[Tweeters] Hearing Aids for Birding?

[Jim Betz via Tweeters]

Thank you ALL!

   There have been so many responders, both on and off this list, that I'm
forced to have to a blanket thank you rather than individual.  So let me
net out the responses ...

   1) Almost everyone says "Yes, hearing aids have helped me for birding."
        Some even reported hearing birds they thought they had "lost 
forever"!

   2) The use of hearing aids that let you control the sounds you hear (and
        don't hear) by the hearing equivalent of an audio equalizer are 
best.

   3) There weren't any "total failures" of a particular brand reported.  So
        as long as you have a type that has #2 you will get improvements.

   4) Several reported "annoying side effects" such as hearing sounds they
        would rather not hear to a level that they interfere with 
hearing the
        birds.  Examples of those sounds are footsteps, rustling 
papers/leaves,
        vehicle traffic, loud noises such as horns or even phone alerts 
("dings"),
        and even wind noises or voices in a restaurant.

   5) No one reported having aids that let the user "program them by
        sound type" ... for instance "I want to hear birds and voices better
        but not the rest of my environment" or "don't increase the volume
        of footsteps on gravel".  Several said they could do their own 
equalizer
        setup - but you have to know what area of the sound spectrum is
        "wind" in order to eliminate that sound type.

   6) I am trying out the aids from hear.com that you may have seen
        internet ads for - and all of the above seems to be true.  At 
least one
        feature of these is the ability to focus your hearing 
directionally - this
        means you can tell the devices to 'accentuate sounds in front of me'
        (or to the left, right, or behind).  These particular aids are 
very small
        and, so far, none of our friends have noticed them - they have a 
very
        small wire that runs to a 'speaker' in your ear and then a very 
small
        thing that sits behind your ear.
            I have my first "repeat visit with the sound tech/audiologist"
        tomorrow and will report back on how well they could/couldn't
        improve the 'annoying sounds'.

                                                  - thanks again, you 
are the best ... Jim