Cheap hearing aids

[folivier]

I keep seeing ads for "cheap" hearing aids, around $500/pair.
Has anyone tried these? I think they're more of a hearing enhancement than a true hearing aid.
For the price I'm thinking of buying a pair to help with my mild hearing loss.

 

[travelover]

Try Costco first for an honest assessment of your needs.

 

[TromboneAl]

And remember, the aids aren't for you. They're for the people to whom you say "What?" a lot.

Lena went from run of the mill aids, to Costco, to top of the line aids from an audiologist, and each set has been dramatically better than the previous.

IIRC, current pair was $6K. Lena just said, "Worth every penny."

 

[chris2008]

Al, you are so right. It is for the people you want to have a conversation with.

I needed almost 6 months back and forth with the specialist to get my mom to accept her new and much better hearing aids.
She was certain that her old ones were "good enough". But I wanted to make sure that on her 90. birthday she would be able to communicate well with people.
The set was top of the line and as expensive as Lena's but so worth it.
It was worth every effort to see how much she enjoyed the party and talking WITH every guest.

 

[CRLLS]

As an avid DIY'er, I bought iHearmax hearing aids a couple of years ago. They were FDA approved as real hearing aids not just hearing enhancements.

I paid $717 at the time for 2 aids and the test/adjusting device. I was not impressed. I could never get them adjusted just right. They were behind the ear type and I wear glasses. Anytime my glasses moved, I found it very annoying. And everything sounded as though I was listening thru a tin can. When I finally decide to purchase HA's, I'll go to a professional. YMMV.

 

[athena53]

My late husband got his at Costco. A few things that impressed me about the higher-end versions:

1. They were tuned to HIS hearing loss- he had a harder time with the higher frequencies so they were amplified more. The tuning process took awhile; I was there and was very impressed. I once listened through his hearing aids and things sounded "tinny"- that was because the higher frequencies were amplified more.

2. Multiple antennas so that sound coming at you was amplified more than sound behind or beside you. This is a big deal for most people with hearing loss- background noise makes it VERY hard to hear conversations. We'd walk into a restaurant and walk back out again because the background noise was too much for DH. I don't think his hearing aids helped much with that.

3. Bluetooth technology. My Dad has very expensive hearing aids and when I call him on his cell phone the sound goes straight through his hearing aids. I can tell he picks up a lot more of our phone conversations now.

Hearing aids (and "personal sound amplification devices", which is weasel-wording for gadgets that don't qualify as hearing aids) are a bewildering business. Lots of money and hard sell involved. If you're looking at lower-cost versions, see if they include any of the above.

 

[TromboneAl]

3. Bluetooth technology. My Dad has very expensive hearing aids and when I call him on his cell phone the sound goes straight through his hearing aids. I can tell he picks up a lot more of our phone conversations now.

At one point, Lena had hearing aids with this technology. I was hoping that when we were driving in the car, I could use a microphone and put the sound of my voice directly into her ears.

It wasn't designed well enough to do that. For example, I would have had to have a microphone on a neck strap. But if done well, that could be a good feature.

 

[Bir48die]

I'd do Costco. Should tide you over and if it doesn't then at some future time reinvest. Paying full retail initially I think is crazy.