Audio for the hard of hearing...

[Cogarch]

I have an LR AWD with Premium Audio, but had always been puzzled that I found it somewhat underwhelming compared with all the glowing reports I'd read from other owners on this forum.

However as a boomer M3 owner I also wear digital hearing aids. They're pretty good for most purposes, but as an experiment when on my own in the car recently I tried taking out my hearing aids and using the audio equaliser instead, cranking up the treble to compensate. It was a revelation! The powerful distortion-free bass was a revelation -- I had never heard it before!

Unfortunately I don't think this is something I can do very often as it affects my ability to hear alerts and indicator sounds.. I also won't be able to do it when anyone else is in the car! It looks like I will only be able to enjoy my premium audio on special occasions.

Anyone else had this experience? Or perhaps someone knows about hifi hearing aids with a decent bass response?

 

[azred]

I see you are in England. Here on the the other side of the pond, the best streaming hearing aids are very expensive (around $4500 to $5000 a pair). [That should change for the better somewhat over the next couple years as government regulators are loosening the requirements for “professional” fitting.) Fortunately, our private insurance pays 100% of the cost once every five years and their list of hearing aids they will pay for includes most of the premium aids.

I got a pair of Phonak Audeo Marvel Rechargeable aids a couple months ago and love them. However even though I have some musical talent and a decent ear for music it is impossible to say if they would meet your needs, The terms of my insurance-funded purchase included a 60 day trial. If a trial is possible, that would be the way to go.

Even though my aids are considered premium, I don’t think they are considered to be hi-fi but I could be wrong. I should add that my hearing loss is not severe and I imagine that is also a huge factor in terms of satisfaction with my HA’s.

FYI I travel by air a lot and love the streaming. The tips of my aids are vented to help with the plugged effect experienced by the millions of people with those ugly Apple sticks hanging out of their ears. And my hair is long enough to almost entirely cover the aids, For anyone with even mild hearing loss who spends all day with Apple sticks in your ears, look into high end hearing aids. Even without insurance Costco has non-rechargeable aids similar to mine for less than $2000.

 

[Cogarch]

Even though my aids are considered premium, I don’t think they are considered to be hi-fi but I could be wrong.

What I was getting at was whether they can transmit the quality of sound that a high end audio system can generate. I rather think that no such hearing aids exist, although I believe Widex do claim to produce hearing aids for musicians. It is hard to believe that any of them can convey the deep bass response of my car speakers, although the solution may be as simple as a "pass-through" hearing tube..

 

[jerry33]

What I was getting at was whether they can transmit the quality of sound that a high end audio system can generate.

I've found the answer is "not even remotely". The $5K+ hearing aids (which insurance declines, so that's 0% covered) are equivalent to a poor AM radio. In addition, if you use the streaming, battery life is at best two days. About the only thing hearing aids are good for is conversation in quiet environments, or as headphones for phone calls, also in quiet environments.

 

[azred]

I've found the answer is "not even remotely". The $5K+ hearing aids (which insurance declines, so that's 0% covered) are equivalent to a poor AM radio. In addition, if you use the streaming, battery life is at best two days. About the only thing hearing aids are good for is conversation in quiet environments, or as headphones for phone calls, also in quiet environments.

Did you see my note above? Mine were top of the line Phonak $4700 plus tax and insurance covered 100%. As I said most insurers don’t cover but some do.

 

[Cogarch]

I can hardly complain -- I got mine for free on the NHS..!

 

[jerry33]

Did you see my note above? Mine were top of the line Phonak $4700 plus tax and insurance covered 100%. As I said most insurers don’t cover but some do.

Unfortunately, having a choice of insurers is not common. You take what your employer gives you.