Musician, first time with hearing aids

Another vote for DIY. I started hearing with hearing aids about 15 years ago, a few years after I bought a new Volvo that had a nice audio system. I had to turn the ‘treble’ up a bit but otherwise it sounded great. After I got my first hearing aids my car’s stereo sounded like s**t. I had to turn the treble all the way up and I even bought a bass tube to increase the low end. After all that it sounded passable but not something I really enjoyed. Then I discovered DIY hearing aid adjustment and I EQ’d my hearing aids to music since that gave me source material from younger years when my ears worked as they’re supposed to. I set my hearing aids so the music sounded like it did before. Everything NOW sounded like it is supposed to. It turned out my car system sounded the absolute best when the bass and treble were exactly in the center. That was further corroboration that they were mis-adjusted before. It is a sad fact that hearing aid programming is still in the dark ages. The whole “fitting formula” thing just really doesn’t work.

Wow! Really good responses here, thank you to everybody for sharing your experience and knowledge with me.

Update: I fired my audiologist and ENT and got a referral to UW Hospital/Clinic (Wisconsin) because they have specialists that work with performing artists. For peace of mind I’m exploring possible Eustachian Tube Disfunction, but I’m not in denial In the meantime I’m auditioning Widex product with a local Audiologist and we’ll see where it goes.

It is quite surprising that HA technology doesn’t allow anything below 250hz to be amplified or passed through. If I can’t get good gain before feedback with an open design I’m going to miss out on 2 octaves of info—that’s my entire left hand on the piano…crazy. I wish an app would work like software plugins and let me make meaningful adjustments, compression, etc. like I do in the studio…maybe someday.

@iplayagrand said:

It is quite surprising that HA technology doesn’t allow anything below 250hz to be amplified or passed through. If I can’t get good gain before feedback with an open design I’m going to miss out on 2 octaves of info—that’s my entire left hand on the piano…crazy

From my experience, it isn’t that sounds below 200 Hz aren’t amplified; they are, but less effectively.

With Bluetooth streaming, I can even hear sounds as low as 30 Hz, but I must increase the volume then. More effective amplification is from about 100 Hz.

So, if I hear 30 Hz clearly but want to suddenly play 220 Hz at the same number of volume level, the volume becomes uncomfortably loud.

Hello! Please remember that many hearing aids today feature a MUSIC program, allowing you to hear all sounds without any distortion. Previously, hearing aids were primarily designed to help individuals with hearing loss understand speech as clearly as possible. If you ever see an audiogram, we test frequencies from 125 Hz to 8 kHz, and some audiometers now allow testing up to 20,000 Hz, which can be beneficial for individuals with hyperacusis. You can also consult your audiologist to create a personalized program that emphasizes the sounds that are important to you. It is essential that they use Real Ear Measurement (REM) during this process. Additionally, we test frequencies ranging from 125 Hz to 8 kHz, while some audiometers can test frequencies all the way down to 125 Hz and up to 8 kHz. When programming occurs, if I adjust the 250 Hz setting, the sounds before and after that frequency are also affected. Since the advent of analog hearing aids, sound quality has improved significantly, and various tools have been developed to reduce unwanted noise when the hearing aids are touched, such as during a kiss, while running, or in windy conditions. The technology in hearing aids is constantly evolving, making it a dynamic system. As patients demand more features, the industry continues to innovate and improve to meet diverse needs. However, remember that a hearing aid is not a replacement for your ear; it is an instrument designed to help you function better in your environment.

Wearing the Widex Allure 440s with open domes now. New audiologist. Big difference!

Good morning, congratulations on the Allure’s. I’m still tweaking mine, but I have every confidence the pureness and fullness of sound are going to be beneficial to musicians. Which open domes are you using?

I’m using the Instant Open

Hi. I’m not scheduled at UW until September. I don’t recall who I’m seeing but it is at the Park location.

This is excellent news. I was struck by a prior post in which you indicated that tines in the lowered octaves( left hand ) had been problematic. I am a total newbie to hearing aids and a musician as well. Never did I imagine trying Widex having bought much hype on Phonak and Oticon. Of note, my longer hair really dies rub the microphones.

Is this Music programme safe to use at all times. I don’t wear digital, I am still using analog as I’m concerned the digitals aren’t natural sounding compared to my analogs, I’m wanting something very similar and linear to my Phonak analog. But I read somewhere that the musician programme isn’t to be used at all times or with certain hearing loss, so hoping someone can shed more light on this.

I had an issue with the spatial awareness when I tried the digitals, audiologist was sat in front of me talking, yet her voice sounded like it was coming from over there (if that makes sense) it was bizarre, again even hearing my own voice sounded weird, it’s like my voice when I speak via voicemail or on recordings, which I’m sure we’ve all looked back on old recordings and videos and thought “oh gosh do we really sound like that”, except I kept hearing my voice just like that with these hearing aids, I didn’t like it one bit. I just feel I’m being patronised with the age old “oh you’ll get used to it” I won’t because I don’t want to settle for something that doesn’t work for me. Let’s just say this journey for digitals is mentally exhausting already for me and taking an emotional toll on me, it’s incredibly stressful.

Honestly if I could be convinced that there’s a hearing aid that sounds/functions exactly like my Phonak Pico forte analogs, I’ll be very happy, but so far I’ve seen so many negatives about digitals how sounds aren’t natural, robotic and it’s just making me more stressed at the thought of when my analogs die on me and I’m only 36 and never worn anything else in my 30 years of wearing hearings aids since I was 6. Old habits die hard that’s for sure.

When they die you can visit Lyod’s hearing.
They may be able to repair your aids.
If not they have a selection of analog aids.

@Sash88uk said:

I just feel I’m being patronised with the age old “oh you’ll get used to it” I won’t because I don’t want to settle for something that doesn’t work for me.

This is what you perceived it, and I don’t intend to dismiss it. However, on the other hand, try to be in audiologist shoes and to be honest for your patient, because it is definitely true that rehabilitation is inherent part of getting to hear better and I can’t find the other way to say that truth, maybe in nicer way.

It is especially important when it comes to cochlear implants, where, in the beginning, patients most often hear only inarticulate beeps, which slowly transform into a relatively “normal” perception of speech. Starting with CI may be even detrimental to hearing in a better non-CI ear, but this is temporary, and it is essential for the patient to force him or herself to overcome that kind of discomfort and train.

It is also crucial with HAs. A few weeks ago I tried with adding +6 dB in middle frequencies. Initially the sound was awful and very sharp, but I stirred myself to get used to it and voilà - sound is great.
I needed at least a week to become accustomed to it, or even more.

Did you ever try recent modern digital hearing aids, or have you made your assumptions based on an experience years ago?