4 ms·

At $250, I could buy my dad three pairs to last him all day and still pay less than his current hearing aids.

ugh123 2y ago
Would insurance cover that? (honest question)
vineyardmike 2y ago
While not as cheap as AirPods, there have been a boom of low-cost hearing aids in the last few years. They are finally available OTC, so that has driven prices down. A quick search will yield a few in the $300-range, but tbh I’m not sure about quality. I really hope the FDA keeps expanding OTC access to health tech. Especially devices that don’t typically cause damage or carry much risk. My in-laws all have hearing problems (genetically?), and they said the prices are starting to reach the “keep a pair in the office, and a pair in the car” prices.
- mbrameld 2y ago
  I hope so, too! They recently approved an OTC blood glucose monitor and it's been very eye-opening seeing how food and exercise affect blood glucose and then correlating how I feel with my blood glucose level. It's driving a lot of behavior change, and I would be a lot healthier now if I had access to it years ago.
  - belval 2y ago
    Are you referring to the Dexcom Stelo? I ordered mine recently, really excited about the idea of tracking glucose levels.
    - vineyardmike 2y ago
      I am also wearing a Stelo. Have fun with yours, but I'm a bit more reserved in my "reviews" of them. I think it's a cool product, but I've seen quite a bit of pseudo-science on the internet when people discuss them. You really have to grasp sometimes to connect glucose levels to "feelings". If you're a healthy adult without diabetes, there isn't a lot of research saying "X is bad/good", and the signal that people act on is not always reflective of evidence.
      - nkmnz 2y ago
        Does the stelo have a needle? I was surprised when I saw the Freestyle Libre's needle, although they claim it's "painless to apply"
        belval 2y ago
        Yes and it's fairly intimidating (but I am a bit squeemish), the "painless" they refer to is that the applicator will have a lot of surface area which pretty much drowns out the pain of the needle prick. It was painless, but painless does not mean no needle.
        vineyardmike 2y ago
        Yes it has a "needle". It's a plastic filament, and it's inserted inside a metal needle that gets removed with the applicator. It was actually entirely "painless" to apply. I braced myself, hit the button, and went "did it happen?" and saw something stuck in my arm. 100% couldn't tell. THAT SAID, I spent the next 3 days going "ughhhhhhh my arm hurts" so I must've hit something. I squished the flesh around a bit, and massaged my arm and it stopped after a few days. I can't tell if I got unlucky, or if this is just what "new thing in my arm" feels like.
      - belval 2y ago
        Yes, I don't really expect anything beyond "Woah eating sugar raises my sugar".
joshl32532 2y ago
But how's the $80 hearing aids sound quality when playing music? Or ANC performance? If your dad doesn't care about those, then he's not Apple's target demographic anyway.
- dfex 2y ago
  I am currently trialling a pair of Phonak hearing aides (mid-range audio package, roughly AUD$5K) and I can assure you the sound quality is garbage even at this price point. Yes, they pick up sounds I don't normally hear, but I would compare the experience to listening to world through a cheap high-school PA system.
  - jimktrains2 2y ago
    I also have phonaks on a similar price range and mine sound pretty good. Could it be an issue with how they're configured?
    - dfex 2y ago
      I sure hope so. Like I said, I'm only trialling them. Do you find they pretty much have no low-end/bass at all?
      - konradb 2y ago
        Are you used to wearing aids? Like have you worn them for several years? I remember when I first wore hearing aids it sounded like really tinny bluetooth speakers hovering behind my head. It was distracting and a bit depressing to think this was what I was going to have to listen to. Over a few months my brain priced it in, and now I don't get that at all. Putting them in just means I hear better. It is like my brain has noticed the new sounds and interprets them before I hear them. The audiologist I spoke to said this happens to everybody, however the longer you've had untreated hearing loss and the older you are, the longer it will take your brain to adapt.
        2y ago
dmix 2y ago
Wearing AirPods for extended hours is not an easy thing to do

Would insurance cover that? (honest question)

While not as cheap as AirPods, there have been a boom of low-cost hearing aids in the last few years. They are finally available OTC, so that has driven prices down. A quick search will yield a few in the $300-range, but tbh I’m not sure about quality. I really hope the FDA keeps expanding OTC access to health tech. Especially devices that don’t typically cause damage or carry much risk. My in-laws all have hearing problems (genetically?), and they said the prices are starting to reach the “keep a pair in the office, and a pair in the car” prices.

mbrameld 2y ago
I hope so, too! They recently approved an OTC blood glucose monitor and it's been very eye-opening seeing how food and exercise affect blood glucose and then correlating how I feel with my blood glucose level. It's driving a lot of behavior change, and I would be a lot healthier now if I had access to it years ago.
- belval 2y ago
  Are you referring to the Dexcom Stelo? I ordered mine recently, really excited about the idea of tracking glucose levels.
  - vineyardmike 2y ago
    I am also wearing a Stelo. Have fun with yours, but I'm a bit more reserved in my "reviews" of them. I think it's a cool product, but I've seen quite a bit of pseudo-science on the internet when people discuss them. You really have to grasp sometimes to connect glucose levels to "feelings". If you're a healthy adult without diabetes, there isn't a lot of research saying "X is bad/good", and the signal that people act on is not always reflective of evidence.
    - nkmnz 2y ago
      Does the stelo have a needle? I was surprised when I saw the Freestyle Libre's needle, although they claim it's "painless to apply"
      - belval 2y ago
        Yes and it's fairly intimidating (but I am a bit squeemish), the "painless" they refer to is that the applicator will have a lot of surface area which pretty much drowns out the pain of the needle prick. It was painless, but painless does not mean no needle.
      - vineyardmike 2y ago
        Yes it has a "needle". It's a plastic filament, and it's inserted inside a metal needle that gets removed with the applicator. It was actually entirely "painless" to apply. I braced myself, hit the button, and went "did it happen?" and saw something stuck in my arm. 100% couldn't tell. THAT SAID, I spent the next 3 days going "ughhhhhhh my arm hurts" so I must've hit something. I squished the flesh around a bit, and massaged my arm and it stopped after a few days. I can't tell if I got unlucky, or if this is just what "new thing in my arm" feels like.
    - belval 2y ago
      Yes, I don't really expect anything beyond "Woah eating sugar raises my sugar".

joshl32532 2y ago

But how's the $80 hearing aids sound quality when playing music? Or ANC performance? If your dad doesn't care about those, then he's not Apple's target demographic anyway.

dfex 2y ago
I am currently trialling a pair of Phonak hearing aides (mid-range audio package, roughly AUD$5K) and I can assure you the sound quality is garbage even at this price point. Yes, they pick up sounds I don't normally hear, but I would compare the experience to listening to world through a cheap high-school PA system.
- jimktrains2 2y ago
  I also have phonaks on a similar price range and mine sound pretty good. Could it be an issue with how they're configured?
  - dfex 2y ago
    I sure hope so. Like I said, I'm only trialling them. Do you find they pretty much have no low-end/bass at all?
    - konradb 2y ago
      Are you used to wearing aids? Like have you worn them for several years? I remember when I first wore hearing aids it sounded like really tinny bluetooth speakers hovering behind my head. It was distracting and a bit depressing to think this was what I was going to have to listen to. Over a few months my brain priced it in, and now I don't get that at all. Putting them in just means I hear better. It is like my brain has noticed the new sounds and interprets them before I hear them. The audiologist I spoke to said this happens to everybody, however the longer you've had untreated hearing loss and the older you are, the longer it will take your brain to adapt.
      - 2y ago

dmix 2y ago

Wearing AirPods for extended hours is not an easy thing to do