Anyone tried Bose Hearphones?

[folivier]

These look like a good alternative for someone who isn't quite ready yet for hearing aids.
Anyone using them yet?
I'm thinking of buying a set for those times in restaurants or crowds where hearing someone is difficult due to the background noise.

 

[VanWinkle]

I have Bose bluetooth headphones that I use to watch TV at home, but I was not aware of the type that would assist with conversation in a high background noise environment. I will also be interested to hear any reports on the success/failure of such a product.

 

[Bamaman]

Looks great on Bose's website. And $499 certainly beats $4999 for a pair of hearing aids.

So many people that have hearing aids end up promptly putting them in a drawer and not even using them.

I have high regard for Bose products, as they are a very high tech company. This looks to be a great alternative.

 

[6miths]

I have hearing aids and a pair of Hearphones as well. Also tried a pocket talker for awhile. My experience with the Hearphones is that they are great noise-canceling Bluetooth earphones and good substitutes for watching TV (which I don't need hearing aids for usually) but are not good enough to be substitutes for a good hearing aid when trying to pick up conversations in groups. That said, they may be good enough to be a bridge if one doesn't require hearing aids yet. It may depend on your type and degree of hearing loss as well. They are also somewhat obvious that you have earphones in your ears and the battery pack around your neck so I always explain what they are if i am wearing them in a meeting.

They have a good return policy so I would give them a try. Despite their limitations, I kept my set and would buy again. I like Bose products and have a pair of QuietComfort 35's as well.

 

[VanWinkle]

I took the time on their website to hear reviews. Very interesting alternative to full blown hearing aids in the thousands.

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/wellness/conversation_enhancing_headphones/hearphones.html

 

[googily]

Just posted on another thread that Bose has gotten approval to sell over the counter hearing aids.

https://techcrunch.com/2018/10/05/bose-hearing-aid-gets-fda-approval/

 

[folivier]

Hmmm, may have to wait a bit to see what they come out with. May be something new? Or may just re-market the Hearphones.
Thanks for the tip googily.

 

[georgemoe]

I was interested in the Hearphones until I read that the battery is rated for 500 charge cycles and it's non replaceable. If you have to charge daily that does not give these much of a lifespan. Maybe two years. If they come out with a model that offers battery replacement I would consider them. For now I found an app for my iphone called Ear Machine. Works pretty well and for free.

 

[Ready]

Apple AirPods can act as a hearing aid as well now. I have not tried this feature yet but I have read that it works reasonably well.

 

[Lakewood90712]

Are you talking about Bose noise canceling headphones ? I bought a used pair on E Bay several years ago when working in a very noisy office. Used one AAA battery did the job. ( another employee ended up getting a pair too )

 

[folivier]

Nope, these are a different product designed specifically for hearing enhancement.

 

[folivier]

Update: bought a set recently. Went to Bose's website againnafter talking with someone who has them and is very satisfied. Surprisingly when I went to checkout the price had dropped to $408 with 2 day shipping. I guess this is an instance that having cookies helped.
Anyway I'm impressed with them. I use them at concerts (nice to turn up the treble which turns down the bass so I can hear the vocals better), in movies or watching tv at home. Helps somewhat in restaurants if I have them set to focused conversation and there is not someone at another table directly in front of me. First time I used them in church I was able to clearly hear the priest and lecterns. After mass my wife said she had trouble understanding. Also helps to mute all sound if I just want to tune out.
They do have a 30 day free return but I'll be keeping them.

 

[OldShooter]

I have seen Bose products for 50 years. Bose has always excelled at marketing and branding, then provided adequate but not earth-shaking technology at above-market prices. Customers seem uniformly happy with this.

I got my daily laugh from the techcrunch web site though, when I read that "The hearing aid uses air conduction to capture sound vibrations through the microphone." Obviously a quotation from the Bose marketing machine. I wonder what the alternative might be. Water conduction? How would we breathe with our heads under water?

That said, I am glad to see them entering the hearing aid market. That market has been dominated by quacks, flim-flam, and overpriced hardware for years. It's long past time for a little creative destruction.

 

[Montecfo]

I have seen Bose products for 50 years. Bose has always excelled at marketing and branding, then provided adequate but not earth-shaking technology at above-market prices. Customers seem uniformly happy with this.

I got my daily laugh from the techcrunch web site though, when I read that "The hearing aid uses air conduction to capture sound vibrations through the microphone." Obviously a quotation from the Bose marketing machine. I wonder what the alternative might be. Water conduction? How would we breathe with our heads under water?

That said, I am glad to see them entering the hearing aid market. That market has been dominated by quacks, flim-flam, and overpriced hardware for years. It's long past time for a little creative destruction.

Interesting. Is there a company in this space that you see as having better tech and pricing, Oldshooter?

Just curious. I do not know enough about underlying tech to have an opinion.

I will be using visual character recognition to determine your response .

 

[gerntz]

Looks great on Bose's website. And $499 certainly beats $4999 for a pair of hearing aids.

So many people that have hearing aids end up promptly putting them in a drawer and not even using them.

Hard to pay $5K for a pair at Costco. DW's Costco one was $1400 with free replacement when lost - which she did. She uses it regularly, not constantly. Around 50% loss in the ear.

Don't know what "so many" is, but if a million folks get hearing aids and a 100 don't use them, I suppose 100 could be "so many".

 

[OldShooter]

Interesting. Is there a company in this space that you see as having better tech and pricing, Oldshooter?

Just curious. I do not know enough about underlying tech to have an opinion.

I will be using visual character recognition to determine your response .

ROFL!

Re underlying tech, there is nothing special in any of these products AFIK. Noise cancellation is pretty well understood, as is filtering for specific frequencies. The physics of electronic noise cancellation limits it to the lower frequencies. Higher frequencies must be attenuated other ways or must be filtered.

Competing companies vary by market. For flying I use an in-ear headset from Clarity Aloft. For commercial flights I use a very similar in-ear headset but it is not marketed any more. Both use Comply tips: https://www.complyfoam.com/professional-products/ Sound isolation on these is so good that I cannot hear flight attendants speaking directly to me nor can I hear the inflight announcements. DW takes care of that. Comply offers tips for a variety of headsets.

For "head clamper" headsets there is a variety to be shopped. Outside of electronic noise cancellation with consequent batteries, the main issue is how hard the head is clamped. More clamping means more external sound isolation and less comfort. And vice-versa. The head clampers also tend to be uncomfortable in hot conditions as sweat builds. These are the general tradeoffs; I am not current on specific consumer products. If I were in the market and unconcerned about price I would probably head to Bose. Being a cheapskate, I would shop around and be certain of finding something as good but for less money.

In the hifi/stereo space in Olden Times, both AR and KLH made better speakers. Also Klipsch, though that brand is now owned by hucksters. I have "classic" Klipsch La Scalas and Fortes but am not up on the current market.

To be clear I expect that the Bose hearing aid will be an excellent product at a premium price. This will serve to legitimize the market for other entrants to offer similar products at lower price points, so the next few years should be interesting.