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Do any hearing aids work in a restaurant with background noise

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Hi when I go to restaurants and there is a lot of background noise I cannot understand what the party I am with is saying are there any hearing aids that actually work in this setting I have a 80 DB high frequency loss in both of my ears.

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my new resound quattro work really well in the restaurant program and with the app I have 3 choices… 1) hear everyone… which to me is over powering 2) speech focus which I have set for a very narrow band and 3) noise filter which I have usually ended up using… it is set at narrow band and strong noise reduction this is great for 1 on 1 conversations you forget there is anyone behind and aroind you

In reply to @Zebras

Hi there. Is Ultra Zoom one of the features on the Phonak Compilot? I am not sure if they all have a label. I have been told to press ‘1’ for ‘one to one’ on the compilot Air II. Restaurants/pubs are a disaster for me. So frustrating and I can’t always disguise the flashing blue light on the compilot even if I put in my bra!! Should I ask for Ultra Zoom?

Restaurants and hearing aids do not mix well. I too find the directional mics on the Signia NX, which I control from the phone app, to be the best solution. I then usually turn the volume down also. Better, but not perfect.

I am also careful where I sit. Using directional mics, which all the big brands have, I try to put myself where the noise in front of me is less. For example, I used to sit with my back to the wall, now I may want it in front of me, since I am going to shut down what is behind me anyway.

Now what can you do at the cocktail party? Move to the perimeter and have another drink.

The models I am familiar with work really well, the Costco KS8 (Signia Nx), the Phonak Brio 3 (Phonak Audeo B90), and the older Resound Verso.

But, there are two issues that determine how well they work.

One is what kind of background noise it is. If it is ventilation sounds and a consistent background hum, they all work. If it is close voices, voices further away, sudden impulse sounds, and that is mixed with hum and maybe music, that’s a different story.

That leads to two, they all need adjustment from the default setting. I have found both the Signia/Rexton/Costco and the Phonak work well at blocking out much of the background and raising the immediate voices enough to be understandable. But, they don’t get there without adjustments and trial and error.

Phonak UltraZoom is on the Speech in Noise programs but the UltraZoom can be strengthen or weaken depending on where your audiologist sets it. I have it set to maximum.

My Widex 440 does very well. As you can see - there are lots of options to choose from that can do well. You’ll just need to work with your audiologist.

Here is how to have excellent speech discrimination in a restaurant. I will use the equipment particular to me.

I have Resound Linx3D aids. I have their multi-mic. I pin the mic on my dinner companion. I hear the conversation very very well.

yes the multi mic works great… I even used it a couple weeks ago when at a friends and we were watching a football game … I just set it in front of the TV speakers and it streamed as well as my normal streamer on my TV at home

What’s your hearing loss in the low frequencies? If you’re , most suggestions, above, will offer less effectiveness and I’d suggest with any of the directional schemes described above. It’s possible your low frequency gain may be below target to reduce perceived echo so, as noise congregates in the lows, you’ll avoid some noise through the physical fit. Don’t feel shy to do what those with normal hearing do - cupping your hand behind your ear (even with bte’s) to gain a couple additional decibels in your favour, depending on the situation. Also, some brands are better at sound classification and signal-to-noise ratio improvement than others. Choose carefully.

@uberhearing said:

Also, some brands are better at sound classification and signal-to-noise ratio improvement than others. Choose carefully.

Care to offer an opinion on which brands these are? I realize you might not since you omitted to do so in what I’m quoting but it never hurts (too much) to ask!

That can only be an anecdotal opinion. I am not aware of any research supporting that.

That was one of the tests for my OPN1s. I went to a noisy pub for dinner with 6 people and was able to hear and understand almost everything people were saying, even the soft spoken person to my left (loss in my left ear is worse than in my right). The speech rescue and noise cancellation features are great for my type of high frequency loss.

I also have a challenge hearing in noisy places, despite my Phonak Audeo B-Direct aids having a setting dedicated to restaurants/noisy places. I wonder if there is any kind of setting refinement I could make, or Roger pen device to lay on the table or WHAT-all could be used to enhance my comprehension of speech in noisy places?

It appears that the newly-released Phonak Marvel model may do a better job … but I’d have to try it to find that out.

Yes, you can adjust the features of each program. There is a slider for noise manager and it helps a lot to bump it up. It also works better than the automatic environment. I assume you are talking about the manually selected programs and not the Autosense environments.

In reply to @1Bluejay

@1Bluejay said:

I wonder if there is any kind of setting refinement I could make, or Roger pen device to lay on the table or WHAT-all could be used to enhance my comprehension of speech in noisy places?

I think you must have seen a reference to Dr. Cliff’s latest YouTube review on Roger Select but if you haven’t check it out. I like Russ’s observation that Roger devices ain’t cheap - other folks have mentioned getting great deals on Roger Pens on eBay - maybe the Select is too new for that?

Concerns about the noise problem
Dr. Cliff’s latest YouTube video is about the Roger Select. Sounds like the ReSound Multi-Mic but maybe even better and, with certain conditions, Olson says that the Roger Select will work with “almost” any HA. Sounds like the kicker is that you either have to be able to fit a Roger receiver on the bottom of your HA or you have to have an HA with a telecoil if it’s not a Phonak or related HA. Anyone tried the Roger Select vs. the ReSound Multi-Mic??? Dr. Cliff doesn’t not mention that litt…

In reply to @Don

Yes - I was thinking about the specific noise management slider. I think mine is set to “NOT” very aggressive, cuz I found when it dampened things down, I not only lost background noise, but also the speech frequencies of folks talking to me.

Well, I may be a foolish optimist, but I am really pinning my hopes on the new Phonak Marvel model to see if it’s noticeably better in discriminating speech in NOISY places.

I just watched the video on the Roger select device. GOD BLESS Dr Cliff for making these videos SO easy to follow and comprehend the benefits & drawbacks of the devices.

But. ACK! I am just underwhelmed with yet again another LAME extraneous device for us hearing-impaired. I don’t know about the rest of you here, but when I join a group of 6 or 8 at a table, the entire center is taken up with STUFF: condiments, spices, big VASE of flowers, lazy Susan (think Chinese family style). Can you imagine plunking your Roger flying saucer down on a lazy Susan and having it spin like a horizontal ferris wheel - the directional mics trying to grasp any thread of a conversation?!!?

On top of which, WHO here sits at a table of 6-8 where only ONE person talks at a time. No my friends. What happens is that due to the DIN inside restaurants, folks turn to their immediate neighbor and spend the evening largely talking to that person. It is rare indeed for a single conversation at a social gathering to be happening across the table at all.

Y’know, I’d save companies a LOT of money if they’d just bounce their latest idea off me. Not saying you can’t maybe use the Roger device in a business setting on a conference table, but again: most folks sit at tables that hold 20 peeps! Should the Roger device be on a pizza paddle that is slid FORWARD, BACKWARD! to reach the intended speaker?

Naw. I’m just going to hunker down and HOPE that some hearing aid company seriously addresses focused, directional listening that more closely imitates human hearing.

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