Buying Hearing Aids

Something a little different for today…I’m in the process of buying new hearing aids – Yawn. There are lots of options out there so I wanted to share what I’ve learned.

For those who read the original post. This post has now been updated with info on the Lexie B2 Plus powered by Bose.

Do I Need Hearing Aids?

I can still remember the day in 7th grade when I got glasses. It started with a failed eye test in school and my mom brought me to an optometrist. I thought everyone was crazy, I can see fine. I put on a pair of prescription glasses and I was stunned. There was a window next to me and I could not believe the sharpness and the clarity of trees, cars, houses, people. It was a whole new world.

I felt the same with my hearing. My wife brought it up while watching TV, and I started to notice that I often asked people to repeat themselves. I made an ear, nose and throat appointment and next I know, I have hearing aids, as well as $5,000 less in my wallet. But similar experience as the glasses in 7th grade. The clarity of spoken words and TV dialog is hugely improved.

I Do

After I retired, I stopped wearing them. They’re a little uncomfortable, and I’m not in situations where I need the clarity of spoken words – my opinion – my wife and friends might say otherwise.

I had my annual physical recently, and told my doctor I was concerned about Alzheimers. My mother’s sister had it, my mother has it now, and I want to be sure I’m doing what I can to prevent getting it as well. It’s a horrible disease, both for the person who has it, but also for the family and friends of that person.

My doctor told me one of the most important things to do was to wear my hearing aids. I did some research online and there certainly seems to be a tight correlation between hearing loss and cognitive decline. So, yes, I need hearing aids.

Shopping is Easy

Many people don’t get as far as shopping. They’re overwhelmed by having to go to their doctor, get a referral to an ear nose and throat specialist, schedule an appointment with an audiologist and the spend $5,000+ on new hearing aids which are often not covered by health insurance plans.

I thought you said shopping was easy…It is now. Over the past few years legislation has been passed to make over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids legal. See the timeline and some more details here.

OTC is a Big Deal

Before this legislation, doctors and audiologists were involved in hearing aid purchases. And because of the shopping experience I described above, many people who needed hearing aids didn’t get them. With few suppliers and a market constrained by a cumbersome evaluation and purchase process, producing hearing aids was not a lucrative business, so there were few manufacturers and prices were high. This is how capitalism works.

The OTC hearing aid legislation allowed for companies to sell hearing aids direct to consumers. This is creating a lot of demand, which is creating opportunities which we’ll talk more about in a minute.

Click here for some info on OTC hearing aids from the FDA

Online Hearing Tests

I started my hearing aid research with a Google search (actually I use Duck Duck Go because it preserves my privacy). I was surprised at the number of websites that offered hearing evaluations and hearing aids for sale – all online. No need to leave the house.

hear.com

I started my search at hear.com. I clicked check if you qualify for a no risk trial, I was asked a few questions and I was told I qualified. I got a few emails and an offer to set up an appointment.

When I agreed to start the trial, hear.com sent me their clinic-in-a-box. This is an amazing set up. The box contains a windows tablet, headphones and some other equipment, along with the hearing aids. The tablet walked me through set-up. It was incredibly simple. No technology skills required.

A few days later I had an appointment with an audiologist. I was at home and so was she. Everything was done through the tablet. She examined my ears with a little camera with a light on the end that came in the clinic-in-a-box. She gave me instructions on how to use it so she could check each ear. Using the headphones, she did a full hearing test with both sounds and words. After this, she programmed my new hearing aids remotely. All I had to do was put them into the case, and take them back out when she told me.

2 weeks later, I had a follow-up and we made some more remote adjustments.

Remote Works

The audiologist from hear.com did everything my local audiologist did. It was an impressive experience. If you’re interested in the lower cost of OTC, but still want a high level of support, I would highly recommend their services.

However…

hear.com hearing aids were not for me. I tried the top of the line Horizon IX. I’ll give you a quick run-down of the pros and cons.

Pros

Service

Service was outstanding. All the technology worked, the people were helpful and friendly and it was easy to get an appointment for consultation and adjustments.

Rechargeable Battery

Re-chargeable batteries are a must for me. My old hearing aids required a disposable battery, which invariably went dead when I was far away from the house with no replacement batteries nearby. I’ve tried 3 different rechargeable models. Each have 50% or more charge remaining after a full 12 hours of wearing. hear.com’s Horizon IX rechargeable hearing aids had a convenient case that could charge while untethered. Some cases only charge when connected to a power-source.

Smartphone App

Phone App – Not a deal-breaker, but it can be important to be able to alter the hearing aid performance due to surroundings. hear.com has a robust app that has presets for restaurants, music, comfort…and these can be customized somewhat as well. There is an iPhone and an Android version.

Trial Period

All the hearing aids I looked at had a no-questions-asked trial period. This is important. Not all hearing aids work the same. I’ll talk more about this in the cons section. The ability to try and experience the hearing aids and be able to return them for a full refund is a must. hear.com has a 45 day free trial.

Cons

Style

All the hearing aids I’ve tried are behind the ear models. In ear models – those that are smaller and fit fully within the ear canal – are typically for mild hearing loss and unfortunately I am beyond that. I did try one, which I’ll talk about in a bit.

While behnd the ear hearing aids are similar, the hear.com Horizon IX sits more toward the top of the ear. For me, this means my short hair rubs against the microphone and creates a metallic click when I chew, raise an eyebrow, make a face (which I do quite often). I suspect this wouldn’t be a problem with either longer or shorter hair, but it drove me crazy. This was a deal-breaker. This is why you need a free trial.

Sound

This is the big enchilada. We buy hearing aids so that we hear improved sound quality and clarity. Likely any hearing aid will be an improvement, but experiencing a couple will show you how different this can be. More on this later.

Hear.com Horizon IX is a very clever hearing aid. It tries to decide what you are listening to and enhance that sound and lower other sounds like background noise. This is the holy grail of hearing. Imagine a hearing aid that could block out the background noise in a crowded restaurant and focus on the person speaking to you. The Horizon IX fell short in my opinion. To me, this was a chaotic experience. One example occurred in the car listening to the radio while it was raining out. The hearing aid would focus on the music, then switch to the rain sound, then back. The change is subtle, but I found it frustrating.

Price

At $4,200, these were pricey for a hybrid OTC. I call it hybrid OTC because of the clinic-in-a-box and the extra services, so you are far from on your own if you purchase the Horizon IX. Not as expensive as a visit to the local audiologist, but much higher than the Jabra that we’ll talk about soon.

Sound (again)

Before we move on, let’s talk a little more about sound. I have moderate to severe hearing loss in the higher frequencies and I had no idea until I took a test. I remember sitting in the booth at the doctor’s office waiting for the hearing test to start and then finding out the test was half-way done. I couldn’t hear most of the tones.

At the point that you’ve got hearing loss, I suspect any amplification will be an improvement. But sound is subjective. I like the Foo Fighters and the Beatles. My wife likes Josh Grobin (ick) and Maroon 5. There’s not a lot of common ground. I would be hard pressed to articulate exactly why one artist sounds better than another to me. I like them or I don’t, or maybe they’re just OK. But it is very subjective. Hearing improvement is similar. I’ve tested 4 hearing aids. The sound was very different with each. Try a few.

Oticon OPN

This was my original hearing aid prescribed by my doctor in 2016. I went through the whole onsite testing and adjustment process and it cost me $5,000. The hearing aids came with a rudimentary app. It has been improved over time, but it is still not as robust as the OTC apps I’ve tried.

The sound quality was improved. It helped me hear the spoken words on the TV so my wife and I could end our battle on TV volume. I was able to hear the nuances in spoken words better at work. This was important. I realized I was missing a lot. I admittedly have some attention-span issues, so I can’t blame my hearing 100%, but it was a factor.

However, the sound was quite tinny. I love listening to music, but I found that I chose not to when wearing hearing aids because it sounded so tinny. 3 of the 4 hearing aids I tried were especially tinny and Oticon was one. Note that my hearing loss is at high frequencies, so a hearing aid for me needs to enhance tinniness, but hold that thought.

So, Oticon OPN – 8 years old, non-rechargeable battery, improved spoken words but tinny. This is why I started my search for a replacement. In fairness to Oticon, I have not tried any of their new models.

Jabra Enhance

While trying the Horizon IX, I did a bit of reading online. Jabra Enhance came up quite a bit so I ordered their top of the line 500 model for $1,995. This is less than half of what the Horizon IX costs, so I was excited to compare.

The online process was similar. I uploaded a copy of my hearing test from 2016 and I also took their online hearing test. Based on these results, they programmed the hearing aids and sent them to me.

There was no clinic-in-a-box. I got the hearing aids, some different tips to try, cleaning supplies…

Sound

I was stunned when I heard the sound. The first thing I noticed was that the music I was listening to at the time sounded full and natural. I wondered if the hearing aids were working because the Horizon IX and Oticon OPN were so tinny. They were working. I was typing and I could hear the key click – which is a high tone that I can hardly hear without hearing aids. Somehow, these emphasize the high tones without over-emphasizing.

Hearing is subjective. Your results may vary.

Comfort

These sit behind the ear, more than on top like the Horizon IX. No metallic click. I can make faces in peace.

Rechargeable Battery

The Jabra has a rechargeable battery which has more than 50% remaining at the end of the day. The case plugs into a wall-socket with a USB adapter – same as hear.com – and similarly can charge the hearing aids when the case is not plugged in.

update 7/21/24: I recently returned from a short vacation. I wore my Jabra Enhance 500s every day all day and charged them overnight. I wore them 5 days without having to plug in the charging case. Not a huge deal since the case takes a USB-C plug same as my iPad, but nice to know that if I forget, I can get several days of use without recharging the case.

Service

Service has been surprisingly similar to hear.com. I had an audiologist appointment through Zoom. We reviewed the hearing aids, the features of the app, and answered questions. I can request follow-up appointments through the app.

Price

At $1,995, these are less than half the price of the Horizon IX or the original Oticon OPN. So far, this seems like a better choice for me. But, I also want to try a full do-it-yourself OTC. Next up will be the highly rated Lexie by Bose. Stay tuned.

Smartphone App _{(updated 6/30/2024)}

I’ve avoided talking about smartphone app performance because I have found these apps to be only marginally helpful. However, yesterday I was with my wife and 3 friends at a restaurant in Newport RI. I was wearing my Jabra Enhance 500 hearing aids and decided I’d play around with the settings.

The restaurant mode was incredibly effective at cutting out the noise from the hostess station behind me without muting the conversation in front of me. For me, this is a big plus. In addition, I am able to change the mode with a long-press of the button on the hearing aid itself so I don’t have to pull out my phone.

Lexie B2 Plus Powered by Bose

Wait no more….Today is Wednesday 6/19 and my Lexie B2 Plus hearing aids arrived about a week ago. Again, the process of signing up for the trial was similar. The big difference with the B2 Plus is that they come unprogrammed (not a real word, but essentially, you get the hardware and need to configure it on your own).

Programming

Don’t be afraid. I downloaded the lexie app, paired my new hearing aids and tapped on hearing test. With the hearing aids in place, I was presented with a series of tones and tapped a button on the phone screen when I heard the tone. After about 2 minutes, the test was complete and the app configured my primary environment for me.

Sound

Sound was surprisingly good. Not quite as good as the Jaba Enhance 500, but really close. Speech is clear, music sounds natural.

Comparison: A brief note on how I evaluated sound in comparing jabra and lexie

1. Speech – I play a podcast on my computer speakers. I turn the volume down as low as possible – where I can still hear what the speakers are saying and can differentiate words clearly, but I need to focus to do so. I listen to the same portions with both hearing aids and make notes.
2. Music – I lock myself in my car in the driveway. I have a Harmon Kardon surround system and I compare a few of my favorite tracks. I chose Dire Straits Telegraph Road and Money for Nothing and Elton John’s Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding. My goal was to have a wide range of high and low tones, lots of switching between the two, and quiet and loud passages.

Again, sound is a personal preference, but for me the jabra hearing aids produced clearer speech, and produced clear highs and solid bass. Lexie was awfully close, but not quite as effective – note they are also $1,200 cheaper so there’s that.

Comfort

The B2 Plus sits behind the ear as well, but is slightly larger, however, I still found it comfortable for all day wearing.

Rechargeable Battery

The B2 Plus has a case that plugs in via USB-C, same as the others. It holds a charge all day, and the case holds an additional charge in case you are far away from a power source.

Service

Service for the B2 Plus is more do-it-yourself than the others, but less so than I expected. I get calls and emails from the folks at Lexie offering help and tips. Twice, I’ve had questions and I’ve contacted someone through the app. Both times, I was speaking with a live person within minutes and was able to resolve questions.

While I had to do the initial programming myself – which was a piece of cake – Lexie does provide people who can help solve problems.

Price

I already tipped my hand on this. The Lexie B2 Plus powered by Bose lists for $999. Pretty good price for a hearing aid that compares well against my $5,000 Oticons as well as the Jabra and hear.com offerings. However, when I called to begin the trial, I was offered $300 off, so my cost was $699.

Quirks

Comparing the B2 Plus and the Jabra Enhance 500 side by side over the last week, a couple of things stand out. First though, let’s not forget the B2 Plus costs $1,200 less. We should expect it to be less of a premium offering.

The bluetooth streaming had some challenges for me. It streams fine while my iPhone is on the table or in my hand, but as soon as I put the iPhone in my pocket, it starts to get some interference. I called the Lexie folks and they suggested it was the distance and fabric blocking the reception. Odd, but since the phone lives in my pocket, it makes streaming difficult.

Metallic Feedback: When I put my hand over my ear, I hear loud screechy feedback from the hearing aid. Oddly, I also get this while playing If I needed someone from the Beatles album Rubber Soul . Certain tones seem to set it off. It is rare, but it happens.

I called a Lexie representative via the app and she walked me through some setting changes that eliminated the feedback. However, this is essentially just turning down the volume so I’m not getting the correction I need.

Most of the hearing aids I’ve looked at are recommended for mild to moderate hearing loss. I’m guessing that the lower priced B2 Plus is not able to correct my somewhat-beyond-moderate hearing loss.

Eargo

I saved Eargo for last because I tried them over 3 years ago. Eargo is very innovative and is well reviewed so if you are interested in an in-the-ear solution, I would take them for a test drive.

Sound

My experience with Eargo was that it amplified all sounds equally. This did not help as I hear lower tones well, and only have trouble with higher tones. There was no pre-programming for my hearing needs. The app allowed some modifications, but I did not find it effective for me.

Service

Friendly and helpful service. I called several times to try and improve the sound quality. It wasn’t enough improvement for me, but I found the eargo folks easy to reach and helpful.

Price

The model I got was $999.

Eargo is well-reviewed online, offers an innovative product and I’m sure has come a long way since I tried them so I would give them another shot. the only caveat is that I have moderate to severe hearing loss so I’m not sure any in-ear solution will solve my hearing problem.

Final Thoughts

OTC

OTC hearing aids changes the landscape completely. Companies like Bose, Sony, Jabra, Sennheiser and others that are known for innovation in home speakers or headphones are now getting into the hearing aid market. This increases choice and the competition is bringing down prices.

Get Tested – It’s Free and You Can do it From Home

You may have hearing loss and not know it. Get tested here. This is a link to soundly. I spoke with them and while they sell a variety of hearing aids on their site, they are mainly consultants. I entered my email address and got a response from one of their advisors. we set up a quick phone call and he was very helpful in talking me through things I should consider. To take the hearing test, all you need is a set of headphones or earbuds. Try it.

Comparison Shop

Every site I looked at offered a free trial. Take them up on it. While you’ll have to plunk down your credit card to receive the hearing aids, they promise no hassle returns. The hear.com return process was awesome. Read about it here.

Hearing

Hearing is subjective. Online reviews are helpful but hearing for yourself is important.

There are a wide range of OTC types. hear.com seems to be the high end with its technology and support. Jabra is very close behind. Lexie requires the buyer to perform initial programming, but my experience has been that they are helpful and available when I need them.

Depending on your needs, you may want additional help. It may be worth paying a bit extra to get some professional assessment and adjustment

Bluetooth Streaming

All the hearing aids that I’ve tried offer bluetooth streaming. While your hearing aids are fine for taking phone calls or listening to a podcast in a quiet place, hearing aid streaming has limitations. Unless you miss your old AM transistor radio, this will not replace your Apple airpods. Music sound quality is not great. And there is no noise cancellation – in fact the hearing aids I’ve tried are designed to let sound in, so I’ve found that I need to be in a quiet place to be able to listen to podcasts or phone call streaming.

A Final Word on Competition and Advice

Everyone I’ve dealt with, whether it is the audiologists and support folks at hear.com, Jabra, or Lexie, or the consultants at Soundly, have been extremely helpful. They are easy to reach and available when I need them.

As great as this is, it suggests that selling me hearing aids – even ones that cost $699, is a very lucrative business. This tells me there may be more room for prices to come down. Keep an eye out.

I’ve also gotten lots of advice. Whenever I’m getting advice, I like to ask how the adviser is getting paid (as I did with soundly). Are they selling a product? Do they get commission? Is it the same commission for all products or does one pay more than others? And, what’s the adviser’s experience with the products? Have they tried them or are they reading and researching?

Anyway, this has been an interesting experience. The OTC change is a good one for all of us who need hearing help, and the marketplace is full of solid products that are easy to try out.

Thanks for the comments and let me know what you think.