Date: 9/19/25 8:50 am From: Joe Tucker <000001df0ca37a3b-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: hearing aids for birding
All people with hearing loss have some similarities and lots of differences. It took me over 10 years to find a pair that worked for me. Phonak I-90 Top of the line. Dual chip AI. Fully SELF programmable. I have a program just for birds. $6,000 a pair if you go to a local audiologist or half that amount if you buy on line. You can get a free audiology report just about any where as part of the local Audiologist wanting to sell you a pair at twice the price. You simply upload your report with the audiogram to one of the many on line services. I used Fithearing.com. They program your aids to the report. Then you have unlimited capability to add programs for all the different situations you may need. Like birds. VERY EASY to program , tweak and change to your needs.
This said, several years ago I bought a less expensive pair of advanced hearing amplifiers with 3 degrees of setting for $200 that worked very well for most birds. My $3,000 aids work almost as well as keen natural hearing. Without aids, I could only hear the loudest of bird calls.
Oh, and though FitHearing.com, I get zoom meeting with a licensed AUD (doctor of Audiology) any time I want or need at NO EXTRA expense. I still have the option to make my annual visit to the UAMS Audiology department for any fine tuning on the default program the Fit hearing Audiologist has done for me. So, you have many choices. My Aids came with a 5 year guarantee.
Joe T
On Thursday, September 18, 2025 at 04:06:39 PM CDT, Joseph Neal <0000078cbd583d7c-dmarc-request...> wrote:
A friend of mine who has lost his ability to hear several birds species ask me about hearing aids that others have successfully used. I told him that I would post his question on ARBIRD list. If you have helpful info for him, please respond to this email snf make sure ARBIRD is included in the response (not just me). He is interested in obtaining hearing aids that can be purchased on the market (that is, not requiring a doctor prescription). He would like make and approx. Cost if possible.
