Hearing Aids

Jabra makes an OTC hearing aid for about $1700 on Amazon. I think the Enhance 300. Apple also makes one now. I have ReSound but they are expensive and the VA pays for them. You are correct, they help immensely.

Widex, Oticon, and Phonak. Are the names that come up on a search. I would not scrimp on this purchase. Think of it like an addition to your system, you most likely wouldn’t be putting a WIIM mini on a McIntosh. 

Get some new hearing aids with a hifi music setting. Costco carries phillips with this feature.

traditional hearing aids are focused on making you understand voices so they are not great for full range sound--like music.

the hifi music setting flattens your frequency response and makes it like you have 20 year old ears again--well, maybe 35.

Jerry

I've worn hearing aids for over 20 years, and had gotten used to spending $8K every 4 years or so for a new set. Last year I heard about the Costco hearing aid department, so I checked it out and got a pair of Jabra hearing aids for $1500; these are not OTC, these are prescription hearing aids, and they're like last year's top of the line, so it's not bargain basement stuff. Costco carries two other lines of hearing aids too, behind-the-ear and in-the-ear, and they're all about $1500/pair. 

I was the OP on a hearing aid forum similar to Audiogon, looking for the best HA for audiophiles. Very interesting observations. Worth the read for hearing aid users. 
https://forum.hearingtracker.com/t/audiophile-hearing-aids/98343/70

I have the Phillips from Costco and the only setting that makes music listenable is the hi Fi setting, but even that is iffy. I was at an opera recently and they were so screechy in the treble that I removed them.

I also don’t like streaming music through these buds. Very distant and muffled sounding. Any set of buds or over the ear headphones sounds infinitely better. And others around me can hear the music, even when fiddling with the dome’s position in the canal.
The Phillips app is pretty limited. Not much customizing potential.

I haven’t found Costco helpful in offering in offering alternatives. I asked repeatedly about Jabra and was told many times they don’t carry them even when I show it on the website.
I should also mention that I had to replace one for each ear due to equipment failures. No charge to me but annoying.

I bought a pair of Jabbra earbuds for around $100 just to get used to the company, and considered getting their more expensive over the counter aids that were mentioned up thread. The buds sound great; when they pair. I use an iPhone and I have to go through the pairing process every time I try use them. Sometimes it doesn’t happen. And when it does happen, you can’t tell it from the Jabbra app; it still shows them as unpaired even when music or speech is coming through. Searches have revealed this to be a common issue with Jabbra buds at all price levels of buds, so it has scared me off of the OTC Hearing Aid.

My Phillips buds are a year and a half old and I am treating this as the next big upgrade . I would be willing to shill out anywhere from 5-10 K if I thought a product was worth it but I haven’t identified one that is. I will be monitoring this thread with interest.

And speaking of hearing aids,  I have a high pitched sound in ears.  Can a hearing aid help with that?

Another thing I'd add is I don't use any kind of 'buds' (besides what goes in my bong!), but I do get custom-molds instead of using the generic domes; only cost about $60 more and well worth it. 

@mahler123 - not all Costcos are the same, as you've found out. Fortunately the one I go to has an audiologist who's been practicing for a few decades, and they've got all the lines and models that are on their website. Looks like your Costco has a dodgy hearing-aids department; if they're not carrying certain lines they should be, you might want to let Costco management know about it. 

Mahler:

We just purchased (4-5 weeks ago) Jabra Enhance Pro 20 Micro aids @ Costco for my wife. 

The Costco is in the Los Angeles area (Los Feliz).

They set them up and have adjusted them once, so far (neither of us have a SmartPhone).

DeKay

The problem is that, aside from Widex, the hearing aid  designers pay no attention at all to the sound of music. As others point out, they are designed only for speech recognition (i.e., focused around  the 2-3 khz region).  One of my friends, who is an engineer who helped design the Lyric, the last great analogue aid (still on the market) confirmed this.  Btw, every other ha on the market is digital.  Most of the advances have been in the software and are focused on noise rejection.

Widex claims that they have improved the latency issue enough that their bte aids are good with music.

   I had Oticon, several generations back, and they were not very good for music.  Sure, snare drums sounded about right again, but the rest of the spectrum was worse.

   Unfortunately, the best aids cost $4-6 k per pair.  Costco's are about 2 levels down from the latest and greatest.

@curiousjim I have found hearing aids help with tinnitus, however not through their tinnitus programs. Some suspect tinnitus is caused by your brain trying to hear ‘better’.
I have pretty constant tinnitus. Many times, my tinnitus goes away with HA use particularly while listening to music.
I then wake up the next morning to tinnitus. Unfortunate, but they can provide temporary relief. YMMV

@lloydc 

so what brands do you recommend for listening to music?

@larsman thats an interesting Costco comment.  I don’t want to cause any issue for the Techs, as I suspect they don’t determine what the store carries, but I will speak to management.

  I have dealt with 2 Audiologists outside of Costco, one of whom is a family friend who works for a private practice , the other at a tertiary care medical center .  They are both in their mid twenties and don’t know diddle about music reproduction.  They both insisted that I buy the hearing aids associated with their practices.  I’d like to find an independent audiologist that gives a hoot about music lovers and who has experience with a variety of different companies.  I could do a Zoom consultation; they could at least see my audiogram and at least discuss different brands.  Heck, considering this is a $5K and up purchase, I could even travel a distance if they are located somewhere worth visiting 

@mahler123 - that's not a bad idea about a Zoom consultation. 

More than a few audiologists are musicians themselves and understand more 'audiophile' needs.

As far as hearing aids being designed only for speech, for most hearing aids, that is just not so. Most any good hearing aid today (audiologist hearing aid, I don't know about the OTC ones) has multiple programs - for speech in noisy settings, speech in quiet settings, music, television, and a number of other options, and you can work with the audiologist on setting up a music (or any other kind of) program that works for you; mine has a 'music' program which also works well for speech on the TV, plus it has an EQ of sorts where I can adjust low, mid, and high frequencies to some extent, and I've found that quite useful. 

I've also got a pair of in-ear hearing aids for headphone listening....

Larsman....what HA do you have?

@signaforce 

Thanks for the reply.  I guess it’s time to see the audiologist again.

@troutbum - I'm currently using the latest Jabra hearing aids from Costco; they were about $1500/pair, plus another $60 or so for custom earmolds. I'm quite happy with them as far as ease of use and sound. 

I am in the market for new aids. Currently demoing current TOL Oticon’s. They are very good & superior to my 4 year old TOL Signia’s. I plan to demo Widex. 
They all have music programs which primarily eliminates noise reduction. Good luck finding an audiophile audiologist. 

@signaforce + 1.  I would be interested to hear your results.  

None of the top hearing aids are domestic products, so wouldn’t they be subject to the new tariffs? 

None of the top hearing aids are domestic products, so wouldn’t they be subject to the new tariffs?

LOL!  

Go to Costco's hearing aid department

Fremer reviewed these TOL Widex Hearing Aids about 4 1/2 years ago.

Interesting read.

https://www.analogplanet.com/content/two-months-widexs-moment-440-mric-r-d-hearing-aids

I’ve using a hearing aid since 2020.  My left ear was damaged by a virus, so it wasn’t just high frequencies I was missing.  It really affected my enjoyment of my system, live music, tv, plays and all conversations. Before wearing it, I got really adept at reading lips.

So, I wore a behind the ear aid until recently.  During my recent visit to my ENT and audiologist, they recommended that I get aids for both ears.  I won’t do the technology justice, but having two devices enables them to talk to one another and make adjustments on the fly for loud restaurants, high ceilings, theaters, concert halls, etc.  I tried them out for 45 days risking only a restocking fee if I walked away.

Well, I haven’t heard this well since my 30’s. I’m 65 now. Everything is crystal clear perfect.  Music details, instruments, whispers in a Broadway theater, etc., were all just perfect.

My test tracks for music were The Rover by Led Zeppelin, Aja by Steely Dan, He Loved Him Madly by Miles Davis, and Yesterday Once More, Aimee Mann’s cover of The Carpenters.  

I had been listening to these tracks for decades, and knew how they should sound.  After my audiologist loaded in my hearing test, she first customized them for speech, then music, and finally live music in a small theater on Broadway, and Madison Square Garden.  I am a happy camper.

The models I went with were Signia’s Silk Charge & Go IX. Cost was $2,000 each, with three years of support and supplies.  A bit pricey, yes, but I couldn’t be any happier.  I also have the ability to adjust volume, tone (sharp to soft), and environment (normal to noisy) on the fly.

Best part besides hearing munch better, it that you really can’t see them.

Good luck.

I currently use a pair of Oticons with 48 channels of equalization. I have had two other generations of hearing aids. These aren’t bad at all for audiophile listening. Now if you don’t know this by now, most technicians use a 6 or 8 point selection to equalize your hearing focusing on speech. If you push them a little, they help extend testing a little to help with music. Now these devices weren’t intended to be used for music and some major adjustments can overload their capabilities. Good luck with your choices.

If one were to stop and think about the possibility of hearing loss or hearing deficiencies and how much that can impact life then obviously getting a proper hearing test and professional guidance should lead to more fulfillment in all facets of life where an individual needs to hear well. School, the workplace, in the car, in the woods walking, understanding a waiter at a restaurant, hearing friends and family, etc. Having this benefit is far more impactful than listening to one’s music system and buying a specific brand or model with that particular purpose in mind. Being able to hear better is the end goal…. in all situations. I am certainly not knocking OTC solutions and DIY options but the fact remains that professional audiologists can give the best testing, accurate adjustments and overall reasonable advice much like a trained physician would do. In my case, hearing damage was done in the military by air defense artillery and field artillery rounds going off while I was too close. There is a narrow band of frequencies I don’t hear well. My hearing aids help with that band. They are not adjusted for me to hear the entire frequency range of my personal stereo setup. But they do help me hear what I am missing in that high middle to low high range. That’s how the hearing aids are adjusted to help with that dip.

I got the Widex Moment hearing aids about a year ago, and I am very happy with them. I found them recommended on a lot of on-line audio forums as well as a few reviews focused on music listening. 

Unfortunately, they are not inexpensive. On the plus side, it was like making a major upgrade to my audio systems. 

The biggest benefit has been that they have helped with my tinnitus. I find that I have more quiet days than noisy days. I'd estimate that I went from 40/60 (quiet/noisy) to 60/40. I also find it easier to listen through to the music on days when the tinnitus is present. But be forewarned, there is no guarantee hearing aids will help your tinnitus, so I consider myself lucky.

A friend has tinnitus, as I do, and found a hearing aid that helped.  So I decided to try the Widex Moment also.  During my hearing test, I found that I had “severe” hearing loss above 3,000 hz in my left ear.  I’ve only had the aid (I only have one and it only addresses frequencies above 3,000 hz) a few weeks but my tinnitus seems to be improving on some days (expectation bias?) although my audiologist said it will take time to improve.

What really surprised me was the soundstage on my system.  Female vocalists are in the center of the soundstage rather than off to the right.  Same with cymbals and other higher-pitched instruments.  The point is that I didn’t realize what I wasn’t hearing.  I wish I had had a hearing test years ago. 

I restored some hearing due to excessive ear wax. MediLisk HEARING RESTORATION SPRAY.....It seems to address the real problem. Just something to try...It works for me.

I have been wearing Oticon hearing aids for close to 20 years.  I've gone thru 3-4 generations, now using the Real 3.  It is not their priciest model, but it works well for me.  I just had my annual audiologist test and I asked the tech to spend some time on modifying the "My Music" setting.  Now they sound just fantastic for my surround sound system.  I wear them all the time and switch to setting 3 whenever I do serious listening.  All settings are available on my i-phone.  

I have a very nice stereo system that has evolved over many years. Music, especially jazz, is a real passion of mine. When my hearing began deteriorating, along with incessant tinnitus, I saw an audiologist. I informed her that music and high-end stereo was important to me and that I was afraid hearing aids would somehow compromise the essence of what I might be listening to, she said that Widex was absolutely the best for music. They were not cheap but they are incredible regarding critical music listening. I am now hearing the full musical spectrum…treble, midrange and bass. If you are a discerning music listener and have hearing issues I absolutely recommend Widex. I was stunned to find out what I had been missing in my music.