But the price was too much! I reccomend Bossa TX- Plus + hearing aids! At only $89 dollars a pair, they are awesome!!

Since we're discussing Hearing Aids in this thread, be aware that as of just a month or two ago hearing aids can be sold over the counter, no longer require the services of an audiologist.

While it hasn't had a large impact on the market yet, I'm pretty confident it'll drive the price down to the $700.00/$1,500.00 range in the near future.

Here's an article about it.

https://www.engadget.com/sony-...ate%20hearing%20loss.

Earlier this summer, the US FDA greenlit the sale of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids, and now we're seeing some from one of the largest audio companies in the world. Sony has announced the availability of its first OTC hearing aids, the $1,000 CRE-C10 and $1,300 CRE-E10, built in partnership with WS Audiology.

The devices are built for daily use for those with mild to moderate hearing loss. They're controlled via Sony's "Hearing Control" app that guides users through setup and allows them to personalize settings like volume control. It also allows a "self-fit" that adjusts to appropriate pre-defined hearing profiles "based on thousands of actual, real-life audiogram results," Sony said.

Supposidly by mid=November hearing aids will be able to be purchased at Walmart stores across the country in the vision care center..... ........................ drill sgt.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: drill sgt,

quote:

Originally posted by drill sgt:
Supposidly by mid=November hearing aids will be able to be purchased at Walmart stores across the country in the vision care centers.

Walmart actually rolled out their OTC hearing aids starting today.

Buying them is one thing.

Getting them programmed for your specific hearing loss profile is something else entirely.

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
Buying them is one thing.

Getting them programmed for your specific hearing loss profile is something else entirely.

If the software has a built in equalizer that can be tuned with a smartphone App, it will be pretty easy. What I'm hoping for is a 4 band equalizer which should be easy enough. 60Hz, 400Hz, 2000Hz and 7500Hz.

OTOH, I suspect most will have preprogrammed profiles that will approximate your hearing needs. It's what I would do to avoid the inevitable problems from asking people to use an equalizer.

The best of both worlds would be to offer both.

They'll have BT so you can connect to your handheld device, car infotainment, and in home audio BT devices.

Be nice to have them as both hearing aids and the ability to take and receive calls...

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
Buying them is one thing.

Getting them programmed for your specific hearing loss profile is something else entirely.

From the linked article

The devices are built for daily use for those with mild to moderate hearing loss. They're controlled via Sony's "Hearing Control" app that guides users through setup and allows them to personalize settings like volume control. It also allows a "self-fit" that adjusts to appropriate pre-defined hearing profiles "based on thousands of actual, real-life audiogram results," Sony said.

quote:

Originally posted by drill sgt:
Supposidly by mid=November hearing aids will be able to be purchased at Walmart stores across the country in the vision care center..... ........................ drill sgt.

^^^^^^^^^ Just saw a news story on the noon news broadcast that this is happening as of today...So i stand corrected about the availability date,,,....... drill sgt.

quote:

Originally posted by Flash-LB:

Since we're discussing Hearing Aids in this thread, be aware that as of just a month or two ago hearing aids can be sold over the counter, no longer require the services of an audiologist.

While it hasn't had a large impact on the market yet, I'm pretty confident it'll drive the price down to the $700.00/$1,500.00 range in the near future.

Costco has been selling hearing aids in that price range (upper end of the range) for several years, including the services of an audiologist to do the hearing tests and program the aids, along with no-cost cleaning and maintenance after the sale.

Timely post. I am set to get VA hearing aids next week. The last pair I got from them sucked! I hopeful that the new ones are digital (VA assures me they are) and can be "tuned" to the level that my loss is. If they dont work this time, I will look into non VA hearing aids.

OTC hearing aids? I will definitely give them an ear. Thanks! For now, the closest thing to a hearing aid for me is one of those electronic shooting earmuffs that you can adjust the speech volume. They work amazingly well but are way too big to walk around with all day long.

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
Timely post. I am set to get VA hearing aids next week. The last pair I got from them sucked! I hopeful that the new ones are digital (VA assures me they are) and can be "tuned" to the level that my loss is. If they dont work this time, I will look into non VA hearing aids.

I'll be very surprised if you find the VA aids less than marvelous! Mine are rechargeable and bluetooth connected as well as tuned for my profile.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
Buying them is one thing.

Getting them programmed for your specific hearing loss profile is something else entirely.

From the linked article

The devices are built for daily use for those with mild to moderate hearing loss. They're controlled via Sony's "Hearing Control" app that guides users through setup and allows them to personalize settings like volume control. It also allows a "self-fit" that adjusts to appropriate pre-defined hearing profiles "based on thousands of actual, real-life audiogram results," Sony said.

I totally understand what PHPaul is saying and I believe he is correct.

I have a pair of nice Phonak hearing aids. While I do think they were overpriced and would like to see the price come down, I'm a bit leery of an OTC remedy. When I had my hearing test, it was a full spectrum test that included not only the tones but spoken words, as well. This helped the guy to program my hearing aids to only amplify the frequencies that I needed instead of all of them, which is what the cheap hearing aids do. A week later, he had to tweak it as my "S" sounds were off. Since then, I've not needed any more adjustment as my latest test revealed that I am nearly the same as I was two years ago. Just for reference purposes, my hearing loss was deemed to be in the 15-20% range which I think is in the moderate category.

While this is an interesting breakthrough, I am not ready to accept Sony's app deciding how my hearing aids should be set, especially without a proper hearing test as a guide. I see this as a technology that is in its infancy and needs time to develop. I also hope that it leads to an industry-wide reduction in prices. My hearing aids are only two years old so at least I am able to take a wait and see approach to these developments. I'll see how things are in 4-5 years.

quote:

Originally posted by Mboroman:
This helped the guy to program my hearing aids to only amplify the frequencies that I needed instead of all of them, which is what the cheap hearing aids do.

While this is true of some of them, it's not true of all of them that were available before this new law came into effect eliminating the monopoly the audiologists had on hearing aids.

I'm wearing a cheaper pair of hearing aids that offer three (3) different options for sound:

1. amplify all sounds in the audible range

2. amplify sounds in the low frequency range only

3. amplify sounds in the upper frequency range only.

Here's an interesting study of which frequency ranges were lost the most by age:

https://livebetterhearing.com/...0rate%20of%2093.2%25.

Korean Study Finds More High-Frequency Hearing Loss
High-frequency hearing loss (defined as hearing loss in the 2,000–8,000 Hz range), as we might expect, turns out to be even more common than broad-spectrum hearing loss. A study conducted in Korea found that the rates of high-frequency hearing loss for study participants over age 60 were typically much higher than rates for mid-range frequencies (though these were also high).

For those aged 60–69, hearing loss was present at 3,000 Hz at a rate of 42.7%, and at 6,000 Hz at a rate of 79.5%. For those 70 and older, hearing loss was present at 3,000 Hz at a rate of 70.7%, and at 6,000 Hz at a rate of 93.2%. It seems that as we age, we are all nearly guaranteed to experience high-frequency hearing loss.

About Frequency
The spectrum of sound is divided into frequencies. Frequency measures the waves of particle vibration that carry sound. We measure frequency in “hertz” (Hz). One Hz means that the wave oscillates once per second, producing an extremely low-pitched tone that humans cannot hear. 50,000 Hz—or 50 kHz (kilohertz)—means that the wave oscillates 50,000 times per second, producing an extremely high-pitched tone that humans cannot hear.

The range of human hearing is usually given as 20 Hz – 20 kHz, though there are significant differences between individuals even from birth. Most people begin to lose the ability to hear the highest highs already by age 8.

And lastly, there are a number of online sites that will test your hearing for free, same as an audiologist.

Its a good thing though, up to now about 4 to 5 companies held a worldwide cabal on hearing devices, all of it protected by a prescription requirement which was pushed by the companies and audiologists and while some think it was for better care, in essence it was in place to protect the industries profit margins.

Costco proved that buy selling good quality devices with decent prices and testing.

Imagine that a large pct of the population could get by with an OTC model, and as time moves on the sellers are going to be encouraged to innovate and improve the tech, tuning apps and capabilities.

Half the world is walking around with iPhone tunes cranked up through in ear head sets, eventually they'll need hearing aids.

I know there are distinct differences between DIY and an audiologist. Some people do just as well with off the shelf aids others will need a specialist. It is not unusual for people to go back three and four times to get the proper fitting.
Another issue is a thorough exam by an ENT to determine the reason for the hearing loss. You cannot do this yourself.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:

a thorough exam by an ENT to determine the reason for the hearing loss. You cannot do this yourself.

Very true. It is not easy to look into your own ear, even with one of those otoscope thingys.

Walmart sells the Walker Game Ear during hunting season at most stores for less than $20.

I have used them for 20 years. Loose one, no problem.

https://www.quill.com/walkerga...256_N_N&gclsrc=aw.ds

In order to get VA hearing aids do you have to use the VA for all you medical needs?

I like the doctors I am seeing thru my Medicare plan now. I don't want to switch.

Bob

quote:

Originally posted by rbert0005:
In order to get VA hearing aids do you have to use the VA for all you medical needs?

I like the doctors I am seeing thru my Medicare plan now. I don't want to switch.

Bob

No. I still use my civilian physician.

I AM thinking about contacting the VA about a physical tho. The Medicare "Wellness Check" is a joke. I haven't had an actual physical since I turned 65.