[Tweeters] Hearing Aids for Birding?

[Tom Benedict via Tweeters]

  5) No one reported having aids that let the user "program them by
       sound type" ... for instance "I want to hear birds and voices better
       but not the rest of my environment" or "don't increase the volume
       of footsteps on gravel".  Several said they could do their own equalizer
       setup - but you have to know what area of the sound spectrum is
       "wind" in order to eliminate that sound type.

My hearing aids have a button which I can press to toggle between two programs that the audiologist programmed for me. A basic program which cuts out the wind on the car windshield noise and a “music” program which boosts the high frequencies. Some hearing aids ( I think the more expensive ones ($6K+), mine are “bottom of the line” and were only $3500) have more programability by the consumer.

HTH,

Tom Benedict
Seahurst, WA


> On Aug 11, 2025, at 09:08, Jim Betz via Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu> wrote:

> 

> Thank you ALL!

> 

>   There have been so many responders, both on and off this list, that I'm

> forced to have to a blanket thank you rather than individual.  So let me

> net out the responses ...

> 

>   1) Almost everyone says "Yes, hearing aids have helped me for birding."

>        Some even reported hearing birds they thought they had "lost forever"!

> 

>   2) The use of hearing aids that let you control the sounds you hear (and

>        don't hear) by the hearing equivalent of an audio equalizer are best.

> 

>   3) There weren't any "total failures" of a particular brand reported.  So

>        as long as you have a type that has #2 you will get improvements.

> 

>   4) Several reported "annoying side effects" such as hearing sounds they

>        would rather not hear to a level that they interfere with hearing the

>        birds.  Examples of those sounds are footsteps, rustling papers/leaves,

>        vehicle traffic, loud noises such as horns or even phone alerts ("dings"),

>        and even wind noises or voices in a restaurant.

> 

>   5) No one reported having aids that let the user "program them by

>        sound type" ... for instance "I want to hear birds and voices better

>        but not the rest of my environment" or "don't increase the volume

>        of footsteps on gravel".  Several said they could do their own equalizer

>        setup - but you have to know what area of the sound spectrum is

>        "wind" in order to eliminate that sound type.

> 

>   6) I am trying out the aids from hear.com that you may have seen

>        internet ads for - and all of the above seems to be true.  At least one

>        feature of these is the ability to focus your hearing directionally - this

>        means you can tell the devices to 'accentuate sounds in front of me'

>        (or to the left, right, or behind).  These particular aids are very small

>        and, so far, none of our friends have noticed them - they have a very

>        small wire that runs to a 'speaker' in your ear and then a very small

>        thing that sits behind your ear.

>            I have my first "repeat visit with the sound tech/audiologist"

>        tomorrow and will report back on how well they could/couldn't

>        improve the 'annoying sounds'.

> 

>                                                  - thanks again, you are the best ... Jim

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