Thread: My first hearing aids.

After working in the printing industry for 30 years I have a touch of industrial deafness too. The worst machine to operate was the paper folding machine. We had one of ours tested and were told that operating it was on par with standing near a 747 on take off. I never wore ear muffs. My tinnitus started a few years ago after I was caught in an office trying to shut of an alarm system. Like Derek I've learned ways to live with it. On an other note, I have trouble with my TV in that I find myself forever turning up the volume to hear the voices then having to quickly turn it down when the music/action starts. On my old TV's I could access a control panel and up the treble and turn down the bass. The new TV's don't do that now. I went out and looked at Sound Bars but they don't have that functionality either.

TT

Originally Posted by AlexS

you might consider buying earmuffs used by shooters, rather than those sold by hardware stores. Earlier this year, I was taken to a shooting gallery in the USA. I was so impressed by the earmuffs I was issued there, that I bought a pair there & then. They are so much better than those sold by hardware stores. I assume the same quality is available here.

Sorry Alex, but here's a bucket of cold water for you. Now I forget the actual specifics, and BobL can supply them, but these muffs are designed for a loud single impact and not for loud continuous noise (I know - "what's the diff?" but apparently there is). As such you may be inadvertently damaging your ears.

The best muffs going are the Peltor H10 (Class 5) which can be supplemented with in-canal buds for super-noise. They are available in conventional, behind the neck, and off the hard hat styles.

Originally Posted by Twisted Tenon

I have trouble with my TV in that I find myself forever turning up the volume to hear the voices then having to quickly turn it down when the music/action starts.

This can sometimes be due to lousy mixing when the DVD is produced. From time to time we see a DVD that is very difficult to hear the speech clearly on - most recent example was "Collateral" with Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. In fact it is probably the worst example so far. Had the centre (Speech) channel right up but still impossible to understand some low volume speech. Just mud, but most are quite clear.

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Sorry Alex, but here's a bucket of cold water for you. Now I forget the actual specifics, and BobL can supply them, but these muffs are designed for a loud single impact and not for loud continuous noise (I know - "what's the diff?" but apparently there is). As such you may be inadvertently damaging your ears.

Shooters muff's have noise reduction ratings (NRR - a general algorithm covering most industrial frequencies) anywhere from around 22dB (small arms) through to 34dB (about the maximum possible without going to a deep sea divers helmet). To improve noise specific to shooting frequencies, some use noise cancelling electronics - this may or may not help in a workshop situation.

Here's a recent review of 10 of the supposedly better shooters muffs https://www.shootingandsafety.com/be...-for-shooting/
8 of them use active noise cancelling but the Glock (NRR 26dB) and the ClearArmor (NRR 34dB) use no batteries.
With a NRR of 34dB I reckon the ClearArmour could make a useful WW muff.

The best muffs going are the Peltor H5 which can be supplemented with in-canal buds for super-noise. They are available in conventional, behind the neck, and off the hard hat styles.

I always though it was the H10's? which have up to 34dB NRR.

The 34db NRR of the Peltor H10's are achieved by a combination of acoustic absorption and higher pressure to the side of the head so although they are effective at noise reduction they are not the most comfortable muff. A power tool that generates say 90dB at the operators ear only needs a ~25 dB NRR muff to get that down to under 80dB and the provide sufficient hearing protection.

Originally Posted by BobL

I always though it was the H10's? which have up to 34dB NRR.

Yes, quite right Bob - shouldn't work off memory. They are H10 which are Class 5 Muffs.

Have edited my post.

Interesting thread. I get tested by work every two years. Not wishing to hi-jack the thread, I’ll Just mention that i’ve just experienced similar between an optometrist in a retail outlet and an opthomologist specialist and it was an expensive and wasted set of glasses.

The muffs I use are 3M Peltor Optime 105, which have a 30dB noise reduction. I purchased a second set recently from Amazon (USA) for $39 (AUD) including shipping costs.



Regards from Perth

Derek

Originally Posted by derekcohen

Here is a different perspective.

My tinnitus started up about 6 years ago (or so). It probably was faint in the background for a few years, then jumped up and could not be ignored. It was distressing, to say the least. I am not surprised that there are a high number of suicides as a result of tinnitus.

I went along to an audiologist (uni trained) who worked for a known and reputable organisation. After tests, my hearing loss was notable in the high frequencies (I think it topped out at about 5-6000Hz). Difficulty with background noise and some sounds in speech were my main issues. My consulting room is quiet, so no problem, but restaurants are another matter. After all was said and done, I signed up for in-ear hearing aids for both ears ($6000) and sound therapy treatment for the tinnitus (another $6000).

The sound therapy was a complete waste of money. After a year of listening to the same bloody music on the (rather) expensive music player, nothing had changed at all. The only positive I can say is that it saved my life (I guess that means something) because it gave me hope. But, in the end, it was a total waste of money. I also hated the hearing aids. They were in-ear and not easily seen (vanity .. vanity), but I hated the feel. Did they help with hearing? Yes. Did they help with tinnitus? Possibly ... a little.

I decided that I was a psychologist and should treat myself. Basically, what I planned to do was induce dissociation (detachment) from the emotions associated with tinnitus. Tinnitus is distressing partly because it is intrusive, and partly because we cannot rid ourselves of this (= loss of control). What I did was throw away the sound machine and stop using my hearing aids. I decided to face the "noise" head on, and damn the torpedoes.

About a week after I started this process, I was at Carbatec and talking with a couple of sales staff. They were wearing their new hearing aids and telling me how wonderful they were to block out their tinnitus. I did not have the heart to say that I have thrown mine away - I do not want anyone reading this to take from what I am saying that hearing aids do not work. They do. But I did not want to be captive to them.

So I endured the noise, which ranged from soft to LOUD. I recognised a pattern by now, that is, I could have a few days with it being soft, and then a few days of LOUD. After a couple of months I realised that my emotional reaction to noise had changed. The tinnitus was still there, but mostly I ignored its presence. There were days when it got louder - not as frequent as in the past - and it was hard to ignore, but again the emotional knee-jerk stress reaction was absent. It has been a couple of years now. The tinnitus is still there, but it is times like this that I am a made aware of it, or the roughly monthly few days when it gets loud-ish. It has become an appendage, but does not intrude much. Some days/weeks I forget about it completely.

I read somewhere that roughly 20% of all people acquire tinnitus over time, as hearing frequencies drop off due to age. It is comforting to know that one is not alone in living with this. Let it slide into the background by ignoring it. Don't let it dominate by concentrating your time and effort to diminish it.

Regards from Perth

Derek

At my last hearing check we discussed Tinnitus mainly because the Audioligist's partner had it and she wanted to know how I Ignored it so well because her partner couldn't. She then offered me a book to read on it which I refused and she wanted to know why. My experience is to never read or inquire about Tinnitus and just ignore it. I might be lucky because I have always been able to compartmentalise (is that a word?) my life, leave work and never think about it sort of thing so I think that helps. Mine never varies during the day and as I have gotten older it continues to get louder. I first became aware of it when watching an ABC doco that was discussing it and the then current research, at that time they had found that it went away for a few minutes following an injection of adrenalin IIRC. Why did I get it? I think it was from one session of shooting in the army where I shot something like 400 rounds without ear protection but then the ear protection was so poor it would not have mattered.

Even though they have different NRRs, the Peltor Optime 105 (full name is Peltor OptimeTM 105 - H10A, NRR 30dB*) has the same frequency attention profile as the Peltor 10HA (NRR* 34dB) and are exactly the same muff.

* The reason they have different NRR is their NRRs are calculated differently.

From the 3M website.

*The Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) may overestimate the hearing protection provided during typical use. 3M recommends reducing the NRR by 50% for estimating the amount of noise reduction provided. The 3M™ Peltor™ Optime™ number (105) is a 3M guideline for the maximum time-weighted average A-weighted exposures in which the product, when properly worn and in good condition, can provide adequate protection to meet OSHA hearing conservation guidelines. However, the user must make sure that the specific earmuff and style selected provides appropriate protection. To be effective, the hearing protector should be used within a hearing conservation program that also includes noise level assessments by qualified personnel, training, audiometric testing and engineering controls. 3M™ Optime™ recommendations are based upon testing per Method B of the most recent ANSI standard, S12.6-1997 (R2002). Method B provides data that approximate the upper limits to attenuation that can be expected for groups of occupational users. Properly trained and motivated individuals can potentially obtain greater protection.

The newer 3M NRRs are appropriate for comparing the latest 3M Muffs, but not with comparing with some other manufacturers which may use older methods.

For the sake of simplicity, is it safe to say that "Peltor Optime 105 (full name is Peltor OptimeTM 105 - H10A, NRR 30dB*) or Peltor 10HA (NRR 34dB)" is the best muff to buy? If one were to spend more, is there better?

I have a pair already, but another sits in my cart for the next order.

I use my tools 4 to 6 hours a day. The DC is on and I wear my Peltor Optime 105's every time. At first they were hot and made my wifes screeching hard to hear, but over time one gets used to the heat....

Without wanting to bog this down into a discussion about muffs.......
My Peltors are labelled 3M Optime 5 Class 5 H10B 290 and the label looks like this one but mine say 5 where it says 5+ and H10B where it says H10A. I presume that the 290 refers to 29db reduction (another pic mentioned 29db). I presume that "A" refers to overhead and "B" refers to behind the neck (which allow a brim hat for lawnmowing etc).

Anyway, they're damned good! One aspect that I like is that even while they cut the noise way down, speech etc from 5 metres or more away is still reasonably audible, which explains why woodpixel still gets the screeching (I'm telling).

I'm really humbled at all the replies and feedback this has generated.
When I posted this I was expecting maybe four five comments.
But wow the amount of feedback is amazing
thank you for such great replies.
One for me stands out the most but they we're are all great.

Derek , thanks your story was humbling.

Like others I've learned now to live with my tinnitus.
Some days are good some bad but mostly good.
I will be doing a lot more research towards hearing aids now.

Thanks everyone Matt

Originally Posted by Simplicity

I've had hearing problems since I was about 16.
Yesterday afternoon I finally found an audiologist who I can trust.
When I mean trust,after becoming an adult I was no longer eligible for free hearing tests.
I also moved out of home fairly early on and was more interested in seeing Punk bands and spending what little money I had on stupid car ideas and booze than my health.
I was grunge kid of the 90,s think Nirvana teen sprit.
If you didn't come home drunk and ears ringing it was a bad night.
I then moved my stupid car ideas up a beat
And become a panel beater after four years.
In hindsight I was doing the dumbest possible thing possible to my ears.
Hammers on metal 9/5 with grinders for 15 odd years.
Sticks on drums with heavy base guitars nearly every weekend.
Ear plugs were not a common thing back then and I was to full of myself to care about hearing protection.
Move on to now ,46 and still liking punk music mixed in with a dash of classical.
A smothering of other stuff lol sorry still no country music lol.

I now have tinnitus in both ears most days and its worst in the evenings .
Which is generally the way it goes for most suffers .
Your tired after working if you still working that is.
The days finished your winding down and it's mostly more quite.

So yesterday I was finally given a decent audiologist consultation.

Firstly I always assumed my hearing deafness was industrial noise.
Even tho the family history has had hearing loss
My father was quite deaf died early on ,two of my sisters have hearing aids both under 60.
I just assumed because I had been stupid in my youth I had caused the damage.
I was wrong completely WRONG tho my past life has possibly caused my tinnitus tho that actually can't be confirmed .
Buts it's highly likely.

My deafness is without a doubt pre wired into my DNA thanks mum and dad lol.
Anyway after having over an hour consultation with the audiologist who only works and derives is income from being an audiologist not a bloody hearing aid salesman.
Why do I say that because , I've seen enough that when they refuse to amid that wax build up is not a problem(yes it is)
They give you a five min audio test .
Then expect that you will choose your new hearing aids ,then and there and fork out about the $5000/10,000 on the spot like your buying a coffee.

So after my long winded post and please don't take this as being self pity or anything I actually think I've had a great life so far.
I mean I've gone from punk music to collecting vintage saws(I can't figure that out)
What's not to admire there.

So what was other people's experience going from being deaf to back to the world of living hearing.
Yes with regarding hearing aids ,I'm looking around the 5K mark
(Well that's this years 1/4 toy tool budget gone, I which lol.)
Possibly a Phonek Audeo B-50 ,so would be interested in hearing(pun) your experience if you don't mind sharing them with regard to getting choosing your hearing aids.

Cheers Matt

I have had impaired hearing for most of my adult life my career was not that different to yours I now happily wear my heasring aids all day at work and when I play with any sort of PA they go back in there little box in my bag,yes about 5k .
The technology is pretty awesome and they fo rsske dome getting used to.
The funny thing is when people fo notice them thry seem surprised that I have had them for so long.
Still cant hear swmbo most of the time.
Cheers Steve

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by stevesandy

Still cant hear swmbo most of the time.

Same 'Non-Problem' here.

That is called "selective deafness"