I Want to Inform People That Some Hearing Aid Centers Give Free Trials with No Deposit

This is for people that are really suffering with tinnitus but have never tried hearing aids. They don't get rid of my tinnitus (b/c it is unmaskable) but they do reduce some of the noticiabilty of certain sounds when I am wearing them. I have worn them for almost 4 years now and they have helped me out quite a bit. Different people respond differently but I really enjoyed the masking feature in the beginning. It was a nice break from the ringing sounds and I could just turn it on. The aids are so light that I don't even realize I am wearing them and if you have hair over your ear, no one will know you are wearing them. If you have it covering half your ear, most people won't even know them. I wore them for a couple of years and I took them off and showed a friend and she never knew I wore them.

Most places give a free hearing test and let you try a pair on in store. Some have different masking sounds like chimes or ocean waves. Some can sync up directly to an iphone or use a device to hook up to an android phone so you can stream music. I tried a pair that had an app on a smart phone which allowed me to target the amplification (either in front, back, left, right, surround, etc.) If I remember right, I think it also had some kind of feature where a person can use it as a bluetooth "ear piece" for a cell phone.

I really recommend trying a pair. Different aids can sound differently and some hearing aid dispensers will want to push a brand on you. Don't be pressured by that and try different aids to find one you like best - that is if you are interested.

By the way, if you get one, don't get a 6khz hearing aid. Get at least an 8khz or above. The higher the frequency bandwidth the better.

I guess the point is, if you are suffering, you have nothing to lose by trying them out if you get a totally free trial. If you don't like them, you don't owe anything.

 

@JasonP, thank you for the post and the information. Can you give us a hint as to how much they cost (especially the bluetooth ones that connect to your phone).

 

I need to add a bit more info here.....if you correct for hearing loss, sometimes that can eliminate you hearing your tinnitus because of the ambient noise "masks it". Also, if you get a hearing aid that has a frequency bandwidth beyond the normal 8khz, you will need an "extended audiogram" which most hearing aid places (at least as of now) do not do. You may have to call around and talk to an audiologist which may cost money. I actually have loss between 8khz and 12khz and was able to get that corrected and it helped me even more with my tinnitus. Most aids only go to 8khz but if you want to try a 12khz, the Siemens Binax 7bx, the Siemen/Signia Primax 7px, and the Signia Pure 7nx are some of the only ones I know about that program that high but there could be others. I haven't checked in a while. Unfortunately, those aids are usually top of the line and are more expensive than regular ones.

 

Do u have hearing loss? does it help if you don't have hearing loss?

 

I found hearing aids prices vary widely depending on where you go and what brands are being sold. I would say you could get a decent pair of bluetooth hearing aids for around $3600 but I'm sure you could beat that price. Costco has some low prices but I don't know if they do the "free trial" deal but I do know with me they offered to refund my money if I used them for a certain amount of weeks and didn't like them.

About bluetooth: In the past and I'm pretty sure some hearing aids still do this is they use a 2.4ghz transmitter that the transmits audio to an antenna device around your neck. The hearing aids then pick up the signal from there. This is used because bluetooth can drain the hearing aid batteries faster so they use the 2.4ghz tech instead. However, now they make direct to ipod ones but I have never used one of them. I have no idea how good the technology works is so its best to check it out in the store.

 

Yes I have mild hearing loss and it helps. If you have a mild loss, they might tell you that you don't need hearing aids. That's what they told me but I benefit from them.

 

This is something new I found. From what I understand, the new Signia NX series of hearing aids have "notch therapy" built in which according to them and some other people it can benefit people who have tonal tinnitus. I assume the people that want the notch therapy function would have to get it programmed from soneone who knew what they were doing. I checked their website and it says these new aids have "remote programming" so maybe they can do it for you at home. I can post the info on notch therapy here:

 

Have you found anyone that does this? This doesn’t sound cheap. And what happens if your tone is not constant? Or does it only work if the freq and pitch never changes?

 

Unfortunately it isn't cheap. On 12/1/17, I see some of the NX series (which I believe have the notch therapy) starting at around $2500. I don't know if you can get cheaper in store or not. I also don't really know much about buying hearing aids on Ebay.

From what I understand the features increase as the numbers on the model increase. For example, the 3nx has the lowest features, then the 5nx is next, and then the 7nx has the most features but of course that will be the most expensive.

As in most hearing aids, they come in different sizes. The NX series seem to have additional numbers which will tell you the battery size of them. You can look online to see the different styles. I tried Starkey, Bernafon, Widex, Resound, and Siemens hearing aids. I liked Siemens the best but that is due to my personal taste and the fact that the one I tried had extended bandwidth. Different people are going to like different hearing aids and the way they sound. Its best to try multiple ones to see what you like the best. Costco has some pretty good prices on hearing aids but they don't sell every brand.

On this date of 12/1/17 they are selling 1 pair for $1699.99. It is the in house brand called Kirkland Signature. Unfortunately, I don't know if they will have all the features you want. If you try them, make sure you have loss protection. The time I bought the Siemens they had a loss protection benefit where they would replace your hearing aids one time if you lose them within 3 years (I think). Unfortunately the hearing aid guy told me he would charge $250 a piece if that happened but I should have negotiated that when I bought them from him because Siemens told me they didn't charge extra for that.

Also, keep in mind that many hearing aid places include getting your hearing aids cleaned by them at no extra charge so you might want to buy local.

As far as the tinnitus not being tonal, I'm not so sure the notch therapy would work for that but you can get in touch with Signia and ask.