Skip to content
HearingTracker
Log in

Anyone successful with open domes and low frequency loss?

This topic is closed.

5 replies4.1k viewsLast reply

Link to this topic

I’m new to hearing aids, and was diagnosed with Otosclerosis. My loss is worst at about 250 - 1000. I am a musician and bass player, and I still have good hearing below 150, and wish to continue to use my own hearing to the extent that I can. Therefore, I don’t want to have to use , where my entire natural hearing is blocked, since no mfg’s instruments go down very low. I had some success using vented domes (Oticon Plus Domes) with their Power receivers, but the receivers were just too large for me to get used to. Their medium RIC receivers just sound tinny with open or Plus domes, and distort when the Audi tries to push them for my loss. Has anyone had success working with serious loss at 500Hz with RICs with open or vented domes, and if so, what brands and models worked for you?

L 40 55 60 60 50 40 30
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
R 35 45 60 55 45 35 25

I, too, have otosclerosis and have some element of low frequency loss. I’ve been to 3 different audiologists, all of whom have said that an open dome won’t work for a low frequency loss. I’ve only tried one hearing aid so far, a , but did try it with the open dome and found that I was missing all most all bass. I’ve changed to a tulip dome, which is somewhat better, but I still feel I’m missing too much bass and that the treble is amplified way too much. That could be something to do with the person doing the adjustments, though, because she’s quite inexperienced with the particular aid I’m using. I’ll be interested in hearing what other people have to say. sylvanvideo, if you hear anything more, please share!

I have a low frequency loss as well, and used to wear ReSound Pulse aids with tulip domes. I couldn’t get by with open domes. After that, I went to a ReSound Remote Mic custom in-the-canal aid, and while it’s occluding does have a good low frequency response.

As a backup pair, I got the Costco Kirkland 5.0 aids, which are made by ReSound. They’re ’s, and with these I use a power dome. They’re less occluding than the Remote Mic Aids, but still seem ro have a decent low frequency response.

Edited

jay_man;

My Costco audi didn’t even try me with the open-fit domes because of my low frequency hearing loss. She said they would be essentially useless. That said, my Costco hearing aid is, at this point, essentially useless because that audi finally confessed that she has no idea how to work with a conductive hearing loss! I was actually really interested in trying the Kirkland 5.0 aids, but the Costco audi said they wouldn’t work for me. I’m not sure why that is because in the lower frequencies, you and I have somewhat similar hearing losses. I’ll have to ask her about that when I see her tomorrow. I’ve also been told that I’m not a good candidate for an in-the-canal aid; of the three audiologists I’ve seen, all have said no when I asked about an or aid because apparently they’re not all that useful for low-frequency losses. Yet you seem to be able to use one just fine?! Perhaps it’s because my hearing loss is conductive in nature? I don’t know…

I will be getting an Oticon Alta with a fitted mold next Wednesday. I’m really hoping that will be much better than my Costco Charismo is in terms of hearing more of the lower frequencies and hearing music in general. Fingers crossed!

Air-domes will offer a fairly reliable frequency response from about 2 kHz and up so it makes sense that you would get a tinny (only high-frequency) response.

Can you achieve an acceptable result with an air-dome and really cranking up the low-frequency gain? Possibly, but I wouldn’t expect you to. Why not stick with the closed-domes that were recommended? True, you may experience some reduction in the very low frequencies that the hearing aids don’t reproduce, but it’s certainly not comparable to wearing ear plugs.

I also suspect that most of the reduction you notice isn’t due to the “blocking out” what you want to hear, but other competing low-frequency sounds being amplified and masking out what you’re trying to hear. If you want to test this try putting on your hearing aids without batteries in them (i.e. turned off) and compare how the sound in question compares with them in VS out of your ears. If you find the results are pretty comparable you might consider having your clinician add a special program with less low-frequency gain and see if that makes it easier to focus on the very low frequency sounds you are trying to hear.

Related discussions