Hearing vs Clarity with Hearing Aids

Hearing vs Clarity with Hearing Aids. Dr. Cliff Olson, Audiologist and founder of Applied Hearing Solutions in Phoenix Arizona, discusses the difference between Hearing what someone says and Clearly Understanding what they are saying.
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[@debmussallem3892]

I have severe to profound loss. Yes I can hear but can’t understand. This is a great explanation. Lip reading has been my go to.

[@SnuffySmith5641]

I've been wearing BTE hearing aids since the 90's and have seen many charts similar to your example but no one has ever explained the different alpha sounds as you did with your example. Thank you.

[@josephrogers5337]

I went to the VA clinic in Waynesville, MO. I went for an annual visit for adjustment and boy did they. I had the real ear type and after that the world became a noisiy place, Clock Ticking, Bathroom vents loud, the clicking sounds on car turn signals and the furnace cold air return. I can even hear the tv without tv connect. Good Job Dr. Emily Beeman.

[@dmoskaly]

This will be my first admittance to hearing loss and doing something about it. This video provided an excellent grounding in understanding what is going on and what my audiologist should know. I want to walk in with an abundance of knowledge and take control/responsibility for its betterment but I will appreciate/"listen" to their expertise.

[@jackallread]

Great explanation of why I can hear someone but still not understand them… thanks!

[@jurrydevries4006]

Hi, thank you so much for the very clear explanation. You mentioned that age related hearing loss typically affects the high frequency tones. While hearing loss due to prolonged or excessive exposure to loud noise often results in lower frequency tones. So if you’re the poor guy who happened to work many years in an extremely loud noise work environment in a time frame where ear protection was limited to one being issued some tissues to roll and stuck in your ear, and you’re now in your sixties, you probably lost both high and low frequencies. But that’s beside the point I wanted to make. The main take away is that I finally have heard a logical explanation why I partly more and more find myself in a situation that’s text book material and matches your example 100%. I never blamed it on sound quality of modern phones or televisions; that’s nonsense. But I start to wonder why I couldn’t understand a single word while the volume was high enough to hear them speak plus the people speaking don’t mumble but are perfectly clear. The only explanation I could come up with was: “it’s all in between the ears” ( to stay in tune). Was considering visiting neurologist as it could be cognitive (although I doubt that) but now I can re-visit my audiologist (or better find a new one coz my current one tested 3 times and the end result and recommendation was; you’re getting old, this is part of the game get used to it) It is a pity that I live almost on the other side now f the globe from Arizona otherwise I would be knocking on your door. Would to close with one big thank you

[@jimc.7121]

Thank you so much, Dr. Cliff. You've described exactly what I believe my hearing problem is. For years I've struggled hearing what someone is saying near me in a crowded, noisy room. This is one of the main reasons I don't like such environments. While watching TV late at night and not wanting to disturb my spouse, I'll wear Bluetooth earbuds and notice that I can hear everything so much better. As you've stated in this video, my wife and I have both made comments on what a terrible job sound mixers do these days in movies. Yeah, it's not them. It's our hearing loss. Both of our mothers wore/wear hearing aids, so we're both possibly dealing with age related and hereditary hearing loss. Thank you for educating me about my condition with such clear speech on your part. It's very helpful for those of us who are dealing with this. Two thumbs up (👍👍), liked and subscribed!

[@Hikermd]

Thank you so much for recommending a hearing up provider. I just had customer ear molds made for my hearing aids made by the hearing up provider. Much better hearing with them! Also the provider is so much more knowledgeable and professional than my prior provider!!! 8:05

[@russellkomoto738]

I understood every single word you said with clarity....now to finish the video and hope you gave me tips on how to achieve 100% clarity

[@JamieW-o7b]

That was interesting; I have excellent hearing but in a room full of talking people I struggle. I call it 'speaker buzz.' The sound is there but I cannot define it!

[@frankedgar6694]

I discovered that I have that about 5 years ago. I went to another audiologist 2 months ago and was told the same thing. This time 😅 got hearing aided. Now I hear much better. In a group setting, I can hear better and can track individual conversations. Unfortunately it’s not as much better as I’d like. If I’d have addressed it 5 years ago, per my doctor, I wouldn’t have continued to lose hearing and it would be better.

[@JamieW-o7b]

@@frankedgar6694 Cheers F.

[@WilliamYoung-j7v]

I have severe hearing loss of about 50%. Without my hearing aids I am pretty much deaf. With my hearing aids I can hear pretty much at a normal sound level. What has happened that as a result of my hearing loss my brain is loosing the ability to understand speech or words. Testing indicates that I am able to understand 6 out of every 10 words I hear. This was caused by having post operative infection in my leg that required me to wear an infusion pump for 7 months giving me a constant flow of antibiotics to cure the infection. They were able to save my leg but the antibiotics damaged the filaments inside my ears. My hearing loss is stable but if my ability to understand speech worsens, I will need Cochlear implants. I completely understand hearing words but being able to understand them. It is a complex problem and a lot of research is being done to find a cure. They are working on a treatment to make your body regrow the filaments inside the ear. I hope they find a resolution to this problem.

[@bobboscarato1313]

I was just thinking if there's a way to effectively regrow the hair filaments back, it will improve hearing. Then again it may hurt the hearing aid industry!

[@Elephantine999]

Great explanations, as always. I have learned so much watching your videos.

[@patwheeler5646]

I found this very interesting, especially the diagrams of the inner ear. I have hearing aids and thankfully hear we'll. It proves to me we had a disigner and He is God. Our Creator.

[@randallgoff3689]

Exactly! Thank you. I know I have hearing loss at high frequencies and tinnitus. But I can understand my daughters easily and a couple of friends who are all musicians both vocal and instrumental and love playing in musicals. So they have learned to speak clearly with good diction. How can I teach people to speak clearly that think they have to yell for me to understand, without them getting angry?

[@Ayverie4]

If they love you they'll make it happen. I am a soft-spoken introvert but I've learned to speak loudly and clearly around my Dad. It's a rather unnatural way of speaking for me but I would never be mad at him for a condition he can't help. It is a reasonable accomodation.

[@bobboscarato1313]

Tact!

[@_SYDNA_]

Thanks. Good explanation of clarity loss. Different loss profiles are interesting. FWIW, Those big, heavy landline phones did have better sound in the past than current cellphones (or current landline phones for that matter). That is not an illusion. They probably cost quite a bit more to make as well.

[@Stephen-zx4uf]

Was just about to make the same point. Cellphones were a HUGE DROP IN AUDIO QUALITY compared to landlines. If you were in a business of doing interviews, like a precursor to podcasts, cellphones created a big obstacle. Voice quality was not even a secondary concern as the market race was to leverage the budding internet. Similarly we saw what happened to audio quality in music where instead of moving forward with improvements in fidelity, mp3s lured the world down a path of accepting poor quality and mediocrity as normal.

[@patrickbaxter4333]

There's simply no question about this. Digital telephony did awful things to audio quality. Same with Radio - FM still sounds better than DAB (unless the broadcaster secures a really good bitrate on the multiplex). MP3 was about convenience, not quality. We now have the entire "music library" of whichever Radio station you care to think of but it all depends on compression and bitrate.

[@paulschrum4727]

Just want to let you know I just got an appointment with an audiologist in Raleigh, and I picked her because she carries the ReSound Nexia, and I picked the Nexia because of your recommendation.

[@CoreyTXdad]

This video describes my issue to the T. I just tested both Resound Nexia and Widex SmartRic for a week each. I was so excited to test Nexia since Ive been a fan of Resound for a long time and geek out on the tech they use however, for me it seems like with the SmartRic I was able to understand more words. They are both great aids IMO and at the top of the top.

[@ASBOAIRLINES]

I've been using Widex for 16 years, but my recent experience with their Moment 440s has been disappointing. I have to visit weekly for adjustments because they struggle in quiet classrooms, their Bluetooth is unreliable, and despite reaching out multiple times, they haven't addressed my concerns. This is my third pair from Widex, and despite investing in their most expensive models, I can't enjoy music with the Moment. It's disheartening to pay for such an unsatisfactory experience. 😢 weird how their previous products that were less advanced were more efficient!

[@LastTrump7]

Cost? I have Oticon OPNS2 aids $4,200 and for 4 years they have not helped with speech recognition. These aids that much better?

[@GDitto]

I have clarity loss with severe CAPD, so my ReSound One have been life changing. I’d love the ReSound Nexia, but I’ll wait until the next model come out.

[@davekunkel7832]

This is the best explanation I've heard. Thank you!

[@rezaalli7587]

Can you do a video on this break through procedure called Canalplasty, "it is a surgical procedure that widens the ear canal, the tunnel that connects the outside of the ear to the eardrum. It may be performed to remove some bone from the ear canal to make it wider" -

[@timothyjohnson6258]

Nice presentation. I knew quite a bit of it, but here's the problem; if you go to a hearing care professional to get all of these tests done and the two of you decide on a hearing aid, bring LOTS of money with you because these hearing aids cost about as much as a small sports car. You got that kind of money? I don't.

[@judy-carolbell314]

Your explanation is very good EXCEPT you did not mention dealing with tinnitus!

[@lauramaeda7214]

I have issues with clarity. I hear people’s voices but have difficulty understanding them. Background noise turns conversations into a cacophony of sound. Wearing properly fitted hearing aids has helped by allowing me to adjust the focus on the speech i want to hear . ..

[@LastTrump7]

How are your aids adjusted so hear only the speech you want?

[@minsterhill]

This video was very informative. As the husband of a wonderful woman who has undergone three unsuccessful surgeries by supposedly reputable surgeons, I'm deeply concerned. Despite being told that her torn eardrum has healed, she still has no hearing in her right ear. We're unsure of what to do next, as her experience with a hearing aid after the first surgery was terrible - all she could hear were echoes of sounds. I wish I knew what to do to help her at this point

[@JeffErdmann]

My Jabra Enhance Pro 20 available at Costco is essentially the same as the Resound Nexia 9 for $1600 which is $3000 less!

[@davidhorne2326]

Rarely use my Widex, due to clarity issues. Driving with them drives me crazy, all I can hear is wind (yes the windows are up)noise and tire noise. iPods do me as much good as anything and didn’t cost $5k

[@elderhiker7787]

I have been to see the audiologist and diagnosed with a hearing/clarity loss as you describe, but I haven’t done anything about it yet because I am very nervous about spending all of that money and not getting improvement. The audiologist did not describe the problem as clearly as you did and that causes me to wonder whether all audiologists understand the problems that you describe. So, you can understand my angst. How do you find an audiologist such as yourself who will do the job properly?

[@barnabaspark]

Isn't it incredible how our ears operate so amazingly? 2:00 -2:58

[@Defmusicman1]

Interesting video. I can hear pretty much everything with my hearing aids but when I hear people talking behind me or in another room, or listen to the radio, I can hear them talking but don’t know what they’re saying. With the radio, it’s like listening to a foreign language broadcast.

[@LifeofRuth]

This was so helpful and explains my clarity loss. Is there a difference between Resound Nexia 9 vs 7 for clarity?

[@kaseycornflakes1234]

What we need, as with so many of these type of videos, is testimony from people who purchased the item (Resound Nexia) and found it lived up to the expectations. Over to whoever - please let us hear from you!

[@nuclearhotseat1550]

Too much hype from this guy. It's just an infomercial - which makes me not trust the product, or him.

[@jaumeivars]

In my case I went to an audiologist and I have a flat audiogram, from 125 to 8K. I have tinnitus in my left ear and sometimes can't understand what my friends say, but mostly can understand TV shows where the audio is clearer and better pronounced.

[@stevenmcintosh2347]

It is also important that your Audiologist understands Sensory Processing Disorder. I found out too late that this is what I have and had already spent $$$$ on hearing aids that do help me "hear" but they will never help me understand what people say the first or even second time they say something. There seems to be a lack of general understanding about this and how it affects hearing-3 audiologist so far and none of them knew anything about it and kept saying I meant "hyperacusis" (which I do have) but that is not the same as SPD.

[@Brother-Luke]

Do you suffer with mild high frequency hearing loss in one ear? Do you wear an hearing aid? Or is one good ear compensating enough?

[@LastTrump7]

You not going to answer any questions but I will ask one anyway? When do you know that a hearing aid like the Resound is going to give you that much better speech recognition then Oticon OPNS2 I have now? When and where do you get to where no hearing aid is going to help with word recognition? How bad does that have to be that you have to say..hearing aids and all the “real hearing measurements” are not going to help? NOBODY wants a Cochlear implant operation with all that risk unless there is no other options.

[@SmartHomeImprovementTv]

I wish I understood the most basic description of a BTE with a RIC (receiver in canal) when there is no receiver (microphone) in the ear canal (is there?)?? Is there such a thing as a BTE with a RIC?? Hmmm... Confusing for sure.

[@kybourbonboy]

Back in 2002 after testing the audiologist said I would not benefit from hearing aids because I suffered from a lack of discrimination. Fast forward a number of years and technology has changed that. While hearing aids are now a daily essential to my life, it must be noted that they are not a panacea, unfortunately. The pitch of other people's voices and their various speech mannerisms also have a large role in who I can understand in a conversation.

[@TheOldBailey4135]

I have difficulty understanding words when in a crowd, on the phone, watching TV, listening to people with accent but hear very well when other noise is absent.

[@doug60430]

I score poorly in the word recognition, but with my Phonak Paradise/CROS hearing aids, I can understand speech quite well. For example, I listened to this video and had no problems understanding your words (using a TV Connector). I can listen to (and understand) all sorts of accents. The voice in the word recognition is very low and difficult to understand.

[@GrahamMiller-ds4xz]

I agree with your observation expressed by many non-hearers that people tend not to enunciate their words clearly and tend to mumble. On the other hand, I know that my own hearing range is limited by restrictions of sound perceptions at certain frequency ranges. Also background noise influences my hearing capacity at certain levels. So should I pursue efforts to select hearing aids that may help my perceived hearing deficiencies. Nobody seems to complain about my hearing and I have no problems with hearing people? Advise me?

[@Stephen-zx4uf]

There’s also another more important factor in the equation for many aging folks that report MUMBLING… people mumble when they speak.. It depends a lot on the person speaking, their energy level, and their comfort level with the topic of conversation. 1. It’s more common, with age, that the volume level of the speaker gradually drops towards the end of a sentence, increasing a perception of mumbling or in combination with mumbling. 2. This is also seen in public speaking classes at any age where the speaker is less confident, and a similar phenomenon is seen when discussing uncomfortable subject matter, or when someone suddenly realizes they’re full of spit. 3. People get tired and the rate of mumbling increases. There’s a very high correlation between increased mumbling, increased age, and hearing loss of those around them.. it’s not a causal relationship.. just growing old together. Also, if the problem is happening on the phone, don’t overlook that the speaker might have stepped into a room with lower reception which degrades the call quality.. The hearing problems are real enough on their own without the need to overstate them because people do in fact mumble as a measurable part of speech.

[@echodelta9]

This is the first time I've read about what I assumed was the case with the 3K passive preamp our ear canal does. We evolved to exploit it even with speech. The downside, I was hit with an exploding capacitor from one foot away. That 3K range gets hammered because of that passive "amplification". They used to call it boilermakers disease but Purdue frowned on that.

[@dottiedavis355]

I’ve never heard of “clear speech.” Amazing! I can understand you perfectly, without closed captions.

[@brightonst]

I had mild age related hearing loss. Accident caused more loss in both ears and the fact everything is coming from a deep well. Why?

[@edziu9613]

What is the difference between the Nexia 9 and the Jabra Enhance Pro 20

[@Gray32223]

That's a question I would also like answered.

[@majnuni]

How do you recover hearing loss in specific frequencies without technical aids?

[@seikibrian8641]

Although some of the lack of understandability of speech in modern films and TV may be attributed to hearing loss, the fact is that much of it comes from poor diction by modern actors, and from sound engineers making background sounds, music, etc. too loud in relation to the dialog. The proof of this is that unintelligibility is less of a problem when watching re-releases of old films than when watching new releases.

[@walterscott6954]

Thank you so much for this video. It was extremely informative and useful. I learned a lot.

[@kenprieboy2797]

Hi Dr. Cliff.... I have Tinnitus in which my "ring" is around the 6,500 hz frequency range. Which means that sounds in that frequency range are masked because of my Tinnitus. Will a hearing aid such as this help my situation at all? Thanks, Ken

[@RP-ug6xx]

a co-worker of mine reports that when scrolling through images on different applications, that some images cause a static noise through his hearing aid. What is this? I cant find any results.

[@4Lights.5Liights]

TV listening; turn off the surround sound for clarity. Buy the premium TVs that have audio selection like 'clear sound' program.

[@akf8783]

Thanks for this video. Realize those with age related HL is the biggest population, however how about effectiveness for mentioned other types of HL and curves; and expected improvement in clarity?

[@richarddunker5114]

I've been wearing Oticon Real 1 miniRite R hearing aids for high frequency loss and tinnitus. Having worn these aids for slightly over one year, I am less than thrilled with their performance. Audiologist suggested this model because of my tinnitus. When watching TV I regularly ask, "What did he say?" The TV seems loud enough, but the clarity is lacking. Does the Resound Nexia model offer a masker?

[@terriannolson8923]

Wow ... over 4K people have already watched 👀 this Vlog! I was later than usual tuning in because I was getting a delicious beef stew in the crockpot for your dad. 😋

[@ferrarilucasdobreplays4557]

Hi Dr Cliff, is there a hearingup provider here in the UK. Thanks

[@thomasmetz3]

I’ve been diagnosed with nerve deafness in one ear. I’ve been told that hearing aids won’t help, and I’m just screwed.

[@LastTrump7]

Cochlear implants?

[@meric12131415]

​@@LastTrump7obviously

[@LastTrump7]

@@meric12131415 I knew that as someone only a step away from that. Not sure he knew of that option.

[@neillewis6910]

I am the ashamed owner of a set of ReSound hearing aids. It was the worst I have been ripped off in my life.

[@bethturek1]

Can you do a video about Nations Hearing

[@nutsandbolts432]

My wife and I frequent a local restaurant full of hard surfaces and lots of tv’s playing. I often tell her that I can understand a word she is saying when she’s sitting right next to me. Ironically, I love to play “name that tune” with her. Whereas I can’t understand a word she says, I can clearly and easily pick out any song they play as if I were wearing headphones (whereas she never can hear the music), no matter how noisy the restaurant gets. Explain that one. 🤔

[@thecoolkidnextdoor7]

As usual 99% advertising 1% informative

[@donaldbingham8990]

I can definitely hear you but I can barely understand what you are saying. It sounds like your voice has a loud buzzing that masks your words. When I watch movies the background sounds and music wash out the speech and for most movies they might as well be silent movies.

[@dgangel7]

I have profound loss. I am struggling with the Tone of the aids. I am right now fitted for Resound One. This is so hard to "hear" if the tone is unnatural to me.

[@davidoliver3136]

I was tested recently and have mild to moderate hearing loss. The audiologist recommended the phonak lumina line of ha, ranging from around $3,000 to $7200. I’ve never worn ha’s so I’m just wondering if there’s a big difference in different brands of ha’s. Just kinda wondering zinc I don’t have any experience with ha’s. Thanks for your informative videos

[@Hippie-Nomads]

Consonants (non-vowels) are essential to speech; most are in a higher frequency range that many people have a loss in. You can hear the vowels clearer because they are at a lower frequency but without the other 21 letters you are screwed. Suck it up, get out of denial, and get your hearing tested. I did!

[@DrCliffAuD]

@@Hippie-Nomads yep! What he 👆 said.

[@Juno_Beach]

Soundbright Hearing Aids ? Any Reviews

[@bobjimenez4464]

understanding the words in a song are very hard for some....so I listen to Mr. Muddy Waters

[@sharronbradshaw9061]

Thank you so much for this information 😊

[@romanlanda6501]

I have exactly same problem. With profound hearing loss I just got new OTICON exceed BTE and I cant figure out why there is no clarity and having hard time to understand spoken language. Is there any way improve clarity with Oticon or should i try different brand?

[@vettenut6299]

Dr Cliff, I cannot find a hearing aid that is compatible with my Moto 5 G 2023, that allows streaming of phone calls and music? Any suggestions, cannot afford iPhone plus hearing aids.

[@Unknown-ti3um]

I'm just curious: Is hearing person tinnitus different from a deaf person tinnitus?, deaf all my life, and I have tinnitus all my life. Is there a cure for tinnitus

[@RenoDavenport]

So disappointed that you have sold out. First one of your KZbin videos that was an ad for a brand of hearing aid. I am sure that several brands of current hearing aids do cover everything that the resound does.

[@johnschuster1770]

Would this help with Auditory Processing Disorder?

[@soulbarn]

Here’s the problem…if he’s getting sponsorship dollars from Resound, can I trust his advice to avoid Costco? One single sponsored video can have a ripple effect through the rest of a provider’s content. And it isn’t that Dr. Cliff is biased. The impression of subjectivity is enough for me - and probably others - to rank the reliability of his advice lower than channels that don’t accept sponsorship. I don’t begrudge Dr. Cliff his business model - he’s entitled to take on sponsors, and he is clearly knowledgable. But there’s a price to having a price, and that’s in trustworthiness. It isn’t that he’s not trustworthy, necessarily. It’s that he now has to overcome a much (to me) higher bar to maintain his credibility. Whether he does or not is up to each individual viewer.

[@paulalibone3476]

How does the resound nexia compare to the intent 1? are they comparable

[@fredparsons5134]

I beg to disagree some on TV movie dialogue, they are mixed differently nowadays and different mic setups. Just watch some old vintage tv shows and they are so much better to hear.

Absolutely! I can watch them without needing the closed captioning, but I need it for current shows.

[@bougsyboy1001]

Agreed

[@fredparsons5134]

Yep.

[@DubeyjiRailway]

Finally, it is sure for ANSD 😊

[@1eingram]

Even with my professionally prescribed hearing aids, I still can't understand what some people are saying

[@diceshark8232]

i have been using resound top of the line hearing aids for two years. i still cannot hear people during important meetings at work. i complained to resound directly with no solution. my hear aid provider tried twice to adjust them but still with poor results. to me, the high investment in high end hearing aids was not worth it and resound washed their hands to help

[@nicolen5849]

See if you're hearing aid manufacturer Has a wireless microphone. I have 2 hearing aids and low speech recognition in one ear. I place it on the table and it allows me to hear conversation from the further ends. I'm able to participate and understand better. It's discreet and your job may even pay for it as a workplace accommodation.Did I mention I'm also the note taker at some of these meetings? 😂

[@MichaelFergusonVideos]

No one explained the clarity component of hearing for me. I wondered why I could hear voices but did not understand what was being said. Scary, frustrating. embarassing and could be irritating to those you ask to repeat what they said although most folks have been kind, patient and understanding and at least tolerant.

[@the_eraser5]

Sorry if it was answered in the video. Are there ways to increase your speech comprehension score? For example, reading a book out loud.

[@sogley]

This is a marketing video. Most people have worked out that losing the higher frequencies reduces the clarity of speech. I thought Dr Cliff was going to talk about room reflections, background chatter, the audio path to the brain and how we analyse speech in the brain according what we are expecting. Very disappointing.

[@TomBTerrific]

I just got hearing aids from the VA. In my view they suck. I can hear more but I hear more of everything. Often some sounds are much more amplified than typical conversation sounds. These aids shouldn’t cost nearly as much as they do. You can graph and talk about all the technical details you want! When push comes to shove it’s not what a doctor says it what the user experiences!

[@bobb9922]

short - you (must)have to wear them every day for 2-3 weeks to retrain your brain, then get them tuned to you again, had mine tuned 3x over a year, much better but not as good as originals, good luck.

[@bobb9922]

and last time my guy talked about a tv helper like this guy, didn't get it yet.

[@lenniew1718]

I agree 100%

[@Got2no]

I have had four pair of hearing aids, all tuned by an audiologist and my hearing is always worse when I wear them. I’m thinking of just getting a pair of amplifiers.

[@DrCliffAuD]

@@Got2no did you go to a HearingUp provider?

[@bertbennett2719]

And some people do mumble or don’t project their voice beyond their nose or speak much too rapidly.

[@coptertim]

I've been told my high frequency hearing loss, similar to my wife's voice, is God's gift to men married over 45 years. You want me to correct it?

[@DebzZi]

What happens when the auditory nerve has been damaged? Even with the hearing aid, clarity is still poor!!! Everything is too loud & hollow, but still remains mostly noise!

[@GrahamMiller-ds4xz]

I’m 85 & highly active. I hear conversations well. BUT younger people tend to speak too fast to compete instead of listening. Try to give a break you might learn!!!

[@jjwatcher]

I am learning Spanish, but I have difficulty understanding what they are saying because they speak too fast.

[@davidsoper3851]

You are wrong about the way audio is recorded today vs. previously. It is no secrete that the overuse of dramatic surround sound and poor sound engineering for the dialogue is making it near impossible (or literally so) to understand speech in some productions even by those with perfect hearing. Yes, younger ears can cut through the noise and decipher speech better with surround sound stuff going on in general. But there HAS been a change. One director (can't remember his name) is famous for this and of the opinion it's not necessary to understand the speech, that sometimes it's just for effect. The features you described providing missing frequencies won't fix this. A lot of millennials have taken to leaving subtitles on habitually, though not just because of this issue. Also, I've come to learn there's another issue where ears can start introducing distortion. Earing aids can't fix that. This is not to say the features you describe are not a godsend.

[@jamminjoy]

This! I watch a lot of old movies on TCM; and clarity is pristine in those movies from the 30s, 40s, 50s. Sound in contemporary movies and TV is definitely problematic.

[@davidsoper3851]

@@jamminjoy I don't mean to be contentious but the sound on old movies, 30s, 40s is not great, not nearly so clear as later decades.

[@AustinL911]

Christopher Nolan is notorious for this and also unapologetic about it. It's an art thing for him, but it simply turns me off from his movie. Obviously, he can do what he wants, but I'm there for a story, not an abstract art exhibit.

[@davidsoper3851]

@@AustinL911 Yes, thanks that's him and I agree.

[@jamminjoy]

@@davidsoper3851 I should have said the "dialogue" from that earlier era is clear and understandable. Agree that the overall sound was not necessarily great. Sound from that earlier era began to change at some point. Not sure exactly when, but dialogue started getting lost in the mix. I find it miserable to try and decipher now.

[@campbellmorrison8540]

I have to admit your reiteration of comments made by people like me such as the sound quality of the TV etc is worse than it used to be is exactly what I would say. I still feel much of our communication devices are very poor quality audio but I accept, thanks to your excellent explanation that its not the whole story so perhaps it is time for a hearing test Doh!

[@stafvh5783]

The problem with earing aids is a simple one…they are way too expensive,and so prohibitive for most people. Make them affordable and many hearing problems will be solved.

[@DrCliffAuD]

Countries that have "Free" heaing aids only have 5-10% higher adoption rates that the United States. If cost is the prohibitive factor, then why don't these other countries have much higher adoption rates?

[@PabloP169]

Interesting presentation, but it became just an advertisement, too soon.

[@northpole8634]

Thanks!

[@orsoncart9441]

The way sound in films is modified today IS a lot different from the way it was years ago, clarity was the emphasis years ago. There is a peception by film makers now to lower the tone of speach to dramatise all the crap they produce, along with tabacco filters making everything look brown!

[@darylcheshire1618]

I wonder if my partial hearing loss is due to a reduction of the brain’s ability to process what is delivered to it. Sometimes I don’t “listen”.

[@mrgruffy4499]

Now, what did he say? Listening to loud rock music in the 1980's. I just turned 80. Anyway, I'm NOT buying hearing aids.

[@mike9119]

What do graphs look like after a person went thru Chemo. what sounds are killed off because of this?

[@DrCliffAuD]

Same as Age related hearing loss.

[@philmanley489]

“places a MICROPHONE inside your ear canal” !!! I think he means a speaker or transducer, NOT a microphone.

[@bobwimmers5266]

After you receive your hearing aids why don’t they have you take another test to see if you are any better at understanding . I am on my 3rd pair , and I still can’t understand what my wife says, she says the only thing left to do is divorce. Really why don’t they give another test to see if it helped paying 4G’s!