I converted my hearing aids to “tulip” domes from the standard domes and picked up at least six of sound volume.
I had pushed my open fit aids nearly to the limits of their capabilities as my hearing continued to decline with age and they were ringing more. So I decided to try tulip domes, which seem to fit my ear canals better (less sound leakage). I have Resound compatible tubes so tulip domes were easy to locate on precisehearing.com12. Attaching the tulip domes to the sound tubes was quick and easy. I immediately noticed louder sound volume, better word recognition, and less tendency for feedback in both ears.
You’re really much better off working with your professional to make a change like this VS home remedies. My clinic offers free office visits for life and changing dome styles (if it would benefit them) is something we are happy to do for our patients at no charge. Most other offices (assuming you got the hearing aids from them) would likely do the same either for free or for a minimal charge.
Tulip domes don’t simple add a set amount of gain across the board. They significantly change the amount of low frequency gain provided by the hearing aid, while having a pretty minimal effect on the amount of high frequency gain provided. They can also potentially reduce feedback on older models VS air domes.
The benefit to working with a professional is that they can determine what this change is and adjust your hearing aids to give you the best overall balance (VS having your hearing aids overcompensate or undercompensate from frequency to frequency).
Minnesota …you stated in your post that Tulip domes significantly change the amount of low frequency gain. Would you care to elaborate on that? I have switched to double domes from Tulip domes for more low frequency gain with no change. It seems to make no difference with my flat loss.
The phenomenon you’re inquiring about is known as the “occlusion effect.” If you Google the term you’ll find some good articles on the subject that will go into as much or as little detail as you’d prefer.
From a clinician’s perspective, your as well as the size and shape of your ear canals will dictate what type of dome (assuming we’re using an open-fit hearing aid) we would select to help you achieve the best results.
It’s perfectly acceptable for you to ask the professional you’re working with why they selected a particular dome style for you and to inquire if you could benefit more from another dome style. But be careful how far you go with this. If you try to start taking the reigns the professional you’re working with may very well let you (whether what you’re asking for makes sense or not). In your case (CostCo) you’re probably dealing with a non-commissioned specialist, which means they’re more likely to take the path of least resistance (making whatever adjustment you ask for, whether beneficial or detrimental) since your ultimate satisfaction (and whether or not you return the hearing aids) won’t affect them financially.
Also, it’s worth noting that there’s more to achieving the low frequency gain than just plugging the domes on. Think of the tulip or double-domes as “enabling” low frequency gain and then programming adjustments determining how much low frequency gain there will be. With your hearing loss I’ll bet I could easily give you more low frequency gain (too “boomy”/“loud”) than you’d care for with simple program adjustments and either tulip or double domes.
Would either of you care to list the various types of “domes” available and how the different domes each “work” – what the differences between their various designs is supposed to achieve?
Central Virginia