How's your hearing?

[Riomouse911]

When I was a little kid I shot a few times without ear protection, as my Grandfather didn’t wear it while hunting. (And he wondered why he had a hard time hearing!). I can say I fired maybe 35-40 shots at doves and quail with shotguns, the rest were rimfires at squirrels. Since my uneducated youth I have been diligent about ear protection.

Later on my right ear is damaged from an ear infection in high school that damaged my internals and by perforating my ear drum two or three times waterskiing over the years.

This, plus 45-odd years of shooting, has left me hearing almost no low-range through that ear. I also have a decent tinnitus ring, which has been steady but not growing in volume. My left ear is much better, without the eardrum damage it works well with minimal loss.

To keep what hearing I have I do double up with plugs and muffs when I shoot now, and I am now wearing plugs at motorcycle races as the revs of dozens of 2-and4 strokes on the start lines is brutal on hearing. (Especially the 85-112 cc 2-strokes!)



Stay safe.

 

[mljdeckard]

My tinnitus is due entirely to army activities which have a common track record of causing hearing loss. Shooting tanks, listening in on bad guys, etc.

Playing with explosives as a kid and listening to Alex Van Halen's snare drum for 40 years has nothing to do with it.

 

[JKP]

I bought my first set of hearing aids 5 years ago as a gift to my wife. The hearing test indicated that higher frequencies (wife voice range) is where my hearing has declined. At 70, I'm so used to wearing them now it's no big deal. She thinks they don't work, but they help. Like her glasses don't get her back to 20-20, hearing aids don't gdt you back to 100% hearing. When I bought my second pair 1 1/2 years ago, Costco had the best deal, $1400.00 and no sales tax in Colorado.

 

[TRACON]

My hearing is completely shot. Firearms and turbine engines my entire career.

 

[someguy2800]

I’ve had hearing problems since I was a little kid, long before I ever started shooting. I’m glad I paid heed to the lessens the old timers gave me about shooting and hearing loss. I never shoot without muffs except when hunting. I refuse to hunt with any rifle with a muzzle brake and most of the rifles I hunt with wear Krink devices to cut the blast. My father in law got a brake installed on his 270 some years back and shot 5 deer in one morning. He was immediately rewarded with 50% hearing loss in one ear and 25% in the other.

 

[RikSors]

My hearing is bad.

I use Oticon, which is covered by the insurance. Otherwise, I’d have Costco which is half priced and decent.

 

[Atavar]

Two things,
My hearing loss is 70-80db in the higher frequencies. My hearing aids have been a godsend.
I just this week bought a pair of Apple AirPod Pro earbuds (Pro is important) for sleeping after getting frustrated with my midrange earbuds. About $250 with two years of AppleCare.
The AirPods allow you to create an audio gram (chart your loss at frequencies) and apply it to them as an equalizer.
They are great and have a “live listen" mode so I can use them to listen to TV and can understand people when wearing them instead of my $7500 hearing aids.
They also have a background noise function to combat tinnitus. They also have great noise cancellation. I plan on trying them under muffs for shooting.
The biggest downside is they are rechargeable with only a 6 hour battery life. 20 minutes USB charge gets you 2 hours runtime.
Functionality is best with iPhone or iPad but there is an android app.

One bit of advice, when shooting keep your mouth closed. The noise pressure wave can also attack your ears through your mouth and throat. Your ears equalize through that route.

 

[Atavar]

If you want to test your hearing there are hearing test apps for your smartphone or tablet. They work best with a limited set of “calibrated” earbuds and headphones.
I use the Mimi app available in the App Store and play store.

 

[savagelover]

A friend of mine used to use those game ears. I tell everyone that the hearing aids are not a cure. I paid a little over 3 grand for mine. They are not that great. I think a lot depends on ones surrounding. Mine are worthless in a restaurant or someplace like that. Really sucks..

 

[kje54]

After shooting for 58 years my hearing is starting to fail. Early years we didn't use hearing protection because we didn't know any better. I still work FT and can't hear anything in meetings. Shopping for hearing aids next week. Hopefully something small and doesn't cost 2K.

Could you type that a little louder? I can't hear you...........

 

[TRACON]

I was fortunate. My hearing loss is covered by my employer, since they destroyed my hearing. I got these wazoo Phonak hearing aids which are tiny. They’re full blue tooth and have an equalizer feature and whatnot that I just connect to my iPhone for settings. The battery charge lasts about 24hrs of continuous use. If I turn them off without charging when I go to bed, I can get about 2.5 to 3 full days use out of them. If I have issues, I can go online from anywhere with my audiologist’s office to have him tweak them better over the internet. They’re pretty slick and expensive I’ve been told.

 

[toivo]

I'm 68. My hearing is OK except for tinnitus and some loss of the very high frequencies. Most of my loss isn't from shooting -- I've always used good protection there: plugs + muffs for everything except .22 rifle, and then it's just plugs. But I played in rock 'n' roll bands for most of my life, and I rode motorcycles: dirt bikes as a kid, road bikes as an adult. I never used any hearing protection for those activities.

 

[AMraider]

I knew my hearing wasn't great but didn't realize how bad it was until I got hearing aids. I was walking down the hall wearing my aids for the first time and I thought someone followed me out of the office. Turns out it was my work books squeaking on the tile floor. Later that evening I heard crickets that I thought they were just not around any more.

The immense amount of sound coming in took some getting used to. I purchased Starkey ($5000) behind the ear devices. Light enough that I don't feel them on for the most part. They pair with my iphone/ipad and TV. It's great getting GPS directions right in my ears. They even have a tinnitus feature that introduces a background noise (Think wave sound) that mask/distract from the cicadas like screaming in my ears. They can set up several programs for like outdoors, restaurants, crowds, and work. I highly recommend them.

 

[rperyam]

Could you type that a little louder? I can't hear you...........

DOES THIS HELP?

 

[rperyam]

IS THIS BETTER?

 

[kje54]

DOES THIS HELP?

Much, much better!! Thanks.