How much should I expect a qualified Audiologist to know?

@neroth8 said:

Does that help with theater?

If you’re referring to “Live” theater, I can’t answer for certain.
I haven’t attended a play since before Covid daze!

I have attended many concerts (primarily Jazz), and had good results.
As well, I have have a decent home theater setup, and find I use the Music program exclusively.
I wear Oticons, and they have a program which is named “Lecture”. This basically focuses the directional mics toward the front, so if an equivelint program is available for your Signias, you may wish to have your audi add it, and try it at the theater.

I loved your mention of an Ear Trumpet. Yes I have seen them in movies and now, you have me thinking how today they might actually in some ways be more effective than the most sophisticated hearing aids. I know you will think of many benefits, but here right off the top, are a few

One - they will command respect, and I bet you will enunciate and articulate more clearly than your normal mumblings that the same guy with Phonak Spheres will get.
Two - their sound will be more normal in many cases.
Three - YOU will notice them crossing the street, and not hit them, or their shiny horn - even if they do NOT hear you coming!
Four They won’t need firmware updates, or filter changes.
Five They don’t need recharging.

The OP says they are using Etymotic devices. If you check their website it seems they make very high quality hearing protection and earphones, not hearing aids. I would not imagine audiologists knowing about them as they are not medical devices.

Etymotic Research, Inc. - Etymotic2

Etymotic offers high definition listening, hearing, assessment, enhancement & protection with specially engineered innovative products.

It may be the Lucid Enlite which seems to have been previously known in an earlier form as the Etymotic Bean. It looks like Lucid Hearing makes and sells them. Enlite® | Lucid Hearing2 Enlite is a personal sound amplification product, not a hearing aid. Those in the US can currently buy them on clearance from Best Buy for about $100.

Online reviews are not great. Anyone have any personal experience with the Bean or Enlite?

Etymotic merged with Lucid in about 2018: Etymotic Research Merges with Lucid Hearing/Lucid Audio

The Lo-batt system was definitely a Mead Killion/Etymotic thing in the 90s. That’s a consumer brochure, which doesn’t give any real info at the nuts and bolts level. It ‘might’ be K-Amp (doubtful) or more probably Lucid had a simple DSP but they got Etymotic in to finess it and add a couple of their own features.

On paper the K-Amp was ok (later 1990s), in reality, the whole market shifted away from them with the switch to DSP. The success of that can now be measured in how the market has consolidated on 4-5 larger firms outside of the USA (+1 still there). I don’t see that trend diminishing unless the whole table gets flipped by emerging product/OTC.

I was very fond of my etymotic beans until my high frequency loss dipped to more moderately severe levels.

I now use Sony cre-e10s which offer a little more amplification and are far more comfortable in the ear canal.

How was the comfort of the Bean as some users seem to complain about the tips?

How did the Bean handle loud noise as I imagine that could be an issue with it amplifying all frequencies? There’s no power button which is also a complaint, but is it easy to switch to the lower level of amplification?