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Hearing aids and music

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I have been a singer and guitarist since back in the mid 60s. In recent years I have diminished hearing especially in my left ear due to improper treatment from a doctor. My overall hearing is diminished but I can still function without hearing aids. A couple of years ago I purchased the Widex moments 440's and had them professionally programmed by a gentleman considered to be very competent. In spite of this these hearing aids sound very artificial to me. All of the algorithms, compression, noise limiting etc. somehow screws up natural sounds for me. I had an outer ear infection over the last week or so and I've stopped wearing my hearing aids for that reason. I've found that I appreciate diminished normal hearing as opposed to amplified processed hearing. I have thought about asking my audiologist to try to turn off all of the algorithms and all of the processes in my hearing aids and make them as linear as possible. I'm wondering if anyone has tried this or maybe some other solution. My hearing aids amplify all kinds of things like pins dropping on the floor or pans clinging together louder than I've ever heard them but they can't seem to give me a clean natural sound. Has anybody else experienced the same thing .

@alanburton said:

I have thought about asking my audiologist to try to turn off all of the algorithms and all of the processes in my hearing aids and make them as linear as possible.

Make an appointment, and take your guitar. Ask specifically for a Music program, and test it in office. Point out that you want a completely "Unprocessed" linear sound.

I don't wear Widex, but they are generally considered the musician's choice!

Hi Alan,

Sorry to hear about your troubles. I can relate because I also used to experience those sharp, unnatural sounds that sometimes made me feel as though I were chewing on tin foil.

Before choosing my first Widex hearing aids in 2020, I demoed hearing aids from five other major manufacturers. To my ears, Widex had the least noticeable compression and processing and sounded the most natural.

I now wear Widex Allure 440s. My audiologist programs them from my latest using the Widex software, and she keeps the fitting as clean and neutral as possible rather than emphasizing particular frequencies unnecessarily. I prefer to let the Allures do their job without adding more processing than I need.

I listen to music every evening, and the biggest improvement for me came when I had the Widex Music program installed. I switch to it whenever I listen to music, and it honestly changed the experience profoundly. Before that, some voices and instruments could sound raspy or shrill. With the Music program, the sibilance virtually disappeared and the soundstage improved tremendously.

So before giving up on the hearing aids, I would definitely ask your audiologist about trying the dedicated Widex Music program and perhaps simplifying the processing as much as your hearing loss allows. My experience has been that less processing, particularly for music, can sound much more natural.

Good luck,
Neil

Did you switch from the Moments to the Allures? If so, was the difference significant when it comes to sound (especially for music)?

Hey Ocram,

Yes — I actually went from the original Moment 440s to the SmartRIC 440s, and then to the Allure 440s.

The SmartRICs were giving me some strange feedback problems, and after about a year of dealing with that I worked out a deal with my audiologist and moved to the Allures.

The Allures completely got rid of the feedback issue, but I also found they sounded fuller and somehow more complete than the SmartRICs. If I had to put a number on it, I’d say the improvement from SmartRIC to Allure was probably in the 10–15% range.

The jump from the original Moments to the SmartRICs was noticeable too, but less dramatic, maybe closer to 10%.

Obviously those numbers are just my own way of describing what I heard, but yes, I definitely preferred the Allures.

and definitely ask about the music program which I had programmed into one of the buttons

Thanks for sharing this -- this aligns well with what I've heard from others.

I have the SmartRICs and absolutely love them, especially the PureSound program. I occasionally get a bit of feedback when wearing my Meta glasses, but it’s rare and easily fixed by repositioning the aids.

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