Hearing aids for musicians?

[xgsjx]

I’m desperately in need of new hearing aids & wondered what my fellow deafies use?

Also, what’s people’s opinions on hearing aids with AI?
My concern is privacy & AI recording my conversations. But it does seem to be a lot of benefit otherwise. 

[Cliff Edge]

Artificially intelligent hearing aids. The mind is boggled. 

[paul_5]

On the other hand, AI could give us a Babel Fish type device that shouts chord names at us…

[naxos10]

I originally had Phonak hearing aids but now have ones from Specsavers, honestly the difference is minimal. The Phonak may have been a little better but it is minimal and the Specsavers link to my phone so thst I can adjust them according to the enviroment I am in.

I have found a greater difference/upgrade in the type of bud I use, I prefer the open type as opposed to the tulip as they integrate with the natural sound coming into better and cause less of a blocked feeling.

The above may make no sense at all but I am happy to offer any assistance to you I can.

On a final note In general avoid AI as much as I can.

[PaulWarning]

I got a pair from the NHS, the latest ones I think, bluetooth with phone adjustment and all that, I've got used to them now mostly (still struggle in noisey enviroments), certainly no intention of shelling out a few thousand quid on private ones. I did try some private ones on approval, about £3500,  I don't think  they weren't any better then the NHS ones I've got now, but that was a few years ago, never heard of AI hearing aids

[ezbass]

8 minutes ago, PaulWarning said:

I got a pair from the NHS, the latest ones I think, bluetooth with phone adjustment and all that, I've got used to them now mostly (still struggle in noisey enviroments), certainly no intention of shelling out a few thousand quid on private ones. I did try some private ones on approval, about £3500,  I don't think  they weren't any better then the NHS ones

I have NHS ones too and in noisy environments I can only use one, as two are overwhelming. I find the adjustment on the app to be OK for EQ, but the wind reduction, noise reduction and speech focus seem pointless and I can’t tell any difference. I find them a bit on the big side with my specs and wouldn’t mind smaller ones, but I don’t want to lay out wads of cash just for that, there would have to be a noticeable sonic difference.

 

As to “AI” hearing ads, I call marketing BS.

Edited 4 hours ago by ezbass

[naxos10]

My name is Al and I have hearing aids😁

[Bolo]

Hearing aids are my job, but I'm Netherlands based so local differences may apply, in brand names etc. Plus English is not my first language.

 

The "ai" in hearing aids... Isn't. In some of this year's flagship models (Phonak L90 for instance) there's a machine learning feature, that learns the timbre of the voices closest to the wearer. They can then amplify those voices while damping surrounding noise. Works decent in a restaurant for instance. There's nothing that'll save you in a noisy pub with an enthusiastic sound system.

 

Hearing aids won't be recording your conversations any time soon, your mobile phone might already be doing that though

 

The topic is "hearing aids for musicians". Even people with severe hearing loss should still be wearing protection when in an amplified live music environment.

 

For acoustic and classical instruments/orchestra's and listening to proper hifi, people often find that Widex/Coselgi hearing aids sound more natural than most competitors. a boon for music teachers.

Working with a good audiologist to get the most out of the aids, getting all the settings, EQ and sub-programmes just right, is crucial for a good result and positive experience from wearing them.

[xgsjx]

The problem I’ve been having with my NHS HAs is in places like the office. I really have to concentrate and focus to listen to anyone.

Working & talking at the same time isn’t possible. 
Apparently, better quality HAs will make this easier. Also having a tinnitus function could prove useful. 
 

Like I put in the title, I want ones that can work well with music, not just speech.

The band I’m in are An electronica band & I do a lot of sound design, so would like to hear the top end for a change & not have someone else check that for me. 

 

So far, there’s only a couple of hearing aids that offer AI.

I’ve been looking at the Oticon Intent 1, which get great reviews, so I’ll see if I can give them a test run. 
https://www.oticon.co.uk/hearing-aid-users/hearing-aids/products/intent
 

There's also the Starkey Edge as another option. 
https://www.starkey.co.uk/hearing-aids/edge-artificial-intelligence-hearing-aids

[Bolo]

Starkey is an American brand with pretty good consumer focus and easy to connect to Bluetooth devices.

The audibility of the top end depends on your type of hearing loss. You can compare your audiogram to the HA's datasheet to see if they can theoretically supply sufficient amplification. The fit and type of earpieces affect the maximum output in the high frequencies. When they leak sound to the HA's mics they will trigger a built in limiter to prevent feedback.

[Count Bassy]

2 hours ago, ezbass said:

As to “AI” hearing ads, I call marketing BS.

 

A few years ago everything tstarted appearing with "I" in the name, following the lead of Apple.

This has now been replaced/suplimented by "AI".

As you say marketing BS.

[Count Bassy]

In my other life I play a concertina. I find I can't wear hearing aids (NHS ones) while playing as they introduce a marked tremelo effect to the sound.

[ezbass]

19 minutes ago, Count Bassy said:

In my other life I play a concertina. I find I can't wear hearing aids (NHS ones) while playing as they introduce a marked tremelo effect to the sound.

Playing guitar (yeah, I know, but I still enjoy it at home) make mine feedback.