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Recommendation for a Hearing Aid

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Hello everyone, I am a young person with hearing loss and I frequently find myself in noisy and crowded environments. Therefore, I am looking for recommendations for a hearing aid that performs well in such conditions.

The only thing that matters to me is the best performance in noisy environments.

Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

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That honestly depends on your hearing loss. It also depends on of uou need ear molds or domes or if you use aids. So there isn’t a clear cut answer. Also it can also depend on the fact you said aid and not aids.
Sorry for being vague but you really need to be asking an audiologist your questions.

Go to Costco . You can try different models. They have 180 return policy and aids are around $1,600 . Much cheaper than an audiologist charged.

You need to be a member of Costco. Still a great deal for hearing aids

Cvkemp is very right…there are too many variables to say what would be good for you… From what you need, what you can afford, and what insurance you have.

If you have trust issues with audiologist, you will have a very hard time being satisfied no matter what brand or model you go with. I can speak of experience on that.

However…not all are alike. I would recommend somebody from the “HearingUp nextwork”. I know there are many…many other audiologist that are not part of the network…but if trust is a issue…these guys can reassure you. Check out Dr. Cliff videos and you will learn a ton about hearing aids…providers. And what you Should expect.

Again. Not saying others out there are not good or out to get you. Its what worked for me…I had two failed experiences and this last one through them has been nothing but the most delightful experience in my life. I have absolutely no regrets going through them.

Do some research on providers and learn what to expect and then research on ha…you will learn a lot and be able to make an educated decision rather than be directed. Even if you do go with a otc (over the counter) from places like Costo…or even a provider outside of that network…you will understand more about this hearing impairment world and don’t need to worried about being “taking”…being…you will know.

Fear nothing if you know what to expect.

Hearing aid performance in noisy environments has improved over the last two decades but still has a long way to go. Most hearing aid wearers will say their aids fall short in this area.

I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but the best thing to do about really noisy environments is avoid them whenever possible and wear hearing protection rather than hearing aids when you can’t. You can’t afford more hearing loss.

If it’s just a somewhat noisy environment like a restaurant and you only need to hear one person near you speaking, you may find a Bluetooth microphone tied into your aid to be very helpful.

Which aid model worked best for one aid wearer may well not be the best one for you when it comes to performance in noisy environments. More important than the brand and model you choose may be the skill of the audiologist who fits you. So find one you can trust.

Hearing aids are not plug ‘n’ play like new eyeglasses. Expect to need several appointments for setting adjustments. You’ll need to provide guidance about what could be better, such as “I"m doing better with men but still struggle with females in noisy environments,” or “I’m hearing more dishes rattling together than voices.”

In reply to @Member330

Not if you find the right audiologist. In fact my audiologist hives me my aids and I don’t pay for them.
I stand by my statement the audiologist knows best. But yes I am sure some are nothing but salesmans. You come across one of them walk out and find yourself another one.

Totally agree and why finding an audiologist that works well with you is just as… if not in some cases even more important. If you have the right one…they will get you the best results you can afford and work with you till you have maximum performances with what you have.

But has hamjor said…there is no magic bullet for back ground noises…some of the major brands out there do good thou. Oticon works well, but I’m also going through the fine tuning process…they have a feature called speech booster and it works exactly as intended…it cuts out a lot of back ground noise and then makes speech more pronounced…I hear the Phonax also does well with that too. I cant say what is better being I only had Oticon. But there are some others out there with noise canceling features as well.

I know if you do a search on hearing aids…you can get some sound samples and it will demonstrate the effects of these ha and how they deal with back ground noise…do a search on hearing aids with sound samples if your going to leave out the audiologist directions (I recommend finding a good audiologist first thou)

In reply to @Member330

@Member330 said:

I never trust audiologists. They are liars who only try to sell their products.

Well it is a bit of a generalisation there … just a touch!

Curious as to why that is your opinion? Personal experience? Hearsay? Other?

All adi’s are salespeople to some degree … you would hope though that they are audiologist first and salesperson second.

Buying ’s from ebay is a risk, if they are not right for you even a bigger risk and, worse, could damage your hearing rather than help.

Try a few different adi’s … see if they all give the same or similar conclusions.

If speech in noise is your primary goal, I’d recommend a Phonak for it’s Roger compatibility and also get a Roger On In . If you’re willing to use the Roger microphone in any challenging situation you could drop down to a lower level (30, 50 or 70) instead of the more expensive 90 level.
If a covers your loss, and you can wait a few weeks, I understand that Phonak is coming out with a new line.
That said, any of the major brands of hearing aids are good but if you’re willing to use an auxillary microphone, Phonak’s is the slickest solution.

In reply to @von

@von said:

Even if you do go with a otc (over the counter) from places like Costo

Costco sells prescriptive hearing aids. They change the names or rebrand but they are the same (Rexton and Jabra) or similar (Oticon) to the other brands top tier hearing aids. They just cost less then a private audiologist. They have 3 year warranty free parts and service and fittings and adjustments and repairs and hearing tests.

Jabra Enhance Pro 20s are the same as the ReSound Nexia 9s.
Rexton Reach are the same thing as the top tier Signia .
Phillips 9040 is similar to the top tier Oticon Real. Phillips will soon be coming out with the 9050 which is similar to the Oticon Intent.

If you do not have a lot of money or good health coverage then Costco is worth a look. You can try their HAs out for 180 days and get a no questions asked full refund.

Edited
@RSW said:

Costco sells prescriptive hearing aids.

They also sell . Quick search turned up Lexie B2 Plus Rechargeable Self-fitting OTC Hearing Aids Powered by Bose for ~$980. I didn’t dig too long, so there may be other OTC options. For the difference in price, I’d probably go for the prescription aids, but they aren’t everyone’s cup of tea.

WH

As a Clinician myself I understand your reasons for not trusting audiologist. Most clinics these days are vertical integrated by the major manufactures - therefore most will only sell you their brand - they pay massive overhead for staff and rent then you have the big boy companies as well - who have their preferred brands, you are generally best to seek an independent audiologist who can get any brand. As a clinician I do have preferred brands I like to use for various reason but also based on client’s feedback and my own client results, I use all manufactures but there are stand outs based on clients feedback. The top manufactures currently for speech in noise in my opinion are Phonak and Oticon, second would be Signia and Starkey , then Unitron, Gn Resound and Widex . I fit dependant on the client and their needs (lifestyle)- also their hearing loss and their budget, what type of phone they have, ear canal shape and size. there are many factors to go through in picking which devices is best for you which is why it is important to seek an independent audiologist who can give you sound advise for your induvial needs. For example i generally fit Phonak as a premium device - if someone wants and advanced or standard device - i then opt for a unitron device - they are made by the same company but unitron will give you more for your money in those low to mid range , where Phonak heavily defeature and take things away. For people who have a really steep sloping high frequency loss I would recommended Oticon as they are able to capture those high frequency better than another other manufacture. Some people try 2 - 3 devices until they are happy with the sound quality of the device they have chosen, everyone’s hearing loss is different, everyone’s lifestyle is different- you cannot fit 1 manufacture to everyone in my opinion.
I understand how our industry feels like a bunch of car salesmen, but there are some genuine clinicians that really want to help their clients get the best results.

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