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But is there a place online where you can buy cheap hearing aids that you can tweak yourself? I'm genuinely interested in the answer, as I am very likely to ge

by Fradow 9y ago

But is there a place online where you can buy cheap hearing aids that you can tweak yourself? I'm genuinely interested in the answer, as I am very likely to get hearing loss in the future, and might start being pro-active if there is a cheap alternative I could try right now, before my hearing gets bad.

gws 9y ago
In which country do you live? Keep in mind that the smaller the hearing loss the more sophisticated the hearing aid you need to get a benefit. If you have a slight hearing loss you will experience issues in the "hardest" situations for hearing aids to cope with such as conversations in noisy places or bad telephone reception. Finally, the over the counter hearing aids come with a limited number of pre-fitted configuration (e.g., 4) and "tweak yourself" means choosing one of them. To get a hearing aid fine-tuned to your specific hearing loss you need a professional in a shop equipped and trained to use with the professional fitting software of the hearing aid
- Fradow 9y ago
  I live in France. My father recently spent north of 5k€. Thanks for your answer. I guess it's not really feasible to get ahead then. I'll probably start with over the counter hearing aids when the hearing loss will start to be noticeable.
  - gws 9y ago
    You can get OTC hearing aids (technically called hearing assisted devices) in France in Pharmacies but they frankly are not that good. I know it will not sound much to you but for those 5k I believe your father got not only top of the line hearing aids but also a trusted audiologist he will be able to see as much as he wants free of charge for the coming years until he decides to get new devices.
- thaeli 9y ago
  >To get a hearing aid fine-tuned to your specific hearing loss you need a professional in a shop equipped and trained to use with the professional fitting software of the hearing aid Or you need better fitting software that doesn't require a trained professional to use.
- freeflight 9y ago
  > Keep in mind that the smaller the hearing loss the more sophisticated the hearing aid you need to get a benefit. If you have a slight hearing loss you will experience issues in the "hardest" situations for hearing aids to cope with such as conversations in noisy places or bad telephone reception. I wonder if improving performance would make hearing aids become a "want" rather than a "need"? Bionic ears outperforming natural ones, allowing the user to select different bands/ranges to listen to, sounds like a pretty neat futuristic thing to have. It's not like people are shy about enhancing their natural abilities with the help of technology, it's pretty much in the current zeitgeist.
  - gws 9y ago
    I agree with you, I have normal hearing and would totally buy devices that could help me understand better in noisy situations like restaurants, bars, etc. Alas, even top range hearing aids cannot do that today. And if people with normal hearing would wear those it would take away the stigma for people with hearing loss.

by Fradow 9y ago

gws 9y ago

In which country do you live? Keep in mind that the smaller the hearing loss the more sophisticated the hearing aid you need to get a benefit. If you have a slight hearing loss you will experience issues in the "hardest" situations for hearing aids to cope with such as conversations in noisy places or bad telephone reception. Finally, the over the counter hearing aids come with a limited number of pre-fitted configuration (e.g., 4) and "tweak yourself" means choosing one of them. To get a hearing aid fine-tuned to your specific hearing loss you need a professional in a shop equipped and trained to use with the professional fitting software of the hearing aid

Fradow 9y ago
I live in France. My father recently spent north of 5k€. Thanks for your answer. I guess it's not really feasible to get ahead then. I'll probably start with over the counter hearing aids when the hearing loss will start to be noticeable.
- gws 9y ago
  You can get OTC hearing aids (technically called hearing assisted devices) in France in Pharmacies but they frankly are not that good. I know it will not sound much to you but for those 5k I believe your father got not only top of the line hearing aids but also a trusted audiologist he will be able to see as much as he wants free of charge for the coming years until he decides to get new devices.
thaeli 9y ago
>To get a hearing aid fine-tuned to your specific hearing loss you need a professional in a shop equipped and trained to use with the professional fitting software of the hearing aid Or you need better fitting software that doesn't require a trained professional to use.
freeflight 9y ago
> Keep in mind that the smaller the hearing loss the more sophisticated the hearing aid you need to get a benefit. If you have a slight hearing loss you will experience issues in the "hardest" situations for hearing aids to cope with such as conversations in noisy places or bad telephone reception. I wonder if improving performance would make hearing aids become a "want" rather than a "need"? Bionic ears outperforming natural ones, allowing the user to select different bands/ranges to listen to, sounds like a pretty neat futuristic thing to have. It's not like people are shy about enhancing their natural abilities with the help of technology, it's pretty much in the current zeitgeist.
- gws 9y ago
  I agree with you, I have normal hearing and would totally buy devices that could help me understand better in noisy situations like restaurants, bars, etc. Alas, even top range hearing aids cannot do that today. And if people with normal hearing would wear those it would take away the stigma for people with hearing loss.