The Yellow Board

best hearing aids

Posted by say again slowly on 10/31/2022, 10:00 am

I'm a retired director with "marching band/drumline hearing loss."

I need hearing aids for conversation, but I will remove them when I listen to live music performances.

Do I need high-end hearing aids, or will the cheaper ones suffice? If you prefer a certain brand, please name it.

THANKS ~

Re: best hearing aids

Posted by Mine is on 11/3/2022, 10:33 am, in reply to "best hearing aids"

tinnitus. I’ve been trying to figure out the best hearing aids to help with that.

Re: best hearing aids

Posted by Senf on 11/2/2022, 2:38 pm, in reply to "best hearing aids"

Be sure you get a hearing test and that the hearing aids you buy are programmed with the results of that hearing test. They gave me an extensive test and developed performance curves for both ears that showed which frequencies I heard best and which I heard the worst. They are actually able to put this data into a chip on the hearing aid so it boosts the frequencies you have trouble with more than the other frequencies. Cheaper hearing aids don’t do this.
Another issue to consider is rechargeable versus non-rechargeable. You see advertisements where rechargeable is presented as a plus but I have been in situations were the things died and all I had to do was pop in a new set of batteries which I’m careful to always have with me. If your rechargeable aids go down you’re out of the game unless you have a completely separate pair that are fully charged.

Re: best hearing aids

Posted by Ditto on 11/3/2022, 7:38 am, in reply to "Re: best hearing aids"

I believe my new rechargeable aids are better than my originals with batteries, but when they go down it can be at the worst possible time. Fortunately I took care of my old aids and have them as a back up with extra batteries ready at any time. Great piece of mind.

Re: best hearing aids

Posted by My best suggestion on 11/1/2022, 6:41 am, in reply to "best hearing aids"

Costco's "Kirkland Signature" is actually Phonaks. About 1/3 the price of the same exact product, but without the Phonak name.

Costco will screen you and set you up with what you want (they have other brands, including Phonak, if you want to spend the extra money for the same thing).

I went to three audiologists with dismal results. One of them was actually honest and said point blank: "I'm here to sell hearing aids".
I did get a pair "on trial" from one of them. I hated them and returned them, however I was $200.00 poorer for the experience. Not one follow up was scheduled or recommended by the audiologist.

I went to Costco where they tested me and fit me with the best possible devices. Follow ups we're automatically scheduled and any servicing is free of charge no matter how many times you bring them by. My hearing consultant with Costco was superior to any of the three audiologists I went to.

Go to Costco...you will not regret it.

Re: best hearing aids

Posted by Urkel on 11/1/2022, 9:35 am, in reply to "Re: best hearing aids"

Can confirm. Unless you have severe-to-profound hearing loss, Costco is the way to go. (If you can still reasonably hear music without hearing aids, you probably don't have a severe-to-profound loss.)

Re: best hearing aids

Posted by Veteran on 10/31/2022, 2:15 pm, in reply to "best hearing aids"

Go see an audiologist and ask about getting hearing aids thru Tru Hearing. They have a program that helps with the cost. My first pair of hearing aids were Phonak. They were great. When it was time to replace I got Starkey because it had a programmable setting you could do yourself. The Starkey was awful. Stay away. I got new ones this year. They are called Cignia and they are great. Comfortable and preprogrammed to my specifications for live music, noisy room, etc. Stay away from brands like Beltone . Good luck!

Re: best hearing aids

Posted by Phonak on 10/31/2022, 12:24 pm, in reply to "best hearing aids"

Depends on what you consider "high end" and "cheaper". I have a pair of Phonak Audeo Marvels that I purchased through my audiologist. They did cost $3700, but included in that price is
full service at my audiologist's office whenever there is an issue. They have been great for me.

Re: best hearing aids

Posted by Warhawk on 10/31/2022, 11:27 am, in reply to "best hearing aids"

I have mine through the VA, brand is ReSound. Like anything else, you'll get what you pay for.

Re: best hearing aids

Posted by Really Retired on 10/31/2022, 11:12 am, in reply to "best hearing aids"

a few years ago Consumer Report did a bit on hearing aids. At that time, they said that Costco had the best deals and aids. Of course, since then, you can buy them over the counter.

Bottom Line, they (or most folks) will test you for free & you can compare prices. I am on my 2nd set from Costco. I may try OTC next time - if there is a next time. Many project them to only last for 3 or 4 years. Hmmmm

Re: best hearing aids

Posted by Hearing Impaired on 10/31/2022, 1:58 pm, in reply to "Re: best hearing aids"

A few years ago I bought a pair of 4 channel Oticons. They cost $5500 and I was promised they would solve my tinnitus and loss of high frequencies. Now I think I could find something to meet my needs for much less money. I was promised They would help me in rehearsals but no matter how many times they adjusted them they were useless with full band. For conversations in QUIET places they were okay but not great. I wasn't expecting bionic superhearing but was very disappointed.
I suggest shopping around and getting tested several times to get more than one opinion.
When I get another pair I'm looking at units with rechargeable batteries. Batteries can get expensive.

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