Skip to content
HearingTracker
Log in

Why does higher volume setting make high frequencies annoying?

This topic is closed.

16 replies623 viewsLast reply

Link to this topic
Edited

I would think that turning up the volume would increase the volume at all frequencies by the same amount. But with my Starkey Muse IQ 2400, it seems like the highest frequencies get amplified far more than the lower frequencies, creating much annoying noise? Is this an issue with all brands of ? Why can’t the electronics amplify at all frequencies in a uniform way?

6 people in this conversation4 min readJump to latest

Perhaps your earmolds or domes simply have large vents and are quite leaky.

In that case, when you turn the volume up, most of the bass escapes outside.

Yeah the volume is increased as per your audogram, so some sounds will increase more then other’s, but it’s evenly across your audogram by a set .

Absolutely the bass will not increase much with a leaky fit.

But with a lot of modern hearing aids it actually IS the case that when you turn up the volume it sharpens the sound. This trend started a few years ago with the idea that people knock up the volume when they want to hear speech better and emphasizing consonants improves speech clarity. It was popular, and while we used to have the heads up and the ability to turn that gain shaping off, it’s sometimes just baked in now. It was probably also a successful approach because a huge number of people are regularly underfit in the highs and it helps to situationally overcome this.

I don’t do enough Starkey to know for sure that it’s NOT doing this.

Who knows what algorithm Starkey uses but yes, increasing the volume will not increase the volume at all frequencies equally, in think it depends on the curve gains but it’s a guess

Thanks for the comments. It seems there are some contradictory things going on. If low frequency response suffers from a leaky fit, shouldn’t the volume emphasize the low frequencies more? But in my case, I have a very tight fit, and it’s obvious to me that the high frequencies are most certainly amplified more. Maybe some people want that, but for me, it destroys my ability to understand speech by even the slightest environmental noise. Even with no environmental noise, the high frequencies of the voice I’m trying to understand distort the words so much, I cannot understand.
The important question then is, does anyone know of a brand that raises all frequencies by the same amount? As one familiar with acoutsics, the term “amount” is complicated. My guess is that the amount should be in .

@ttonon said:

If low frequency response suffers from a leaky fit, shouldn’t the volume emphasize the low frequencies more?

No. It means the bass leaks more and near the eardrum will remain the same, depending on degree of leaks.

@ttonon said:

But in my case, I have a very tight fit

The fit may seems tight, but that not necessarily mean it’s not leaky. There are vents and their length and diameter in mm, the latter more important. Gor me, I have quite tight power domes, but it’s leaky a bit, which I see in feedback threshold.

@ttonon said:

The important question then is, does anyone know of a HA brand that raises all frequencies by the same amount?

I think it’s better (and less expensive) to try the basics first with a new acoustic coupling. You haven’t written which one you have, what diameter the vent is, or if it is an earmold or domes.

If you don’t make sure of the basics and improve them, you may end up spending a lot of money unnecessarily.

I don’t know which can increase volume more evenly.

@ttonon said:

As one familiar with acoutsics, the term “amount” is complicated. My guess is that the amount should be in dB.

You’re probably talking about “gain”.

I wear the Starkey Edge .
Had with two tiny vents.
I now have moulds with vents.
Sound is night and day different between domes and moulds.
Domes would seal the ear.
I could still listen to my translator radio wearing ear hooks with my domes.
I cannot listen to it with my moulds.
I also wore Audible version of the Muses.
Sound between the Muses and Starkey Edge AI completely different.

In reply to @ttonon

Your clinician can raise the gain in a more uniform manner.

The other complication is, how long have you had them? Typically more severe loss is at the highs, longer deprivation is at the highs, more loudness dysfunction. Sometimes that perception of high frequency sound overwhelming everything goes away with time and just leaves you with better audibly.

In reply to @Bimodal_user

Yes, for the simple notion of an increase in volume or signal output. But it’s a little more complicated. I would agree that we’re talking about the individual gain for each individual frequency band.

In reply to @Bimodal_user

, sorry I didn’t see your full post. I have in-the-canal speakers with a behind-the-ear main unit. (I’m not familiar with the proper terms.) I’m told that my ear canal is narrow, and I think I have the minimum diameter speaker. I’ll take up your suggestion to try more of the basics. Thanks.

1750517630253311746413684431250
Herre is the difference.
Left mould, right dome.
In my case it’s both the mould and the aid.
The Starkey Edge is a better hearing aid.
The programming is different.
I can’t say you will definitely do better with the Edge are in moulds.
My loss is in low frequency.
All I know is I can tell the difference.

In reply to @ttonon

@ttonon said:

Bimodal, sorry I didn’t see your full post.

Could you provide the screenshot what you see?

@ttonon said:

I have in-the-canal speakers with a behind-the-ear main unit. (I’m not familiar with the proper terms.) I’m told that my ear canal is narrow, and I think I have the minimum diameter speaker.

Maybe it would be better to insert a photo of your acoustic coupling? This “speaker” is called “receiver”, I know, a bit of a confusing term. However, I meant small ventilation hole and canal. The photo should include view of entrance of that hole. It could be good to add your in your profile settings, it helps with making a more accurate advices.

What model of hearing aid you have specifically?

Related discussions