Posted on 06/17/2011 12:26:24 PM PDT by Red Badger
Audiotoniq CEO and founder Russell Apfel, above left, and Vice President Harold Mindlin are unveiling today a new hearing aid — Mindlin holds a picture at right — that will let users adjust settings using smartphone applications rather than seeing specialists, Apfel says. Audiotoniq plans to sell the hearing aids online and will provide software that trains people how to listen better.
Tinnitus Ring List!..................
I’ve been thinking that investing in hearing aid companies would be a good bet. When all the idiots with those big speakers in their cars playing rap music and it’s vibrating the windows of houses as the car goes down the street, there is no way that much energy pounding on their eardrums is not doing some damage.
Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, etc..........earphones....................
It’s about time. I’ve thought for a long time that the hearing impaired were being ripped off by outrageous prices for hearing aids, especially when you compare with other computer and electronic items. I expect the lobbyists for audiologists will try to outlaw these.
WHATT!!!???....bump for later
Another Texas company.
Watch Rick Perry try to take credit.
not to pick nits, but which hearing aid is NOT “chip-based”?
Might be nice to try. In my case I won’t get a hearing aid unless I can pay for it *after* I’ve used it, I’m not pouring money down that rat hole.
My problem is that audiologists have told me (and experience bears this out) that amplifying sound won’t do me any good. I can’t discriminate sounds well. IOW, if I can’t understand what someone is saying in a situation, making it louder will not make it any clearer, just louder.
If I am in a crowded restaurant with a group I pretty much smile and nod. Which probably pleases my wife, anyway.
Oh my gosh! That would be wonderful!! My husband has digital hearing aids. His hearing has changed since he got them, but he refuses to go in to have them recalibrated (if that’s the correct term). It would be great if he could adjust them himself.
I've never figured out the huge price for hearing aids. Microphone, amplifier, batter, speaker and a little smarts to kill the feedback. Although it is in a small case, the individual parts are probably only a few bucks. Add a 10,000% mark up and you're still well under the current price.
Please add me to your list. Thank you.
Guessing here, but I think by "chip-based" they mean digital. My wife is hearing-impaired, and currently uses an analog hearing aid. Her deaf friends say digital hearing aids are far superior, and when we've got the funds we'll switch.
Bookmark this.
Done!..........You can hear me now!................
Please put me on your ping list
I wear hearing aids. Mine are from 1993. I’ve had them refurbished several times, to avoid paying through the nose for new ones, which would cost around $2-3000 a piece.
Thank you. Sort of. My hearing aids are less than one year old. I’m not sure if I like them any better than the previous ones.
That is just what the digital aids are for. They split the sound "spectrum" into 12 or so separate bands, and amplify them by differing amounts to correct for your specific type of loss, be it high frequency, low frequency or "notch" loss. The old analog type aids had VERY limited capability along these lines. I've worn HA for about 25 years, and made the switch from analog to digital about eight years ago.
Huge difference!!!
Yeah, right. I worked with audiologists (one under the umbrella of an ENT clinic) for all my hearing aids. Coaching....training......zero. The only "customized" things that they did for me was measure the audiogram and cast the ear-molds.
When I switched to digital, the audiologist "did" program them according to the audiogram, but I had so little background information on what the aid could do that I really didn't understand all the possible options, and she wasn't very forthcoming with information to help.
In this day it is ridiculous for hearing aids to cost upwards of $3000 each ($6000 for a pair). And it is ludicrous to have to hook them up by a cable to a PC to have them programmed. Programming should be do-able over a bluetooth link, and the user should be able to do adjustments for themselves. And the available information from the manufacturers SUX.
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