Well the time has come

[Honda]

All of those very loud 1970s rock concerts and a good dose of shooting with unprotected ears I have come to the conclusion that I need hearing aids. I went to a test today and they said my hearing deficit was 50%. All of that said I'm wondering if any of our members are using hearing aids and if they are can they offer me any advice on brands and their own personal experience.

[Truckman]

I should probably register with the VA, and get tested...My tinnitus has been ongoing for 50 years and just gets worse...That's my only experience thus far......Ben

[Independent Voter]

I have two pair . Unfortunately , they don't work all that well . Reason being , I have little to no hearing in one ear and the other is maybe 30 % at best. The 30% is helped a bit however the other ear , nothing .

One thing I will say is , if you get some , beware of birds and prepare for Niagrara Falls when standing over the Porcelain Princess .

[FredK]

Supposed be over the counter. May really want to check what's out there.

[Dave Grubb]

I am beyond help----I have very good hearing on the left and zero on the right---which a hearing aid can't help.

My wife has poor hearing and multiple sets of hearing aids which she does not use---she says they hurt her ears. So it makes for some damn odd conversations around here!

The lesson in that---make sure they are comfortable and fitted to your ears or they will end up being "drawer aids".

[Sandman]

As I would expect Philbo to say..

What?

[Mike]

My insurance company bought me a very expensive pair of hearing aids about two months ago. These are supposed to be very good hearing aids. They are Oticon More hearing aids and I don't like them! I don't like them so much I don't wear them and may return them.

First, I'll tell you the good. I hear things I've never heard before, like the washer, dryer and other appliances beeping to let me know they want attention. That's kind of cool. I didn't know they did that! I also hear lots of other sounds I was unaware of. I also hear lots of things I didn't hear before and I don't want to hear now.

Let me make a list of why I don't like them:

1. They hurt my ears both over the ear and in the entrance to the ear canal.
2. They hurt when a loud noise is amplified and blasted into my ear. They should be able to clamp that noise like electronic shooting ear protection does.
3. The sound quality sucks. The tones are off and the sound is frequently scratchy which is bad for listening to Bluetooth music, or music of any kind.
4. The Bluetooth connectivity is iffy at best. They connect to my phone for music and controls, but good luck maintaining a connection. If you put the phone in a front pants pocket the Bluetooth drops out.
5. They have Bluetooth connectivity for phone calls, but no microphone. You still have to hold the phone up to your mouth to talk.
6. The key clicks on my computer keyboard are very annoying while wearing them.
7. There is more, I'm sure. I may add to the list later.

I have some limited ability to tweek the levels, but not as much as I want. I need to go back to the vendor and get the levels tweeked but I keep putting it off.

[Honda]

I'm looking at the Jabra enhance. They seem to have good reviews. I also have hearing aid benefits through my Blue Cross advantage Medicare plan and I'm going to check them too. The thing I like about the Jabra is that they give you a hundred days no questions asked return and a 3-year full warranty including loss and damage. They run about two grand.
I really appreciate the responses.

[Mike]

I have the same return policy and I think the warranty is the same. The price was double. I would not have them if the insurance hadn't paid. I would have had to go with something less expensive.