I have a borderline need for hearing aids. I do have a sharply defined loss in the 4K range, and find that my Plantronics bluetooth ear phone can be difficult to hear when there is ambient noise (especially when driving a truck).
Rather than a , does anyone know of a programmable bluetooth ear phone that can connect to my Android cell phone? It would be nice to be able to boost certain frequencies and the overall volume beyond what the bluetooth device will allow. Plantronics does not make such an animal.
The NuHeara IQ Boost may be what you’re looking for. https://www.nuheara.com/iqbuds-boost/111. They’ve been on sale @ 40% off a few times lately, so If they’re at full price now it might be worth biding your time. There might be other products to consider but these are almost specifically what you asked for. I haven’t used them personally.
These are basically hearing aids; what I am looking for is a bluetooth ear phone. That is, a device that connects to my cell phone that enables me to make and receive phone calls. Such a device has a microphone so that I can speak, not just listen. I’m basically looking for one of these, but with the added ability to alter the EQ and increase volume:
“QUALITY SOUND - In addition to being personal amplifiers, IQbuds connect to your smartphone through Bluetooth to provide high-quality sound for calls, music, and videos.”
The product you linked to is a different class of device I guess. The advantage to you of something like the IQbuds is that you get sound in both ears and you can control the balance between sound produced by the device (eg calls) and the sounds of the outside world. So if you want maximum clarity with your calls you turn the outside world off.
I don’t know about apps for android but the first thing I would do since you seem to be using a single-ear device (correct?) is experiment with simply blocking sound to the other ear while in your truck, a foam ear plug for example (they come in several levels of “protection”). Even moderate ambient noise in the opposite ear can greatly impact comprehension and cars/trucks in particular are noisier than we tend to realize.
Anyway, there are countless ear buds these days that include a microphone for taking calls and they need not be expensive. Overall I prefer the “neck band” style which took just a little getting used to until I often forget I’m wearing it. If your vehicle is really noisy you might need something like that PT with the mic closer to your mouth but they’ve gotten pretty darn good with mics. And again, if it’s that noisy then step one is cover/plug the other ear. You will still hear important sounds but a properly inserted plug will drop ambient a lot. Speaking of which, if you use soft tip ear buds, which are best with a lot of ambient noise, be sure to use tips that fit well. They need to go in firmly and seal and point correctly down the canal, particularly in difficult environments. It makes a HUGE difference in terms of clarity.
Thank both of you for your very helpful advice. I have ordered a pair of the IQBuds Boost, as they are 50% off and I have 30 days to try them out and get a full refund. What’s to lose?
However, I will definitely try plugging one ear as ss510 suggested when I’m in the truck. And I’m going to start a different post to ask if anyone has a preferred audio app. There are tons of them available, and I see that there are many with real problems.
Cool. Just a side note, but I’m frequently in very noisy environments and see an awful lot of people not using foam ear plugs correctly. To work as designed they MUST be rolled between your thumb & finger to compress them then quickly inserted deeply so they expand to a sung fit. Your experiment isn’t a matter of protection so you may get sufficient benefit from just pressing one in a bit, but if not try it as designed.
I competed for 7 years on a rifle team, explaining my hearing loss. Though I know about the roll and insert technique, I didn’t practice it faithfully at the time, leading to my present predicament!
Valencia CA