I’ve written quite a bit about hearing aids. I have moderate hearing loss. Before I got my first pair of hearing aids, I had no idea that I had hearing loss. My wife knew. The TV was way too loud.
Off I went to the hearing specialist and yup, I can’t hear.
So that’s the first important point. Many of us don’t know we have hearing loss. We have nothing to compare our hearing to. How would we know?
Take a Hearing Test
The good news is it isn’t 2016 anymore so you can do this from the comfort of your home or anywhere you have a cell phone, earbuds and an internet connection.
Try the test at Soundly.com. It will take less than 10 minutes. You can take as much time as you like adjusting the volume at different tones to find the spot where you lose hearing. You’ll get a result that looks like this.
Which is exactly what you’d get from a professional. And you can take the test as many times as you’d like.
Hearing is Important
Hearing is closely linked to brain health. What got me started on the hearing aid kick was in 2021 when my doctor yelled at me for not wearing my hearing aids.
My mom has Alzheimers and I was asking about things I can do now to lower my risk. Diet is important, exercise, social engagement, and HEARING.
And I do notice now when I don’t wear my hearing aids, I do zone out a bit on conversations because I don’t catch all of it and I don’t want to keep asking people to repeat themselves.
Well, think of all the other less obvious things that are going on that we’re zoning out on. This matters.
Hearing Aids
My 2016 hearing aids are not uncomfortable, but I’d rather not wear them. And I felt that the hearing benefit wasn’t that great.
In 2025, and in 2022 when I started looking, hearing aids have gotten better. They’ve improved their sound isolation to help focus on someone speaking and block out background noise. They sound more natural. I can hear music more like it should sound.
You can read my many posts about hearing aids where I test drive and compare some options.
Apple
Apple entered the hearing party with the AirPods Pro 2. I already had them as earbuds and a software upgrade gave them hearing superpowers. Read more here.
The good:
- They work pretty well as hearing aids. I can hear conversations much better.
- I can do a hearing test on my phone and save my results
- Apple applies my hearing profile to music, movies, and phone calls – this is amazing
The not so good:
- Not as comfortable as behind the ear devices for all day wearing
- 5-8 hour battery life requires recharging during the day
- All sound is processed. The AirPods Pro 2 completely seal the ear. No ambient sound enters. Al sound is processed and played through the earbud. I find this unnatural.
Pro 3
The Pro 3 came out last month with some improvements. I’ve been debating buying a pair.
For now I’m holding off. This video from soundly demonstrates why.
- Battery is improved. 10 hours from 6ish is a huge improvement
- Better ear tips for closer and more comfortable fit and better sound
- New chip and upgraded sound – but from what I’ve heard, the real difference is minor.
Wrap Up
The pro 3 is a step in the right direction. I like that we got Apple hearing last year, and upgraded hardware this year. This shows that they’re serious.
And while I would not use either the pro 2 or the pro 3 as my primary hearing aid, the hearing features are a home run for me.
I listen to music a lot and watch TV while riding the exercise bike at the gym. The sound improvement with the iPhone applying my hearing profile is amazing. Music just sounds better than it has in years (for me.)
And because I wear my AirPods often throughout the day. It is awesome to still be able to hear conversation without pulling them out and putting in my hearing aids.
So, no new pro 3s for me, but I am thrilled that Apple has been serious. This doesn’t seem to be just a hobby for them.
And hearing is important. Take a test.