Songbird hearing Aid
 

Anybody have any experience with this hearing aid. It is a very inexpensive aid sold on the internet. Less than $200.00 but totally digital. It is sold as a device for people with low to moderate hearing loss. So it probably is not the latest technology but after all I drive a Hyundai not a Ferrari.

I just have the hardest time figuring out how such a relatively simple piece of equipment can be so expensive. Most of the technology is not all that new. Some are better than others but come on why the big price tag. Is it because our age group has more spendable income?

Hearing aids are like eyeglasses... you really need to be examined and have one custom tuned for you. Buying one over the internet is probably just going to amplify the sound. This may be OK for some people but most people have hearing loss in specific frequencies. An audiologist will determine these frequencies and determine the correct settings for you. Buying one over the internet will probably result in your wasting $200.

:(I agree with both of you. Ooper is so correct that you really should have an audiologist test your hearing. And....it isn't just an amplifier that "turn things up".

But I do agree that even with those specific tunings, someone is making a killing. It isn't all that complicated to have such a HUGE price tag.

Opposite view. A hearing aid is something you wear most of the day every day. It needs to be custom fit to your ear. Everyone has a different size ear and canal. To be comfortable to wear all day it must be fit properly, the range of amplification must be customized to your hearing loss, and the real expense is making the technology that will run on a small battery for a long time. If hearing aids and electric golf carts could be compared, you could drive your cart for a year at 60 miles a day on a single charge.

Now THAT is a very good point. It is amazing how one can change a conceptualization from this forum...Thank you l2ridehd!

I will appreciate those danged things more now and not resent that I could have worn something sparkly on my hand for the same price! :o:o

hearing aids
 

Most insurances will cover a one-time purchase of hearing aids up to $1500. That's a good way to get them before one goes on Medicare, which doesn't pay for hearing aids at all. With the newer technology, one doesn't need to keep changing hearing aids (unless they fail, of course). They are adjustable and can easily be reset to adapt to changes in one's hearing.

Audibel on Old Camp Road offers free hearing screenings. The others may do so also, but they are the only ones I have a first hand knowledge of.

I did try the songbirds a few years ago. I thought, they're cheap, so I should give them a try. As most have posted, they are simply an amplifier and might not help you at all. For my hearing loss, they were not the best fit, but what they did do, however, was convince me that I needed some sort of hearing device.

I finally purchased a proper set and for the cost, I thought they should have come with a steering wheel! The $1500 from insurance, that was mentioned, was not even enough for one ear. That said, I did get the top of the line, at the time.

Hope this helps.... If you're not sure a hearing device will help you, a trial of the songbirds will help you make up your mind.

Audiologist ...
 

Hubby finally gave in to my consistent nagging about his hearing loss when I constantly was repeating EVERYTHING.

Lesson we learned: Hub Bill first went to a store selling a certain brand hearing aid and was diagnosed that he needs the aid and without further adieu they really pressed on to purchase.

I felt Bill should really see an audiologist before committing to a particular store brand. He did so and was found to have a more serious problem of a benign growth that created some of the hearing loss. Minor surgery involved. Before any fitting for a hearing aid, the minor surgery was necessary.

Presently we're waiting for the health insurer to give us the go-ahead and then possibly the hardware will be covered as well.

Going to a specialist rather than a store where a technician will perform the testing is not the way to go. Maybe some have hit it lucky and been successful with this but thank goodness we chose to go the route of the specialist. .....barb

You are so right as usual Barb. My father had an acoustic neuroma, a benign tumor that affected his hearing and since it could be congenital, I went to an audiologist who sent me for that test first. I didn't have it, but learned that I felt better finding a good audiologist and progressing from there. I just hate to be pressured and they are not the same as glasses. You can't tell immediately if you are hearing better as you can tell immediately if you are seeing better. There are parts of the hearing aid business that I feel is very much a pseudo science. You have to pick good people, but how do you know?

I will be looking for a good place here so this is a valuable thread for a lot of us.

hearing aids
 

One time I noticed that my father had new hearing aids as he was bragging how well they worked , he said he could now hear like he was 16 yrs old...
I said THATS AMAZING!! WHAT KIND ARE THEY and he replied A QUARTER AFTER NINE.........


fumar:icon_bored:

Bad on you, Fumar!:mornincoffee::wave::p

SOUNDS GOOD TO ME !!!


fumar :beer3:

What did you say? :pepper2:

Fours
 

Wondered where fours went! :clap2:

Thanks all for the info.

Memason I may just try out the Songbird, they claim to ahve a money back guarantee. Have to check that out real carefull as they may have some fine print.

My hearing loss is minimal so maybe a simple solution will work.

My BCBS has a $5,000.00 out of pocket before they pay anything so that isn't a possibility unless I have some big issue this year.

I've had to have two hearing aids for over a decade now. Here is what I have learned.1. While many different companies sell hearing aids, only 2 or 3 different companies manufacture them, so wherever you buy you are probably getting the same hearing aids. 2. Everyone offers free hearing evaluations....that's how they get your business. 3. Everytime you go for a check up they try to get you to update to the newest technology. I don't really notice that big a difference for the money when I do update. 4. Beltone has given me good service over the years.

I've worn hearing aids for over 20 years and can tell you that the new technology is light years ahead of what I used back in the 1980s. With the digital technology came superior noise filtering, which to me is important as sound amplification.
The hearing professional you use is extremely important in the successful fitting of a hearing aid. There are many, many hearing aids stored in dresser drawers because they can actually make the hearing worse if fitted incorrectly. That's why I would only see an audiologist, not a hearing aid salesperson. The proper fitting is an involved process which for me always takes a few return trips to the audiologist. The digital hearing aids have several settings which can be programmed individually. As an amatuer musician, I have one setting programmed for no noise filtering. I like to hear exactly how my guitar or banjo sound. On one hearing aid I had a few years ago, the filtering feature actually interpreted the instrument as noise (I've heard my wife call it the same thing) and filtered out the sound coming from the axe. This was a simple fix for the audiologist and now I have that program set whenever I get new hearing aids.
The new aids have memory built in so the audiologist knows if you spend a lot of time in noisy environments, windy environments or if you don't use your hearing aid at all.
The last statement is crucial. You have to wear the hearing aid. If it doesn't help your hearing problem take it back and keep taking it back until you, not the hearing aid professional, is satisfied. Don't be afraid to be a pest. That's what they are there for. If an audiologist realizes after he or she hooks your hearing aid to a computer and checks the memory that you aren't using it, they should immediately find out why.
For me, Starkey's just seem to work better. When I've tried Phonaks they don't work and back they go. Now I don't even try them. It's just a frustrating experience. For others they might be the best choice. Different brands give different results.
Thus, to get back on track, I don't think I'd try a Songbird. You and your family know if you have a hearing problem. If you need help, I think you need a qualifed hearing professional. Even there you have a choice. I've had audiologists over the years who just can't seem to get it right. Then I look for another. When I find an audiologist who I can work with, I stay there.
Your spending alot of money, you owe it to yourself to get it done right.
Good luck.

Something I found on the internet that gives a pretty good intro to hearing aids. I think it is very informative to someone who is thinking about hearing aids but is not sure he needs them yet.

http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/hearingaid.asp

I agree with about everything everyone said. Find a good audiologist to give you the hearing test and decide which brand of hearing aid will help you the best. I have a middle to low range of hearing so a simple in the ear hearing aid was not for me. After she gave me my choices, I went to the internet and did my research and finally picked one of the three she had picked. At the end of the three year warranty, I took another hearing test and nothing has changed. They sent the hearing aids back to the factory for an overhaul so I am good for as long as they last.

The only thing I do not agree with is that your health insurance will cover or offset the cost of the hearing aids. Some treat hearing aids like glasses. All mine does is give me a hearing aid company that will get me a discount. I did better on my own. Check with your health insurance to see if they cover the hearing aids. However, if they don't still find an audiologist and get your hearing checked. You will not regret it.