<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><span style="font-family: LucidaGrande;"> 5) No one reported having aids that let the user "program them by</span><br style="font-family: LucidaGrande;"><span style="font-family: LucidaGrande;"> sound type" ... for instance "I want to hear birds and voices better</span><br style="font-family: LucidaGrande;"><span style="font-family: LucidaGrande;"> but not the rest of my environment" or "don't increase the volume</span><br style="font-family: LucidaGrande;"><span style="font-family: LucidaGrande;"> of footsteps on gravel". Several said they could do their own equalizer</span><br style="font-family: LucidaGrande;"><span style="font-family: LucidaGrande;"> setup - but you have to know what area of the sound spectrum is</span><br style="font-family: LucidaGrande;"><span style="font-family: LucidaGrande;"> "wind" in order to eliminate that sound type.</span><div><font face="LucidaGrande"><br></font></div><div><font face="LucidaGrande">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.</font></div><div><font face="LucidaGrande"><br></font></div><div><font face="LucidaGrande">HTH,</font></div><div><font face="LucidaGrande"><br></font></div><div><font face="LucidaGrande">Tom Benedict</font></div><div><font face="LucidaGrande">Seahurst, WA<br></font><div><br><blockquote type="cite"><div>On Aug 11, 2025, at 09:08, Jim Betz via Tweeters <tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div><div>Thank you ALL!<br><br> There have been so many responders, both on and off this list, that I'm<br>forced to have to a blanket thank you rather than individual. So let me<br>net out the responses ...<br><br> 1) Almost everyone says "Yes, hearing aids have helped me for birding."<br> Some even reported hearing birds they thought they had "lost forever"!<br><br> 2) The use of hearing aids that let you control the sounds you hear (and<br> don't hear) by the hearing equivalent of an audio equalizer are best.<br><br> 3) There weren't any "total failures" of a particular brand reported. So<br> as long as you have a type that has #2 you will get improvements.<br><br> 4) Several reported "annoying side effects" such as hearing sounds they<br> would rather not hear to a level that they interfere with hearing the<br> birds. Examples of those sounds are footsteps, rustling papers/leaves,<br> vehicle traffic, loud noises such as horns or even phone alerts ("dings"),<br> and even wind noises or voices in a restaurant.<br><br> 5) No one reported having aids that let the user "program them by<br> sound type" ... for instance "I want to hear birds and voices better<br> but not the rest of my environment" or "don't increase the volume<br> of footsteps on gravel". Several said they could do their own equalizer<br> setup - but you have to know what area of the sound spectrum is<br> "wind" in order to eliminate that sound type.<br><br> 6) I am trying out the aids from hear.com that you may have seen<br> internet ads for - and all of the above seems to be true. At least one<br> feature of these is the ability to focus your hearing directionally - this<br> means you can tell the devices to 'accentuate sounds in front of me'<br> (or to the left, right, or behind). These particular aids are very small<br> and, so far, none of our friends have noticed them - they have a very<br> small wire that runs to a 'speaker' in your ear and then a very small<br> thing that sits behind your ear.<br> I have my first "repeat visit with the sound tech/audiologist"<br> tomorrow and will report back on how well they could/couldn't<br> improve the 'annoying sounds'.<br><br> - thanks again, you are the best ... Jim<br>_______________________________________________<br>Tweeters mailing list<br>Tweeters@u.washington.edu<br>http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters<br></div></div></blockquote></div><br></div></body></html>