kiltman
Site Supporter
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2013
- Messages
- 3,283
- Age
- 68
- Location
- Stratford, Ontario Canada
- Bike
- 2002,ST1100ABS
- STOC #
- 8826
Well, it's happened. I'm in that demographic that requires electronic assistance in hearing. What is the impact on my riding? What can they do? Pros and cons.
I'm 62 years old. I have issues in hearing people in my area of work. ( I stage manage opera and theatre, I need to be able to hear what the singers are singing, actors speaking as well as follow the directors directions.) I also have MS and I needed to determine whether the hearing loss is due to MS or actual nerve damage. My process took a few months to get me the point of getting the best units for my lifestyle. I chose an "in ear" unit as not to interfere with me donning on a helmet.
My units are Bluetooth. they enable me to pair with my phone, GPS, computer. I can stream audio into my ears from those devices.
These aids are programmable, meaning I can select up to four modes. 1) Automatic ( it adjusts automatically the environment I'm in) 2) Mute ( I can silence my aids, close to earplugs) This is great when I'm in a pub with a loud band, i can lower the decibel level. It also works when I ride as I can cut out the wind noise. 3) Large halls ( Big rooms or theatres. 4) small groups, like when I'm in a cafe talking with three or four people. This can be set-up by the hearing aid facility, they can tune your aids to what ever you need.
What I found was I had to disable the selection buttons that are on the hearing aids themselves as when I put on my helmet it would activate the buttons and put them in a mode I didn't want.
I have a remote that hangs around my neck and this allows me to adjust the volume to my aids and select the mode. I can also plug in a mic if I wish to install a mic in my helmet to answer the phone when I'm riding. There are models with a keyfob remote available.
I also have an app on my phone that I can select the mode and adjust the volume on either the right or left ear.
When I ride I also have a SENA headset installed in my helmet. I have that paired to my phone. ( I haven't had it been too successful paired with my RAGE GPS) My hearing aids on the other hand can easily pair with the GPS. This is what I do when I go for a ride. I disconnect my hearing aids from my phone and it pairs with the GPS. The Sena pairs with my phone allows me to hear my music, talk to another rider with a Sena and answer calls. The hearing aids adjust volume in automatic mode, cuts out the wind noise, and I can hear the speakers in my helmet get directions from my GPS, so that's a bonus.
The other scenario is to just use the hearing aids paired to my phone and listen to my tunes whilst riding. I could hook up the external mic to my remote and tape it inside the helmet so I could answer the phone if need be. ( I could use Waze or Google to stream turn by turn directions too)
Streaming through my hearing aids are amazing! the quality of the sound is great.
A con is when the battery runs down I get an annoying warning ping to tell me I need to change the batteries.
My life is much better, I'm now able to hear those ribbing remarks made to me by my fellow ST Riders.
you can PM me if you have questions about the process. or you can ask in the thread and I will help out as best I can. There may be other riders on this forum that can impart some wisdom to assist those that are considering going for bionic ears.
I'm 62 years old. I have issues in hearing people in my area of work. ( I stage manage opera and theatre, I need to be able to hear what the singers are singing, actors speaking as well as follow the directors directions.) I also have MS and I needed to determine whether the hearing loss is due to MS or actual nerve damage. My process took a few months to get me the point of getting the best units for my lifestyle. I chose an "in ear" unit as not to interfere with me donning on a helmet.
My units are Bluetooth. they enable me to pair with my phone, GPS, computer. I can stream audio into my ears from those devices.
These aids are programmable, meaning I can select up to four modes. 1) Automatic ( it adjusts automatically the environment I'm in) 2) Mute ( I can silence my aids, close to earplugs) This is great when I'm in a pub with a loud band, i can lower the decibel level. It also works when I ride as I can cut out the wind noise. 3) Large halls ( Big rooms or theatres. 4) small groups, like when I'm in a cafe talking with three or four people. This can be set-up by the hearing aid facility, they can tune your aids to what ever you need.
What I found was I had to disable the selection buttons that are on the hearing aids themselves as when I put on my helmet it would activate the buttons and put them in a mode I didn't want.
I have a remote that hangs around my neck and this allows me to adjust the volume to my aids and select the mode. I can also plug in a mic if I wish to install a mic in my helmet to answer the phone when I'm riding. There are models with a keyfob remote available.
I also have an app on my phone that I can select the mode and adjust the volume on either the right or left ear.
When I ride I also have a SENA headset installed in my helmet. I have that paired to my phone. ( I haven't had it been too successful paired with my RAGE GPS) My hearing aids on the other hand can easily pair with the GPS. This is what I do when I go for a ride. I disconnect my hearing aids from my phone and it pairs with the GPS. The Sena pairs with my phone allows me to hear my music, talk to another rider with a Sena and answer calls. The hearing aids adjust volume in automatic mode, cuts out the wind noise, and I can hear the speakers in my helmet get directions from my GPS, so that's a bonus.
The other scenario is to just use the hearing aids paired to my phone and listen to my tunes whilst riding. I could hook up the external mic to my remote and tape it inside the helmet so I could answer the phone if need be. ( I could use Waze or Google to stream turn by turn directions too)
Streaming through my hearing aids are amazing! the quality of the sound is great.
A con is when the battery runs down I get an annoying warning ping to tell me I need to change the batteries.
My life is much better, I'm now able to hear those ribbing remarks made to me by my fellow ST Riders.
you can PM me if you have questions about the process. or you can ask in the thread and I will help out as best I can. There may be other riders on this forum that can impart some wisdom to assist those that are considering going for bionic ears.