Sound tech with hearing aids

Khac Hai

Freshman
Jun 29, 2017
2
0
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I've seen a few posts on here recently about people (both wt members and congregants) with hearing aids. As a sound tech with hearing aids (I'll give you a second to recover, it's not as bad as you might think... lots of experience and several "reference" people to help me when i get a new set), i thought a primer might be in order.

First off, you most likely know more about how the HAs work than the typical wearer. Small mic, EQ, amp and speaker... all in a small enclosure that is put in a moisture - rich environment (an ear). The EQ (and size of enclosure) is the primary thing separating cost. I've had 3 sets... the first had a 12 band eq (insurance covered most), the second had 3 bands (insurance would only cover that) sand current has about 15. Just like in your system, more bands = more fine tuning control.

But, the other thing to remember is that they ate programmed to deliver "optimum" sound levels to the user. Very few people have that type of hearing (if you ask the user's spouse, they'll tell you they were shocked when their spouse asked them to turn the TV down) so they will often have more final volume than most.

Secondly, most HAs have directional mics so they pick up best from the direction they are looking loa array

Finally, most HAs are capable of having multiple settings (quiet conversion, noisy situations, loud situations, phones, ear loops, etc) but the user has to be able to describe what they're heating so they can accurately request new programs. This is where you can help by asking specific questions about their experiences... perhaps have them meet you separately and you play several types of sounds to find out why they think it's too loud.

If you have any questions, be sure to ask.
 
Ben,

In general most hearing aids don't amplify past a certain output level, at least modern hearing aids with DSP. The reason for this is both to avoid causing more hearing loss and that people with hearing loss often have reduced dynamic range. So many hearing loss patients will feel a sound is uncomfortably loud at a level that is quieter than someone with normal hearing may tolerate. They end up with a very narrow range of levels that allow them to hear but aren't uncomfortably loud. For this reason and to avoid causing progression of hearing loss most hearing aids will include compression or limiting. They are certainly an imperfect solution but in many cases they are the only option available.