Skip to content
HearingTracker
Log in

Two hearing aid tests two different results

14 replies841 viewsLast reply

Link to this topic
Reply
Edited

The first test was done by a doctor in a sound proof room with sophisticated calibrated head phone technology, When that test was used with my COSTCO Philips 9050 the result was horrible.

My COSTCO audio person test used an inserted their ear bud system and it revealed the head phone test was dramatically different.

The COSTCO ear bud test numbers were accurate and now my work great for my profound hearing loss.

6 people in this conversation5 min readJump to latest

That isn’t uncommon. My hearing will change according to the time of day. How well I slept or how my stress level is or how my blood pressure is.

@big.little said:

My COSTCO audio person test used an inserted their ear bud system and it revealed the head phone test was dramatically different.

I have never been tested in that setting with earplugs; I have always been tested with headphones. The annoying part in my childhood was that I was always “overhearing” signals from the left side with my better right ear, which gave the false assumption that I could hear something in my completely deaf left ear.

In reply to @DrJimmyJoeJimbob

Yes I do Thank you for supplying more knowledge on he subject.I had to do a lot of pondering over time to explain why my paid for headphone test numbers did not work with my and the free quick test at COSTCO did because it was not because of a hearing change

HZ head phone EARBUDS
250 65 50
500 65 55
1000 95 65
2000 95 75
4000 90 80

In reply to @big.little

Yes the intraaural attenuation with headphones is generally about 40 . So if there’s a 40 dB difference in your ears the sound from the bad ear will cross-over the better side when there’s a difference. With ear inserts, it tends to be over 50, generally around 70 dB, so there’s less chance of cross-over. However, a good fitter will know this and thus mask appropriately. I’m sorry your first clinician did not do that. If they were an audiologist or , they should know as it’s basic stuff. It’s generally safest to do assymetric hearing audiometry with inserts in case you mess up the masking anyway lol.

(For the nerds, yes I know these numbers vary with head shapes, cranium density, and with frequency. :laughing:)

In reply to @cvkemp

I’m so glad that I’m not the only one. When I wake up, it’s very difficult for me to hear and especially bad if I sleep over 6 hours. The hearing aids give me instant relief.

At the end of the day, I can take them off in the early evening and not miss them.

In reply to @DrJimmyJoeJimbob

What led me to discover the head phone ear bud issue was how well I could hear listening to a radio using earbuds but with head phones not so well. Yes it was way to much amplification, was the equipment or procedures flawed?. Hard to say that because this was a senior doctor not an audiologist with modern equipment and a sealed chamber. It is was also a psychological burden because I had a very bad experience with COSTCO’s Jabra first version which failed working 3 times. In addition it is difficult to determine the root cause is it wax is it a physical change are the HA defective am I going deaf?

I was reluctant to complain again when they returned my money and let me buy the Phillips 9050. Fortunately after explaining my issues the COSTCO audiologist recognized the problem and did a hearing test and that revealed the solution. Everything now works great. Thanks for your input hopes this helps anyone out there.

@big.little said:

What led me to discover the head phone ear bud issue was how well I could hear listening to a radio using earbuds but with head phones not so well. Yes it was way to much amplification, was the equipment or procedures flawed?

You have much hearing loss in low frequencies even when it is measured by audiometer with inserted plugs. With that type of loss you need occluded acoustic coupling, i.e. power domes in proper size or ideally earmolds with no vent or pressure vent (0.5-0.8mm diameter).

Thanks to occluded earpieces there is less low frequency leaking outside.

@DrJimmyJoeJimbob said:

Do you have asymmetric hearing loss?

@big.little, I am also curious what about degree of hearing loss in second ear.

I use power domes with my Philips 9050 and if positioned properly the loss of low freq. is greatly enhanced maybe more because of bone conduction versus exciting the drum

Yes it is asymmetric

rt
250 50
500 55
1K 65
2K 75
4K 80

Lft
250 70
500 70
1K 65
4K 85

And HAPPY NEW YEAR!

In reply to @big.little

@big.little said:

I use power domes with my Philips 9050 and if positioned properly the loss of low freq. is greatly enhanced maybe more because of bone conduction versus exciting the drum

There is neglibible effect with bone conduction. The better quality is because of less leak of low frequency sound due to tigh fit of power domes and from the fact that receiver tip is places closer to the eardrum and it is higher probability that that tip is directed towards the eardrum not ear canal wall.

Your hearing loss isn’t much assymetric. There is slight difference at lows, that’s all.

You can click you avatar and then click in your avatar again and in the green “My ” enter your air audiogram values.

And happy new year too!

In reply to @DrJimmyJoeJimbob

As a technical specialist in R&D electronics failure analysis was my key role. So naturally I wanted to know why 3 JABRA ’s failed. I suspect both software and or hardware but more so of premature release of design. Unfortunately the analysis were never revealed to me.

As to the mystery of head phones my doctor sent me to the hearing test facility which was a very professional with a competent audiologist modern sound chamber modern calibrated equipment and software. I pondered it about for some time and the only difference was inserted earbuds versus headphone type testing procedures. I do not fully understand the Head phone set up which of course are not typical head phones but calibrated and conductive connections to the drum, but the inserted ones COSTCO used certainly resulted in a relatively accurate result.

Your a nice person to put up with my rambling thank you for that, my only reasons and I am sure yours too are to help others

Related discussions