Hearing Aids?

[Bill Nesbitt]

I had my hearing checked and hearing aids are recommended. I've heard good and bad stories about success. What are your experiences? If you have a hearing aid, would you buy again knowing what you know now?

I have loss in the higher frequencies plus some tinnitus.

[mookman]

No, I paid Two Thousand Five hundred Euros for digital in ear aids with tinnitus blocker,

OK,they sort of work and if I shoot, I can wear them under passive ear defenders.

But the whole getting the the thing set up was a drama , and still is, as the volume buttons go wrong.

Buyer beware........

[Hi-Power Jack]

If you are NOT experiencing any personal problems with your current hearing level,

why bother? Are you .... ?

If you are, mine are fantastic.

I was rejected by the military, during the height of the Vietnam war, because of my

hearing loss - at 21 years old.

And, my hearing has become Much Worse over the past 50 years ...

When I re-started shooting 10 years ago, I didn't wear my aid to the range,

thinking it was an oxymoron to increase my hearing and wear ear muffs ....

I was wrong - hearing aids act similar to ear muffs - they magnify noise, unless

it's over a certain decibel level, and then the Shut Down - stop some of the

blast coming in.

With regular ear muffs, and my new TWO hearing aids, perfection - I can hear

range commands, conversation and still protect my hearing. Perfect.

[shootingchef]

My rambling thoughts on aids.

I've worn hearing aids for 46 years. I hate them more and more every day. New technology makes them better, but the cost is too high and the noise of everyday life is painful, these digital aids are supposed to block out the loud stuff, drown out background sounds, amplify voice sounds,etc...They don't. Road noise alone will make you pull whats left of your hair out.

Wear hearing aids in a walmart or a restaurant and you will never wear them again.

I would have to see your audiogram to tell you if you should bother with aids.

It's natural to lose some hearing as you age.

are they worth the $4,000+ they cost?

do I ever sweat? if so, get "in the canal" aids.

If "she" says you need hearing aids, you probably don't.

while shooting, everyone should be double plugged. Hearing is precious and once it's gone, you really do miss it. That being said, quiet can be a good thing, sometimes.

[D.Hayden]

Go to your local recommend place.. see if they'll let you try them for a week

[Hi-Power Jack]

quiet can be a good thing, sometimes.

I LOVE quiet, most of the time.

But, NOT when my Grandchildren are trying to hold a conversation with me ...

[bountyhunter]

If "she" says you need hearing aids, you probably don't.

Really good point. My wife has the infuriating habit of walking away from me out of a room and then she will mumble somthing just loud enough that she can hear it..... and then she wonders why I can't?

I am 62 so I have some hearing loss as well as horrible tinnitus, but they did the hearing tests on me even using the "distorted" sound on words and I can hear 100% on the tests.

Sometimes women just mumble. I don't know why, but they do.

[bountyhunter]

That being said, quiet can be a good thing, sometimes.

That's the worst thing about tinnitus. You can't believe how much you will miss peace and quiet when you never have it again.

[Tom S.]

I'm in the process of trying out two different brands. One has 16 channels that can be adjusted while the other less expensive one only has 8. So far, I like the less expensive one, and it's not due to cost, as they won't cost me anything. I find the cheaper pair stay in my ear canal better, despite trying different buds for the other set, but they are slightly more difficult to put in, which means it takes me 10 seconds instead of 8. The other thing I noticed about the higher priced set was I couldn't stand to drive with the truck window down because they made the wind noise sound like a hurricane. The cheaper ones don't do that. Perhaps the expensive ones can be tuned not to do that. Last, my daughter says she has noticed I hear her better with the cheap set. That's good and bad. Battery life is the same for both - between 5 and 6 days.

My biggest obstacle is getting used to walking around with something stuck in my ears all the time. Using them while shooting isn't a problem with either passive or electronic muffs. And yes, they do make a difference. I never noticed the tinkling sound of our dog's licenses before, and I can now hear the low tire pressure signal on my truck. I do not experience crowd noise difficulty with either set and in fact, they actually help me hear the people I'm with better.