The Steel Guitar Forum

I just received my hearing aids from the VA and did a “test run” with my steel. I notice I’m hearing unwanted shrillness. Is this normal? Do any of you fellow Steelers that have hearing aids notice it and if so how do you deal with it.
Regards,
Geo

The only way I can deal with that issue is TAKE THEM OUT! I have used aids for several years and when playing, nothing sounds right with them in. VA has not been able to correct that part for me. Good luck.

I can't play with my hearing aids in my ears.

They are tuned for me to hear high frequencies better, particularly voices. They work great for conversations and television.

Any sustained musical sound has a chorus effect. Even the dinging of the "door open" bell in my car has a chorus effect. Apparently, it has something to do with the feedback elimination that is built in to the hearing aids.

I noticed that right away with the signal light clicking and warning indicators in my car. All kinds of new sounds I never heard before.
Geo

I've been using them for about 6 years, My main problem is high frequency hearing loss, which is common. My hearing aids compensate for the high frequency loss and thus everything will sound like its "too much treble". It will take a while to get used to hearing the high frequencies again. This assumes the hearing aids are programmed correctly. Some adjustment frequently is needed on new ones, but don't lose the high frequency compensation.

My hearing aids have 2 different settings programmed in. In my case, my steel sounds much better with them in. My audiologist set the second program for when I am playing. This setting cuts back a little on the highs thus eliminating the annoying excessive treble.

I have hearing aids. They were stupid expensive, programmable, blue-tooth capable, and I wear them whenever I’m NOT playing. They don’t work well with live music.

I even took my guitar into the audiologist’s lab and played while she programmed the compression, etc. Nope.

What it was is the aids’ digital front end overloads with the pure musical tones. I’m told that would not occur with analog hearing aids but good luck finding any. They’re not made any more.

So I take them out when playing and try to keep my high treble down on the amp.

Eric Philippsen wrote:I have hearing aids. They were stupid expensive, programmable, blue-tooth capable, and I wear them whenever I’m NOT playing. They don’t work well with live music.

I even took my guitar into the audiologist’s lab and played while she programmed the compression, etc. Nope.

What it was is the aids’ digital front end overloads with the pure musical tones. I’m told that would not occur with analog hearing aids but good luck finding any. They’re not made any more.

So I take them out when playing and try to keep my high treble down on the amp.

That's my story, too. Mine have four programs, one of which is for music. That program does work well when we go to the symphony.

I have them also. I DON'T use them when I am playing for the same reason. I have the Music setting also on my Hearing aids. It does nothing for playing live.

I have had mine a few years now always have to take them out to pick.

Tom Sosbe wrote:I have had mine a few years now always have to take them out to pick.

Same as me...even the program that's supposed to be EQ'd for 'music' sounds like cr@p....if it wasn't for a certain person forever yelling at me to '"Put your ears in!" ( so I can hear her yelling at me more clearly) I'm sure I would spend more time WITHOUT them in happy oblivion...

The other thing I have found over the past few years, is that I really wonder if my hearing (without them) has deteriorated more because my brain has stopped trying to compensate now that I'm Wired For Sound most of the time...

So, no solution...just a gripe... ...but I guess in the Greater Scheme Of Things, especially at the moment in relation to Health, Finances, Opportunity and Politics...it's pretty Small Beer.

Every day above ground is a good day !

Peter

I have a friend that plays very bassy or muddy because of hearing aids. It sounds too screechy to him and he overcompensates. It's hard to tell what he's playing sometimes.

I can tell you something about that "chorus-y" effect, that warbling, Leslie speaker sound: go back to your audiologist and tell them to give you a setting that has any filters turned off. (That's if you have the kind that have several settings). I have a pair of Seimens (okay, cut the jokes...) that have 3 settings - basic, basic louder, and "music". The music one has the filters turned off and it really minimizes that wavering. Still, I prefer no hearing aids at all when I'm playing, but then I can't hear what song they're calling on the gig in a loud place. (Of course that problem has been removed also of late....)

I've had hearing aids for 3 years now. They are from Costco, and have 4 settings and also a volume control. One setting is called "music". What works for me is using the music setting and then turning down the volume level as needed. At home I can play quietly with the music setting and not reduce the volume. With a band, I need to use the music setting and lower the volume 3-4 clicks. There is also a "mute" setting. I have used this one when playing with a very loud band, sort of quasi-earplugs.

Yicks! I'm picking mine up next week. Makes one wonder. What do I sound like?

i dont wear mine when i play either. i keep them in for the quieter rehearsals

Interesting, they work great for my wife,she just takes here out when I play.

I've had one for many years. I take it out when I'm playing. The band never has to tell me to "turn up"

I don’t use my hearing aids while playing. They are programmed for spoken conversation and suck for music. They distort and sound tinny.

I now use Shure 535 which sound great running out of the “direct/out” on my amp into a mini Beringer $89 mixer. IEM are designed for music and sound like being in the studio. The whole rig wound up costing about $500 but considering the amount already spent on my steel, amp, FX etc., it was a no brainer for me.

As a younger soundman I learned about the Fletcher/ Munson curve which states the louder music gets, the louder the treble and the bass are preieved. This might be part of the problem with loud music and hearing aids that boost the highs. RP

I paid well over $3000.00 for my state of the art hearing aids and they suck. They tell you how high tech they are, blah, blah. They have crappy compression and EQ and feed back all the time, so they tell me that if they keep turning down the level to get rid of the feedback, then it will defeat the purpose. I got so disgusted I don't wear them at all anymore. And of course they only will last a few years before you have to get new ones. It turns out there is a lot of stuff I don't want to hear anyway.

My hearing aids sound like in ear monitors. Great punchy bass and wide frequency response. No feedback or shrill sound, at all. I wear them when I play .. Unless I use actual IEM.

I have Phonak M-90 Audeo Marvels from the VA. They sound fantastic.

Sorry you guys are having issues with yours. I think it comes down to how well they are programmed by the audiologist. I also stream music (bluetooth from my iPad or phone) into them directly. Zero complaints.

Everybody in the band has hearing loss. We just spend more time between songs saying, "huh?" "which song?" which key?"
"I didn't hear you." "what did he say?" "You kicked it off in E and he said D."

Don I have finally had good luck with hearing aids after years of bad luck with several different brands. The ones I have now work great. They are Siemens Signia from the VA.They don't have ear molds they have click sleeves that holds the receiver in the ear. The sleeves are made out of neoprene or something simular and that lets the normal sounds of the other instruments to come through normalllly and you only hear the highs of the steel. in other words the bass and drums etc. come through normally because molds arn't plugging your ear drums up. The click sleeves come closed and vented. The vented works best for me. My hearing loss is high frequency. These are behind the ear reciever in the canal. No batteries they come with charger. Put them in the charger at night and they are good for 16 hours the next day. Good old VA. They've treated me very well.

George, I have finally had good luck with hearing aids after years of bad luck with several different brands. The ones I have now work great. They are Siemens Signia from the VA.They don't have ear molds they have click sleeves that holds the receiver in the ear. The sleeves are made out of neoprene or something simular and that lets the normal sounds of the other instruments to come through normalllly and you only hear the highs of the steel. in other words the bass and drums etc. come through normally because molds arn't plugging your ear drums up. The click sleeves come closed and vented. The vented works best for me. My hearing loss is high frequency. These are behind the ear reciever in the canal. No batteries they come with charger. Put them in the charger at night and they are good for 16 hours the next day. Good old VA. They've treated me very well.