Hearing protection with hearing aids

fredridge · Sep 9, 2023

I wear hearing aids and haven't had good luck with hearing protection. If I leave them on I get feedback unless I can get cans just right. If I take off my hearing aids I can't really hear.

Going to do some training next week where hearing to instructor is important.

I tried some of the ear pods type electronic from Walker and they were horrible. Batteries horrible to install and didn't get loud enough for me to hear.
Then I bought some Prohear cans from Amazon and without my hearing aids the cans themselves would feedback really bad.

Looking for options and suggestions.

My hearing aids are molded with over the ear.
I think the molds would protect me from pressure waves and don't think the hearing aids themselves can get loud enough to cause damage but not sure. They definitely don't have enough compression or respond fast enough to block out the shots.

Anyone have suggestions?

dplev4 · Sep 9, 2023

I don't think there really is a product that reliably works. You could try muffs and then add a hearing aid back during instruction. Cumbersome and a lot of on and off. I sometimes wear my hearing aids set a little lower under muffs if I want to hear other folks. Just lift a muff when someone is speaking. My muffs are big enough to cover ear and hearing aid. Sorta.

i tried Walker Game Ears and even with the amplification option I didn't like it. But maybe you could work something out.

fredridge · Sep 9, 2023

Pretty much what I do. I have some Howard Leights I've had for years I can get to work, but not great. Usually they are for an hour or so, but not sure about multiple hour training.

Jade Falcon · Sep 9, 2023

I wear OTE (over the ear) hearing aids, and I've always had the same problem. I'm deaf in my left ear, and partially deaf in my right. I want to keep as much hearing as humanly possible. I think the last time I went to the range I turned my hearing aid all the way down and put on muffs. Don't remember how well it worked.

When I get the money, I'll likely spend the $800 and get a custom-made set of inner-ear hearing protection through my Audiologist in Lebanon, providing he's still in business. Not cheap, but well worth it.

The Heretic · Sep 10, 2023

It depends on your level of hearing deficit, but I found for me (I need my hearing aids to understand what people say, or people too far away or behind me) I can wear hearing protection muffs that have microphones built in. Indeed, those helped me decide I needed to spend the $ for hearing aids when I found just how much sound I was missing without them by using hearing protection muffs with microphones (I used Howard Leight muffs at first, but they are not very good). I now mostly use Peltor/3M muffs when shooting - but I have not yet used them on a public range where I need to listen to orders/etc. because I have my own private ad-hoc range on my acreage - I just wear them just in case someone (neighbors) need to yell at me.

Member 66129 · Sep 10, 2023

I wear signia OTE hearing aids in both ears. I use peltor over the ear electronic ear muffs as well, and I've never received any sort of negative feedback.

gmerkt · Sep 10, 2023

This is an area where I've had some practical experience. Whether it's of any value to OP is another matter. I've been using regular, non-electronic muffs for decades. I have service connected hearing loss and my hearing aids are furnished by the VA. At first, I didn't want to amplify noise, so I took off my HA when shooting, I just used the muffs. Which might be okay when you aren't on a range, needing to hear RSO commands. But then again, you need to be able to hear stuff when you are out shooting in the woods, meaning you don't want someone to get the jump on you because you can't hear them coming up.

So next I bought a pair of electronic muffs on Amazon, I forget what brand. Right away, I could tell they didn't reduce sound exposure as much as regular old, non-electronic muffs. But I figured this was a trade-off. It didn't take long for me to discover that the electronic muffs were kinda like HA themselves, meaning I could hear better with the electronic muffs and without the HA. That worked until I wore the electronic muffs in the rain. Which ruined them.

After the ruination of the electronic muffs, I didn't replace them. I went back to using ordinary, non-electronic muffs. Without hearing aids. Then this year, I started going back to the range where I'm a life member. I missed an RSO command and got in trouble minorly. The RSO said, "you need electronic muffs out here." So I ordered what I thought was another pair on Amazon, they arrived and right away I saw they were not electronic. I'd ordered the wrong thing. Sigh. I've gone back to the range lately, but I take my shooting buddy grandson along and I've asked him to keep me in line until I get electronic muffs again. A couple of weeks ago, we were with two other parties on the trap field. The other two groups got in trouble with the RSO, we were unscathed. I told them, "I'm glad it was someone else's turn this time." I just sat there and stared straight ahead while they got their reamings-out. It was like being back in the vice principal's office in jr. high school.

Oh yeah, I do that lift the muff off thing temporarily to hear voice.

Member 66129 · Sep 11, 2023

gmerkt said:
This is an area where I've had some practical experience. Whether it's of any value to OP is another matter. I've been using regular, non-electronic muffs for decades. I have service connected hearing loss and my hearing aids are furnished by the VA. At first, I didn't want to amplify noise, so I took off my HA when shooting, I just used the muffs. Which might be okay when you aren't on a range, needing to hear RSO commands. But then again, you need to be able to hear stuff when you are out shooting in the woods, meaning you don't want someone to get the jump on you because you can't hear them coming up.

So next I bought a pair of electronic muffs on Amazon, I forget what brand. Right away, I could tell they didn't reduce sound exposure as much as regular old, non-electronic muffs. But I figured this was a trade-off. It didn't take long for me to discover that the electronic muffs were kinda like HA themselves, meaning I could hear better with the electronic muffs and without the HA. That worked until I wore the electronic muffs in the rain. Which ruined them.

After the ruination of the electronic muffs, I didn't replace them. I went back to using ordinary, non-electronic muffs. Without hearing aids. Then this year, I started going back to the range where I'm a life member. I missed an RSO command and got in trouble minorly. The RSO said, "you need electronic muffs out here." So I ordered what I thought was another pair on Amazon, they arrived and right away I saw they were not electronic. I'd ordered the wrong thing. Sigh. I've gone back to the range lately, but I take my shooting buddy grandson along and I've asked him to keep me in line until I get electronic muffs again. A couple of weeks ago, we were with two other parties on the trap field. The other two groups got in trouble with the RSO, we were unscathed. I told them, "I'm glad it was someone else's turn this time." I just sat there and stared straight ahead while they got their reamings-out. It was like being back in the vice principal's office in jr. high school.

Oh yeah, I do that lift the muff off thing temporarily to hear voice.

Remind me to never join you at the range. If you can't hear range commands then you're a danger to everyone around you. Relying on a child to help is absolutely ridiculous.

gmerkt · Sep 11, 2023

Elv8DM said:
Remind me to never join you at the range. If you can't hear range commands then you're a danger to everyone around you. Relying on a child to help is absolutely ridiculous.

Yeah, I don't disagree. I've been to the range twice this year with my grandson, both times to the trap field. I won't go to the rifle or pistol sides right now until the electronic muffs I ordered come in (on back order). The trap field is a lot different from the rifle and pistol side, not many people there, guns are racked differently. It's isolated from the rifle and pistol side, which is where most of the activity is. Which can be a disadvantage, because communication is harder.

oremike · Sep 11, 2023

I'm hard of hearing but take my hearing aids out and put on or in hearing protection when at the range. I haven't found the right protection vs hearing commands yet either. So I compromise and tell the RO I'm hard of hearing and to not touch me but to talk to me so I can read lips or at least see he's talking to me and loosen my hearing protection to hear what they are saying.

trevi · Sep 11, 2023

If you get feedback with over the ear muffs, then i would say your earmold compression needs recalibrated or new molds. I assume your aids are now digital and not analog? Digital aids allow different settings, if your model allows. I have not had much issues with my BTEs when using muffs. Granted i tend to turn off the aids because of the muffs i have are nothing fancy, just some $10 thing that works when you double-up.

Also, have you tried explaining to your audiologist and taking the muffs there with you?

Caveman Jim · Sep 12, 2023

I have one digital BTE Hearing Aid on my right side and the left side is toast.
I use the available option of different channels programmed for my hearing loss. The most used channel is #2, the noise reduction and it works very well under my Razor electronic muffs.