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Here's a crazy idea. I personally prefer the fidelity of an active ambient in-ear monitor (IEM), as used by musicians on stage over the best hearing aids. Onc

Here's a crazy idea. I personally prefer the fidelity of an active ambient in-ear monitor (IEM), as used by musicians on stage over the best hearing aids. Once a year, I do a monthly trial with the latest hearing aid models and IMO the fidelity (especially low-end) and the comfort just is not there compared with the best active ambient IEMs. The difference between hearing aids and IEMs is blurring, but they are not yet fully interchangeable. Standard IEMs isolate you from the world, which is the opposite of what a hearing aid does. However, a specific category called "Active Ambient" IEMs bridges this gap. These are IEMs with embedded high-fidelity microphones on the outer shell. They pick up the sound of the room (bandmates, crowd, conductor), amplify it, and blend it with your monitor mix. The accompanying bodypack or app often includes a multi-band EQ and Limiter. You can boost specific frequencies where you have hearing loss (e.g., boosting highs to hear cymbals or speech clearly) and set a volume ceiling to protect your remaining hearing. I have no ownership/sponsorship in the product, but I personally LOVE the ASI Audio 3DME (powered by Sensaphonics), which is the industry standard for this. [1] It allows you to use an app to shape the ambient sound to your hearing needs. The Pros: It provides hearing protection + monitoring + hearing enhancement in one device. The Cons (Why they aren't daily hearing aids): 1) Form Factor: You are tethered to a belt pack. You likely won't wear a wired bodypack to a grocery store or dinner party. 2) Social Barrier: Wearing full-shell custom IEMs creates a "do not disturb" look that discourages conversation in social settings. This can be more socially alienating than a comparatively inconspicuous hearing aid. 3) Battery Life: IEM systems typically last 6–8 hours, whereas hearing aid batteries can last days or weeks. [1] https://www.sensaphonics.com/products/3dme-custom-tour-gen2-music-enhancement-iem-system https://www.sensaphonics.com/products/3dme-custom-tour-gen2-...

EionRobb 11mo ago
Does that setup work ok outside in windy environments? A lot of the 'active' audio systems I've found really focus on the wind noise while hearing aids will try to filter that out
- stevenjgarner 11mo ago
  You definitely have a point there. The 3DME uses small MEMS microphones embedded in the faceplate of the earphone and has no physical windscreen or noise suppression like digital hearing aids and consumer buds which use aggressive software algorithms to detect wind and instantly cut the low frequencies to stop the rumble. As a workaround, some artists performing outside wear a thin, acoustically transparent beanie or headband over the ears effectively acting as a pop-filter/windscreen. This breaks the wind before it hits the mic while still letting mid-to-high frequency sound (speech/music) pass through. Not exactly a hearing aid alternative.
thfuran 11mo ago
They only get a couple hours better life even with a belt pack to fit more battery?
- mapt 11mo ago
  A belt pack can fit a battery literally ~1000x as large as a hearing aid battery. Is there a little computer doing DAW work inside the earpiece?
  - InitialLastName 11mo ago
    > Is there a little computer doing DAW work inside the earpiece? Yes, and likely always running all filters at high fidelity rather than power-saving whenever there isn't something to amplify.
- stevenjgarner 11mo ago
  Power requirements, moving mass and audio sampling and processing. Hearing aids run on tiny voltages (typically ~1.4 Volts). They are designed to amplify speech (a small frequency range) at moderate volumes. An IEM is designed to handle the massive energy of a live drum kit without distortion. To do this, the internal amplifier needs Headroom. It likely steps up the battery voltage significantly (internally converting to higher voltage rails) to ensure that when a snare drum hits 120dB, the amplifier has enough electrical height to reproduce that spike without clipping. Hearing aids use microscopic balanced armature receivers that require almost zero power to move because they are only moving a tiny amount of air near your eardrum. IEMs use dual-driver miniature subwoofers and tweeters that are physically larger and heavier. It takes significantly more electrical current to push these drivers back and forth. Hearing aids often use aggressive battery-saving tricks, such as lowering the sampling rate or "sleeping" processes when silence is detected. The processor of an IEM is running wide open 100% of the time. It is constantly digitizing the world at a high sampling rate to ensure zero latency. If it tried to save battery by "sleeping" between notes, you would hear a delay (latency), which would make it impossible to play in time.
  - 11mo ago
madeofpalk 11mo ago
This sounds essentially like a higher end/specialised version of what Apple Airpods do.

EionRobb 11mo ago

Does that setup work ok outside in windy environments? A lot of the 'active' audio systems I've found really focus on the wind noise while hearing aids will try to filter that out

stevenjgarner 11mo ago
You definitely have a point there. The 3DME uses small MEMS microphones embedded in the faceplate of the earphone and has no physical windscreen or noise suppression like digital hearing aids and consumer buds which use aggressive software algorithms to detect wind and instantly cut the low frequencies to stop the rumble. As a workaround, some artists performing outside wear a thin, acoustically transparent beanie or headband over the ears effectively acting as a pop-filter/windscreen. This breaks the wind before it hits the mic while still letting mid-to-high frequency sound (speech/music) pass through. Not exactly a hearing aid alternative.

thfuran 11mo ago

They only get a couple hours better life even with a belt pack to fit more battery?

mapt 11mo ago
A belt pack can fit a battery literally ~1000x as large as a hearing aid battery. Is there a little computer doing DAW work inside the earpiece?
- InitialLastName 11mo ago
  > Is there a little computer doing DAW work inside the earpiece? Yes, and likely always running all filters at high fidelity rather than power-saving whenever there isn't something to amplify.
stevenjgarner 11mo ago
Power requirements, moving mass and audio sampling and processing. Hearing aids run on tiny voltages (typically ~1.4 Volts). They are designed to amplify speech (a small frequency range) at moderate volumes. An IEM is designed to handle the massive energy of a live drum kit without distortion. To do this, the internal amplifier needs Headroom. It likely steps up the battery voltage significantly (internally converting to higher voltage rails) to ensure that when a snare drum hits 120dB, the amplifier has enough electrical height to reproduce that spike without clipping. Hearing aids use microscopic balanced armature receivers that require almost zero power to move because they are only moving a tiny amount of air near your eardrum. IEMs use dual-driver miniature subwoofers and tweeters that are physically larger and heavier. It takes significantly more electrical current to push these drivers back and forth. Hearing aids often use aggressive battery-saving tricks, such as lowering the sampling rate or "sleeping" processes when silence is detected. The processor of an IEM is running wide open 100% of the time. It is constantly digitizing the world at a high sampling rate to ensure zero latency. If it tried to save battery by "sleeping" between notes, you would hear a delay (latency), which would make it impossible to play in time.
- 11mo ago

madeofpalk 11mo ago

This sounds essentially like a higher end/specialised version of what Apple Airpods do.