Hearing aid question

I have been using hearing aids for a number of years now. The first two pairs I had were just awful! They were Costco's best and Phonak. I have Widex now and they are absolutely the best. Recommended by musicians. But you need a good audiologist who is willing to work with you. Make sure they understand that you want to listen to music, not just tweeked for voice. 

Eric . . . this is NOT a gag or a joke. For $12.98 on eBay you can buy “Earglasses” . . incredible. Sit in front of your tv or sound system. Cup your hands behind your ears . . . difference is beyond belief !  Depth and clarity are incredible improved. We should have dog ears !  Earglasses are decidedly not for public use but at home they would be amazing. Full disclosure, I do not own Earglasses but often sit with my hands cupped behind my ears . . . and envy dog hearing ! 

After a long career as a symphony trombonist and an equally long period as a recording engineer I finally realized that the high end of my hearing spectrum was less than optimal.  Fortunately, I was a VET and was able to work with my VA audiology clinic to address the problem.  Believe me, I was VERY reluctant to admit the problem but very glad that I did.  My audiologist at the VA was one of the most cheerful persons I've ever had the pleasure of meeting ---- BUT ---- what really made me super comfortable with him was when I noticed that his tie tac was a miniature saxophone !   A fellow musician !!   Surely, it turned out that he was a saxophonist and we connected immediately on what my major concerns were in regards to a musical outcome for my remediation.  He delivered on every aspect of my concern.   He chose "Oticon" devices [as "Timkeogh" mentioned] and made sure that if they didn't fulfill my requirements that I could return them and choose others if I wasn't satisfied with the result.  Thusfar, they have far exceeded my expectations despite the fact that I HATE have anything in my ears.  Earbuds are the most annoying devices I've ever experienced !   When my sax/audio-guy explained that your ears are not the part that is most required to adapt, but that your brain IS, it put me on a much more focused path towards accepting the adjustments required for a successful outcome.  I realize that the 8K price of these devices might turn away a lot of folks, but if you are anywhere near being considered as an audiophile, the cost is about 1/2 the price of a good turntable, 1/4 the price of a good amplifier, 1/3 the price of a good set of earphones, 1/10 the price of a good set of interconnects, 1/20 the price of a  ----------------------------

    I dreaded listening for the first time to my Linkwitz Orion loudspeakers, expecting a shrill, mush-like simulation of what I knew them to be capable of producing.  What happened ?   It sounded the same as I remembered it many years previous ----- only Better !!   I was incredulous !!   The BIGgest surprise was when I finally had the nerve to play my trombone for the first time with my new "toys" in my ears.  I was almost brought ti tears when I realized that there were myriads of nuances that I heard in my sound that influenced everything that I did from forming articulations to the quality of tone production.   What a gift !!

   I cannot proselytize for any specific brand or approach to improving our hearing deficiencies but I can definitely recommend addressing the problem.  It can provide so much pleasure in our listening experiences,

   I want to mention having seen individuals walking around the NYC Audio Show wearing leather "Hearing Muffs" !   They were the equivalent of "cupping" your ears without the inconvenience of having to actually "cup" your ears. They seemed to be very happy in their choice.  I suppose if you only wore them at home -------- ? 

whether through natural aging or some other process

I had a blocked eustachian tube in one ear. Maybe from ear infection. That caused a big drop around 3-7kHz

One quick test for differences in right and left ear is make the "money" gesture by rubbing your fingers together. You can move hands further away from ears and also rub harder or softer to vary the "volume".

I have had Oticon and currently Widex (~$3K). The best pair I had were a pair of Widex top of the line $7k. They blue toothed to the phone and could be adjusted and changed with a phone app. Really handy. Lost one somewhere and had to fall back to the less expensive model. I highly recommend them for conversations and general daily use but I still like listening to my main system without them. Or have them tuned for a setting that is open but turn them down.

Insurance may cover some of the cost. When I worked for a big Euro based telco they paid $2.5K. now I work for a USA company and the insurance sucks. Didnt really understand how sh!tty our insurance programs are compared to western Europe. Pathetic.

+1 on all the recommendations to get hooked up with an Audiologist. If you pay some of them will come to your house and configure them for listening to your system.