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Joined: 25 Jan 2014 Posts: 229 Location: MN

Does anyone hear use Tetra hearing devices for hunters?

And if so, what do you think of them?

https://tetrahearing.com/

Thanks for any input.

Marshall

Joined: 17 Jan 2014 Posts: 1377 Location: Denver, Colorado

I'd never heard of them before but their webpage is intriguing. Hearing is becoming an issue for me these days as well. Tinnitus seems to be ever more present. Costco makes some fairly reasonable units but I'd like to add some protection to what little decent hearing I have left. These folks seem to offer that as well.

... coming from someone who has had a hearing problem thanks to firearms for 50 years, and only did something about it 6 years ago -

Hearing aids are hearing aids.

If you think you have a hearing problem, and you probably do if you find yourself wondering if you have a hearing problem, don’t waste time or money - get a hearing test from a reputable medical hearing clinic (not Costco, or some online nonsense).

Then bear in mind you get what you pay for, my hearing aids cost a little over $4,000.00 and I think they are worth every cent.

If you can afford some fancy shotgun, you’ll be FAR better off with a $500 shotgun and be able to hear the wonderfulness of what you’re missing.

Your family and friends will thank you, having hearing aids will likely have a positive effect on your career, and you’ll get along with people better.

And non medical grade hearing aids are a waste of money, the key is support service. In order to get the most out of hearing aids you’ll need support when you need it - NOT when they can get you a appointment.

Joined: 17 Jan 2014 Posts: 1377 Location: Denver, Colorado

Bill K: Thank you! I agree that you generally get what you pay for. And you're right, family and friends are the big motivators here.

I did my homework and found that Costco sells more hearing aids than the VA does (now about 13% of the market). They have a specific section of the store set up that does nothing else. You need an appointment and...the units that they sell are the same ones sold by the competition that usually charges 50 to 75% more for the privilege. Tinnitus doesn't seem to have a "whiz-bang" fix just yet, so many of the claims I heard when I went to the big-dollar ($5 grand) folks are just fluff. The testing I received from both places was identical. The support being offered during and after the sale seems to be first rate, and the warranty is unmatched anywhere else. I don't mind paying the extra freight if I'm really getting something for it. The competition for my business is actually pretty fierce so I tend to shop around. I went with Costco.

As far as the hearing protection I need when shooting, a local company does much of what Tetra is advertising. Since they are local, I'll be looking at them first as well.

https://www.espamerica.com/

Joined: 04 Jun 2009 Posts: 827 Location: N. Shore, mn

I spent more than is mentioned here for hearing aids. Your results may vary.
Hearing loss comes from different types of causes (not just one). My hearing aids are essentially useless. I would recommend having your hearing evaluated by a medical hearing specialist with no commercial interest.....My M.D. told me for my kind of hearing issues that hearing aids should not have been sold to me. Will NEVER purchase hearing aids again. Wish they would have helped.
Hearing aids ARE NOT THE FIX for all hearing issues!

I wish there was an easy answer to hearing loss/hearing aids. My hearing loss has been life-long, but certainly has become worse in recent years. About 12 years ago, I was tested by several "chain" stores--all showed that above about 1,000 hz, my hearing goes to rock bottom. No wonder I have never been able to hear a chickadee sing! At that time, I was assured that they would adjust my high frequency hearing to maximum levels, and that I would do hand springs and back flips once I put my new hearing aids in my ears. Didn't happen. Worthless.

My latest foray into hearing was a visit to an ENT for a separate issue in March, but he immediately started to try to correct my hearing loss (and never did address the issue I went to him for). I bluntly ask him if his hearing aids could correct high-frequency hearing loss for a person that basically couldn't hear any high pitched noise. He never would directly answer my question, only state that " todays hearing aids are so much better than they were in the past." On my second visit, his partner down the hall ran a hearing test and, wahlah, guess what, my high pitched hearing is at very low levels (just like the graph showed 12 years ago). I ask him the same question, can your hearing device correct high frequency hearing loss for a patient with virtually no high frequency hearing ability? Again, no answer, just "today's hearing aids are so much better that they were in the past." I finally told him that if he wasn't going to answer my question, he might as well leave, which he did.

Some people benefit from hearing aids and some don't--just like Fourtrax detailed above for a variety of reasons. I have many friends in both camps. However, my experience with them has been they are a waste of money.

I would certainly recommend a "return for a full refund after 30 days if they don't work" guarantee. Twelve years ago, I could have bought a fairly nice SxS for two grand, but instead bought hearing aids that didn't have a guarantee.

Gentlemen,

Having a completely deaf daughter from birth, hearing loss is a very complex issue.
In my daughters case she has a bi-lateral sensorial hearing loss, the spark that activates all hearing between her brain and ears never developed. There is no hearing loss in either my wifes family or mine other than my daughter. Born in a military hospital in 1976 she may have been injured at birth. Cocular Implants may have helped, as they did with Rush Limbaugh, however she was talked out of the implants by the deaf school. At that time they were experimental in nature. It was determined that my Agent Orange along with my wifes cancer, probably were responsible for Vanessa Janes complete hearing loss. However nobody really knows for sure. My daughter is in he 40's now and is fluent in many different forms of sign language. My wife and I are fluent in American Sign.

Try not to judge the hearing professionals to harshly, only God actually knows why some people have perfect hearing and others do not. Even the damage and why it happens, is still mostly unknown.

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man