I lost hearing in my one ear due to illness (moderate loss), and got mild loss in other due to age/work.
Being fitted in January for a NHS digital hearing aid, and if I get on with it, I was thinking of getting one of the less visible in ear ones, ITC type.

Anybody got any experience of them, and recommendations??

I wear hearing aids as I’m hard of hearing, worn them since I was about 16. From my experience, the small, in-the-ear ones are less powerful but also a pain because you can lose them really easily.

I wouldn’t worry about them being too visible – the tech has improved massively over the year to the point where they can now make even over-the-ear ones really, really thin.

Be prepared for the first month or so to be weird, if you’ve never worn them. Your own voice sounds a bit detached and it’s odd at first to hear certain sounds amplified. You get used to it though – good luck!

What did you say?

^^ joking – I have hearing impairment. A hearing aid is in my future.

Can not offer advice, however I know my Dad has one. He paid > £1,000 and he is forever having to take it back for repairs, or the battery etc

All I am inferring is that I reckon there are probably a few cowboys out there selling these things.

I was thinking of getting one of the less visible in ear ones, ITC type.

It will depend on how bad your hearing is. Some of the in-ear ones aren’t powerful enough.

I’ve got a Siemens over-ear one. They do take some getting used to, but I hate being without mine now.

Even with a hearing aid I can hear sod-all in a busy pub type of environment.

He paid > £1,000 and he is forever having to take it back for repairs, or the battery etc

This is why I stick with NHS ones (via Specavers), I can’t see why you’d pod out thousands for something you can get for free.

jamj1974 – Member 
^^ joking – I have hearing impairment. A hearing aid is in my future.

Always find the TV advert about hearing aids asking if you have problems hearing funny. The response is “pardon?” 😀

And yeah, likewise probably on the list for me. The old man has them now, and I’m starting to wonder if either my AV system or speakers are faulty or I’m losing hearing a little. The number I turn it up to now seems to increase by 1 each year (sadly not to 11, different scale. This is about 40 of whatever this brand measures in).

Thanks all. Was shown a digital hearing aid at consultation, was surprised how small it was.

They are pretty good. I was shown some after my most recent test. I’m holding off at the moment – despite having particular difficulty filtering voices when in conversation in loud spaces. Stupid really, but I’m feeling a right crock as it is already.

Hope it works out well OP!

Have a look at RIC (receiver in canal) they sit behind the ear, and have a really thin wire going in the ear where the speaker sits. The tech in these is better as they are not tiny, they look better, are less likely to fail due to moisture etc.
The very top end ones, (released this week)have induction charging so no batteries. Specsavers do these for £2900 a pair.
The NHS ones are very good now, but don’t have all the fancy tech of the mid to top private hearing aids. They are better than the cheap end of private ones though.

Mrs r bought some Phonac custom fitted in the ear digital ones over 10 yrs ago as a result of too many music gigs, amongst other things….. They have been excellent, reliable and worked well. She still has them, the company still supports the tech in them too.

They are adjustable, can filter the noise and have been able to adapt as her hearing changes. I appreciate that others may be able to do this too but she has been vey happy.

Yes they did cost a fair bit but broken down over the years, it’s worked out a good investment.

The RIC look tiny – but being bald, they would stand out just as much as standard ones I guess. Luckily I am at an age where I care less and less about appearance & what others think, so they too may be an option.

The tech seems great too; claims of hearing better than ‘normal’, Bluetooth phone/tv direct to hearing aid etc … I’d be tempted even if I didn’t have a hearing impairment!

It depends on your hearing loss …
I have lost most of my upper frequencies … never knew I had hearing loss … but hearing aids make a huge difference…
But tried in ear ones from Specsavers. They were awful … everyone sounded like a Dalek. If you block the ear canal then everything you hear goes through an amplifier.

I now have basic NHS on ear ones. TBH most people don’t notice the little tubes going into the ear canal. And then I have “open baskets” – which mean I get to hear all the frequencies I can hear normal – and the high stuff is sorted by the aid. So to me it sounds nearly “natural”

The only issue is, after having one fail after 3 months, I got replacement last Wednesday – had it tuned to my needs.
Went to see the might B&HA thrash Leeds – and had lost the said hearing aid … so I now have to pay for the replacement

If you have severe hearing loss then other options may work better for you.

a result of too many music gigs

That’s me too.

I use Starkey SoundLense CICs, which are all but invisible, but about £3k all up… I’ve lost around 50% of higher frequency hearing and about 20% of the lower registers (hereditary nerve deafness), but CIC aids are powerful enough for me.

CICs last between 5-7 years before the hostile environment in which they reside kills the electronics! I budget about £100 per year for repairs post warranty; there are a couple of good independents who are manufacturer agnostic.

If you’ve overly waxy ears, I’d avioid CICs.

Got one fitted today … Wow, everything is so noisey!

I got it turned down to lowest setting; and finding myself whispering because everything is so noisey.
Went out the garden and stood there amazed at how loud the birds are.

Another thing too; what the NHS provide. Was expecting a very basic model – but it seems pretty high tech; wireless model with modes for pairing it with devices such as mobile phone, TV etc, drowning out noise from behind you … I think I`da wanted one if I wasnt already deaf!