What Brand Of Hearing Aids Are Audiophiles Using?

Hmmm....I went to Costco.  Tried a pair of Phillips walking around the store for over an hour.  They were horrendous....it sounded like I was in a futuristic science fiction movie.  I later went to another audiologist and and actually purchased a pair of Widex Moment 440 hearing aids, incidentally retail priced at $9800!!!....thank God for insurance and other discounts off of retail.  I am literally on my 2nd day of wearing these.  Now understand I own a $150k home 2-ch system and it sounds damn musical to my old ears without the Widex.  Putting the Widex in my ears now gives me the equivalent of $899 all-in-one system you might buy at Big Lots.  So far, music absolutely sounds better WITHOUT the hearing aids.  While I do understand speech in conversations and TV dialog better, the Widex (so far) do nothing in making music more enjoyable.  I have a 60 day trial period on the Widex aids and we'll see how this experiment turns out.

Hearing loss is usually so gradual that by the time we perceive the loss, it is usually pretty significant. What people are perceiving as unnatural is probably what they were hearing when their hearing was good.

My brother-in-law got some expensive aids and refuses to wear them because he hears sounds like gravel crunching under his shoes when walking. We tend to forget what good hearing is.

I was involved in a university sponsored hearing study several years ago and received a free set of aids at the end of the study. Although nowhere near high end what I learned from the study was more useful than the instruments. Don't be too quick to judge new hearing aids. You may very well be hearing what you used to hear when you were in your prime! Best to do your research and try to get something with a trial period and returnable if they don't work for you.

if you get a reputable, established provider, they will let you demo them for a few weeks before buying…so, there’s really nothing to lose except maybe the cost of appts.

There are many types and degrees of hearing loss…but I’m hear to tell you my hearing aids sound wonderful and even add sorely missed sense of air (I was missing some high frequencies and things were beginning to sound really flat before the Oticons). It truly is a new era of listening for me. Something I’m fortunate and grateful for…

Like anything else, you get what you pay for.

@stereo5 pm me if you’d like to know more about my experience…otherwise, good luck.

I see the OP is from a few years ago, but I use Oticon OPN1 for behind the ear and Widex Moment 440 for in-ear...