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OTC Hearing Aids - Apple EarPod Pro2 vs. Philips 9050

By reading the measurements it’d seem that the loop switch lets too much of the high frequencies passing through, the most dangerous ones. I’d rather loose some clarity but be better protected
These guys too?

 
Do I have to keep my iPhone with me at all times to be able to use AirPods as a hearing aid?
 
Thanks but if I want to listen better to whoever is in front of me (including any corrective curve to my hearing) do the AirPods work or can't I do anything without the iPhone with me?
 
There are two different scenarios. If you find their fucntiality on their own useful at cutting down noise and allowing you to hear voices better on their own, then you can use them that way. SEPARATELY there is ALSO a function that lets you use your phone as a microphone that you place close to the person you want to hear, and then you hear them better via the AirPods.

These are two separately features and functionalities, and whether one or the other will work better for your is something you would want to test.
 
By reading the measurements it’d seem that the loop switch lets too much of the high frequencies passing through, the most dangerous ones. I’d rather loose some clarity but be better protected
Screenshot 2024-10-12 at 7.40.35 AM.png

The loop only attenuates about 20db in the quite more in the treble. Is that what you are concerned with?

It actually looks better than the Minuendo, no?

Screenshot 2024-10-12 at 7.43.06 AM.png


The Eargasm might be the best in terms of not rising too much in the treble, but it doesn't do much better than the Loop there.....and personally those triple rib length ear canal form factor protection devices (like the Etymotic, or even simple construction worker hearing protections) sit too far into my ear canal, so they aren't really an option for some of us.

Screenshot 2024-10-12 at 7.44.05 AM.png
 
Wannabe,

Just back from my, “tune-up ” at Costco. Big difference!

When I saw my speech pathologist friend the other day and told her that I had gotten hearing aids, she was excited until I told her that I’d gone to Costco. Her response was, “Oh No!’ When I asked her why that reaction, she said that a lot of their technicians have only basic licensure and aren’t trained like a full audiologist is. (Essentially, you get what you pay for.)

So I went back today, I talked to the guy at the front desk about how I wasn’t completely happy, and he made sure that the tuneup was performed by one of the supervisors in the hearing department. This guy seemed knowledgeable and really listened to my frustrations and issues. When I explained to him the situation that the hearing aids were sounding very tinny and unnatural (and VERY low fidelity by ASR standards), he completely recalibrated them, and they are sounding much better.

I really sensed that he appreciated my hi-fi background- “you’re speaking my language!” - and seemed interested in my comparisons and comments about the EarPod Pros.

He gave me all the options on the Phillips app (the first tech didn’t even want me use the app) which is nice. Though the app is nowhere near sophisticated as the Apple AirPod suite, it’s dead simple to use and gives you a couple of different equalizations.

He also told me that he had dialed back the high frequency response, and that it will start kicking in over the next few weeks, giving my brain a chance to adjust to the new equalization.

My take away from today is that the technician you deal with at Costco makes a big difference as well as the fact that these hearing aids really are designed to improve speech and do not put fidelity ausio into that equation.

I think I’m going to keep my AirPod Pro2s and use them for streaming, music, etc., but from a day-to-day standpoint, I am much happier with the Phillips hearing aids now that they have been, apparently, properly adjusted.

Your mileage may vary!
I have been on hearing aids for over 15 years. First pricey Otocon, then Costco's for the last 12. YES, the Costco support is excellent and I still run 2016 aids, adjusted every year or so. BUT I know that from a (classical) music standpoint, they are barely adequate, as my wife and I compare listening notes. And, with age, I am now more comfortable reading movies subtitles.
The changes between Otocons then and today offerings are immense. In the end, age will make a dent that no technology seems enough to deal with. And the damage is not reversible.
 
I have been on hearing aids for over 15 years. First pricey Otocon, then Costco's for the last 12. YES, the Costco support is excellent and I still run 2016 aids, adjusted every year or so. BUT I know that from a (classical) music standpoint, they are barely adequate, as my wife and I compare listening notes. And, with age, I am now more comfortable reading movies subtitles.
The changes between Otocons then and today offerings are immense. In the end, age will make a dent that no technology seems enough to deal with. And the damage is not reversible.
Well I’d be a bit more optimistic :)

As you said progress has made great strides and it might accelerate even further now that, with devices like the AirPods being approved by the FDA, the cat is out of the bag so to speak. Hearing aids no longer the domain of companies that charge insane prices but more mass market products, backed by constantly improving dsp power and engineering.
 
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Do I have to keep my iPhone with me at all times to be able to use AirPods as a hearing aid?
The features of the AirPods products seem to work independently of the Apple hardware (iPhone, Mac, etc.) but you can only change the settings from the phone etc.
 
Correct. Hardware can be used as separate microphone. This feature could be significant. I have trouble hearing in large court rooms. A phone on table could really help in that controlled environment.
 
For anyone interested, the new release of iOS (18.1) now has the audio test included. (Go to your Settings => and take the test.)
My Apple test results were actually a bit better with the test, but to be honest, I've had a tough time getting my EarPod Pro2s to seal well. (Never had a problem with half a dozen IEMs but this has been an ongoing problem despite trying three or four different tips.

With the new audiogram incorporated into the auto equalization, I can definitely detect a high frequency boost that wasn't present with the Mimi app EQ.

I'll play around with these a bit and see how things go.

On another note, I've been wearing the Phillips 9050s for about six weeks and they seem to be working better. It's almost as if I'm retraining my brain to adjust to the boosted high frequencies. After wearing them all day, when I take them out, it sounds like I have a cotton ball in my ear with the no longer boosted high frequencies. That said, when streaming audio or podcasts, I feel like I'm listening to a cheap, transistor radio from the old days.

This is an interesting journey!
 
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On another note, I've been wearing the Phillips 9050s for about six weeks and they seem to be working better. It's almost as if I'm retraining my brain to adjust to the boosted high frequencies. After wearing them all day, when I take them out it sounds like I have a cotton ball in my ear with the no longer boosted high frequencies. That said, when streaming audio or podcasts, I feel like I'm listening to a cheap, transistor radio from the old days.
The hearing aids are tuned for voice recognition. Except some high grade Oticon costing 3 to 5 times the Philips ones.
Ideally, it would make sense to be able to adjust the response curve of the aids based on the desired results: office set up: voice, classical music: music, spouse: silent.

There are many avenues to get these devices to perform better. AI? The issue is the low bar set by buyers. Test your ears (voice only...), set the aids; you hear the technician (much better): go and pay.

And the prices are still very high.
 
For anyone interested, the new release of iOS (18.1) now has the audio test included. (Go to your Settings => and take the test.)
My Apple test results were actually a bit better with the test, but to be honest, I've had a tough time getting my EarPod Pro2s to seal well. (Never had a problem with half a dozen IEMs but this has been an ongoing problem despite trying three or four different tips.

With the new audiogram incorporated into the auto equalization, I can definitely detect a high frequency boost that wasn't present with the Mimi app EQ.

..

This is an interesting journey!
Hmm. Now I don't know if I should take the new test if it ends up very different to the subtle tuning I have applied from my existing audiogram. I really like how they sound now. Do you know if you can change between the apple audiogram and the mimi audiogram after the test is completed?
 
Hmm. Now I don't know if I should take the new test if it ends up very different to the subtle tuning I have applied from my existing audiogram. I really like how they sound now. Do you know if you can change between the apple audiogram and the mimi audiogram after the test is completed?
Old_School:

I think you can save the audiograms and up load them but don’t take my word for it: I’d suggest you either go online with Apple or give them a call to be absolutely certain.

Though this has been a bit of a journey, I feel fortunate to have so many options. As a kid in the 60s, I can recall seeing my grandfather’s hearing aid which was the size of a transistor radio, with a twisted cord and huge, uncomfortable ear piece that sat in his dresser drawer, never used. (He was probably the same age then as I am now!)

Technology has certainly come a long way and gotten a lot less expensive than a few years ago. It reminds me a bit of the Class D amp revolution we’re going through now. I’m glad I have so many more options than my granddad did.
 
So I downloaded the Mimi software, ran the hearing test and loaded the results into my Health app and then proceeded to allow the Accessibility app to modify the response of my Apple EarPod Pro 2 headphones.
Does this approach using Mimi + Health App + Accessibility App work on iOS 16 (16.7.10)? I'm still on an iPhone 8 Plus and will be a few months before I upgrade to a newer iPhone 16.
 
Does this approach using Mimi + Health App + Accessibility App work on iOS 16 (16.7.10)? I'm still on an iPhone 8 Plus and will be a few months before I upgrade to a newer iPhone 16.
rcsteve,

I can’t guarantee it, but my guess is the Mimi route should work. I’d encourage you to peruse their site. https://mimi.io/mimi-hearing-test-app for more details.

(I purchased my EarPod Pro2s from Costco and was told they have a 90 day no questions asked return policy so if things don’t work out there is no risk.)

Good luck!
 
Can the Philips 9050 (Costco) only be tuned and adjusted by technicians at Costco? Or, can these be purchased from Costco and then later adjusted by an audiologist at a different medical practice?
 
Old_School:

I think you can save the audiograms and up load them but don’t take my word for it: I’d suggest you either go online with Apple or give them a call to be absolutely certain.

Though this has been a bit of a journey, I feel fortunate to have so many options. As a kid in the 60s, I can recall seeing my grandfather’s hearing aid which was the size of a transistor radio, with a twisted cord and huge, uncomfortable ear piece that sat in his dresser drawer, never used. (He was probably the same age then as I am now!)

Technology has certainly come a long way and gotten a lot less expensive than a few years ago. It reminds me a bit of the Class D amp revolution we’re going through now. I’m glad I have so many more options than my granddad did.
Old_School:

It appears you CAN keep and choose old audiograms with the EarPod Pros. The Apple Support video does a nice job of explaining the options.

 
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