Problem with headphones and hearing aids...?

The aids do have a music program. It kicks in automatically apparently.

The effect, when it happens, is a bit like if you were to throw a blanket over a speaker. It just dulls the sound. Pause it and instantly play again and it’s fine for a few seconds then goes dull again???

That is different from a dedicated music program. My aids have a music setting in the default program to be it doesn’t come close to the dedicated music program.

What’s the difference between a music ‘setting’ and a music ‘program’…?

Okay… I’m not sure how a dedicated program would work with my aids or if it’s even possible?

It may not be butnit should be, I have worn aids for 20 years, and in the beginning my aids only had the default program and no volume control. I was in heaven when i got aids with a volume control. And now my aids have as many as size options that i can control. General program has all of the basics and works about 90% of the time, music program for concerts and streaming music to my aids or even using my Bose over the ear headphones, lecture for meets and i do go to lectures at times, t-coils for when i am at our church for the services, TV adapter that streams the TV audio to my aids, and remote microphone for placing on the table at restaurant or in my case clipping to my wife at restaurants so i can her what she says.

You don’t post your audiogram so I have no idea what kind of high frequency loss you have, and you also didn’t say whether you have closed domes (or custom molds), or open or vented domes. But it’s possible that what you’re experiencing is a feedback situation. Using headphones tend to provide a physical medium for amplified sound that leaks out to bounce back into the hearing aids’ mics again, completing a feedback loop. You didn’t say whether your HAs have a tcoil mode or not, and if yes, whether your HAs are smart enough to kick into the tcoil mode or not. If you’re using Tcoil, and the mics are not activated in this Tcoil program, then it’s not feedback. Otherwise, that’s a distinct possibility.

Instead of hearing a whistling feedback, if your HAs have some kind of feedback suppression to detect and suppress the feedback, usually this suppression is done via a gain reduction until the feedback is gone before the HAs get opened up again.

Another possibility is if the high frequency sounds are loud enough to be considered sudden sounds, in which case, if your HAs have some kind of sudden sound suppression feature, that might also trigger the suppression, then the aids are opened up again, only to detect and suppress the sudden sounds gain in a vicious cycle.

Those are just hunches. I’m a bit surprised to hear that your HCP didn’t know what to make of it, to be honest. But those are 2 more possibilities to explore and eliminate as culprits.

I’d like to thank everyone who has contributed to this thread so far. You’re all very understanding and very helpful.

I have an appointment with the audiologist tomorrow. It’s the senior audiologist, so hopefully we’ll get somewhere this time?

I will update the thread accordingly.

Thanks again…

Hey all…

I’ve seen my audiologist today and she’s cured this issue.

The issue was exactly as @flashb1024 described. She immediately knew what the problem was and put it right. Listening to music through my headphones now on the dedicated program she created is nothing short of astonishing.

I want to thank everyone again who contributed here and pointed me in the right direction.

Much appreciated…

@LeamingtonSpaceman said:

Is it going to be the same ‘fix’ whereby my audiologist should just create a setting for music listening that will disengage the hearing aids automatic sensing and just allow all the music to pass through?

Aha, still searching for Audio HiFi nirvana?

Oticon has a dedicated program for music. In the Genie 2 fitting software, the Program manager screen has all the programs available for your aids. Test out the MyMusic program, and if you find it lacking ask for a custom program based on the General program, but with all the MoreSound Intelligence features OFF except Virtual Outer Ear, and Directionality.

see below:

Yes as @flashb1024 explained.
One thing to check: When you use the aids with headphones and the music program, there is a chance your aids will whistle (feedback). If so, lowering the volume of the aids should help.

Hi,

Thank you AGAIN for this. I have an appointment with my audiologist this morning. I may ask for the MyMusic program to be enabled AND the other program you described.

I will let you know…

Thank you for this.

I will update the thread after my audiologist appointment later today…