OT- Work as hearing aid?

getitdone1 · Post by **getitdone1** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 6:35 pm

I'm wondering if something like Walker's Game Ear could take the place of hearing aids? I doubt it but wondering.

Maybe a similar product would work.

Don McCullough

claybob86 · Post by **claybob86** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 6:48 pm

HUH?

Sorry.

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 7:14 pm

claybob86 wrote:HUH?
Sorry.

We're talking about hearing aids, not eyglasses! In answer to Don's question, I don't know. But, the Doc I talked to about the tintinitus (sp?) in my right ear, told me that a simple amplification would not fix the problem. He mentioned surgery and my left ear tuned the balance out! I left the office no better than when I went in, but figure know the amount of reduction was worth the price of admission.

I do think that repeated shooting of Sharps exacerbates the problem. Since I'm only deaf in one ear, I'll volunteer to take your's off your hands so you suffer no further deterioration!

jnyork · Post by **jnyork** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 7:21 pm

This question came up at our range just a few days ago. The problem we discussed came from the horrendous price one of our members had just paid for a new hearing aid. ( Yes, he did not wear hearing protection as a young person). Why should a hearing aid cost so much when everyone you see has a speaker stuck in his/her ear listening to music from a $200.00 portable computer. Why cant a lowcost hearing aid be developed using the same or similar technology. So, you have a wire leading to your earpiece. So what, so does everyone else. Perhaps the technology of the game ear could be combined with the technology of the the MP3 to produce a low cost alternative to the very pricey hearing aids. Of course, it would have to be approved by the AMA, the EPA, the FCC, the FDA and a hundred other alphabet bureaucracies which would take at least 50 years and would be adamantly opposed by the big money that builds hearing aids.

Sorry, go to ranting there, off to take another pill!!

Post by **Chuck 100 yd** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 7:29 pm

I have had Tinitus (sp?) for many years and hearing loss also.
Some days it sounds like a rattlesnake is inside my head,other days it`s not noticeable (as much).
All you young guys who shoot without proper protection will one day know what it is like!!
About the walker Game Ear, I would do a search for more info from a doctor before I used it for a hearing aid.

PS. I was so slow putting my post up jnyork beat me to it . I agree with his rant also. $2.000.00 for a hearing aid is what some cost according to friends who wear them.

oldgerboy · Post by **oldgerboy** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 7:55 pm

A pretty good friend has a PAIR of the $$$$$$$$ kind. He had the standard ones that are similar to the hunting type for years. The pricy ones are digital and are set to the specific pitch range the person needs. It doesn't just make all things louder.

It still seems like they are too expensive though.

getitdone1 · Post by **getitdone1** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 8:16 pm

As some of you mentioned. The great cost of very good hearing aids is what motivated me to wonder if there was a cheaper way.

I believe it's true that you pay so much because they can make them to address the individual's specific hearing problems. An super big "mark-up" might also have something to do with it!

Guess I'll have to cough-up the jack !

Don McCullough

dr walker · Post by **dr walker** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 8:47 pm

I'd say its worth a try. I think the new Walkers Game ear is a fairly sophisticated digital unit. My brother and I have talked about getting them for my Dad, his hearing has been degenerating quickly. If it doesnt work well for you, you could sell them much easier than a medical hearing aid unit. Just my 2 cents,

Rusty · Post by **Rusty** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 9:32 pm

As I recall someone was marketing a device for hearing "enhancement" several years ago but for LEGAL reasons they could not advertise it as a hearing aid because it was not approved by the FDA or who ever it is that certified hearing aids. Once it is approved it is then able to be covered by a lot of medical plans.

Rusty <><

AJMD429 · Post by **AJMD429** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 10:09 pm

I'd not want to go spend $4,000 for an 'approved' hearing aid without first trying a $100 'shooting aid.' As a physician, my opinion is that once something is covered by INSURANCE, the quality deteriorates, and the cost escalates needlessly (look at health care overall!). I am fully aware that to an audiologist there are profound differences in the equalization, degree of compression, and amplification alleged by the two devices, but as an electronics buff and audiophile, I have ALSO seen the past 20 years of evolution from sloppy analog amplification using bulky and expensive stereo equipment to pocket-sized devices that can do what a whole recording studio used to be needed for, and do it better from an acoustic standpoint. I also note that many of the 'shooting aids' use cheaper, if bulkier, batteries - the 'hearing aid' batteries are very short-lived, and very expensive.

So, I'd try the 'shooting aid' first, and if it fails to meet your needs, give it to a friend for Christmas.

cnjarvis · Post by **cnjarvis** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 11:52 pm

As someone who has had a significant hearing loss for the last 31 years (for those of you paying attention, I was 3 at the time of loss

) and someone who wears an aid I would strongly encourage you to:

1) Avoid the "game ear". My primary concerns would be the quality of the instrument and the quality of the resulting sound. The game ear IS substantially less than a hearing aid but I'd wager 2 weeks of lunches that the quality is also that much less. Hearing aids do not simply amplify sound. They amplify sound within a frequency range(s) rather than straight across the full spectrum of frequencies. A hearing aid manufacturer will custom tailor your aid to YOUR needs and as a result, your hearing will benefit where you need it to. I find that my hearing aid is far more comfortable than simply turning the volume up. Loud garbled sounds are much less comfortable and intelligible than loud clear sounds.

2) As with anything else, shop around! Talk to some of the older folks you know or just people you know that have aids. Don't be afraid to just walk up to a stranger either. Ask them where they got them and if they mind telling you how much they paid. Ask them about the customer service too. That makes a big difference. Do not be afraid of the smaller independent shops. They use the same components as the big chain stores. It has been my experience that the small shops (independently owned) are very helpful and knowledgeable. I bought mine for HALF the price I was quoted at larger shops and the quality of my aid is IMO just as good as I could have gotten anywhere else and just as good as the last Miracle Ear I had.

There are different kinds of aids. There are the small ITC (in the canal) aids that you can barely see, half shell aids that protrude just a little, full shell aids that take up most of the recess in the ear and the 'over the ear' types. To a certain extent, the type and severity of your loss may dictate which of these that will suit your condition.

My ears "ring" to a degree but 99% of the time I never notice it. Maybe it's because I've lived with it so long. I suppose that you'll get used to it...

Feel free to PM me if you want more info.

HTH!

Gun Smith · Post by **Gun Smith** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 12:17 am

As a former gunsmith and carpenter I am quite hard of hearing from 50 years of guns and saws. I wear two aids. They are much more complex than a simple amplifier like a game ear. Yes, they are expensive, but they are normally serviced free of charge by the dispenser for life. I do not use them at the range, but instead use a sound amplifing muff so I can hear without removing the muff. The muff stops the high intensity gunshot but allows normal conversation. I have also used the foam plugs but they do not block sound nearly as well as the muffs do, and I can't hear normal sounds between shots. For the safest ear protection you should use BOTH types when shooting. Don't mess up your hearing with a cheap fix, it isn't worth it down the road.

Gun Runner · Post by **Gun Runner** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 2:57 am

I have lost most of the hearing in my right ear, and a portion of it in my left ear. Wife got tired of yelling at me or repeating things 3 or 4 times. Just for the heck of it she got me a set of $29.00 "mini" sound amplifier's, out of one of the odd ball catalogs we get.I'am 67 yrs old and cant see putting out 4 or 5 grand for a set of fancy hearing aids. I dont wear them all the time but keep them handy. I also got a deal for the T V, that I can use a set of head phones and not have the T V rattling the windows. Got this at Radio Shack for around $39.00.
Its nice to be able to hear what my grandkids have to say with out a middle man to repeat it for me.
Just my 2 cents worth.

Gun Runner

El Chivo · Post by **El Chivo** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 4:29 am

I used to have a belt-clip pre-amp for a banjo pickup that would eq the sound for you, I doubt that I would ever get a fancy hearing aid at that price. I could root around in my stuff and get it done; but of course it wouldn't be that small.

I am getting some ringing from too much clarinet playing in the car, and from one shotgun round when I was standing close to a rock wall. My hearing's still pretty sensitive, maybe too sensitive, although I haven't had a test. I'm more comfortable when wearing range muffs at work. When shooting I often use both plugs and muffs, and I can still hear the range commands. But I do notice a steady whine, very high pitched, going most of the time.

getitdone1 · Post by **getitdone1** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 8:10 am

Some are saying a good hearing aid might cost 4-5000 dollars. I believe they can cost even more than that. How high do they go?

You'd think the very best would be under 4000. Even under 2000. Like I said--"mark-up."

Wonder if there's some "off-brand" that's as good and a lot less expensive?

Don McCullough

cnjarvis · Post by **cnjarvis** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 8:14 am

Exactly why I was saying shop around. My hearing aid cost $1000 IIRC and like I said, I think it's every bit as good as as "name brands".

They are expensive but they're worth it!

Old Time Hunter · Post by **Old Time Hunter** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 8:42 am

Being one that is deaf in one ear and can't hear out of the other...along with having that continuous ringing. I believe it is called Tinitus or whatever. Working in a can manufacturing plant back when I was going to college probably caused that, but the 67% tone loss in my left ear was mostly caused by racing cars professionally for ten years, along with (according to the ear doc) driving truck with the window down for the better part of fifteen years, course that doesn't explain the 33% loss of tone in the right ear. The whole deal made me pursue a career that I actually went to college for in that for the last fifteen years I have been a electronic (primarily PCB level targeting avionic and military applications) sales engineer. That being said, because of my earing loss or issues I keep an eye out at my customers for unique solutions to audio obstacles. One of my customers is actually in to sound amplification and sound synthesizing for sond and sonar applications (operator). He says those cheap ceramic piezo that have digital tuning are better than the technology used in approved earing aids. Just food for thought. Of course you would have to get 'em tuned for your ear.