The Quest for the Coolest Set of Hearing Aids

by Ross Cushing, Au.D., director of A&A Hearing Group in Maryland.
Published in Hearing Health Magazine, winter 2011


Does anyone remember the days of "traditional hearing aids," when hearing devices were fit to simply and appropriately amplify a hearing loss? Well, those simpler times are over. The days of Bluetooth connectivity, wireless interfacing, talking hearing aids, and hi-fi invisible devices are here.

No longer are hearing professional merely experts in prescribing and fitting hearing aids and performing hearing rehabilitation. Today, they also have to feel comfortable as lifestyle consultants for the hearing impaired. our patients expect us to be able to advise them not just on appropriate amplification, but also on the coolest new technology available and how they can integrate that technology into their lives - be it cell phone, TV, or music player.

This brings us hearing aid providers to a new level of nerdiness, while also demanding an entirely new technological skill set. Plus, the hearing aids themselves must be as invisible, versatile, and maintenance-free as possible.

New technology is making hearing aids smarter.  Deep canal hearing aids are a good example.  DCHAs cover a wide range of hearing loss, from mild to sever, using unusually small-and often invisible-devices. Placement deep in the ear canal, in the bony portion, minimizes the occlusion effect (the blocked feeling in the ear canal); uses the natural resonance of the pinna (part of the outer ear) and ear canal to create a more natural sound; reduces feedback; and increases the ability to hear high frequencies.

Bluetooth connectivity and wireless capability lets our patients hear anything streamed from a Bluetooth device including music, radio, and podcasts. They can also listen to cell phone conversations in stereo with the target amplification of the instruments exactly matched to their audiograms. A hearing aid in the right ear can communicate with the hearing aid in the left ear to achieve better focus on speech in noise. And when it's time to schedule a visit with the hearing aid provide, a pleasant voice generated by the hearing aid can remind the patient to make an appointment.

Many hearing aids can be paired with a small handheld remote or wristwatch control This lets the patient adjust the hearing instruments' microphone strategy, speech enhancement, noise reduction, and overall volume comfortably and discreetly. The changes made with the remote can "teach" the hearing aid the patient's preferences so the hearing aid amplifies according to prior settings for certain sound environments.

No matter what your priorities are for hearing aid - technology, abundant convenience, or simply a small size - these days you can have it all. And with superior sound quality to boot.

What kind of headphones (or ear buds) should I be using?

Weigh the pros and cons when choosing headphones that go over the ear versus ear buds that fit inside the ear (also know as ear phones). The standard open-type ear buds may results in a need to increase the volume to hear music over background noise at a gym, for instance.  Headphones with some type of noise canceling or sound isolation work well to allow enjoyment of music at safe, lower levels, without interference from background noise.

One compromise: ear buds with soft tips that are sound isolating, so you can enjoy full ousnd at lower, safer levels. They can also be inexpensive. But keep in mind that using any kind of headphone or ear bud can be risky during situations where hearing is necessary for safety, such as when running or biking.

HEADPHONES
Brands: Shure, Sony, Extreme Isolation. These are great for stage, studio recording, or listening to music.

HEADPHONES THAT BLOCK OUT SOUND
Brands: Peltor, especially Peltor Kid Ear Muffs for teens at concerts. Also Aearo/EAR offers at good, sound-dampening headphone.

NOISE CANCELLING HEADPHONES
Brands: Bose, Sony, Logitech, JVC, Able Planet. Volume levels can be kept lower since ambient noise, such as from an airplane engine, is reduced. The cost is a bit more than standard headphones. They aren't recommended for professional musicians because they alter sound signals.

EAR BUDS
Brands: Future Sonics, Shure, Westone, Ultimate Ears, Monster, Etymotic Research, JH Audio, Sensaphonics, Senniheiser. The universal fit models offered by these companies offer good quality at less expense than models fro the pros, which are used by U2, Eric Clapton, Beyonce, Alicia Keyes, and others
-Be cautious of cheaper generic earphones. The sound quality is not very good and they must be turned up loudly to hear any bass, which can cause more hearing damage.

Musical Training Improves Memory?

New data indicates that musical training pays off later in life.  In comparison to their non-musical coevals, musicians aged 45-65 exhibit excellent auditory memory and greater ability to discern speech in noise, according to a Northwestern University study.  Eighteen musicians and 19 non-musicians were tested for speech in noise, auditory working memory, visual working memory, and auditory temporal processing.  The musicians, each of who had received musical training since age 9, outperformed the non-musicians on all tests except visual working memory (in which the groups' performances were equal).

The results suggest that practice in distinguishing complex structures of sound helps the brain fend off age-related changes in auditory function.


Published in ASHA Leader Magazine, July 2011

Open the Door to Better Hearing

Have a Great Holiday Weekend!

Happy Easter!