OTC hearing aids

[leftcoaster]

Late last Fall the FDC approved Apple AirPods for use as over the counter hearing aids (HAs). I am a lifelong HA user and have seen, or maybe heard, it all. These are really game changers - superior in every way to my top-of-the-line units that cost 70x as much, at least at the rack rate. In fact a battery repair on those would have cost me 150% of the AirPods.

Are other BHs trying these out? I know Costco is a popular option, but still quite a bit more expensive.

[jebmke]

I think Sandman has tried and may be using these. Check his posts.

I couldn't get them to stay in my ears so I returned the ones I bought; never got to the point of trying the HA functions

[Hebell]

That's quite a positive testimony. I have a husband whose android phone is getting old, and phonak hearing aids (linked to the phone) are getting on in years. Now that he's no longer flying airplanes, and likely does not need some of the special noise cancellation modes, this is of real interest.

[leftcoaster]

That's quite a positive testimony. I have a husband whose android phone is getting old, and phonak hearing aids (linked to the phone) are getting on in years. Now that he's no longer flying airplanes, and likely does not need some of the special noise cancellation modes, this is of real interest.

Yes, and since you can return them if they don't work out, why not?

Even someone who doesn't have an audiogram from an audiologist can take a hearing test and adjust the sound from media (music, phone). This is a huge door opened by OTC.

Happy to elaborate on the specific positives that I've experienced.

[LikeNumbers]

This is a timely topics as I received my Apple Airpods Pro 2, three days ago - total cost w/2yr AppleCare insurance was $189.99+tax from Amazon.

Background:
Age 70
Started wearing hearing aids six years ago - have moderate hearing loss.
My Audiologist is highly recommended in our town. I wanted the services of
a professional experienced Phd. Audiologist guiding me on my first set of aids.
I am glad I did, have learned a lot and believe there are good reasons to engage a professional.
It is hard to explain how positive my experience wearing hearing aids had been - I think of it
as discovering a small miracle.

Paid $4,000 for Opticon over the ear aids. The price included all standard yearly services plus access to
their free repair service which is great.

I still have the above aids, they work fine; however, being older, repairs are now dependent upon component availability.

Why I decided to buy the Apple Airpods Pro?
I have a signal processing background, after retirement I've watched significant progress in hearing aids and also
OTC headphones. When Apple announced their offering I knew their aids would not be the same as what I currently have,
in some areas they would be better, in other areas not. I think wearing hearing aids is like lasik surgery, your upfront
expectations will drive how well you adjust and how much you like or dislike them.

Thus far I like the Airpods. They are indeed different. below are my current Pros/Cons
Cons: 1) Battery life is very different. My current aids run for about a week on their replaceable batteries that cost about $50/year.
The Airpods last maybe 5 hours. The carrying case has a battery that can recharge the aids in about 45min.
The carrying case is small and fits in my front pocket. I think it can recharge the aids about 3-4 times prior
to needing a recharged which will take a few hours,
2) I don't particularly like the look which is anything but discreet. I am more interested in function than looks.
3) The Airpods don't have vented domes like my current aids. This results in not being sure if I am talking loud enough
with others as the voice I hear is different than what I am used to. I think I will adjust quickly.
4) I don't like trying to adjust settings

Pros:
1) The Airpods work with my older iPhone - an SE 2 with the newer chipset, running iOS 18.2.1
2) The Airpods were easy to get started. Connect your iPhone to Bluetooth and follow the instructions.
Take the audiogram hearing test and if your are not a good candidate - return them for free. If you are a
a good candidate, start experimenting with the settings. I never had to adjust my current aids and am
hoping to achieve the same with the Airpods
3) Watching TV is a MUCH BETTER experience with the AirPods. I can not listen at the same level with my wife - she is happier.
4) Inside the house they are a better experience in general. It is snowing and pretty cold outside right now, so have not
yet used them outside.
5) This experiment is inexpensive, $200. If I decide I don't like them I am 100% positive my grandson would like them

RIght now I am pleased with the Airpods. I will post more as I get more experience.












I've only been wearing them for two days.

[123]

I had a hearing test with an Audiologist associated with my health plan. I have a substantial hearing deficit in one ear but have been resistant to hearing aids because it doesn't interfere much with daily life or perhaps I've gotten used to is. Hearing in the other ear is excellent.

I bought the Apple Airpods Pro 2 primarily because of their hearing aid features. Since I took the hearing test and put them on I have been astounded with the results. They are excellent. I can listen to music and podcasts with balanced sound with depth unlike anything I have heard in years.

I was reluctant to use a hearing aid (for a single ear) because I didn't have any idea of how well I could use earpods with it (earpods alone don't really work for the "bad" ear). The Apple Airpods Pro 2 just make those issues go away.

So far I haven't used the Airpods alone much for their hearing aid feature by itself, there are features like noise canceling adjustments etc that I need to get familiar with.

I would encourage anyone who thinks they have a hearing issue to try the Apple Airpods Pro 2. They are comparatively inexpensive, convenient, and work well. They may be an excellent OTC solution for you.

Costco has a 90 day return period with them, the regular Apple return period is 14 days. Costco wins!

Edited to add:

...2) I don't particularly like the look which is anything but discreet. I am more interested in function than looks.

I would agree. The "look" seems disrespectful to co-workers but many people at work routinely wear Airpods so I just have to be willing to join that crowd.

[leftcoaster]

A few more points from me (OP):

Legacy HAs

Locked-in. I have to go to the dispenser for setting changes and repairs. They wanted $300+ for a battery.

There are fewer choices for configuration and the manufacturers remove them from model to model. For example, I wanted to be able to listen to a stream (podcast) while riding a noisy train and have the mic off. Not standard, but doable after an insurance-billed visit to dispenser on one model. Newer model, no longer possible.

Charging is a large, clunky case larger than my fist. The HAs cannot remain on the charger nodes while in transit, so charging is only when stationary and plugged in.

Settings for challenging situations -- restaurants -- are not good and I can't tune anything meaningful by myself. No, you cannot have access to the software to do it yourself.

If something breaks or is lost while I'm traveling, I'm screwed.

I can take a phone call through the HAs but have to hold the phone up for voice.

AirPods

Sound quality is excellent. No surprise: this is what they do for tens (hundreds?) of millions of people and all I need are equalizer setting adjustments.

Phone calls are excellent for the same reason. Likewise music and TV integration.

The sound as HAs is great, even in challenging settings. I have A/B tested them against the legacy HAs and there is no comparison.

If I'm riding on the train I can do what every other person there does: long press to turn on noise cancellation.

I can charge in my pocket and using a cable that is ubiquitously available.

If I'm almost anywhere in the world and have a problem, I can purchase a replacement from any Apple Store and restore my audiogram to it from iCloud.

Bottom Line

Taking a really great consumer product that delights a massive consumer base and making the relatively modest changes needed to compensate for different frequency perception makes a ton of sense. It makes way more sense than a bespoke device in a captive market whose participants' interests are not aligned with mine.

[leftcoaster]

To add:

I am working through two barriers :

1) driving. If I get pulled over, I have a copy of the state vehicle code about hearing devices being OK and about the FDA approval for AirPods as hearing devices. I asked my councilman to engage the police on this preemptively. He won't, but I asked.

2) social response: I confess to being annoyed by young people who engage me in conversation with these things in their ears. What, do you need a sound track to talk to me? Well, now I'm that guy and in some settings I'll need to explain. In many I do not.

[LadyGeek]

This thread is now in the Personal Consumer Issues forum (hearing aids). Remember to avoid describing medical issues.

I own Airpod Gen2 and am impressed with the noise cancellation. I don't need any hearing correction.

One of my friends has moderate hearing loss and is using the AirPods as a a hearing aid. The improvement is significant.

[Jazztonight]

Sandman recommended Jabra Enhance hearing aids, available through Costco, Amazon, and Jabra.com

My wife purchased them through Jabra for about $1700, which is about the same price as the other places mentioned. She'd already had a hearing test through her health plan, and Jabra gave her another (online).

She got the HAs, and with some help from her son set up the app on her iPhone. Then a video consult was set up with the Jabra rep (included) and the guy was very nice and extremely helpful (I sat in). Their support seems to be quite good, and DW is using the hearing aids for TV and social settings. She can even hear me! (when she wants to, I suppose).

So far, so good. YMMV

[stan1]

Applying AI/ML principles to signal processing in a device like a hearing aid should really help. Lots of potential and it should include a lot of low hanging fruit. When people ask "what is AI doing for me" hearing assistance is one that should be a good example. But you have to try it for yourself.

I took the Apple Hearing test and fortunately no help needed. Also I find the ear buds stimulate excessive wax production in my ears so I would not want to wear them extensively. But each person is going to have to make their own decisions. Good to have choices and good to see the technology over the counter which will help a lot of people (but not everyone).

[leftcoaster]

Applying AI/ML principles to signal processing in a device like a hearing aid should really help. Lots of potential and it should include a lot of low hanging fruit. When people ask "what is AI doing for me" hearing assistance is one that should be a good example. But you have to try it for yourself.

I took the Apple Hearing test and fortunately no help needed. Also I find the ear buds stimulate excessive wax production in my ears so I would not want to wear them extensively. But each person is going to have to make their own decisions. Good to have choices and good to see the technology over the counter which will help a lot of people (but not everyone).

With conventional ITE and RIC HAs I have to replace wax traps at least twice a week. For the AirPods I use an aftermarket tip that holds better in my ears. I can just wipe them off and replace them cheaply. The stock ones are even easier to clean if they work for your ears.

[BenMcCool]

The biggest disadvantage of the AirPods is battery life - they just won’t make it through a full day. The sound quality is great though, and they do serve as a good backup to my regular hearing aids.