8 ms·

Listening to music with hearing aids

62 points by veb 14y ago

metastew 14y ago
I have a cochlear implant and I've had several of these audio induction loop tidbits for my CI processor (hearing aid) for years. In my opinion, the wire is a PITA and attracts a lot of attention. This spring, Advanced Bionics is coming out with a bluetooth-enabled CI processor so that I finally can be able to listen to music on my smartphone via bluetooth without having to deal with wires. I've already got the money waiting to reserve myself one of these processors.
- veb 14y ago
  I'm due up for a CI in May, but they don't offer Advanced Bionics here in NZ! :(
- mvleming 14y ago
  Is it called a Cochlear Implant when Advanced Bionics makes it? Do you know if Cochlear is going to release a processor that's bluetooth-enabled?
  - ricardobeat 14y ago
    Hmm, that's a dick move. They were called cochlear implants before a company decided to call themselves "Cochlear". Just in case: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochlea http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochlea
    - mvleming 14y ago
      I know there's a part in the ear called the cochlea but I thought the company just added the letter r to the word and made that their name; I didn't know the word existed before the company. Thanks!
cmadan 14y ago
Telecoil is great, but it doesn't really compare to a $400 pair of headphones. I have this one http://eu.akg.com/quincy-jones-eu/brand_akg/akg-headphones/quincy-jones-signature-line.html http://eu.akg.com/quincy-jones-eu/brand_akg/akg-headphones/q.... I put them over my hearing aids and listening to music is awesome. I am not sure whether it is due to any technological limitations in Telecoil or a $400 Telecoil would work as good as this, but I'll be sticking with my headphones for now. :) Another alternative is to get top of the line hearing aids and pair them up with an FM transmitter (I have a Nadia and a Smartlink+ http://www.phonak.com/com/b2c/en/products/fm/transmitters.html http://www.phonak.com/com/b2c/en/products/fm/transmitters.ht...). Once again, average sound quality for music but you can pair the transmitter to your phone using Bluebooth. True handsfree.
- randlet 14y ago
  Have you ever used high quality ear buds? I'm curious how they compare to either telecoil or over-the-hearing aid headphones. I have a fairly pricey (~$150) set of etymotics that I use and they sound fantastic to me (moderate/moderate-severe hl). I also suspect they give me better ambient noise isolation than using Telecoil with my HA would.
  - cmadan 14y ago
    I have tried (both cheap and high quality) ear buds and they don't really work for me. I can barely hear the music despite turning the volume of the source to full (probably because I have severe hearing loss). I haven't tried custom fit ear moulds yet, but I guess they would be just slightly better. Basically, I need the amplification that my hearing aids provide to listen to music.
- gwern 14y ago
  When I've used my hearing aids with phones, I've always had the impression that the audio quality is pretty bad. Telecoils apparently go back to 1947, and so it wouldn't surprise me if they were relatively poor quality either for efficiency or simply because it was the state-of-the-art back then (or the quality was limited by some other system - why have higher quality than a telephone can deliver?).
sswaner 14y ago
I've had a double stapedectomy (replacing the stapes bone with a metal prosthesis) and I can't tell the difference between a $400 pair of headphones versus $100, but I can tell a difference on the low end. As my hearing is likely to degrade, this will be of interest when need to get hearing aids.
phil_s_stein 14y ago
I've had hearing aids for 20+ years. I occasionally try the tele-coil in locations that have them. I am always disappointed; the quality is just not there. It sounds (haha) like the OP didn't have a very good audiologist, one that did not go through the full range of options with him. It's also possible that my loss is not severe enough to be satisfied with the tinny tele-coil quality. I believe the tele-coil technology was developed to enable the use of phones with hearing aids. The aid, when used with an old-style phone held in a normal position, is close enough to pick up the magnetic field directly from the handset speaker. Not very useful for today's phones though.
tunesmith 14y ago
My problem is that my conductive hearing is crap but my nerve hearing is great. Doctor and audiologist recommend putting a screw into my skull to attach one of those bulky bone-conductive hearing aids so I hear everything through the nerves. I don't like the idea because they are big and apparently not shrinkable, and because they basically make everything mono. Not sure if there's other tech that is a better alternative?
- phil_s_stein 14y ago
  I have two BAHAs (bone-assisted hearing aids). Up until a few months ago, I had only one and yes - stereo hearing was not great, but hearing well in mono was better than not hearing well in stereo. I now have one on each side and do have some stereo hearing now. As far as "bigness" I guess you just have to weigh the ability to hear verses vanity and getting a few stares now and then.
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
- hvs 14y ago
  That is the most amazing thing that I've heard this week. Thanks for sharing!
- caffeineninja 14y ago
  I too have a cochlear implant with the 2.5mm jack adapter, and I actually prefer headphones to the jack adapter, mostly because the color of the sound seems to be a lot better with headphones than the 2.5mm jack - the direct audio signal seems harsh and not warm. I listen to a lot of classical rock, and this may be part of the reason, it just seems to translate better over headphones than direct input.
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
  - derefr 14y ago
    > the direct audio signal seems harsh and not warm I wonder if that's because you're hearing more than you should be, not less--if that's true, then you should be able to fix it up with any equalizer.
- JoshTriplett 14y ago
  Interesting! Do sounds and voices played through that headphone jack sound higher quality than sounds picked up by the local microphone and relayed to you? What's the frequency range that you can pick up with it? Can you hear sounds >20kHz or <20Hz? Also, 2.5mm (like old headsets) or 3.5mm (like standard headphones)?
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
    - stereo 14y ago
Jemaclus 14y ago
My hearing aid has a bluetooth gizmo. Similar, but probably way better quality.
iharris 14y ago
An honest question: I've always referred to this condition as being "hard of hearing" but the author implies that it's impolite to call it as such. Is there a better term that we should be using?
- veb 14y ago
  That's probably a safe bet. It's just stupid though. Some people get offended by (for example) "hearing impairment" because... it's implying they have an impairment. You do have an impairment, jeez. It's different in groups too. I believe if you're profoundly deaf, and you sign and actively involved in the "deaf community", you're Deaf. If you're not, you're deaf. Maybe I have that backwards, but I don't really care.
  - rhubarbcustard 14y ago
    Easy to knock it if you aren't living with it.
    - veb 14y ago
      What? I am. I'm the author of the post.
- rhubarbcustard 14y ago
  Calling us "hard of hearing" is absolutely fine, it's how I describe myself to others.
- cmadan 14y ago
  There is no safe term. Over here where I live 'deaf' is politically incorrect and 'hearing impaired' is the politically correct word. 'Hard of hearing' usually implies that you're old and therefore, have low to moderate hearing loss. When I was in USA, 'hearing impaired' was politically incorrect (responses to an post on a HLAA mailing list where I used 'hearing impairment' made that clear). The PC word is 'hard of hearing' or 'deaf'. As far as I can use, those who belong to the 'deaf culture' (i.e. use sign language as their main means of communication) prefer to call themselves 'deaf' whereas others who use hearing aids or cochlear implants decide to call themselves 'hard of hearing' or 'hearing impaired'. I don't really care either way which term you use. It is more how to use it - i.e. you shouldn't use any of these terms to derogate or mock hard of hearing/hearing impaired/deaf people.
captdeaf 14y ago
Just like mvleming, I use a bilateral personal audio cable that jacks into my processors directly. There are two major things wrong with the post: 1) "Nobody else can hear it" - Well, no, when I was listening to music with my hearing aids (Before I got my implants), well, even the best seal on 130db music can't prevent some of it leaking out of your ear and annoying your coworkers. 2) Induction loops are extremely prone to interference. There are many buildings in which Telecoil mode gets you really raw static noise. On airplanes, it's intolerably loud - you can't use induction loops on airplanes. At all.

62 points by veb 14y ago

I have a cochlear implant and I've had several of these audio induction loop tidbits for my CI processor (hearing aid) for years. In my opinion, the wire is a PITA and attracts a lot of attention. This spring, Advanced Bionics is coming out with a bluetooth-enabled CI processor so that I finally can be able to listen to music on my smartphone via bluetooth without having to deal with wires. I've already got the money waiting to reserve myself one of these processors.

veb 14y ago
I'm due up for a CI in May, but they don't offer Advanced Bionics here in NZ! :(
mvleming 14y ago
Is it called a Cochlear Implant when Advanced Bionics makes it? Do you know if Cochlear is going to release a processor that's bluetooth-enabled?
- ricardobeat 14y ago
  Hmm, that's a dick move. They were called cochlear implants before a company decided to call themselves "Cochlear". Just in case: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochlea http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochlea
  - mvleming 14y ago
    I know there's a part in the ear called the cochlea but I thought the company just added the letter r to the word and made that their name; I didn't know the word existed before the company. Thanks!

cmadan 14y ago

Telecoil is great, but it doesn't really compare to a $400 pair of headphones. I have this one http://eu.akg.com/quincy-jones-eu/brand_akg/akg-headphones/quincy-jones-signature-line.html http://eu.akg.com/quincy-jones-eu/brand_akg/akg-headphones/q.... I put them over my hearing aids and listening to music is awesome. I am not sure whether it is due to any technological limitations in Telecoil or a $400 Telecoil would work as good as this, but I'll be sticking with my headphones for now. :) Another alternative is to get top of the line hearing aids and pair them up with an FM transmitter (I have a Nadia and a Smartlink+ http://www.phonak.com/com/b2c/en/products/fm/transmitters.html http://www.phonak.com/com/b2c/en/products/fm/transmitters.ht...). Once again, average sound quality for music but you can pair the transmitter to your phone using Bluebooth. True handsfree.

randlet 14y ago
Have you ever used high quality ear buds? I'm curious how they compare to either telecoil or over-the-hearing aid headphones. I have a fairly pricey (~$150) set of etymotics that I use and they sound fantastic to me (moderate/moderate-severe hl). I also suspect they give me better ambient noise isolation than using Telecoil with my HA would.
- cmadan 14y ago
  I have tried (both cheap and high quality) ear buds and they don't really work for me. I can barely hear the music despite turning the volume of the source to full (probably because I have severe hearing loss). I haven't tried custom fit ear moulds yet, but I guess they would be just slightly better. Basically, I need the amplification that my hearing aids provide to listen to music.
gwern 14y ago
When I've used my hearing aids with phones, I've always had the impression that the audio quality is pretty bad. Telecoils apparently go back to 1947, and so it wouldn't surprise me if they were relatively poor quality either for efficiency or simply because it was the state-of-the-art back then (or the quality was limited by some other system - why have higher quality than a telephone can deliver?).

sswaner 14y ago

I've had a double stapedectomy (replacing the stapes bone with a metal prosthesis) and I can't tell the difference between a $400 pair of headphones versus $100, but I can tell a difference on the low end. As my hearing is likely to degrade, this will be of interest when need to get hearing aids.

phil_s_stein 14y ago

I've had hearing aids for 20+ years. I occasionally try the tele-coil in locations that have them. I am always disappointed; the quality is just not there. It sounds (haha) like the OP didn't have a very good audiologist, one that did not go through the full range of options with him. It's also possible that my loss is not severe enough to be satisfied with the tinny tele-coil quality. I believe the tele-coil technology was developed to enable the use of phones with hearing aids. The aid, when used with an old-style phone held in a normal position, is close enough to pick up the magnetic field directly from the handset speaker. Not very useful for today's phones though.

tunesmith 14y ago

My problem is that my conductive hearing is crap but my nerve hearing is great. Doctor and audiologist recommend putting a screw into my skull to attach one of those bulky bone-conductive hearing aids so I hear everything through the nerves. I don't like the idea because they are big and apparently not shrinkable, and because they basically make everything mono. Not sure if there's other tech that is a better alternative?

phil_s_stein 14y ago
I have two BAHAs (bone-assisted hearing aids). Up until a few months ago, I had only one and yes - stereo hearing was not great, but hearing well in mono was better than not hearing well in stereo. I now have one on each side and do have some stereo hearing now. As far as "bigness" I guess you just have to weigh the ability to hear verses vanity and getting a few stares now and then.

deleted 14y ago

[deleted]

hvs 14y ago
That is the most amazing thing that I've heard this week. Thanks for sharing!
caffeineninja 14y ago
I too have a cochlear implant with the 2.5mm jack adapter, and I actually prefer headphones to the jack adapter, mostly because the color of the sound seems to be a lot better with headphones than the 2.5mm jack - the direct audio signal seems harsh and not warm. I listen to a lot of classical rock, and this may be part of the reason, it just seems to translate better over headphones than direct input.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
- derefr 14y ago
  > the direct audio signal seems harsh and not warm I wonder if that's because you're hearing more than you should be, not less--if that's true, then you should be able to fix it up with any equalizer.
JoshTriplett 14y ago
Interesting! Do sounds and voices played through that headphone jack sound higher quality than sounds picked up by the local microphone and relayed to you? What's the frequency range that you can pick up with it? Can you hear sounds >20kHz or <20Hz? Also, 2.5mm (like old headsets) or 3.5mm (like standard headphones)?
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
  - stereo 14y ago

Jemaclus 14y ago

My hearing aid has a bluetooth gizmo. Similar, but probably way better quality.

iharris 14y ago

An honest question: I've always referred to this condition as being "hard of hearing" but the author implies that it's impolite to call it as such. Is there a better term that we should be using?

veb 14y ago
That's probably a safe bet. It's just stupid though. Some people get offended by (for example) "hearing impairment" because... it's implying they have an impairment. You do have an impairment, jeez. It's different in groups too. I believe if you're profoundly deaf, and you sign and actively involved in the "deaf community", you're Deaf. If you're not, you're deaf. Maybe I have that backwards, but I don't really care.
- rhubarbcustard 14y ago
  Easy to knock it if you aren't living with it.
  - veb 14y ago
    What? I am. I'm the author of the post.
rhubarbcustard 14y ago
Calling us "hard of hearing" is absolutely fine, it's how I describe myself to others.
cmadan 14y ago
There is no safe term. Over here where I live 'deaf' is politically incorrect and 'hearing impaired' is the politically correct word. 'Hard of hearing' usually implies that you're old and therefore, have low to moderate hearing loss. When I was in USA, 'hearing impaired' was politically incorrect (responses to an post on a HLAA mailing list where I used 'hearing impairment' made that clear). The PC word is 'hard of hearing' or 'deaf'. As far as I can use, those who belong to the 'deaf culture' (i.e. use sign language as their main means of communication) prefer to call themselves 'deaf' whereas others who use hearing aids or cochlear implants decide to call themselves 'hard of hearing' or 'hearing impaired'. I don't really care either way which term you use. It is more how to use it - i.e. you shouldn't use any of these terms to derogate or mock hard of hearing/hearing impaired/deaf people.

captdeaf 14y ago

Just like mvleming, I use a bilateral personal audio cable that jacks into my processors directly. There are two major things wrong with the post: 1) "Nobody else can hear it" - Well, no, when I was listening to music with my hearing aids (Before I got my implants), well, even the best seal on 130db music can't prevent some of it leaking out of your ear and annoying your coworkers. 2) Induction loops are extremely prone to interference. There are many buildings in which Telecoil mode gets you really raw static noise. On airplanes, it's intolerably loud - you can't use induction loops on airplanes. At all.