Hearing aid newbie thanks, Phonak questions

@justlisten said:

I need to boost the higher frequencies because that’s where my natural hearing has diminished.

Your hearing loss is flat. Have you lost more hearing in the highs?

Sorry Zebras if I didn’t describe it accurately. My audiogram indicates ‘mild’ loss at low frequencies (25dB at 250-500Hz) sloping gradually to ‘moderate’ loss at high frequencies (40-45dB at 8000Hz). So yes I’ve lost more high frequency hearing than low frequency. Is that an okay way to explain it?

@Neville said:

Unpleasant in what way?

Sounds that are too loud (subjective judgement) have always been unpleasant for me. Isn’t it the same for most people? Of course with individual differences in what sound level is “okay” vs “too loud”.

I’m wondering what other answers you might have expected?

@justlisten said:

Is that an okay way to explain it?

I understand now.

@justlisten said:

Isn’t it the same for most people?

I don’t find sounds too loud, surprisingly. Even when I’m in high levels of noise. I wonder if it’s down to my MPO settings? Although I think I’m at Max? I never touch my volume control.

MPO = Maximum Power Output. MPO sets the maximum loudnes

In the fitting software you can set MPO level for each frequency channel on L/R-ear, and there is the possibility in each programm to set its own MPO levels for all distinct channels

People often complain about hearing aids sounding too sharp, robot like, like a cheap transistor radio, unnatural, distorted as well as too loud.

With my HAs, the volume seemed okay from the start. They did not sound ‘too loud’.

In the first few days I was annoyed by ‘new’ harsh/sharp sounds of metal against metal e.g. picking up a bunch of keys or putting cutlery in the kitchen sink. Fortunately that effect wore off after a week or so. Presumably my brain “adjusted”, as you say.

Increasing the volume on the HAs does not help me hear speech more clearly.

A slight increase for high frequencies using the ‘equalizer’ in myPhonak app) seems to help speech clarity. I’ve only just discovered this. need more opportunities to test it.

Fingers in my ears does not improve sound at all, just muffles the sound.