Ask HN: Hearing aid wearers, what's hot?

Hacker News Discussion ↗

AirPods & Consumer Earbuds as Hearing Aids

  • Multiple reports of AirPods Pro (esp. gen 2/3) working very well for mild–moderate loss:
    • Big “night and day” improvements for older relatives who refused traditional aids; conversations and TV volumes normalized.
    • Live Listen / Conversation Boost and adaptive transparency are praised; ANC also a big benefit.
  • Limitations:
    • Battery life 4–5 hours, not suitable as all‑day primary devices.
    • No fine‑grained per‑frequency tuning / audiologist fitting; designed for moderate loss, may fail for severe or asymmetric loss.
    • Form factor not “put in and forget”; may fall out, and people assume you’re “tuned out.”
  • Seen as great low‑stakes on‑ramp to hearing aids, but a few warn they can delay getting proper medical‑grade devices, which matters in hospitals or all‑day use.
  • Some interest in non‑Apple use via open‑source tools (e.g. librepods) to access HA‑like features from Linux/Android.

Modern Hearing Aids: What’s “Hot”

  • Oticon (Intent, Opn, Real, Zeal):
    • Strong praise for spatial awareness, machine‑learning noise reduction, and “just works” core programs, especially in restaurants.
    • Music modes that drop speech processing and manage loudness are popular.
    • Zeal CIC: attractive feature set (Bluetooth, Auracast, MFi), good early impressions, but bulky charger and rechargeable‑only draws criticism.
  • Phonak (Audeo, Marvel, Infinio/Sphere):
    • New AI “spherical speech in noise” program described as a game‑changer in loud environments, at cost of larger size and power use.
    • Mixed experiences with sound quality (“tinny” for some) and Bluetooth reliability; some love them, others switched away.
  • Widex (SmartRIC, Moment, Allure):
    • Repeatedly praised for musical, low‑latency sound and excellent transient filtering; good battery life with LE Bluetooth.
  • Starkey Genesis/Omega AI and others (Advance/Sonova, Resound/Jabra/Philips/Costco) mentioned as solid options; Costco seen as good value.

Key Challenges: Noise, UX, and Fitting

  • Hearing in noise remains the hardest problem:
    • Directional mics and AI help but don’t fully restore “cocktail party” ability.
    • FM/remote mics (e.g. clip‑on transmitters) still the most robust solution for very noisy settings.
  • Fitting and expectations:
    • Many stress the need for a good audiologist and several adjustment visits.
    • “Tinny” or scratchy high‑frequency sound is common at first; brains often adapt over months.
    • Multiple profiles (general, lecture, comfort, music) are heavily used in real life.

Alternatives & Adjacent Tech

  • Cochlear implants: life‑changing hearing, but UX criticized (cables, retention, battery life, app limitations).
  • Bone‑conduction headphones: good for situational awareness, generally poor for speech in noise and fidelity.
  • Active‑ambient in‑ear monitors (musician IEMs) can outperform HAs for fidelity and protection, but are bulky, wired, and socially awkward for daily use.
  • Live captioning:
    • Glasses with real‑time captions and phone‑based transcription (on iOS/Android) are emerging as powerful supplements, especially in meetings.
  • Nuance‑style “hearing glasses” and fully/partially implantable devices surfaced as intriguing but niche or early‑stage options.

Other Themes

  • Tinnitus: several users report that properly fitted aids partially mask tinnitus while worn.
  • Batteries:
    • Debate between disposable zinc‑air (great life, travel‑friendly) vs. rechargeables (better sealing, but degrade over years and need chargers).
  • Social/UX wishes:
    • Desire for Apple‑grade “it just works” hearing aids, simple mic‑routing controls, hardware RF kill‑switches, and less stigmatizing, more attractive designs.
  • Meta: some concern about shilling in consumer threads; suggestion to flag suspected marketing rather than confront in‑thread.