I am having an exceptional experience with a new Phonak Audeo V hearing aid which I received on January 23, 2015. It’s one thing hearing sounds more clearly than I had previously, but as a singer it’s quite another to be able to hear many more facets of my voice than I had been hearing for decades with other aids.
I’ve been a professional singer and recording artist since the ’70s. I studied voice, speaking and acting for years in New York and worked very hard at creating a voice and a style that employed my musical gifts and talents. But when I lost much of my hearing between 1978 and 1982, I also lost touch with that voice and all I had worked so diligently and passionately to develop and perfect.
Scroll ahead to today and moving beyond the challenges I’ve faced, the news is better.
The short half-tone intervals between notes, say a C and the note just above it (C#) or a C down to the B just below, have always been a challenge for me to hear and most especially to sing on key with a hearing aid. With the Audeo V, and with the use of a music program, those notes are clear and strong. I’m not only hearing them better, I’m able to sing them much more confidently.
My greatest concern in returning to music has always been having the ability to negotiate those short intervals clearly without having to guess and ultimately, fall off pitch. That guessing has made me hesitate at times to even try to get there.
With the Audeo V I no longer have to guess, and it is very exciting and soul satisfying to hear myself doing what I love to do and so well, once again. Others are also noticing that I am indeed hearing and singing much better.
My ear training can now progress more quickly as the hearing aid and my brain continue to perfect their adjustments. These things, combined with my vocal work, are taking me several steps forward — and more quickly — in my journey back to recording new music once again.
Hearing loss is individual, of course, and so are the steps one takes along with professional and technological assistance to try and rebuild the hearing self. So far, I can report that this singer is very pleased how things are trending. Stay tuned.
I have the Audeo Q 90 312t, I am not sure if my music program is setup optimally as I think I should be able to hear myself better, can anyone help with this ? Any suggestion i can give to my audiologist??