I've worn hearing aids now for eight years. I got them because my frequency loss is in the range of the consonants in human speech and it was becoming difficult to understand people with soft voices or unclear consonants. I can still hear very soft sounds and some pretty high frequencies but I much prefer the added volume of the aids and wear them at all times, even while performing.

My aids are by the German company, ReSound. They sit on the back of my ears with a tiny tube going into my hearing canal. There is a soft umbrella-shaped piece on the end of each tube that centers the audio tube and is acoustically transparent so that ambient sound enters as well. The aids each have two mics, one front-pointing and one rear-pointing. That enables me to know the direction that sound is coming from. In tests, I can place sound quite accurately.

the ReSound aids I use are sold in the US state of Iowa under the brand name "Concept of Iowa." I don't know whether they are different than the standard ReSound aids in 2007 or simply re-branded. They use rechargeable batteries and came with a recharger that I can just insert the aids into at night. I think ReSound has since abandoned the recharger idea.

My aids are programmed to provide different amplification at different frequencies to match the results of my hearing tests. I am retested periodically to see if the programs need to change. There are separate programs for each ear.

My aids listed at $5,000 for the pair in 2007 but there was a $1,000 discount for me. There was no insurance coverage available to me, I simply paid for them myself over a year's time. I think similar (but more advanced) aids would list at around $6,000 today.

During the last couple of years, I've been part of a study at the University of Iowa trying to measure the effectiveness of various brands of aids for older people. (That would be me.) I've been tested at length with many brands of aids (including my own) with many different features. I don't get to see the results of the whole study as it's being conducted for particular clients on a grant. The researchers did, however, mention to me that they were very impressed with the aids I have.

My wife, Joy, (a wonderful fiddle player) also has aids but doesn't wear them all the time. Her high frequency loss is greater than mine. Hers are also high-end (~$6,000) aids that are provided to her by the Veterans Administration. I think they may be Phonak aids. They are programmable too and have BlueTooth built in. Joy's problem is that when playing her fiddle, she's leaning her ear over her fiddle and it makes listing very uncomfortable for her. The VA has audiologists and can provide a selection of different programs to fit different situations but they aren't really used to accommodating the needs of musicians. We may go back and see if there is someone willing to spend the time necessary to get this worked out.

Except for Joy's situation, I encourage every musician with hearing loss to find a reputable hearing center and look into a high-end set of aids. I think you'll be glad you did. Aids that are less than top-end may help with general hearing loss, rather like the horns of old, but especially if you're a musician, general amplification isn't going to get you where you want to be. Sometime high-tech solutions are the way to go.

      - Mark