Just before Thanksgiving I took my Phonak hearing aids to see an audiology at a nearby medical center. He agreed that they needed to be sent back to the manufacturer for repair. I had no backup ha’s and wanted a better visit with family. I saw a couple of YouTube sites from the two audiologists I had followed before. Both were very positive about using Apple’s iPod Pro 3 as a hearing aid, but cautioned there might be some issues. I have had hearing aids for years. My left ear is serious and my right moderate loss. I was able to buy a new iPod Pro 3 for $219 far below the prices for hearing aids.
As soon as they arrived I watched YouTube how to set them up to work as hearing aids. I was impressed by the complete program to follow. I was most impressed by the hearing test which placed my numbers at nearly the same as the hearing tests I had taken recently at the VA medical center and the audiology outpatient at Stanford University. I used the iPods and was better able to hear the holiday conversations, but there were problems which made me realize that I could not use them to replace my Phonaks.
The first problem and a continuing one is the comfort of the headphones. They are not tight like my hearing aids. They did not have a personal design that fitted my ear canal. They sit outside and although they had soft ends, they were uncomfortable, itchy, and easy to fall out. Furthermore the batteries lasted only 6 hours before they needed to be recharged. Yes they do recharge quickly and if you are like me you would carry their case which is used to recharge them. It takes abut 30 minutes to recharge.
Like most Apple products they have a world of their own. No setting I tried stayed. It used its own iPods to decide what I needed, but it too often was not correct. At times, on their own, they turn off one of the buds without my telling it too. The aids were like wearing ear plugs, blocking almost all sounds. Other times it sounded like I was in a room full of some cloud which felt like I was in a fog. Most of the time I could pull out a bud and replace it in my ear to correct the problem.
Apple warns users it is not designed for severe hearing loss, which is half my problem. However, when it worked right it worked. I was most impressed by its ability to clarify the words I heard.
The iPod Pro 3 is really a good earphone for people with no hearing problems to listen phone calls, music, and books. Would I buy them again knowing their problems. Yes I would. In this economy $219 isn’t a large sum. Oh, I just heard from my audiologist that the earliest date he could make while waiting for my repaired aids returned would be December 23, a long way away from Thanksgiving. My only rescue is my iPod Pro 3.
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