Guitarists with hearing aids please advise.

[guitargabor]

About 5 weeks ago I visited a hearing center and was recommended to try a pair of Widex Evoke hearing aids.They are pretty darn good and very accommodating with music and guitar playing.Their price is quite high in the $6K range.

Today I also received a pair of Philips "hear linK",supposedly the top end that Costco offers.They are very reasonable at $2500 per pair.

I am very disappointed in these Philips ones with respect to music.

My Martin has a sound like the chorus mode on acoustic amps.Other sources of music also sound very artificial.

Anyone else have this issue?

My dilemma is : are the Widex pair worth the extra $3500?

Any advice is appreciated as I am new to this game..

Thanks ,

Gabe

[yairimann]

Well your hearing is priceless is it not? They certainly changed my idea of what is expensive and what is not.
They are also easy to lose, easy to accidently sit on after you take them out and put them in your back pocket while mowing the lawn.
I'm just over 3 years in with my first pair, from what I've been told they are obsolete in 4 or 5 years. Twice now they have been replaced under warranty after failure, so I'd ask your provider about warranty of the pair you want to buy. They are tiny and seem to be fragile.
If you have a pair that enables you to enjoy the sound of music and your guitar I'd say you are ahead of the game.

[zmf]

Originally Posted by guitargabor

I am very disappointed in these Philips ones with respect to music.
Anyone else have this issue?

Yes, same issue. If your hearing us good enough, take the aids out when you play guitar.

If not, you won't get what you what at that price. You need an audiogram using "real ear' feedback and an audiologist who knows the software.

At present, I can stand playing classic guitar with aids in, but not steel string.

I know. It's a PITA.

[RichardP]

I’ve been wearing HA’s for about 20 years. Now on my 4th pair. Two sets back my Oticon pair gave a similar problem. Current Resound brand is great. Problem is the cost— $6400. Another very good brand is Phonak. Same cost...but the parent company, Sonova, is now supplying Costco with a brand one step below the top Phonak set. Good price also. I am 100 miles from the nearest Costco. Otherwise I would have gotten them.
Good luck with your search.
RichardP

[rokdog49]

After reading these posts and the costs of some of these hearing aids, I’m preparing to be deaf.

[dkstott]

I got my 1st hearing aids this past February. The last straw for me was when I couldn't hear the majority of conversations at my Aunt's funeral.

I've got the Phonak Marvel M-70's which are rechargeable. All hearing aids are expensive. One great thing that is included in the high cost for me is that Audiologist appointments and supplies (domes, filters, etc) are free for the life of my hearing aids.

Mine come with a 5 year unlimited warranty & they get a free complete overhaul including replacement of the rechargeable batteries at the 3 year mark, which will extend the life to close to 7 years.

After the initial set-up, I complained that my guitars sounded "tinny".

My audiologist made some adjustments that improved the sound, but it still didn't sound right to me. She suggested that I bring my guitars ( steel and nylon) to the next appointment.

After demonstrating what I was hearing, we decoded that a separate program for guitar playing would be right for me. All it takes is a long press on the button on my hearing aids to switch programs or I can do it via an app on my phone.

I haven't had any issues with the sound of my guitars since.

Before doing any lawn mowing or loud yard work, my hearing aids get placed in the charging pod.

[Borderdon]

Having worn hearing aids for years, I remember taking mine (1st pair) in for service and been loaned a much more sophisticated, and expensive pair to try.
I eventually bought the aids that gave me the most realistic and satisfying hearing experience.
I quickly forgot about the difference in $$$’s.

[Silly Moustache]

Hi, some years ago, I paid quite a lot (for me) for a pair of aids, but quickly fod that whilst they helped hear the TV and normal speech, I simply cold not use them whilst playing or listening to music - my fine acoustic guitars sounded like really bad guitars played with plugged in USTs.

Earlier this year I passed by the shop and dropped in to ask about new aids.
They told me that I was entitled to a free (to me) pair courtesy of NHS. Of course I could pay for fancier ones if I wanted but they suggested that I got the NHS ones first to see if they were satisfactory - and they are certainoly considerably better than the old ones I bought privately.

They work well on speech and TV but again, unsuitable for playing guitar as all musical signals sound as if there is a very fast tremolo (vibrato?) and quiet metallic.

Speech is OK - only problem is with them is with them in I hear better than my wife so we are still arguing about sound levels!
Also If we are watching a commercial TV channel they tend to edit the sound badly so you'll get a load of mumbled dialogue then a noisy background music are of course the dreaded adverts - so I have to keep my hand on the remote mute button.

[guitargabor]

Thanks everyone for your candid and thoughtful comments.


I think the consensus seems to be in favor of the more expensive Widex brand hearing aids.

Gabe

[leew3]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

After reading these posts and the costs of some of these hearing aids, I’m preparing to be deaf.

Though you're likely being facetious, if you have hearing impairment and don't correct it you are indeed preparing to make it much worse. At some point your brain stops analyzing frequencies that you don't hear and then there is no way for correction.

I recommend checking out Audicus.com for affordable and functional hearing aids. Why spend big $$ on acoustic instruments but refuse to hear them accurately?

[leew3]

and in response to the OP, check out whether your aids will gradually adapt to the sounds of instruments. I've worn hearing aids for about 10 years and when I got my newest pair they sounded like the amplification was overwhelmed by some guitar tones (aka 'clipping'). I had them programmed with a separate music channel which helped, but gradually either the aids, my brain or likely both adapted and my guitars sound great now with the aids in. As I noted in my post above, I got mine online from Audicus and would recommend them.

[Gcunplugged]

I've had my Oticons for about 3 months now and they have made a remarkable difference in normal conversation, Skype conference calls, phone conversations via bluetooth on my mobile phone, watching TV, etc.

I'll echo what several earlier posters said however, they are terrible for acoustic guitar. Despite the best efforts of my audiologist, the guitar sounds:

• Tinny
• Brittle
• like a chorus pedal dialed up to maximum
• like a fast tremolo

One piece of advice I got here was to have them turn off compression which we did. The other thing we did was to create a 2nd program, and in that program I had her turn off any processing for frequencies under 1000hz. That made a big difference (to the good) because the acoustic guitar in standard tuning tops out at under 950hz, at least if the Google article I found is correct. The bottom 4 strings sound OK now, but strings 1-2 still exhibit all the above problems. Perhaps it's the overtones causing the problem now?

Bottom line, at this point I'm still taking out the HA's before picking up a guitar.

GC
p.s. Oticon, Widex, Phonak, are you listening? For the money we are paying for these things, you can do better.

[Mr. Paul]

Aware of mixed results other acoustic guitar players have had, I was prepared to make many fine tuning trips to the audiologist when I got my ($6K) Oticons this spring. Made only one, I am 100% sold. My guitars sound great and it has helped improve my singing. I don't nod and smile blankly during conversations in crowded rooms. I understand almost all dialogue in movies. 20 Year tinnitus has improved as well.

[woodbox]

Okay, so here's a question, slightly to the side of guitar playing issues.

Mr Paul, (post above) mentioned he can ".. understand most conversations in movies."

I can't.

btw, I don't watch TV.
Never.
I don't have cable or a satellite dish or disc or whatever.. there is no TV signal to my house.

But I will watch a movie occasionally, (on DVD player) and it's a frustrating experience because the dialogue is so quiet and everything else is so loud.
So I turn up my Phonacs (3 1\2 years old from Costco) to try to hear the voices, and then the scene switches to a street scene and it's SOOOO LOUD I can't stand it!!
Or worse, they'll be in New York whispering about a bank heist in Rome, and next scene is a jet landing and it's overwhelmingly loud!!
The audio dynamics are extreme.

Is this a new way of mixing sound in movies?
Is it compression?
Do I need a sound bar!
A movie from 10 or 20 years ago doesn't seem to be a problem, but I cannot bear newer ones.
What's going on?
Anyone else have this complaint?
Or do my HA's need a special "movie" setting!

On the guitar thing,
I must turn my Phonacs clear down when playing guitar to avoid the overly bright "tinny" sound mentioned by some of you.
During a gig, I will do 2-3 songs back to back with HA's down, turn them up to engage the audience if I need to hear thier responses or requests, then back down to play and sing.

I've been considering a new pair.. from Costco.. but maybe I should raise my sights a bit?
I was told the improved replacements to mine ($2500 3 yrs ago) are now only $1500, and they can be adjusted with my phone.
Maybe heading to the Doctors office with more cash in hand is the way to go?
Or can the new Costco Phonacs do the job?

[Naboz]

dkstott--
Almost exactly my situation and company chosen. I'm very fortunate my insurance covers up to 3800 a pair.
Nerve damage negates getting a lot of improved response from one ear, but I chose two HAs to "balance out" the reception. Since February I've been in multiple times for adjustments, battery issues, software upgrades, etc.
I've brought a guitar in twice to get some data there, and the second program (for music) now makes playing almost as "real" as the past.
Phonak purchased thru an audiologist sets up the unlimited visits (it's only 20 mins. drive for me), and upgrades, resets, adding other programs, etc.
I do still have problems with crowds or restaurants, and hearing a person speak to me--if I place them to the side of my better ear, it helps.
And yes, Woodbox, I am experiencing the same phenomena with movie sound! I keep the remote in hand and do the frequent volume adjust because of the changing dynamics (my wife is very understanding).
I'll keep going back to my audio clinic and providing her info on my experiences so she can keep searching for other accumulating data results, and maybe within the year's end I'll have an optimum set-up