IEMs and safe hearing

[dcopper]

Hello all,
I thought I would tap the collective experience of my colleagues here. I had an acute hearing loss several years ago, which as we know never gets better. After consulting my audiologist I believe the only safe way to protect your hearing while playing live is by either using earplugs designed for musicians or IEMs that block out all but your controlled sound. I have had no luck with earplugs - even custom molds. They just block out too much sound.

With all the Bluetooth products out there, like the BOSE BT earbuds, I was hoping maybe someone here has had some success with an IEM/BT earbud system. The easy alternative of course is wireless IEMs. Right now I am working with a wireless headset mic and wireless guitar system to avoid the mic stand and get some flexibility with moving around. I should mention I play pretty much my adaptations of classic rock- I use Taylor guitars/ Fishman LB/AER C60 amps.

So I am thinking maybe I can run a line out of my amps to a small mixer like a PV6 and use a BT transmitter on the headphone out of the mixer. Then if I can successfully pair a set of BT earbuds like the BOSE, that may work for me.
The problem I see may be in the latency from the BT transmitter. There are many on the market and the ones for TV state there is minimal latency. It would not work obviously if you are hearing a delay in the IEMs when you play or sing.

Anyone had any luck? I know - the easy answer is just use wireless IEMS, like the Shure, Galaxy or AT systems. Just thought I would ask since many of the members here have tried some very innovative things. I could also just use wired earbuds out of the small mixer. Just want a little freedom from the wires.

Thanks in advance.
davidc

[lkingston]

I have pretty severe hearing loss as well. My solution was to give up my job as a soundman and only play soft acoustic or jazzbox fingerstyle guitar with vocals and harmonies. My main instrument used to be acoustic piano, but the sound from that bothers my hyperacusis.

[lkingston]

Another thing you might look into is a set of Bose Hearphones. They are a set of noise reducing and amplifying headphones. They have active noise reduction that lets you adjust the amount of ambient sound you have three directionality settings. You can reduce or increase the amount and directionality of the sound around you. I use them when I see live music as it lets me control the loudness of the sound that hits my ears. They also help with understanding speech in noisy environments.

[Marty C]

Originally Posted by lkingston

Another thing you might look into is a set of Bose Hearphones. They are a set of noise reducing and amplifying headphones. They have active noise reduction that lets you adjust the amount of ambient sound you have three directionality settings. You can reduce or increase the amount and directionality of the sound around you. I use them when I see live music as it lets me control the loudness of the sound that hits my ears. They also help with understanding speech in noisy environments.

Is understanding speech in noisy environments a sign of hearing lose? My Dad has been using hearing aids for the last 15 years. I am afraid I will follow his path. Just wondered if this was the start.

[leew3]

Originally Posted by Marty C

Is understanding speech in noisy environments a sign of hearing lose? My Dad has been using hearing aids for the last 15 years. I am afraid I will follow his path. Just wondered if this was the start.

Marty,
struggling to understand speech in noisy environments is a very common sign of hearing loss. It was my primary cue to seek the opinion of an audiologist in my early 50's and this resulted in the hearing aid I've worn in my left ear since that time. In all honesty I needed a hearing aid in my early 30's as a result of many events that damaged my hearing earlier in life-I just didn't follow through. If you have concerns that you're in need of an evaluation I would encourage you to see an audiologist, rather than just a hearing aid dispenser, to get a professional assessment. It has made a huge difference for me!

[dcopper]

Thanks- I agree you really have to protect what hearing you have. I don't go to concerts much anymore since it requires earplugs which then really defeats the whole purpose. I am looking for ways to protect hearing when I am playing. I also do smaller venues like small pubs/coffee houses. Most of the time I do solo work but also have a bass player and a lead player on occasion.
Any technical advice would be greatly appreciated.

[DavidE]

Bluetooth may have too much latency for your live performance.

[Marty C]

Originally Posted by leew3

Marty,
struggling to understand speech in noisy environments is a very common sign of hearing loss. It was my primary cue to seek the opinion of an audiologist in my early 50's and this resulted in the hearing aid I've worn in my left ear since that time. In all honesty I needed a hearing aid in my early 30's as a result of many events that damaged my hearing earlier in life-I just didn't follow through. If you have concerns that you're in need of an evaluation I would encourage you to see an audiologist, rather than just a hearing aid dispenser, to get a professional assessment. It has made a huge difference for me!

Thank you. I appreciate your input.

[dcopper]

All good info that I appreciate but we got a bit off topic. Still wondering if anyone has ever used a Bluetooth transmitter from their/amp mixer to bluetooth ear buds successfully. I have emailed some transmitter companies like TaoTronics to ask about latency (any signal delay would not work obviously) and compatibility with good BT earbuds on the market.
Thanks for the info so far as well, just looking for more specific responses if anyone has tried this BT route.
davidc

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by lkingston

Another thing you might look into is a set of Bose Hearphones. They are a set of noise reducing and amplifying headphones. They have active noise reduction that lets you adjust the amount of ambient sound you have three directionality settings. You can reduce or increase the amount and directionality of the sound around you. I use them when I see live music as it lets me control the loudness of the sound that hits my ears. They also help with understanding speech in noisy environments.

Bose headphones have been a Godsend for me. In addition to hearing devices, I use the noise cancelling (bluetooth) headphones for listening to any music.

I'm not familiar with a Bose live listening product.

[lkingston]

There is a new class of hearing assist devices that can be bought directly. Here is the Bose entry into this field. I have a set and they are quite nice even if there is a lot of room for improvement:

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

I also have the competing Nuheara IQBuds Boost:

https://www.nuheara.com/iqbuds-boost...4aAs8SEALw_wcB

Each has advantages. The Bose Hearphones do active noise reduction and then aim their mics. You can reduce the sound all around you and hear mostly what is in front. That is way cool. I also like them at live performances where you can bring the music down to a more comfortable level and yet still hear everything clearly.

The Nuhear IQBuds don’t do that, but they will give you a hearing test and conform what you are hearing to the results of that test. They also fit in a small recharging case which will fit in your pocket.

At some point I will buy some proper hearing aids. I need them. I have a set that is a few years old but they suck. Two things bother me about hearing aids. One is that they are so freakin’ expensive. The other is that you are locked out of making adjustments yourself. You have to go through an audiologist for every single tweak. As an experienced audio guy, that really drives me nuts.

[dcopper]

I do have hearing aids and I can tell you at least for me, they only help in certain environments. I do not use them when I play since the last thing I want is more amplification going into my ears.
The safest thing for people with hearing loss, at least in my experience, is to control what goes in your ear. Earplugs, even designed for musicians still simply dampen sound. Some claim to not affect the quality of sound, just decrease the volume. I have not found that to be true. I even had custom molds made.
The only controllable alternative is IEMS. Many of the better brands have limiters that keep out unwanted volume and spikes from feedback.
It just depends on whether you are an acoustic musician playing solo/duo etc or you really need to hear the sound being produced by your bandmates on stage. Bluetooth would give some freedom from wires since wireless IEMS still have a body pack to deal with.
Thanks again for pitching in too.

[lkingston]

For just lowering the volume around you, the Bose Quiet Control 30 headphones are pretty amazing. They are a set of active noise reducing headphones with microphones in your ears which let you control exactly how much ambient sound reduction you want. They are perfect for when you are at a concert or listening to a live band in a club when you want to hear the performance down 10 or 15db.

They work really well except that they cannot handle extremely loud stage volumes. Aside from that they are wonderful:

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/...ontrol-30.html

The Bose Hearphones look and work exactly the same except that you can also “run them in reverse” and increase the ambient sound if you are trying to hear quiet speech. Another important feature of the Hearphones is that they let you choose between three directionality settings from all around you, to just directly in front of you. If you are in a loud environment like a machine shop or a bar and want to have a conversation with someone directly in front of you, they are simply fantastic. Far better than any hearing aids.

On the negative side, they have this silly ring thing around your neck, they seal your ears so you there is the occlusion effect (your own voice sounds really loud when your ears are plugged), and the mics are in your ears away from your moth, so they are not much good for phone calls in noisy environments.

[dcopper]

Thanks lkingston. The BOSE information is helpful. I have and have had many BOSE products over the years and was always impressed. Applying them to my needs will take a trip to the BOSE store and some good info from them. I contacted them and they are very helpful.
davidc

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by lkingston

There is a new class of hearing assist devices that can be bought directly. Here is the Bose entry into this field. I have a set and they are quite nice even if there is a lot of room for improvement:

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

I also have the competing Nuheara IQBuds Boost:

https://www.nuheara.com/iqbuds-boost...4aAs8SEALw_wcB

Each has advantages. The Bose Hearphones do active noise reduction and then aim their mics. You can reduce the sound all around you and hear mostly what is in front. That is way cool. I also like them at live performances where you can bring the music down to a more comfortable level and yet still hear everything clearly.

The Nuhear IQBuds don’t do that, but they will give you a hearing test and conform what you are hearing to the results of that test. They also fit in a small recharging case which will fit in your pocket.

At some point I will buy some proper hearing aids. I need them. I have a set that is a few years old but they suck. Two things bother me about hearing aids. One is that they are so freakin’ expensive. The other is that you are locked out of making adjustments yourself. You have to go through an audiologist for every single tweak. As an experienced audio guy, that really drives me nuts.

You should consider getting fitted for the hearing aids. I’m like you and don’t like relying on other people. But, there is a corollary to that. When you get them set, and leave them alone, your brain adjusts to the new normal, and within a few months, you won’t want to take them out. Oticon is the brand I wear.

That said, those Bose would still be a better choice for concerts, which I can no longer enjoy because of the volume. That would make it easier to hear what you need/want.