Why Are Hearing Aids so UGLY!?!

[@denkn]

My dad sold hearing aids by appointment, hearing test and all. Qualitone had the behind ear model and the old putty in the ear, mold made and then a call back to clients house to fit. Eyes really lit up sometimes when the client first got fitted. I was 12 and was the recorder of the hearing test. There was one model option that was incorporated into the temple of glasses with the tube coming down in front of the ear. This was after the pocket hearing aid was retired. lol

[@meric12131415]

Your dad sold hearing aids?

[@kendal36]

i was 2 when i got hearing aids, and i NEVER liked them until i was 31. i have worn them every day since i got them n October of 2022

[@meric12131415]

Ah I love the new colour scheme with the autosense os 5.0 pop up in the video red was a good choice and the os glowing white also a brilliant choice

[@caramelexspressofan]

This could be titled 'Why are hearing aids so ugly, because hearing aid manufacturers are large monopolistic organisations that are not yet really beholden to their consumers'. I tell you what would change the design. If apple came out with an airpod that was powerful enough to cater to people with severe hearing loss, bam overnight the largest manufacturers would change their design. The slim looks like another lets do the bare minimum to me.

[@kaylasmusic]

No there should be a video of why the sound of them is ugly lol 😂

[@terriannolson8923]

Ooo .. I like that Phonak Slim hearing aid. I'm happy with my current Phonak Paradise Audeo 90R with Double Tap Control. Hmmm ... sounds like the Phonak Slim includes that feature. 😊

[@lauramaeda7214]

Great video. I tend to waffle on the stigma issue. While I feel the request for repeated repeats is more obvious of a hearing issue than the visible use of a hearing aid, I sometimes feel the internal stigma to not self identify myself as a hearing aid wearer. I am very quick to identify to speakers with foreign accents as i know that there is no way i can bluff my way through a conversation. Being an introvert probably doesn’t help. I have different levels of acceptance based on the amount of internal stigma I am feeling in a situation. Some days, I would just like to wear a large sign o indicate i do not hear well. I believe treating a hearing loss is the best option for me however, I cannot always say I am comfortable and accepting of it.

[@meric12131415]

A large o sign eh?

[@terriannolson8923]

I LOVE my hearing aids, Cliff. 😊 And they are very comfortable to wear. It was a problem when we were wearing masks 😷 and putting them on and off. But now we rarely if ever need to wear masks. 🙂

[@boomerrangerron]

Good video Cliff! I'm so happy and satisfied with my Phonak Paradise 50's, but only wish the darn charing station box wasn't so finicky! Sometimes it kicks off and I have to start all over again! FYI, I've been wearing hearing aides since my mid 40's, and I'm on my third set of RIC devices, and Boothtooth connectivity is a GodSend!

[@meric12131415]

Oh man absolutely

[@missalwayswrite]

I’ve been hoping that since Millennials have had stuff on/around our ears our entire lives, we’ll not have the same stigma issues about the visibility of hearing aids. We’ve been looking at each other with ear buds in for years-so much so that it’s trendy to have certain ones sticking out of your ears!

[@meric12131415]

Yup that's why most manufacturers are going the earbud look route

[@McClowd123]

is there smaller BTE with thin/smaller tube? kinda like the RIC, I've been having ear fluid and it causing damage my RIC constantly. I don't want to paid to get it fix every time.

[@bigboss2171]

can you talk about spi-1005 .. i heard that this drug is now beginning on it's latest clinical trial phase . it's about meniere's disease but what if non meniere's patient take it just to treat his sensorineural hearing loss element ? and when it will be available for mass marketing ?

[@alina1548]

Can you make a review for the Advanced Bionics Naída CI M90 and the Sky CI M Soundprocessor?

[@sfrink1425]

You should actually bring up a photo of the original, first generation Phonak Audeo. They designed it to NOT look like a hearing aid. It was pretty sleek and cool looking. Similarly, the Starkey ZON hearing aids was pretty cool, too.

[@eddieashley1553]

Why don’t hearing aids have noise canceling?

[@aztravelguy]

A sponsored video of course can't mention the alternatives to Phonak (cough Styletto cough)... but also the other possibilities like devices that are plugs for those with gauged ears, or earrings, or devices built into glasses. Consumer choice in styles would sell more hearing aids to people who want more options. Though personally, I could not care less about how they look. I've switched to my first RIC from many years with traditional BTEs. I was disappointed how small the RIC is - I get it, style over substance, it is discreet. However, if my RIC were the same size as my BTE, that extra space could have been more battery capacity. I care about function over form.

[@matthewhubbard2702]

Starkey's ric hearing aids have ridiculous battery life, and aren't bigger than average

[@aztravelguy]

@@matthewhubbard2702 True, and I'm envious. Curious how they did it, what the mAH specs are between manufacturers. It can't all come down to Bluetooth LE. I've been a Phonak guy for so long, but more importantly for me than the Phonak sound I'm accustomed to is Bluetooth Classic. I mostly use a Roger ON with my laptops but sometimes I use Bluetooth in a pinch for. For phones, no way am I switching to the Apple ecosystem, the Android ASHA protocol sucks horribly, and even if it didn't there's no two-way audio with it.

[@senadheerahemalathabulaths696]

ugly is not so important . We need moden technic and the clearance of voice

[@Shri_V]

What is the maximum actual battery life in numbers? All day means different things to different people. I thought the Paradise range had 24 hours battery but its only 16 hours.

[@JeffBrown1966]

I don’t use rechargeable and I use the resound omnia I purposely went with the replaceable battery. I stream a lot and can go about 4 to 5 days before I have to change it.

[@meric12131415]

It varies from person to person it's subjective really

[@Shri_V]

@@meric12131415 which is why I said maximum as in the max stated life.

[@meric12131415]

@@Shri_V I think I'll echo that other dudes comment if you're looking for battery life over multiple days disposable is the way to go I mean that in itself is subjective but basically with rechargeables it depends on how much you stream it actually cuts down on your battery by half but starkeys genesis ai line give you 51 hours on a full charge that's the ric model mind you not sure about the in ear models though

[@Shri_V]

@@meric12131415 I would have been happy with 24 hours. I believe that is what it was on the earlier Marvel generation and generally companies don't reduce it in newer iterations. So it was disappointing to see only 16 hours on the paradise. And they don't even mention this anywhere.

[@lisamay3609]

Why can't somebody tell the Veterans Affairs that there are much better and more technologically advanced hearing aids that should be made available for veterans that could help them hear better? For over 10 years, they provided hearing aids for me that don't filter out background noises so I can hear conversations without turning the volume fully up. Doing so only makes everything in the environment louder, making everything sound more chaotic. That is very frustrating!

[@bry120]

Everyone uses earbuds, so the stigma against hearing aid is less

[@Landis_Grant]

Apple AirPods are white so if your hearing aids are also white, people think you’re wearing AirPods.

[@bacuba64]

Dear Cliff, fine words, but the reality is sadly different. If you suffer from hearing loss you are excluded from many working sectors because you are considered disabled. All because companies care a lot about aesthetics and very little about substance. My son studied for years to become a deck officer in the merchant marine and yet with an average sensorineural hearing loss they deny him access, this is because the laws are still 80 years ago. So who hates you is not the people, but the system. In this regard I would like to point out that I don't think there are any hearing aids that can get wet in fresh or salt water and then start working again. And this says a lot about how little interest companies have in researching new technologies in this area. Today those who have a vision problem solve it with surgery in 90% of cases, while for hearing we stop at "glasses". In addition to this, most of the audio prosthetists I've visited over the years are nothing more than dealers and nothing else.

[@meric12131415]

I'm not surprised the navy still lives by that rule most of the army still does I guess they want candidates to be in tip top shape hearing and all

[@dougerrohmer]

I'm 59 years old and don't wear a hearing aid yet. I started wearing specs when I was 12. I honestly cannot see why their would be a stigma? It's the same as specs! I know some old folks are combative about it, but I'm sure they are the type that are combative about everything else.

[@Landis_Grant]

there would not their would

[@sp33dking34]

Yeah I'm choosing to not get hearing aids because of my hyperacusis and I'm only 17. I feel ashamed because it's my fault for listening to loud music so yeah.

[@Peter-wv5pl]

They still look like hearing aids. Why not make them look like something else? There is all kinds of things people wear on their ears. Earrings, ear buds, ear phones, glasses, etc. Also, why not make bluetooth microphones housed inside a watch, ring, necklace, etc.

[@bhsyv]

Damn i am jealous I wish I want a pair like that

[@kaylasmusic]

I just like idgaf about the appearance of the hearing aid! I just want whatever helps me hear the best and has the best sound quality, which is the RIC type. Those have the most natural sound quality being that they do not occlude the ear like the molds do, and are the most technologically advanced as well

[@299300projects]

I said it before and I'll say it again. I expect hearing buds to become a fashion statement soon. By the way I'll be 90 later this year.

[@meric12131415]

Hey that's great good on ya😁

[@donbeaton5184]

I want to have a happy life until I found out I had tendinitis, and everybody else give up on me

[@sp33dking34]

I know it sucks man. I have it too