Expensive hearing aids ?

[zuludawn]

I have just found out, but no surprise I have damaged my hearing in the high frequency range very extensively over the years (loud music).

Before I start looking has anyone had any experience with high end hearing aids, the ones I've seen or around £2800 to £3000 a pair, they also stream via Bluetooth etc.

Question is before I get caught up in all the sales bumf are they really that good and worth this kind of money and could you even compare there streaming quality to headphones of a similar price?

Thought I would ask before demoing any so I have a better idea if anyone uses them.

Bit concerned most hook over the back of the ear as I'm bald and two would I think look (obvious). I'm not that vain but would not rather look like a Borg

 

[Pawnless Endgame]

I'm NHS, but watching this thread with interest

I have a pair of Oticon Spirit Synergy BTE13P which I think is standard issue equipment on the NHS.

You could do with getting yourself a hearing test, which will produce an audiogram for you. Audiology doesn't normally give this to you, but they should honour it if you ask. I had to ask for a print-out for when I was appealing my DLA/PIP claim and they gave it out fine. The audiogram is kinda like a graphic equaliser which will tell your supplier (NHS or private) on how to tune your new hearing aids with the various frequencies.

I recently heard that SpecSavers now have a hearing aid department in-store but I'm sure there are numerous other private sector options.

 

[Grim5]

I have just found out, but no surprise I have damaged my hearing in the high frequency range very extensively over the years (loud music).

Before I start looking has anyone had any experience with high end hearing aids, the ones I've seen or around £2800 to £3000 a pair, they also stream via Bluetooth etc.

Question is before I get caught up in all the sales bumf are they really that good and worth this kind of money and could you even compare there streaming quality to headphones of a similar price?

Thought I would ask before demoing any so I have a better idea if anyone uses them.

Bit concerned most hook over the back of the ear as I'm bald and two would I think look (obvious). I'm not that vain but would not rather look like a Borg

I've seen hearing aids cost up to 10k a pair

Expensive ones are smaller, fit in the ear so can't see it and they have smart features like Bluetooth audio etc

Make sure you have insurance people are really good at losing these things

 

[batfink]

I'm fairly new to wearing hearing aids (6 months) after a referral for tinnitus identified I had mild-moderate mid-range hearing loss which I was probably born with but I never really knew because I could hear voices just fine.

My hearing aids are NHS issued danalogic Ambio S67 which are discreet and offer all the Bluetooth integration features. I'm also pretty much bald and most people only really notice if they are behind me where they can see the hearing aid. I got over the vanity side of things pretty quickly because the benefits are worthwhile.

My understanding is that all hearing aids essentially have the same features, you just pay more for fancy designs (or in-ear) or rechargeable batteries (mine are replaced once per week). Whether £3k gets you something better than you could get on the NHS is your call.

My recommendation.....try to get a doctor referral for a hearing test first.

 

[DXP55]

I have had hearing aids for about 12 yrs -First were NHS and I could never wear left one it just wasn't comfortable - I stuck with these till about 12 months ago when I went to Specsavers for a test and free month's trial with there own top of range.
These have BT and they were so much better than NHS - But after two weeks I rang and said I am bringing them back because of drop out on BT.
They then let me use a pair of Phonak R90s - these are miles better and I did buy then - If you had said to me before, that I would spent 2.4k on hearing aids I would have laughed you out of room.
I do not use them for streaming music but they are connected to my phone and it is a revelation having the person talking to you seemingly sitting right in front of you because the voice is in both ears-They are good -I used to get hand ache and sweaty ears using phone against my ear.
I was in a garden centre cafe this week and background noise was horrendous so just went into app and turned back ground noise out and treble down and it was much better. You can also save these setting for next time.

They can do such a lot but I am too old to start messing on things I wouldn't use - you can pair them to your car HU and listen to music from there. Also if you set them up you can use BT from HU to answer your phone rather than hearing aids.

I am glad I bought them even though I don't believe they are anyhere near value for money - I could have bought 2 new iPhones for that price and got a lot more functionality.
When you can't hear - then it's worth it.

 

[pastymuncher]

I have severe hearing loss in my left ear as a result of the RAF Med Centre at Laarbruch ignoring a ear infection and severe head pains until it was too late and blood and pus started pouring out. This resulted in me having a big operation which went on for 3.5 hours to have loads of bone from my skull and part of my inner ear cut out. I have a NHS hearing aid now and it has made a massive difference to my life. Yes there is a big part of the hearing aid behind my ear but I couldn't care less because of the difference it has made to me. I can't have one of the small in ear hearing aids due to having lots of scar material in my ear canal which is easily aggravated and gives me pain. This also includes ear buds and in ear headphones so anything like that I need to have over the ear headphones which I actually prefer anyway.

If you don't have a hearing aid at all get your GP to refer you and have a hearing test carried out. They are pretty thorough and will pinpoint where you need assistance the most. If it's moderate to severe hearing loss they will probably recommend you to have a hearing aid and may very well start the process off there and then by taking a mould of your ear (they need to for the part that sits inside your ear). Give the NHS one a try first to see how much difference it makes before splashing thousands on a expensive in ear aid.

 

[Bassmansam]

Im sure op has already had a hearing test given he said

”I have just found out, but no surprise I have damaged my hearing in the high frequency range very extensively over the years (loud music).”

 

[batfink]

Im sure op has already had a hearing test given he said

”I have just found out, but no surprise I have damaged my hearing in the high frequency range very extensively over the years (loud music).”

Not an NHS test though, I'm guessing, based on wanting to spend £3k on some hearing aids

I have had hearing aids for about 12 yrs -First were NHS and I could never wear left one it just wasn't comfortable - I stuck with these till about 12 months ago when I went to Specsavers for a test and free month's trial with there own top of range.
These have BT and they were so much better than NHS - But after two weeks I rang and said I am bringing them back because of drop out on BT.
They then let me use a pair of Phonak R90s - these are miles better and I did buy then - If you had said to me before, that I would spent 2.4k on hearing aids I would have laughed you out of room.
I do not use them for streaming music but they are connected to my phone and it is a revelation having the person talking to you seemingly sitting right in front of you because the voice is in both ears-They are good -I used to get hand ache and sweaty ears using phone against my ear.
I was in a garden centre cafe this week and background noise was horrendous so just went into app and turned back ground noise out and treble down and it was much better. You can also save these setting for next time.

They can do such a lot but I am too old to start messing on things I wouldn't use - you can pair them to your car HU and listen to music from there. Also if you set them up you can use BT from HU to answer your phone rather than hearing aids.

I am glad I bought them even though I don't believe they are anyhere near value for money - I could have bought 2 new iPhones for that price and got a lot more functionality.
When you can't hear - then it's worth it.

Not sure which NHS ones you had but mine do all of the above - app to tweak settings / block out background noise / change to outdoor/restaurant/tinnitus setting, stream music, stream phone calls etc.

For the OP, it's got to be worth exploring the NHS route first before spending £3k on some hearing aids, I would have thought?

 

[ivrytwr3]

I have severe hearing loss in my left ear as a result of the RAF Med Centre at Laarbruch ignoring a ear infection and severe head pains until it was too late and blood and pus started pouring out. This resulted in me having a big operation which went on for 3.5 hours to have loads of bone from my skull and part of my inner ear cut out. I have a NHS hearing aid now and it has made a massive difference to my life. Yes there is a big part of the hearing aid behind my ear but I couldn't care less because of the difference it has made to me. I can't have one of the small in ear hearing aids due to having lots of scar material in my ear canal which is easily aggravated and gives me pain. This also includes ear buds and in ear headphones so anything like that I need to have over the ear headphones which I actually prefer anyway.

If you don't have a hearing aid at all get your GP to refer you and have a hearing test carried out. They are pretty thorough and will pinpoint where you need assistance the most. If it's moderate to severe hearing loss they will probably recommend you to have a hearing aid and may very well start the process off there and then by taking a mould of your ear (they need to for the part that sits inside your ear). Give the NHS one a try first to see how much difference it makes before splashing thousands on a expensive in ear aid.

Did the RAF help with the hearing aids or was it all through the NHS?

My annual hearing tests are showing a sharp decline in my hearing in the last 3 years - funny thing since that's when i started working near the flight line of a 'phoon runway!

I'm at the stage of having to focus to hear conversations and family are constantly telling me to turn down the TV

 

[zuludawn]

Not an NHS test though, I'm guessing, based on wanting to spend £3k on some hearing aids


Not sure which NHS ones you had but mine do all of the above - app to tweak settings / block out background noise / change to outdoor/restaurant/tinnitus setting, stream music, stream phone calls etc.

For the OP, it's got to be worth exploring the NHS route first before spending £3k on some hearing aids, I would have thought?

It was a NHS test, I was under investigation for continuing right ear infections which have been monthly. I had a wax disk welded to the ear drum so it wasn’t clear if I had damage underneath.

The plan was to use ear drops a week before appointment to soften it then remove to examine the ear drum. As it went the drops caused ear canal inflammation, looks like getting my canal wet irritates the skin.

I had two appointments an ear test then doctors after hence the post. The test was quite damming the left ear was bad the right the chart dipped steeply in the red well past severe. These results were passed on to the doctor and I was told it’s nerve damage and unrepairable and a hearing aid assessment to be arranged

Also have tetanus which I have known for years but don’t bother me that much.

I should have made my post a bit clear, I suppose I was asking if anyone had experience with going from NHS hearing aids to expensive models and if so was their a difference to justify their high cost.

Of course I will be going the NHS route first as I need a baseline improvement before testing any other, if I went private route first obviously I would have an improvement and could be easily persuaded to part with a lot of money

 

[DXP55]

Did the RAF help with the hearing aids or was it all through the NHS?

My annual hearing tests are showing a sharp decline in my hearing in the last 3 years - funny thing since that's when i started working near the flight line of a 'phoon runway!

I'm at the stage of having to focus to hear conversations and family are constantly telling me to turn down the TV

I bought a wifi adaptor for TV and a pair of WiFi sennheiser headphone - brill unless wife turns up TV loud then I found out wifi and TV sound was out of sync.

 

[Flibster]

I showed this to a friend a couple of years ago and he got a pair of the bluetooth ones. Changed his life. Using the phone as a directional microphone in a busy place has made his life so much easier.

 

[pastymuncher]

Did the RAF help with the hearing aids or was it all through the NHS?

My annual hearing tests are showing a sharp decline in my hearing in the last 3 years - funny thing since that's when i started working near the flight line of a 'phoon runway!

I'm at the stage of having to focus to hear conversations and family are constantly telling me to turn down the TV

The RAF did nothing at all. I actually failed every hearing test between 1993 and 1996 and it was only when I was at RAF Lyneham in early 1997 that they decided to do anything about it and even then only because I was due to go to the Falklands again. With no exploration of my ear at all they decided I needed a grommet fitting so they sent me down to Portsmouth for the day to have one fitted. I was discharged from hospital within thirty minutes of coming around and sent back to Lyneham. My wife at the time said I looked like death when I got off the train. It did nothing to improve my hearing but as I was due to go to the Falklands they gave me a pass. Came back from the Falklands and was posted to RAF Laarbruch in Germany and just before Christmas that year (1997) I started getting intense head pains that felt like a combination of having my head in a vice with a red hot poker being put in my ear. They were so bad that I couldn't concentrate on my job (trade group 5, Gen Tech GSE otherwise known as a heavy) and at times it overwhelmed me and brought me to tears. My sergeant sent me to the med centre who promptly told me not to bother them with a headache. No examination at all, just a couple of Ibuprofen and sent on my way. Two days later I was asking my sergeant if I could take some leave before I ended up getting distracted by the pain and accidently hurting someone when he asked me what was on the side of my face. I put my hand up only to have it come away with this foul smelling blood/pus mix. He took me straight off to the med centre and came in with me. Surprise surprise, the ******* corporal that sent me packing a couple of days earlier was on duty again and my sarge tore her a new one. Les Gardner was his name and was one of the best sergeants I worked for, he looked after his lads unlike many other's in our trade. Anyway, back to the story, the senior medical officer was called out and I was assessed and found to have a ear infection. Just to be safe I was sent off to have a scan. That was scary as it showed that I had a chronic infection of the inner ear which had spread to the bone of my skull surrounding the ear and it all needed removing. Two days later I was sent some 300 miles to the Karl Hanson Klinic near Bielefeld for a scheduled two hour op to have it all removed. It was even worse than they thought and actually went on for 3.5 hours. After the op I was told that my hearing would be effected, how much they didn't know until everything healed. I also may suffer from tinnitus which I had already figured as I had a high pitched screaming in my ear. After everything healed they diagnosed me with minor hearing loss and minor tinnitus and was eventually cleared to go back to work. Their statement didn't seem right to me as I was now struggling to hear clearly if more than one person was speaking as it all just blended together but I supposed they must know what they were talking about.

A year later I injured my spine and despite struggling on for another couple of years I was medically downgraded so I wasn't getting promoted anytime despite having assessments well above my peers. Eventually I was sent to Headley Court for a three week assessment and mid way through week two ended up in a wheelchair so that was that, a once very promising career over. After being left in limbo for 18 months on indefinate sick leave I was finally medically discharged in 2002. I got a good disability pension for my back and "minor" hearing loss and also got a war pension which made my other pension tax free. My ear needs cleaning out every now and then because it is no longer "self cleaning" as they put it. This involves my gp referring me to the hospital to have it hoovered out. I went for this procedure in 2016 only for the specialist to tell me it looked fine. When I asked her so why does it always sound like I am hearing things from under water (always been like this since the op) she took me through for a hearing test and found me to have severe hearing loss. She talked to me there and then about a hearing aid and took a mould of my ear. A week later she phoned me to tell me I should come and have it fitted and set up which I booked for the next day. I couldn't have a fancy in ear one due to the easily aggravated scar material in my ear so I have one that the amplifier part goes behind my ear while the moulding goes in my ear. Once set up it was such a difference and the fact that it's visible doesn't bother me at all.

Short answer to your question, no, the RAF did nothing to help me with my hearing loss and actually said it was less severe than it really is.

 

[ivrytwr3]

Sweet baby Jesus - well i did ask!!!

 

[Chris Wilson]

I strongly suspect the mark up on hearing aids, both low end and especially the topmost ranges, is outrageous. Miniaturisation aside your mobile phone contains technology that makes a hearing aid akin to an Edwardian ear trumpet. I probably need one myself, but can't bring myself to be financially ripped off for these devices. I would imagine a corded earpiece or headset, and a decent lapel microphone with the gubbins in a shirt pocket size box, as of yore, would be far more efficient than these within the ear things, if our vanity permitted.

 

[Blackjack Davy]

Any kind of private medical prosthetics are colossally expensive couple of teeth need removing sir? Well the dirt cheap option on the NHS is £250+ for rigid dentures. Flexible why thats £500+, bridging... well thats private and that'll be £1800 sir. As for dental implants... lets not even go there. My ex brother in law was a trained dental technician he said they didn't get paid much per set of dentures made all the markup came from the dentists

 

[Jimbeam3678]

I've just discovered that I need hearing aids. Sad news but I don't have another choice. Thanks for sharing your experiences. I still don't know what devices to buy, though. Maybe it is better to return to an audiologist and choose the proper aids together?

I would strongly recommend going to see a hearing specialist or Audiologist, a good one should let you try different pairs out for a few weeks at a time, without any obligation to buy. Kits a very personal thing, what one person thinks is an amazing the another person might completely disagree and prefer something completely different.

Don’t forget there should be a free option via the German equivalent of the NHS, although I quickly decided the NHS wasn’t a viable option for me.

 

[Freefaller]

I need hearing aids but can't really justify £4k on them at the moment as at the moment I'm coping enough. However I may be able to get some support via work for them. The NHS ones just don't suit my requirements.

I've tried a handful of them which I have to say was quite an emotional experience. I have bad tinnitus and moderate to severe hearing loss.

The fact that you can tune them and use them as BT headphones is also really interesting. For me because I spend so much time in conferences and events surrounded by noisy environments I find conversations really difficult.

My tinnitus was cause by a rugby injury as well as years of riding motorbikes without ear protection!

 

[Jimbeam3678]

I need hearing aids but can't really justify £4k on them at the moment as at the moment I'm coping enough. However I may be able to get some support via work for them. The NHS ones just don't suit my requirements.

I've tried a handful of them which I have to say was quite an emotional experience. I have bad tinnitus and moderate to severe hearing loss.

You don’t need to spend 4k on them, 3K gets you the BMW 5 series of the hearing aid world.

They last 5 years, what I do is put £50 a month away then when it comes to renew you have the money ready. Again strongly recommend finding an independent hearing place, not Boots, hidden hearing and the like. All they like to hear is the sound of cash!

 

[Freefaller]

You don’t need to spend 4k on them, 3K gets you the BMW 5 series of the hearing aid world.

They last 5 years, what I do is put £50 a month away then when it comes to renew you have the money ready. Again strongly recommend finding an independent hearing place, not Boots, hidden hearing and the like. All they like to hear is the sound of cash!

I realise that I just meant they seem to go up to £4k for what seem to be really good ones.

What model do you recommend? Widex seems to be good. I did go to an indy. I refuse to go chains! Perhaps that's why it was a bit more expensive.