# Hearing



## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

Hey oh

Ok, I have had my new hearing aid for a week and I have to say I like being able to hear in stereo. There are still some things to get used to though; remembering to put it on for one, hearing my voice echo when I talk, and I swear I can hear the battery rattle inside it too!

However, I was wondering who else has and what your experiences are with these? I spent 1200 on this and that makes it a 'middle of the road' device apparently, sits behind my ear. I am interested in what other kinds people have or have tried and what they have found to be the best for them 

Keeps

**EDIT :/ I have NO IDEA now why I have this as a multiple response poll :/ I think I need more cheerio's!


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## RIFF WRATH (Jan 22, 2007)

Congrats to you.......I have no experience with hearing devices but i would expect your brain will adapt after a short time and hopefully your hearing will be "normal-er"


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## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

Hey thanks Riff  

I knew my hearing was 'off', I mentioned it here a few times over the past year or so too, but was I surprised to find how off it was. It was worth the time getting tested for me I think


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## geezer (Apr 30, 2008)

I should get mine tested just to satisfy my wife.I apparently talk really loud alot of the time and have noticed that I practice with the volume turned up more than I used to.Also background noise really makes it worse.On the upside,I don't hear traffic as much when I'm trying to get to sleep.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I get mine tested once a year. So far I'm amazed at how well I'm hanging on to my high end.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Interesting topic, thanks.

Not sure, it hasn't been tested in many years. I used to think I lost some from playing too many bar gigs in the '70s unprotected, but now I'm not sure. I have noticed a slight difference/shift in direction perception at times, but can't replicate it at the moment. I don't notice the ultra high frequency stuff as much as when I was a teen (I'm 51 now), but that's normal, and I still hear better than most of my students.

Peace, Mooh.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

I haven't been tested, but I should be. My dad has had hearing loss since he was a kid and has worn a hearing aid forever. My mother recently has had to start wearing a hearing aid too. Genetics doesn't seem to be in my favour, and I love my loud guitars and in-ear-monitors.


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

i got tested a few times..and my hearing sucks with all the noise i made as a kid to my 30's. but was totaly worth it....and now when the wife screams for something..i have an ACTUALL REASON to say..Oh Dear, i'm sorry, i did'nt hear ya..


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

As I said, my hearing is standing up very well according to the annual tests.


My attention span is slipping though, LOL.

I can't remember the last time I watched a whole movie all the way through.

When commercials come on TV I completely zone out. My wife will make a comment about a commercial and I'll have no idea what it was about even though I was staring at the screen.

Funny.


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

I've got a bit of loss in the mid-high range, but that's from standing between 2 custom JBL's about 12 feet apart, powered by Bryston 4B and Soundcraftsman amps. About 6 years of it!


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## Luke98 (Mar 4, 2007)

Does my doctor says I hear like a teen vote lose credit because I am a teen?

I went to my first big outdoor concert a few weeks ago, and I half envied the people wearing earplugs. Sure they looked dumb, but some bands (cough dinosaur jr.) were just a smidgen too loud.

Hearing damage is too easy to receive, and too hard to correct.


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## wayne (Apr 8, 2009)

Milkman said:


> As I said, my hearing is standing up very well according to the annual tests.
> 
> 
> My attention span is slipping though, LOL.
> ...


I think that's what they refer to as "male pattern deafness"

W


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## Rick31797 (Apr 20, 2007)

MY hearing so far is really good. probably the only thing on me that works, like new., I am over 50.

My wife is not so lucky, she has 98 % loss in one ear and the other one is not so bad but still she wears a hearing aid.
She has an analog in the better ear and a digital in the , one with alot of hearing loss.

Hearing aids will never replace nature, but atleast it can make life easier. The digital has many settings and when she had it adjusted in the passed they hooked it up to the computer.

She has problems with low frequency.One thing i do notice is , the digital hearing aid goes through batteries twice as much as the antalog, but the digital is up quite high also.

Rick


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## Powdered Toast Man (Apr 6, 2006)

Great topic!

I've noticed that when I'm in an absolutely silent space or outdoor area (when I say silent I mean SILENT - no white noise) my ears have some ringing. Sooo... I guess that would be a touch of Tinitis.

Lately I've been trying to be better to my ears since I'm only 30 and they have to last me the rest of my life. That means turning on the volume lock for the ipod, wearing earplugs at concerts and clubs, and plugs in practice as well.


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## scout543 (Jan 28, 2008)

I've had mine for about 9 months now (I'm 54). I was told that my hearing was that of about a 70 year old. It sure would be nice to hear cymbals again !!

My wife puts it down to too many nights standing in front of Marshall stacks during my 'formative' years.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Luke98 said:


> Does my doctor says I hear like a teen vote lose credit because I am a teen?
> 
> I went to my first big outdoor concert a few weeks ago, and I half envied the people wearing earplugs. Sure they looked dumb, but some bands (cough dinosaur jr.) were just a smidgen too loud.
> 
> Hearing damage is too easy to receive, and too hard to correct.


J. Mascis is _always_ ridiculously loud. Him and Gordie Johnson are the last of the stack-wielding, ear-drum-violating guitar slingers. Always wear protection around those two!



Powdered Toast Man said:


> Great topic!
> 
> I've noticed that when I'm in an absolutely silent space or outdoor area (when I say silent I mean SILENT - no white noise) my ears have some ringing. Sooo... I guess that would be a touch of Tinitis.
> 
> Lately I've been trying to be better to my ears since I'm only 30 and they have to last me the rest of my life. That means turning on the volume lock for the ipod, wearing earplugs at concerts and clubs, and plugs in practice as well.


I'm pretty good with my iPod. I wear In-Ear-Monitors, which tremendously reduces ambient noise, so you don't have to crank the volume to hear your tunes over the baby crying on the subway, but that's about the end of my good-hearing-habits.

I haven't started wearing plugs to concerts yet, but there have been a few shows where I sort of wished I had brought a pair.

As for practice, I find I really don't like having plugs in. I tried it, and it just muffles everything for me. Instead of bringing down the volume by 20 or 30 db, I feel like everything is heaped together into one big mish-mash of noise. It throws me off entirely and I find I can't hear/distinguish the drummer or bassist from the rest. I might have to try those fancy musician's plugs, but I can't bring myself to spring for them if I don't know they're going to work.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

i've had hearing loss since i got my head kicked in as a teen. add to that 23 years of being a sheetmetal worker, and it becomes amazing that i can hear at all. seems like my biggest problem is backround noise really seems to screw me up. but even with my hearing, i still l_isten _better than the wife or her kids...kqoct hahahaha!!!!!


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## Powdered Toast Man (Apr 6, 2006)

hollowbody said:


> As for practice, I find I really don't like having plugs in. I tried it, and it just muffles everything for me. Instead of bringing down the volume by 20 or 30 db, I feel like everything is heaped together into one big mish-mash of noise. It throws me off entirely and I find I can't hear/distinguish the drummer or bassist from the rest. I might have to try those fancy musician's plugs, but I can't bring myself to spring for them if I don't know they're going to work.


I'm not a huge fan of them in practice as well. I mainly wear them when I'm on the kit because that's when my ears really take a beating (no pun intended). If I'm a distance from the kit I keep the amp at a reasonable level. I've tried wearing them on stage and it just throws me off.

Take a pair of plugs with you to the next concert you attend. They're great for when there's a crappy opening band you don't like or if the house music is waaay too loud.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Powdered Toast Man said:


> I'm not a huge fan of them in practice as well. I mainly wear them when I'm on the kit because that's when my ears really take a beating (no pun intended). If I'm a distance from the kit I keep the amp at a reasonable level. I've tried wearing them on stage and it just throws me off.
> 
> Take a pair of plugs with you to the next concert you attend. They're great for when there's a crappy opening band you don't like or if the house music is waaay too loud.


I've always felt that solving the root cause of the problem makes more sense than putting a band aid on it. If you need them when you play, TURN DOWN!

I keep a set of very nice custom made ear plugs in my brief case or in my effects rack. I NEVER use them when I'm playing or mixing, but I do put them in when the house music is obnoxious or if I'm not required to listen carefully.

I don't care if you spend a million bucks on hearing protection. The sound IS different.


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## lbrown1 (Mar 22, 2007)

I bought a pair of those "filter" plugs for $15.....they're "ok" - but I definitely prefer not using them...if I get the numb "full" feeling in the ears - then I know that I should have used them - but by and large - we've corrected our volume levels to something reasonable in jams and practices.

I've had the ol' ringing in the ears for as long as I can remember - since early childhood - but I can still hear well - got tested last year - "normal for my age" was the test result....so I guess I'll keep going the way I'm going.

I work in a quiet office setting (my basement) so the only real punishment my ears get is jams, practices and gigs

We played an outdoor charity gig at the beginning of June where a pro sound company took care of all the PA stuff....the sound in the audience would just about break your sternum with a good kick drum hit - but up on stage - we could hear the whole mix in the monitors, but also converse with each other without even raising our voices...what a fabulous experience! - I wish they were all like that.


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## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

Luke98 said:


> Does my doctor says I hear like a teen vote lose credit because I am a teen?
> 
> I went to my first big outdoor concert a few weeks ago, and I half envied the people wearing earplugs. Sure they looked dumb, but some bands (cough dinosaur jr.) were just a smidgen too loud.
> 
> Hearing damage is too easy to receive, and too hard to correct.


:rockon2: when I was 14 (the best year of my life, gawd I was smart then) I was able to hear up to 14,000 cycles. I know this because my electronics class teacher demonstrated sound, hearing, decibel, oscillators and oscilloscopes all in one go 

A few people have mentioned tinnitus here. That 'ringing' in the ears. I have had mine since I was 9. I know, I used to be able to remember the date that it first occurred, but not any more, I just recall it was in the summer of that year, June or July. Mine will drown out conversation, music, tv etc. The tone constantly changes, sometimes there is more than one tone so I also get a lot of harmonic sound as well. There is apperantly a herbal remedy I have sofly planned looking for called "ring stop", though if it really did work I would have to believe many more people would be talking about it. I have to say, I really hate my tinnitus, but at least it does not keep me awake at night as much any more, nor does it wake me up as much either.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

1) There used to be a free hearing exam. We called it "television". The 15.75khz transformer whine from CRT picture tubes used to drive me batty. Of course, as TV design/manufacturing improved, the constant whine was attenuated, and now with LCD and plasma TVs, it's not there at all. Still, even well before the LCD monitor became a reality, many of my students had absolutely no idea what I was referring to when I would talk about picture-tube whine.

2) In the mid-70's I worked in a factory, overseeing 4 high-speed punches presses. The noise level was well above 100db all the time. Our strategy was to go to the bathroom when we arrived, take some (fresh) bathroom tissue, chew it a bit to moisten it, and shove it in our ears to plug up the holes. THEN, we would put on hearing protection headphones over top of that. I still have mid-range dips resulting from that 4-month gig.

3) Those cheap foam ear inserts work reasonably well, although you need to keep them moist or else they dry out. Worse comes to worse, you can chew some kleenex or a paper towel and plug your ears.


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## lbrown1 (Mar 22, 2007)

mhammer said:


> 1) There used to be a free hearing exam. We called it "television". The 15.75khz transformer whne from CRT picture tubes used to drive me batty. Of corse, as TV design/manufacturing improved, the constant whine was attenuated, and now with LCD and plasma TVs, it's not there at all. Still, even well before the LCD monitor became a reality, many of my students had absolutely no idea what I was referring to when I would talk about picture-tube whine.
> 
> .



yes - I remember that - I could tell if the TV was on before I even walked in the door


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

i spent most of my working life in loud factories, either running machinery, or fixing it. spent my childhood and teenage years in my dads machine shop, and cranking guitars whenever i could. played in loud bands for 15 or so years. never once have i used hearing protection. my hearing still seems ok at 40. but ive acquired a "selective hearing button"- i might hear ya just fine, but pretend i cant, and because folks assume im half deaf, it works.


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