Sudden Hearing Loss and Impact on Music Enjoyment

Hi @arafiq,

I am so sorry to hear of your hearing issues. I too was diagnosed with relatively severe hearing loss not long ago, and I have a constant battle with tinnitus in both ears. I was right at the beginning of my audiophile/seriously-into-music-sound journey when this happened and I was devastated. 

After many visits to my audiologist and my ENT MD, I came up with a solution that has actually helped. I told my audiologist and they agreed that it was not a bad plan of action. Essentially, the plan that is working is that I added an equalizer to my current set-up. I know someone mentioned it in a previous discussion response above, so I wanted to chime in. I am also aware that many people frown upon the addition of such a piece of gear who consider themselves "true audiophiles," and that they are not afraid to give you flak for doing this. However, as I have learned from many people I consider my audio mentors (special shout out to Dave Kent, Dwight DiMartino, and Adrian Low among others), your hearing reality is a completely different reality from anyone else's. What sounds great to you might sound terrible to someone else. And vice versa. Yet, you/we are all audiophiles and people who love musical sound. If your current hearing reality means that you need to adjust sound via an equalizer or something similar, then go for it. I did and haven't looked back.

What I essentially did was to find an equalizer with as many left and right channel bands that I could, and then adjust each band on each channel to fill in where my audiogram(s) indicated that my hearing was deficient. McIntosh makes an individual great one, the MQ112, I believe, and which was the first one I heard. And then there is an odd, but in reality very practical place to look, which is in pro-audio. For the uninitiated, pro-audio is professional audio recording gear. If you can find a place that sells studio quality equalizers, either stand alone units or a rack-mount unit, I would highly encourage investigating it. I did a very difficult yet extensive search for the one that I eventually got, and it really does make a difference. Interestingly, most studio quality equalizers that are stand alone units can be affordable, now that the technology is "mainstream." Of course (and obviously) the sky is the limit in terms of cost, but... Again, it might be worth investigating. I don't want to be accused of schilling for a particular brand, so feel free to message me if you'd like to know what company I went with.

So I hope that helps a little bit, or at least produces food for thought before you decide to sell your current system. I know it is difficult, but try to keep your chin up. You've got support here! 

@macg19 - Why avoid CostCo? I would think getting great hearing aids (TOTL models from the previous year) and working with an audiologist for $1500 is better for some folks than $6000 or more at a non-CostCo audiologist. Some CostCos have better, more experienced audiologists than others, so it can be a little hit-or-miss, but you can keep going back for iterative adjustments. 

@larsman 

Why avoid CostCo? For the reason you stated, I called my local CostCo and spoke with the "audiologist" who apparently knew little about the brands they carry or how the compare to the competition, nor did she know about any of the apps features (like music mode), so I sure wouldn't trust that person to perform a reliable hearing test.

I went to a brick and mortar audiologist, got a free hearing test in exchange for listening to their sales pitch and gave that to the online vendor to program rather than doing an online/remote test.

If you do use CostCo, the Rexton Reach is virtually identical to the Signia (both are from WSA) and the app is probably identical.

You could also validate a CostCo hearing test by getting a "second opinion" for free. 

YMMV.

@macg19 - Wow, that was a pretty poor audiologist if she didn't even know about the apps features. I'm lucky as my Costco audiologist has 20-some odd years of experience and is even a musician, and we worked together on tuning up the apps to my liking. The big disadvantage of them for me is you have to make an appointment a couple weeks in advance; other audiologists see me much faster, but I pay a premium for that - it's a trade-off! 

@larsman Lucky indeed. 

I do think it is important to look at the design of the device ensuring it supports multiple dome styles and sizes. It appears some do not, at least not like Rexton/Insignia do.

Fully open domes allow the maximum amount of unaltered sound through, which in my case is exactly what I was aiming for. May not be the best solution for everyone though.