Hearing Aids

[HighleyTall]

It's old, but it still makes you wonder... especially the last paragraph at the bottom.

Tinnitus: Facts, Theories, and Treatments

Normal sounds are amplified. What can go wrong...

 

[withintention]

I've been trying out the AirPods Pro 2 with Apple's Hearing Protection and Assistance features, and I have to say, it's an excellent product for anyone with hearing damage and tinnitus.

This is the only product I've encountered that provides all these functions in one:

• Hearing Protection
• Hearing Aid
• Tinnitus Sound Therapy

Hearing Protection

When you put the AirPods in, they seal your ear canal and block out most sounds. When you enable Transparency mode, the AirPods use their microphones to pass audio through to your ears via their speakers. The standout feature here is Adaptive Transparency, which automatically reduces loud noises. You can also customize how much sound it lets through. I tested this by clapping near my ear, and no matter how hard I clapped, it didn't get any louder beyond a certain point.

Hearing Aid

You can upload your audiogram, and the AirPods will act as a hearing aid, amplifying frequencies where you have hearing loss. While I don't have significant hearing loss, I love having this feature integrated into a device that's already providing hearing protection. I used to have to choose between ear protection and hearing aids, but with the AirPods, I get both at once.

Tinnitus Sound Therapy

You can enable Background Sounds to help distract from tinnitus or to support Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT).

I don't have hyperacusis from over-protecting my ears, but I was worried I might develop it, given how cautious I've been. With the AirPods, I can protect my hearing while still allowing safe levels of sound, which seems like it could lower the risk of developing hyperacusis.

Downsides I've Noticed

1. You can't manually adjust the hearing assistance settings. You either take a hearing test or upload your audiogram, and the hearing aid settings are automatically configured. As far as I can tell, they can't be inspected or modified.
   
   
2. You can't upload your own background sound for tinnitus sound therapy. Apple offers options like crickets and white noise, but I'd really appreciate the ability to upload a loopable sound designed to match my specific tinnitus frequency.
   
   
3. Adaptive Transparency has only three levels: Less Noise, Default, and More Noise. I'd prefer the ability to set specific limits for the maximum decibel level allowed, or at least have more than three settings.

I'd love to hear tips and tricks from others who have tried these out. There are a lot of options, and I'm not sure I've fully explored or understood them all.

 

[HalloweenScreamQueen]

I've been trying out the AirPods Pro 2 with Apple's Hearing Protection and Assistance features, and I have to say, it's an excellent product for anyone with hearing damage and tinnitus.

This is the only product I've encountered that provides all these functions in one:

• Hearing Protection
• Hearing Aid
• Tinnitus Sound Therapy

Hearing Protection

When you put the AirPods in, they seal your ear canal and block out most sounds. When you enable Transparency mode, the AirPods use their microphones to pass audio through to your ears via their speakers. The standout feature here is Adaptive Transparency, which automatically reduces loud noises. You can also customize how much sound it lets through. I tested this by clapping near my ear, and no matter how hard I clapped, it didn't get any louder beyond a certain point.

Hearing Aid

You can upload your audiogram, and the AirPods will act as a hearing aid, amplifying frequencies where you have hearing loss. While I don't have significant hearing loss, I love having this feature integrated into a device that's already providing hearing protection. I used to have to choose between ear protection and hearing aids, but with the AirPods, I get both at once.

Tinnitus Sound Therapy

You can enable Background Sounds to help distract from tinnitus or to support Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT).

I don't have hyperacusis from over-protecting my ears, but I was worried I might develop it, given how cautious I've been. With the AirPods, I can protect my hearing while still allowing safe levels of sound, which seems like it could lower the risk of developing hyperacusis.

Downsides I've Noticed

1. You can't manually adjust the hearing assistance settings. You either take a hearing test or upload your audiogram, and the hearing aid settings are automatically configured. As far as I can tell, they can't be inspected or modified.
   
   
2. You can't upload your own background sound for tinnitus sound therapy. Apple offers options like crickets and white noise, but I'd really appreciate the ability to upload a loopable sound designed to match my specific tinnitus frequency.
   
   
3. Adaptive Transparency has only three levels: Less Noise, Default, and More Noise. I'd prefer the ability to set specific limits for the maximum decibel level allowed, or at least have more than three settings.

I'd love to hear tips and tricks from others who have tried these out. There are a lot of options, and I'm not sure I've fully explored or understood them all.

I'd be interested in hearing your opinions over time. I just ordered the AirPods Pro 2 and hope they work for me as hearing aids. I've tried hearing aids in the past, but I couldn't use them because they made my tinnitus much worse.

 

[Nick47]

I'd be interested in hearing your opinions over time. I just ordered the AirPods Pro 2 and hope they work for me as hearing aids. I've tried hearing aids in the past, but I couldn't use them because they made my tinnitus much worse.

In my opinion, they are a poor treatment for hearing loss. It's essentially the same as using a magnifying glass to improve vision. The branding and marketing are just ways to make money off you.

Cochlear implants offer a good solution, but they aren't suitable for most people.

It's almost 2025. Time for audiology to finally step into the 21st century.

 

[Lipshitz]

The good thing about hearing aids is that you usually get a trial period to see if they work before deciding whether to purchase them. At least, that is what the audiologists I spoke with told me.

However, the downside is that hearing aids are an out-of-pocket expense, as insurance typically does not cover them. Still, for anyone with tinnitus severe enough to consider hearing aids, spending $7,000 might seem like a bargain if it reduces the tinnitus by even 50%.

 

[withintention]

I don't have much hearing loss, so I was mostly interested in these for hearing protection (via Adaptive Transparency) and the background sounds. They do accept your audiogram and claim to provide frequency boosting similar to a hearing aid. However, if I had significant hearing loss, I might opt for a higher-end hearing aid.

Unfortunately, I stopped wearing them because my tinnitus seemed much louder when I took them off. Everything was great while I had them in, but at night, when I went to bed, the tinnitus became much more pronounced. I'm still not sure why that is. It might simply be that the background sounds were so effective at distracting me from the tinnitus (they really helped!) that when I finally heard it again, it felt even less bearable.

 

[dd314]

Residual inhibition is real. If you could boost low-decibel noises whilst not boosting loud noises -- maybe having a cutoff around 55 dB, it could theoretically work to suppress tinnitus. I'd probably be scared of it accidentally boosting loud noises, though. That would have horrific consequences.

 

[IYIiKe]

I am pretty sure my tinnitus is at a high frequency, much higher than what hearing aids can produce. For example, when I drop an Allen wrench on a tile or solid floor, the resulting reverberation creates a very temporary residual inhibition for me. This effect lasts only as long as the noise itself plus about 0.5 to 2 seconds.

I believe that if I had a hearing aid capable of constantly playing that specific frequency, I could potentially extend the inhibition indefinitely. If anyone has ideas on how this might be possible, perhaps using a tool like Audacity, or a way to test it, I would be interested in exploring it. Let me know.

 

[HelenRT]

Hi, I'm very new to Tinnitus Talk and look forward to exploring the posts and articles here. Since you're interested in hearing from someone who has used hearing aids for tinnitus reduction (and to compensate for mild hearing loss at the frequencies affected by the tinnitus), I'd like to share my experience.

When I wear my hearing aids, my tinnitus is reduced to the point of being almost absent. As far as I can recall, this wasn't the case a year ago when I first started using them. At that time, I mainly appreciated how the tinnitus was overridden by the increased volume of external sounds. I've worn the aids almost every day for the past 12 months, and the reduction in tinnitus seems to have been gradual.

I'm curious to learn more about what might be causing this improvement. I feel that hearing aids are often suggested in the absence of a solution that identifies the root cause. So far, I haven't come across a satisfying explanation and hope to discuss my hearing issues further with an ENT specialist.

I'm glad to have found this forum. It seems to be a great resource with a lot of helpful information.

 

[Peky]

My ENT seemed eager to sell me hearing aids and told me I had moderate to significant hearing loss. But I do not have any trouble hearing anything, so how can that be?!

I was there to discuss my escalating tinnitus, so I was very skeptical about his recommendation. However, after reading some of the posts here, I may reconsider.

I swim laps in an indoor pool four times a week, and I believe the noise underwater is what has caused my tinnitus to escalate.