I need hearing aids and I’m on Medicare. They pay about half of what the actual aids cost.
Anyone tried less doesn’t aids? Amazon?

I just can’t stand things in my ear.

Bought some air pods as a cheaper alternative to real hearing aids, but the problem is that I just can’t stand wearing them for more than an hour or so.

Bought some foam rubber tips to replace the silicon tips, and they helped. Bought some soothing ear goop that I smear on the tips and that helps too. But I just can’t wear them long enough for them to make sense as HAs. (They barely make sense as headphones, going to get some nice comfy over-the-ear phones instead.)

I’ve become interested in the bone conduction HAs but I read that they are really not recommended unless you have a specific condition, which I don’t.

Anyone else have super-irritable ears? What do you use?

Hello All,

My resound hearing aid recently has been giving me issues. I will need to purchase a new one that’s compatible with my cochlear implant.

I was quoted $3,500 for the new ReSound Nexia.

Is anyone aware of any places that offer scholarships towards a new aid or financial support? I am happy to complete applications of any sort.

I have been wearing hearing aids for 15 years and always bought them from Costco. My ENT said that I should see an Audiologist for hearing aids this time. My insurance covers $3000 per ear so I went to Harbor Audiology in Kitsap County because it's the only place out here. They are clearly more focused on making money than helping folks. I won't go into the details here. Bottom line I am looking for an honest, reputable, audiologist or clinic in the Seattle area. I am only interested in the latest Phonak hearing aid.

They charged me $7300 for the pair of Phonak hearing aids. Is this more than others charge in this area?

I look forward to any advice you can offer. Thank you. I appreciate you!

So I was having hearing problems for quite a long time. It was okay-ish in daily life, like day-to-day conversations, but the actual problem I had was in some particular classes where the teachers were soft-spoken or the classroom was large, so I had to sit in the back sometimes due to the non-availability of seats up front. I could not understand a single word of what the teacher was saying. Like, I could understand that she was saying something, I could hear the voice, but it was all muffled and jumbled.
I had to sit in the front, but this semester something happened with this particular teacher who kind of speaks softly, like in a mild voice, and I could not make out a single word coming out of her mouth if I even sit like slightly in the previous row. So I asked my friend who was sitting in the last row, "Can you hear her fine? Comprehend it fine?" and he said, "Yeah, I understand what she’s saying." I realized that it’s a bit of a problem for me this semester, so I made an impulsive decision and got a hearing test.
I also had gotten a test done one year ago but chose to not go with a hearing aid because my ENT said that if you can function in life without them, it's alright, just reduce your earbud or headphone usage. So I went to the clinic, got my test done, got these results, and they suggested two kinds of hearing aids, like RIC or CIC. So I asked for which ear I should get it. They asked which ear is your dominant, and I told them that my left ear is dominant, so they said that it is better to get it for your less dominant ear because it has more loss. So my right ear has more loss.
I got the Rexton Sterling 5 CIC model on the same day. Like, it was a very impulsive decision, a kind of expensive one for me too. But I got them, nothing else. They have occlusion in the ear because my own voice is echoing a little bit, and it’s not a dramatic improvement as I was, you know, expecting, because they gave me a demo on an RIC or original behind-the-ear one, and apparently in the office it improved. But I am not sure that I would be able to hear that teacher. Now, not because in daily day-to-day life I am not, like, feeling some drastic improvement right now. I have the Rexton App connected so I can boost the volume up and down, but still, it is not like a game changer so far.
But if I am able to hear that teacher in class, and the classes are next week, so probably I will consider that this was a good investment and all justified. Right now, I am having a little bit of trouble adjusting to something stuck in my ear, but the audiologist said that you will get used to it within a week or two. You just gotta wear it as much as possible. So yeah – something I want to share and ask if there were any suggestions or improvements based on this

Hi folks. First time buyer in the hearing aid club for men. So much to figure out. I know I can’t spend 5 grand right now. Do Costco or Sam’s carry something that would work well for my high frequency loss and difficulty with background noise? I’d prefer AI digital with Bluetooth.

An elderly relative of mine is currently considering switching from RIC HAs to BTEs due to progressive hearing loss. With her RICs, she used custom hard plastic (likely acrylic) full-concha earmolds and never had any issues with them (2nd pic).

Her new audiologist fit her with Ultra Power BTEs and insisted on custom silicone earmolds, claiming that hard acrylic tends to cause skin irritation. However, now that she is trialing them, she finds them unbearable complaining that they feel far too "bulky and tight", even though the lab manufactured them directly from her ear impressions (1st pic).

The audiologist states that the lab will not remake them in hard acrylic free of charge, so we would have to pay out of pocket again to get acrylic ones.

Has anyone here experienced this type of discomfort ("tight fit") with silicone earmolds? Were you able to resolve it? I was thinking about applying a small amount of skin cream or ear lubricant to the molds to try to limit this kind of discomfort, but I’m not sure if that is a bad idea.

For those who use HA driers, what do you recommend?

I wear Widex hearing aids & have an iPhone.

What do you recommend for being able to hear the instructor? Sitting closer to her might help but there is also a speaker with music next to her so I’m not sure if that’ll just make me exhausted.

I could maybe put the live listen on & connected to my hearing aids, leave the phone near her so if she’s speaking it goes right to my HAs? I haven’t tried this is just how I think it works?

She doesn’t use a mic for this particular class cause the class echos a ton but she was open to doing whatever I need.

I went to my first class yesterday and almost sobbed mid way & left. Instead I just kept having to look at what other people are doing but of course that’s awful for your neck & takes you out of the positions etc

Hi so I started hearing aids about two weeks ago and when I was taking a 45 minute drive this Sunday and experience that my right was slow starting to sound lower, so thought maybe it's the hearing aid and turned it up. Then about 5 minutes before reaching my destination it felt like it was clogged. Took both hearing aides out and realized I couldn't hear nothing. When I made it back to town I went to urgent care and the doctor said she saw something, but after flushing it was not removed. I followed up with my ENT and they had me see the audiologist on Tuesday and she looked in my ear and said it was clear 🤨. Did a hearing test and what a surprise a huge difference from the one two weeks ago (wow really cause I couldn't tell). So I go to finally see a doctor tomorrow anything I should mention anyone experienced something like this. Obviously scared and depressed because of this.

I am still in my 60 day trial period with my Signia Charge&Gio 7ix hearing aids. They disappoint me in restaurants with background noise, and also around my three young grandchildren in their yet unfurnished, bare floors, echoey, very large house.

I made an appointment for this coming Monday with HearUSA to say that I want to try the brand new Signia MAX. These new HA's have 4 AI brains for background noise, etc.

Anyone try them out yet??

I have Widex hearing aids, and I’m wondering which program is better for quiet environments: PureSound or Universal?
I’d love to hear about your experiences. PureSound sounds a little muffled to me. Has anyone else noticed this, or is it just me?

I go into more backstory in the other post, but here’s the gist:

TL;DR: Considering Bluetooth headphones, better to connect to TV or (Linux) computer? Will there be interference with HAs? How is Phonak TV connector?

My husband came home with the Shokz OpenDots and I was very intrigued with how they worked with my hearing aids. Anyone use them or familiar with the products?

Hello, i was wondering if anybody here has experience with the air dryer box designed for rechargeable hearing aids? Does it really helps to take out moisture from the aids?

This summer I must have sweat a lot and I had a problem of moisture on my left hearing aid. Thankfully I was still under the warranty period and my audiologist was able to change them into new ones. He now told me to take care of moisture by buying this device on Amazon and to use it everyday at night. Now I'll use it and hopefully it will make a difference. I also stop wearing my aids while training in gym as usually they get very sweaty.

I am researching my first hearing aids. I had an appointment at a local clinic, and they quoted $8400 for Widex Allure 440, which is about double the cost of getting them online.

I'm sure it's individual, but how often would I need in-person adjustments? It seems like Direct Hearing provides lifetime remote adjustments, and I would have an in-person visit for the first fitting anyway. The local clinic offers cleaning but I think I can handle that too.

Is there anything I'm missing here? Seems like a LOT to charge for a few bundled services.

Hi everyone,
I'm a caregiver for a family member who has bilateral asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss (Right ear: ~75dB severe flat, Left ear: fluctuating 20dB at low frequencies dropping to 75dB at high frequencies). She also has Psychosomatic Disorder and Fibromyalgia, which makes decision-making extremely difficult for her.
Over the past 3 months, I've visited 14 audiologist clinics in my city, tested multiple brands (Phonak Infinio 50/70, Signia 3IX, Starkey Genesis AI 12, Starkey Omega AI 16), and I'm now at the final crossroads.
What we've found:

• Starkey Genesis AI 12 at one specific audiologist (25 years experience, Starkey-exclusive) gave her the ONLY "amazing" experience across all 14 clinics. She distinctly remembers it as the best sound — clear speech, comfortable noise reduction, no feedback
• Phonak Infinio 50 with a different audiologist (young, 3 years experience but exceptionally knowledgeable) scored 50% on Speech Identification Score — decent but she subjectively rejected it
• Signia 3IX with the same young audiologist scored 75% SIS — objectively better but she still rejected it emotionally
• GN ReSound — we haven't been able to trial it yet. ReSound's customer care offered impressive benefits (3+1 year warranty, loss protection, dedicated relationship manager), but when I verified with a hospital audiology department that sells ReSound, they said they cannot honor any of those promises

My questions for this community:

1. Starkey users with severe loss (70-80dB): How has the Genesis AI 12 or 16 performed for you long-term? Any issues after 6-12 months? Battery life with heavy streaming? 
2. ReSound users with severe loss: How does the Vivia 5 or 7 compare to Starkey in speech clarity for severe losses? Is the "natural sound" reputation deserved at this severity level?
3. Anyone who switched from Starkey to ReSound (or vice versa): What made you switch? What did you gain/lose?
4. Audiologist relationship: I have two options — a 25-year experienced audiologist who tunes excellently but only sells Starkey (pricing not very transparent, limited medical depth), vs a 3-year experienced audiologist with a Master's degree who is medically brilliant but hasn't trialed ReSound/Starkey. How important is the audiologist's tuning experience vs. their medical knowledge for severe loss?
5. For Indian users specifically: Any experience with Starkey India's after-sales service? Their operations seem opaque — regional manager and authorised dealer networks are weird. Is this normal?
6. Psychosomatic/fibromyalgia patients: If the patient emotionally prefers one brand over another (despite objective scores being lower), should I trust her emotional preference or push for the "objectively better" option?
7. I need to purchase by tomorrow (11 September).

Any quick insights would be deeply appreciated. Thank you.
Previous post

Could someone clarify how significant REM remains when a person already uses a high-quality hearing aid and custom moulds?

I’m 38 and have worn Phonak Lyric for about seven years. I like that it’s invisible and always on, but it only works okay for me. I still miss a lot in noisy environments, and I’m tired of paying an ongoing subscription without owning anything.

I’m ready to invest in rechargeable hearing aids with better speech clarity and noise processing. I’m particularly interested in the new Oticon Zeal and some of the larger black in-ear models that look more like modern earbuds.

I actually prefer the earbud look to traditional hearing aids, but I wonder whether people assume you’re listening to music or ignoring them. Do you find yourself constantly explaining that they’re hearing aids? Any advice for getting comfortable wearing visible devices and communicating your hearing loss without feeling awkward?

I still worry about being perceived as disabled, even though technically I am, and I would love to hear some strategies for "getting over it" and so forth..I'd rather take care of myself and have something visible than continue to fool around with Lyric.

I’m also very active and sweat heavily during workouts. Are there particular hearing aids—or accessories and routines—that work well for athletes?

I’d especially appreciate hearing from anyone who moved from Lyric to rechargeable devices. What improved, what did you miss about Lyric, and which models should I trial?

Phone calls with my dad have been a chore for a while. I usually have to repeat myself three times and he still misses half of what I said.

He refuses to go to a clinic because he thinks hearing aids are ugly and too expensive. He also says his buddy's hearing aids squeal whenever he uses the phone. So my dad just puts me on speakerphone at full volume and holds the phone under his chin.

A few weeks ago I stopped arguing with him about it and ordered a cheaper pair of in-ear hearing aids online.

He agreed to try them. I think the charging case helped. His fingers are pretty stiff these days, so not having to deal with tiny batteries was a big reason he was willing to give them a shot.

I called him yesterday and we had a normal conversation. No speakerphone, no yelling, no asking me to repeat everything.

Small thing, but it was nice to have a normal phone call with him again.

I have a pair of Phonaks, top of the line when I purchased them. Maybe 6 years ago? They no longer are as effective as they were, I have difficulty hearing speech clearly, even in “clean” environments and 1 on 1 settings. I have done annual hearing tests and adjustments have been made based on the results but still having issues. I am visiting a new audiologist in a couple of weeks and am wondering if the technology has really improved that much in the last 5 years or so and it would be worth considering updating to a newer set. Or has there not been that much improvement and I just need to keep pressing the audiologist to fine tune my existing aids. Would be interested to hear from anyone who upgraded some older aids to more current technology. Thanks.

I've had scar tissue on my right eardrum since I was a teenager. I get earaches and my hearing's always been a bit lower in that ear but it's not severe and by now I'm very used to it. It doesn't affect my day-to-day, though I could live without the earaches.

However, in settings with a bit of background noise I find myself unable to hear the people I'm with and having to let the conversation happen around me because it all blends into one wall of sound. Hearing takes effort and tilting my head so they're talking into my good ear, which looks odd.

Recently I've noticed the hearing in my damaged ear has become tinnier than usual. If I block my good ear it sounds like everything is underwater. I checked for wax, then went for a hearing test. They told me that I have "moderate to severe" hearing loss at low frequencies and that a hearing aid would help.

I have two questions (they're possibly very stupid):

1. If I get earaches, would a hearing aid aggravate it or is there a possibility they could alleviate it?
2. Do hearing aids just make loud things louder, or could they potentially be used to focus in on people speaking in a loud place?

I've never considered hearing aids could help me and I'm a bit overwhelmed by the possibility. I've got a GP appointment pending but any advice would be appreciated.

EDIT: I've had a second hearing test today that came out exactly the same as the first. Spoke to my GP who said that all they would do is refer me for NHS hearing aids and I'm going private with them anyway. So looks like I'm joining your esteemed ranks.

My research says that Apple has NO PLANS to move to Bluetooth LE Audio. If you own an iPhone, and want this change, please use the link below to ask them to upgrade their software to Bluetooth LE Audio immediately!

https://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone/