Should a hearing aid produce tinniness?

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JSM

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I went to a local audiologist and tried a high-end Starkey BICROS hearing aid. The sound was very tinny, with very poor sound quality. The audiologist said that's because I'm now hearing frequencies that I haven't heard for a long time, and it'll sound that way until I've used the hearing aids constantly for about 6 months.

That doesn't make too much sense to me, since without a hearing aid I can hear those frequencies (just not as loudly as I'd like) and what I do hear (without a hearing aid) doesn't sound tinny. I don't see why my brain would have trouble processing increased volume.

Having had an audiogram, I asked if we could then test my hearing while wearing my hearing aids. The audiologist said it doesn't work that way, and cannot be done. I would have liked to have seen the audiogram reflecting my improved hearing, and don't see why there would be a problem with this.

Should hearing aid amplification sound tinny at first, and is the audiologist correct on these points?

I'm considering instead getting an OTC hearing aid from Jabra or Sony.

Thanks for your help.
 
Yes, the explanation from the audiologist is correct. You are starting to hear sounds that you were not used to before and those may sound unnatural. It's like walking from a dark room to a brightly lit room. It's not like a pair of new glasses.

Some people get used to it in a week, others in a month or longer. It is also possible that the programming needs adjusting. You may ask your Aud to use the transition period feature in the programming software.

Use your trial period (or free return period). If you don't like them at the end of that period, return them and try another model (or get another audiologist).

You may try an OTC if your hearing loss is mild to moderate.
 
Okay, thanks. So apparently that's the way it is, though it doesn't seem to match my experience. My brain is used to hearing those frequencies, though at a diminished volume. When I turn up the volume on my room's amplifier, it sounds great, not tinny. I'm not following why it would be any different when the amplifier is in my ear rather than on my table. I wouldn't have guessed that such a tiny speaker as a hearing aid has could produce good quality sound. I wonder if anyone has ever recorded the audio output of a hearing aid and analyzed it with software.

With some OTC hearing aids, I can adjust the amplification of each frequency myself. I could gradually increase the amplification of my diminished frequencies, without going to my audiologist all the time. Also I could put my mind at rest by amplifying only the frequencies that I already hear well, and hear it sound great, telling me that I just need to get used to the hearing aid. Maybe later I could get a "real" hearing aid.

I would appreciate any perspectives on how to proceed.
 
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