gofar99 Messages: 1947 Registered: May 2010 Location: Southern Arizona
Illuminati (5th Degree)
Hi, I have seen some now for as little as $100. If I see the link again I will forward it. I think it was one of the adds in the Microsoft sales site (the ones on MSN on the web). They were the micro in ear type. However, I suspect that many more will be available in the future as they are now legal to sell without going to the ear doctor. I have asked the same question...the answer I kept getting was that the real ones were "fitted" and "adjusted" to each customer and it needed a doctor to make it right or else you might harm your ears. If your ears were perfect you would not need them! Sure....a genuine money grab if I have ever seen (heard) one. I agree that the musical / phone ear buds are similar. The low end ones not so much. The higher end ones probably have nearly as much in the way of features and complexity as the hearing aids do. New versions of each are now user programmable with a smart phone. The "tailored" response adjustments on the hearing aids are IMO just another form of graphic equalizer. Many ear buds have them as well, plus noise cancellation. Now to be fair, I read in one of the tech pubs I get about some really neat stuff going on in hearing aids that will assist in difficult situations where there are lots of people talking or noise. The first ones of this type are really, really expensive now. But like all other things will probably come down in price eventually.
So the technology is still in a state of flux because of the wider availability? Without the prescription aspect getting in the way, that opens the door for more advancements? That makes sense.
I never thought about the fact that what ear doctors did was the equivalent of me going to an ear doctor to buy earbuds that are tailored to my ears only. Crazy.
Adjusting hearing aid volumes with a smartphone is what really blows my mind, though.
It's good to see some updates about hearing aids. Upgrading these may be difficult compared to earbuds because of the sensitivity of each individual. I just hope that the development of healthcare tools can progress as rapidly as gadgets.
Ear buds make sounds go in the ear. Hearing aids are supposed to help that sound get heard better by your brain. The technology would have to be a bit different.
I just don't think an item that barely goes into your ear, can fix a problem that starts deeper down in the ear canal.
gofar99 Messages: 1947 Registered: May 2010 Location: Southern Arizona
Illuminati (5th Degree)
Hi, I have been casually following a series of articles in Audio Express for a number of months. The newest hearing aids are really small ear buds that according to the articles are a far cry from stuff in the past They use really sophisticated guts to not only equalize the sound, but filter out clutter such as would exist in a crowded restaurant. They use logic and are programmable. They incorporate microprocessors. They are not yet on the market...but not too far away. Since many hearing issues are related to actual ear damage (physical damage to the tiny filaments in the ear often) the coming generation of hearing aids could well make life a lot better for folks that can afford them. I figure the cost will be mid 4 digits or more.
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