Best Hearing Aid for an acoustic guitar player ?

[121]

I wonder what brand/model number hearing aids are better for an acoustic guitar player?

My first HA were Starkey Muse i2400 RIC BTE.
My audiologist (at the VA) turned off the anti feedback to give me a music listening channel.
My acoustic guitar sounded much better ( no fluttery/chorus effect) and I got very little feedback.

About two years ago the VA upgraded my HA to Starkey Evolv AI 2400.
The pre-programmed music listening channel had the anti-feedback engaged and I could easily hear the fluttery/chorus effect.
I asked to have the anti feedback turned off and the channel was so prone to feedback it was virtually unusable.
Unfortunately I have no choice but to use Starkey's pre-programmed music channel with the anti-feedback when I play my acoustic guitar.

Is there a better brand/model hearing aid for acoustic guitar players ?

[Photojeep]

I only wear one so I’m not sure how valid my info will be but here goes:

I just got a Phonak Audeo M50 and after 2 weeks, I’m very impressed with the sound quality. So far I’m only on the Automatic program and for the most part, I’m satisfied with one exception. My HA has some sort of gain compression that practically shuts down all sound when it gets too loud too suddenly.

Normally this would be a good thing, but when I play at church, and a song begins with some volume, it practically shuts off all sound. Yesterday I just took it off to avoid the disoriented feeling of one ear suddenly going practically silent.

Luckily I hav an appointment with my audiologist today and I will ask him to make a program to turn off (or WAY DOWN) this compression.

My hope is that if this works, I’ll have the best of both worlds. I’ll report back after I get back.

Best,
PJ

[The Watchman]

I dont think its the brand or style so much as the skill of the person programming it. And hopefully, they would understand the special conditions a musician needs to work under. I'd suggest you take a guitar with you next time you go in, if you haven't already. But I suspect its all the other noise going on around you in that church environment that messes things up.

Nothing against the DVA, but my impression (relative who have gone there for hearing aids) is that they dont have the latest technology at their disposal. Hope Im wrong, as I need them soon.

[Rockysdad]

Generally speaking, there is no *best*.

What works for me, may be horrific for you.

The biggest factor I think is the Audiologist you're dealing with, how good they are, how many brands of aids they deal with etc.

Depending on what one's hearing loss is will be a significant factor on the type of aid and what is realistically achievable as far as how well you can hope to hear the sounds around you.

I've got a top-of-the-line brand and have been going for constant adjustments to get things right.

Some aids are definitely better than others, but that's something you AND your Audiologist have to work out.

[GCWaters]

I've been using the Jabras from Costco for about a month now. They work perfectly with my acoustic guitars, playing solo and unamplified. Not so great with my electrics, but luckily I can just slip the domes out onto the side of my face and I'm fine.

[Photojeep]

I returned from my audiologist a couple hours ago after he raised the compression point as far as he could.

I'll have to see if it was far enough but so far other sould levels no longer make my HA seem like it switched off.

While I'm still only hopeful this will work for me, I can say the sound quality is very, very good.

On a somewhat related note, when I got my new HA, my initial feeling was that there was suddenly an echo in the room and it was incredibly harsh and tinny sounding.

My audiologist turned off the highest frequencies which ended the high artificial tinny sound. He also said that my right ear had been performing so poorly for so long, my brain had stopped incorporating most of its input but now that it was "working" it might take up to a couple weeks for it to assimilate right-ear-sounds.

I now have much more sound coming from my right ear and it is much higher quality of sound than my old HA supplied. How much of the quality portion is due to the new HA or my simply getting used to it quicker I don't know.

What I do know is that I'm very happy with being able to hear better than before.

Best,
PJ

[Steve DeRosa]

[Silly Moustache]

I had a hospital appointment today to further check on my increasing tinnitus 9aggravated I feel by two studio sessions with a rather sonically aggressive electric guitarist.

A new young chap spend an hour with me, working on the tinnitus programme and the music programme and told e that the feedback suppressor was now off.
Haven't tested them as yet, but he was very sincere in trying to help me - FAR more thorough than anyone I've seen before.

[leew3]

Originally Posted by The Watchman

I dont think its the brand or style so much as the skill of the person programming it. And hopefully, they would understand the special conditions a musician needs to work under. I'd suggest you take a guitar with you next time you go in, if you haven't already. But I suspect its all the other noise going on around you in that church environment that messes things up.

Nothing against the DVA, but my impression (relative who have gone there for hearing aids) is that they dont have the latest technology at their disposal. Hope Im wrong, as I need them soon.

yep- This ^^^^ much like 'it's not so much the instrument as the player' having an audiologist who listens well to you and is skilled with setting up your aids makes all the difference in the world.

[Horsehockey]

The administration has announced that the Food and Drug Administration’s final rule concerning Biden’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy went into effect yesterday making hearing aids available over the counter and thereby lowering costs for the devices by as much as $3,000 a pair.