HEARING AIDS GET TRENDY
Now hear this!
If you suspect you are losing your hearing, you probably are. If you find it difficult to follow a conversation in a noisy restaurant or hear on the telephone you may be one of the millions of people young and old who have some level of hearing impairment. Investing in better hearing should be a priority, yet statistics tell us that less than 20% of people with hearing loss choose to correct it. Why? Vanity, ageism, denial or cost. So what makes us seem older… wearing a hearing aid or constantly uttering “what?”
I have been wearing hearing aids for over twenty five years and upgrade them every few years as technology improves. With today’s hearing aids you can speak on the telephone without screeching feedback, eliminate background noise and change the volume with a touch of a button. As for the size, most of today’s hearing aids are so small. they are almost invisible. Up until now, hearing aids with these important features have been very costly, so if that has been a deterrent, I can now recommend a solution.
Ari Seth Cohen of “Advanced Style” recently introduced me to Audicus a hearing aid company he has partnered with who are launching a new range of products.
Audicus is unusual in that they sell hearing aids online, thereby being able to eliminate the middle man and offer a quality product at a fraction of the usual cost. The process is simple, you get your hearing tested by a qualified professional and send the test results to Audicus where their audiologists evaluate your hearing loss and recommend the best hearing aid for you. The hearing aids are programed in accordance with your test results and sent to you. There is a 100% “happiness guarantee” which cover adjustments if needed and if you are not completely satisfied you can return them for a full refund within 45 days.
The Audicus hearing aid recommended and programed for me to test and review is their “Canto” model which is their most powerful as my hearing loss is severe.
I have been wearing them for several weeks prior to writing this review as there is always a period of adjustment. You actually hear with your brain and it takes a bit of time for the brain to adjust to the change so you can expect the quality of sound to get even better with time.
REVIEW OF AUDICUS CANTO MODEL HEARING AIDS:
My first impression upon opening the box was related to the appearance of the hearing aids. I was quite surprised that they looked almost identical to my “receiver in the ear” hearing aids which cost almost $7,000. The enclosed instruction manual was simple and informative. Supplies such as batteries, domes in various sizes and maintenance items were also included…
Inserting the hearing aids is simple, quite comfortable and they are virtually invisible.
The programing of Audicus audiologists has been perfect. The default volume is good for normal situations. There are four different memory programs two of which increase the volume and one to reduce background noise with the simple press of a button on the casing behind your ear. You can control the volume increasing with the top button and decreasing with the bottom button with eight louder or softer levels. I have tried them all and they are exactly as indicated. I tried the program to reduce background noise in a very loud Las Vegas casino with blaring music and I was excited and delighted with the results.
I am impressed with the quality of the sound which I did not expect given the price point.
For me, one of the most important features I consider when testing a new pair of hearing aids, is the ability to hear on the telephone. A major problem with hearing aids is the feedback/screeching noise you often get when you press a telephone against your ear. I am amazed and very happy to report that with the Audicus products, there is NO FEEDBACK at all.
In the several weeks that I have been wearing them, I haven’t needed to contact Audicus for any product issues, so I cannot comment on their customer service. The price of the Canto hearing aid is $695.00 each. Based on a three week trial I can give Audicus a five star rating.
NEWS FLASH: Audicus has also introduced designer fashion hearing aids in great colors and patterns. Let’s forget about hiding the fact that we wear hearing aids and make them a fashion accessory!
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Hearing aids — a fashion accessory — why not!
I love this….my 80 something mom has always been very fashionable and I think one reason she hates to wear her hearing aids is all the noise and they’re not beautiful. Audicus solves both problems.