can cope with this listening form; not everyone can) and amp; you may be surprised. Don't know Harbeths except by reputation so can't comment on that aspect of frequency loss. Not sure ESLs would be a better solution here, or maybe more up-front, dynamic and higher frequency biased speakers?
Its so good to 'hear' this Mike - gives the rest of us hope as we age.
PS. If I'm as sharp as you in my eighties I'll be a happy man.
 
My experience may be apposite to your situation. A few years ago I had my first 'flu jab, but also had a pneumonia one at the same time (aged about 75). Whereas I never had 20-20 hearing, my right ear lost sensitivity immediately upon returning from the surgery; later confirmed by hospital consultants and many private tests as at least 40% down.

I was very concerned at that time for my life-long pleasure of music sessions on my hifi, but somehow, the brain adapted (?) and even today (80+) I still get a kick from my big ESLs/valved kit. More to your point, I found a superb can amp (soooo much better than the Naim Headline I had before) which improved my Senn. 650s no end. I then bought Focal Elears, with a more distinct and transparent presentation and I find myself getting as much pleasure from (moving coil) cans as from my ESLs; different, but equally satisfying. At no time have I been aware of the lower sensitivity in my right ear; strange but I ain't complaining !

I guess my higher frequency hearing doesn't much exist but somehow, this isn't a music appreciation issue as it still seems to be there. Listening to music through further amplification (i.e. h/aids) has always been a no-no for me on principle alone. I've tested £3K aids and NHS ones; there's a heck of a difference, but still haven't got any, despite being referred for them 4 years ago. Can't hear what anybody says on the tennis court, but maybe that's a good thing !!!!

DO investigate quality cans (assuming you can cope with this listening form; not everyone can) and amp; you may be surprised. Don't know Harbeths except by reputation so can't comment on that aspect of frequency loss. Not sure ESLs would be a better solution here, or maybe more up-front, dynamic and higher frequency biased speakers?

What is the superb Can Amp Mike?
 
PS. If I'm as sharp as you in my eighties I'll be a happy man.

Thank you, Darren. Not sure if it's the longevity of the Covid situation or the difficulties in dealing with the the recurrent hassles of life, but I'm a bit blunted nowadays ! Maybe too much tennis !:)

What is the superb Can Amp Mike?

Myryad Z40. Not longer produced, so picked up at bargain price a few years ago. Not only a pre. with 3 ins and an out + 2 x can outs, a standby delay for no signal + class A dual circuit. Previously a Naim Headamp powered by my 552. I did change the pre. to the top EAR, but can't think that had SUCH an effect on s.q.. I guess there are others of similar prowess but with so many facilities? Maybe Beyer at over £600 ?

There are others here who've found the Z40 to be a cut above, too.
 
Moppit
Had hearing aids for about 3 years now, they do not sound good with hi fi, I have had the same system for about 20 years, so it is familiar, Diy ATC 100s with active amps. As said above the brain seems to adapt, or critical faculties diminish perhaps. It has been a gradual process along with some increasing tinnitus. ATC's mid range unit is very good, perhaps a factor?
A sudden hearing loss will be different, I guess, and take much greater adjustment. Despite all that I continue to enjoy a wide range of music, usually in one to two hour sessions. Without hearing aids !
At 83 it might not last for much longer!!!!
Not sure if it is good news for you, as hearing loss is very variable and each have their own expectations.
Hope you find a solution that fits your needs. Cheers
 
Just had hearing tests done yesterday and as I suspected, my R ear has taken another hit. The audiologist said the loss since last test is abnormal (in amount of loss and frequency profile) and requires referral to ENT again. I’m guessing this is a third episode of sudden sensorineural hearing loss but I can’t pinpoint the exact time it happened as I could with the first two episodes because my hearing is already so cumulatively damaged.

When I had my first episode the hospital audiologist said the audiogram was odd and when I told him it had happened suddenly he legged it down the corridor to try to find an ENT consultant.
I had an MRI on previous occasion to rule out a a secondary tumour in my head or an acoustic neuroma at the time so
I’m guessing again there’s not any value in doing another.
 
Has anyone found any success with more esoteric hearing aids? Noticed some from 1500 to £3k ..are they any good. I'm thinking phonak or widex? Alternatively a set of decent headphones with an extreme frequency correction via roon etc, any experience much appreciated

I currently use Phonak aids that I bought privately and also have a pair of Oticon that were NHS prescribed - both sets are IMV a significant step up from the ageing Siemens that I previously had.
Have also acquired various add-ons from both companies to allow remote wireless listening via Bluetooth. Both have phone apps ... and both do a great job when listening to my hifi.

I have tried frequency adjusting headphones from Nura and Even. The Nuraphone (over-ear) and Nuraloop (in-ear) I found less successful - the Nuraphone I found a real pain to wear.
The Even H2 cans I have do a much better job and can be set for each ear independently whereas the Nura simply averages out the listening test result and applies the same EQ curve to both ears - not much good to me as I have a significant left/right difference in response.

https://www.weareeven.com/new-h4-wireless-headphones
 
There was a long thread on The Wam about this a year or so back, with recommendations of £1.5- 3 grand aids. I’ve got an NHS Siemens, but it uses Air batteries- the ones that start depleting as soon as you peel the strip off them, even if you eject them to turn it off. I keep meaning to find out if there are modern battery options,I.e. rechargeable or non air, but I haven’t got round to it in about 5 years or so. My loss is in the speech band, which means it’s hard to follow conversations sometimes, but I do wonder sometimes if I’m missing out on great vocals too!
 
I’ve had mild hearing loss for many years, and have learned to adapt with it. I use the NHS aids for speech and teaching, and they are very acceptable for this. My right ear is the main culprit. My left has worked very well considering the number of grommets I’ve had in both as a teenager. Those ops got me thru my policing career and numerous passes of hearing tests.

I use custom made in ears for usual listening. UE5’s to be precise. They block out a lot of outside noise, and seem very accurate. I have a pair of very good Grados, and Beyers for when my right ear is having a good day. This happens more often than not these days due to a bit of self-medication and care with valsalva movement(popping ones ears - agreed with the consultant btw).

When I had my moulds done for my in-ears, a very good chat with the audiologist suggested that once my ears get past a certain stage, to try Widex - he said they were a big step up from NHS supplied Phonax ones - and you can have them for a trial period. You can also Bluetooth the sound to them from your iPhone! Cool.
 
I’ve just had NHS hearing aids (Oticon) fitted and I’m very impressed.
My hearing started to diminish after a viral respiratory infection that hit me really hard 5 years ago, along with my sense of taste and smell. I’d hoped it would improve and I think it has a bit but finally decided I needed to go down the audiology route in the last year and inevitably with COVID it’s taken a while.
Just stuck Kind Of Blue on and I’ve realised what I’ve been missing! High frequency was my issue. I can hear hi-hats!
My own voice sounds ridiculously loud but apparently my brain will calm that down after a while.
On the whole…this is a good thing.
 
My hearing has calmed down a little ie my right ear is maintaining good pressure and working for much longer periods. The perforation seems to have healed, allowing this to happen. I’m also being very much more careful with volumes, having very steadily lowered the listening volumes over a period of time, to get my ears working. I still use hearing aids for when socialising and in class, but for music listening and one to one conversations I can now get away without them.

The best result of this ‘retraining’ is my piano sounds much cleaner, and I can pick up the nuances when playing. My Phonac’s are not good with piano music, which is apparently a good test of the sibilance which can be created with some hearing aids.
 
Im sure this pops up as a common theme for many fishes but due to recent chemo and radiotherapy my inner ears have lost significant high frequency response. NHS hearing aids help normal conversation but sadly the HiFi sounds rubbish.

It’s not fair to have endured chemo and radiotherapy only then to have diminished aural faculties. Is there any possibility of your hearing returning?
 


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