Quote:
Originally Posted by retiredguy123
As I understand it, you can either amplify the sound equally for all frequencies, or you can use an "equalizer" to amplify the sound differently for different frequencies. That is about all you can do to adjust a hearing aid. But basically, it is an amplifier. It's the same concept for AV receivers. It is not rocket science. Am I missing something?
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What you are describing is a sound amplifier, not a true hearing aid. When you have a hearing aid test, it will chart out where your hearing loss is and the amount based upon frequency. A hearing aid will be programmed to restore your hearing loss by the measured amounts and at each frequency range. When a hearing aid volume is increased or decreased this programmed curve will then be increased or decreased across the entire range.
A sound amplifier simply increases or decreases everything without taking into account your actual hearing loss.
When I went for my last appointment, one of my old hearing aids had died, and they had me test out a new Beltone hearing aid. I wore it for several days and, while it was awesome, I was not going to spend the $7K they were asking. I did a lot of research and ended up with Jabra Enhance Select 200 hearing aids. They look identical to the Beltone, and performance was identical (as far as I could tell). They sell for $2K, but they had a $300 rebate offer going on at the time, so they ended up costing $1,695 with a 3 year warranty and 3 year Audiologist support.
They have an online hearing test available, but that will never be as accurate as a test in a real sound booth. I got a copy of my latest hearing test and sent it them, and they used it to program my hearing aids. They have been fantastic so far!