After fighting the ravages of time, and personal vanity and being totally unfair to the wife thru it all I have finally succumb to the inevitability of a hearing aid. Yea, it sucks but shooting, loud music, fever and poor genetics has damaged my hearing to the point I really need help. I simply can't hear in restaurants, meetings or around corners. Unfortunately my healthcare stinks and I was never in the military so most hearing aids at $2,000-4,000 were far out of reach. After doing a lot of research I found a $350 product I thought might help. It's a CS50 by Sound world solutions. I have only had it about 3 hours but it has made a world of difference. It's a combination of a phone hands free device so you can receive calls and listen to music. It also has a good directional mic that is designed to pick up conversation. Pair that with an App that lets you custom tune the headset for different presets for environments including concert, restaurant and a custom setting. You can switch thru the presets with one button and run the volume with another. There is a hearing "tone" test that will help you tune the graphic equalizer to optimize it. Plus it comes with two batteries that last 10 hours each. In the last three hours I have heard things I have not heard in years. Small clicks and taps, birds and quiet voices. In the restaurant I could hear the wife easily. Probably the best thing is it looks like a Bluetooth set and not grandpas hearing aid. Here is the link. http://www.soundworldsolutions.com/products/cs50.html
Good for you. I'm glad it works. I have tinnitus. You know, ringing in the ears. I can hear; I just have competition.
Nice. The CS50 looks like what everyone wearing these days, a cellphone Bluetooth. I need to wear reading glasses, it's part of the aging process. I'm glad you were able to find a reasonable solution.
Wow, 2-4000$ that is crazy. It's good that there is an alternative. I think in Sweden we get them for free
Good for you! It does look like a Bluetooth headset, removing the stereotype that your are old and therefore, by definition, helpless with technology.
I just wanted to give you guys a follow up. After wearing the sound amplifier for a few days I have decided to strum it for a refund. It it is impossible to correct the volume without constant adjustment and the delay between Bluetooth and sound amplifier is too great. Say you are listening to music at your desk and someone asks you a question. You either have to remove the earpiece or turn on your phone, unlock it, open the app and pause it. Then wait for the BT signal to drop and the ear piece to switch to hearing mode. 7 seconds. Try doing that 20 times a day. Set the volume for a conversation, then again when someone walks away, then again for "the loud guy", then again for the quiet lady and now the copier is beeping painfully loud do you adjust it again. It's nice when I am alone I guess but a real pain in real life with lots of people. The wife also noticed it made me whisper because to me it sounded like I was yelling. Thanks for looking.
I too am hard of hearing. I hear very little high pitched sounds and don't hear anything well. The poor wife is frustrated to say the least and I refuse to get an aid. I just bought a new car with Blue tooth and I can now hear my phone better than I ever have before. Mine comes from the Marine Corp and years following of shooting without ear protection. back then the Marines did not issue anything for protection. I could get govt assistance but have not as of yet
I also suffer from severe to profound hearing loss in both ears. This was diagnosed a number of years ago. Again, the cost of instruments affected my decision to purchase. Instead I went with a hearing enhancer in one ear. This helped until I could no longer properly function in my profession. I was encouraged to check into the hearing department at Costco. I have nothing but positive things to say about the quality of the exam, as well as the equipment and pricing. I am over a year now with my devices, and I value wearing them above my glasses which have been a part of me since childhood. Most people don't even realize that I wear hearing aids. As it's been said "blindness separates you from things, deafness separates you from people.". I would encourage you to have your hearing evaluated by a competent professional, and look at your options. It truly and significantly improved my quality of life.
The above stories sound very familiar. Oh yeah, they're the same as mine. SWMBO finally told me get hearing aids or else. I don't like her "or else" so shopping I went. Ended up at Sam's Club and got a good deal on an pair of aids. Pricey? A little but better than so many other places. Now I hear things I hadn't for years. And it's really nice to hear my little grandbabies clearly. Worth it for sure
My father was having a lot of trouble with his hearing aids so I looked around for an alternative and found the Siemens Lotus 12SP hearing aid. Apparently they are older technology but it is working out very well for my father, he's had it for a few weeks now. I bought from this gentleman, he also sells on ebay, a little cheaper than his website prices: https://www.hear-better.com/magento/siemens-digital-lotus-severe-and-profound-hearing-aid.html The same model is available on ebay for less but I felt a little safer paying extra for potential support.
Fortunately, I was able to get hearing aids from work. There was a base test done when I was hired, and 25 years later, profound hearing loss. I have been in construction most of my life. I have hearing aids that have two programs and are adjustable at various level to compensate for the hearing loss at those levels. High pitch, voices, low pitch, gain, etc. One program is for just everyday hearing and the other program is for cutting down background noise, like in restaurants. I have volume control on each level. They work good, but you know it is never quite right. Take care while you are young, and protect your ears. Greg W.
