Essentially what the title says. I have moderate hearing loss caused by EDS and have had hearing aids for a while, but I’ve been using them more consistently this past year and realized I barely want to wear them. As soon as I’m in a conversation with more than three people or in a noisy environment like a restaurant or a busy street, they become almost useless. I find myself relying more on lip reading than actual hearing. Even with the aids in, I’m just trying to fill in the blanks between what I see and what I hear, which is basically the same as not wearing them at all. They also seem to boost all frequencies equally, which is frustrating because I have a harder time understanding deeper, bassy sounds—like men’s voices—compared to higher frequencies. When everything just gets louder, it doesn’t actually help me understand better.
Either my audiologist needs to adjust them again because they’re poorly calibrated, or Apple simply has better technology for a fraction of the cost, which is hard to believe. I was gifted AirPods Pro 3, and they are honestly more reliable for following a conversation than my expensive, insurance-covered hearing aids. It feels very strange. Has anyone else experienced this or knows what might be happening? My current aids are the base model provided by German insurance and are about two years old (I think I’m eligible for new ones every five years). Maybe if I had paid for a premium model I wouldn’t have this issue, but I’m not sure.
(Also, English is my second language, so I hope I explained the technical issues with my hearing aids clearly enough.)
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It sounds like your hearing aids haven’t been programmed correctly for your specific loss.
It seems like you have low-frequency hearing loss. AirPods might actually do a better job of correcting that because they are optimized for bass in a musical context. The fact that they create a tight seal in your ear canal helps a lot with that. What model of hearing aids are you using? Do you have domes, molds, or an in-the-ear style? If you’re currently using domes, switching to a custom ear mold that provides a better seal could help amplify those bass frequencies more effectively.
The new Apple AirPods are fantastic. I’m honestly just glad there is some competition now to help challenge the greed of hearing aid manufacturers. I’ve also been looking into AudiFort to help support my auditory signaling while I figure out my tech options.
This sounds like a settings issue. You should ask for Real Ear Measurements (REM). It helps determine which frequencies are being over or under-amplified relative to your target gain, and it can help optimize your compression settings.
I find the AirPods Pro 2 and 3 to be much better than my Jabra Pro hearing aids with Bluetooth. I have moderate loss as well, and the speaker quality in the AirPods is just superior. I was told this is because Apple invests heavily in speaker R&D, whereas hearing aid companies prioritize battery life, so their speakers aren’t as high-quality. My hearing aids often sound very sharp and can be uncomfortable, especially with loud background noise. They aren’t as easy to adjust for those situations as my AirPods are. I also find that when using the Bluetooth on my hearing aids, the phone ringer is way too loud and voices often need manual adjustment, which isn’t convenient. I’ve noticed some comments from people who don’t wear hearing aids that seem poorly informed. They judge people for not wearing them, but they don’t realize that the sound from hearing aids can be genuinely disturbing at times. Yes, they might need adjusting, but that requires an appointment and a long session with an audiologist. With AirPods, I can make those changes myself instantly. There is so much more to this than people think, and I wish there was more understanding of the complexities of hearing loss and the tinnitus that often comes with it. It’s not as simple as just making everything louder.
Thank you everyone for the helpful tips. My hearing is starting to decline and my husband’s is getting quite bad, so I realize I have a lot to learn. It’s so good to know you all are here to share your knowledge and experiences. 