Cannot understand dialogue on TV--------what to buy

[Michael Weber]

Like Ken, I am also deaf. Have needed closed captions for 30 years or more. I just wish people came with captioning. Like the comics

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Like Ken, I am also deaf. Have needed closed captions for 30 years or more. I just wish people came with captioning. Like the comics

You too?

[Rick Potter]

We are starting to have the problem, and it is interesting that others have problems with British shows. We watch a couple British cop shows, and find we have to turn them up much louder to be able to understand the dialog.

I like to watch old movies and western TV shows like Gunsmoke. I turn the TV volume to 25 or less for them, about 35-40 for new shows, and over 50 for British.

It is pretty obvious that the new shows use an awful lot more background music than older ones, which wipes out the dialog for me. I have almost no higher range hearing, from sitting next to sirens for 34 years.

[Nick Decker]

Rick, I've had problems hearing British accents for quite a while, although I don't remember it being a problem when I was younger.

I'm not a lip reader, but it does help to be able to watch someone's mouth when they're talking. Maybe it has to do with the British accent causing them to hold/move their lips differently than what we're used to?

[Michael Weber]

Oddly enough I understand British dialog better than American shows. Not sure why. Maybe its lack of background noise. I have thought of myself as "hard of hearing" or the nicer "hearing impaired" for the last 50 years. It wasn't until my failed cochlear implant a few years ago that I considered myself as deaf.

[Dan Jansen]

My wife has always watched TV with the captions even when dating and I eventually got used to it and starting using them at my parents who then got used to them. They are very distracting at first but I can’t imagine watching TV without them on. It’s critical with movies where the sounds fluctuate so much. I’d recommend turning them on with a 60 day commitment to suck it up. After that you will love it. Except live sports and news. That will always be awful.

And like Wayne said, it is fun to catch the mistakes and jokes that get cut off.

[Bill Adamsen]

I too have significant hearing loss and a volume that works for me is often uncomfortable for others. My hearing aids are complicated though they do have bluetooth, I can never get it to work right if I am with somebody. So for instance, in the car it either captures the phone or the phone broadcasts into the car's handsfree. Fortunately my spouse and daughter watch captioned movies and that helps at least with movies.

I like the Bose noise cancellation headsets, especially for airplane travel. While they sound good in the shop I have been told they are not really effective at blocking high decibel sounds. I find the "bones" type headsets are effective for listening and especially in the car for audiobooks. With "over the ear" placement they can be problematic if one wears glasses as I do. They are very popular with the "running" crowd. They don't block out enough (any) background noise so they are not effective for the shop or say ... mowing the lawn.

I wear the 3M Peltor X5 in the shop and would love their 3M Peltor WS Protac XP. They are pricey. Has anyone found a reasonably priced alternative?

[julian abram]

Tom,

I am deaf. Since 2011 I use a cochlear implant to hear. Even with the implant, I have to use an aid of some sort to hear television audio due to it's typically poor quality. I used a set of wireless Sennheiser headphones. They come with a base which you plug into your television or stereo. Then you can adjust the volume at both the base station and on the headphones. They work well.

These allow my wife to set the volume on the television to suit her and I can then adjust the volume on the headphones to suit me. It results in both of us being happy.

Ken you probably are aware of Phonak TV Link/ Compilot. After I got my Cochlear I switched from wireless Sennheiser headphones to TV Link/Compilot. The signal is transmitted directly to your Cochlear processor so no distortion, it's the best "almost normal" hearing I have all day. Just like your headphones, you can mute the TV and still hear the audio through your compilot signalling your Cochlear. Also you have volume control in the compilot.

[Gordon Eyre]

I too have very poor hearing and use bluetooth headphones. The beauty of headphones is the clarity that they provide not to mention the increased volume. I use Sony headphones and like them a lot. They are less expensive than the Bose noise canceling headphones and if you get the over the ear type they pretty well cancel out the extranious noise. When my wife and I watch tv together she uses the regular speakers and I watch with my earphones. We are both happy and of course we both like to have the printed words on as well. Actually watching with a headset has really increased my pleasure for watching movies on tv. I hear almost everything perfectly.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Ken you probably are aware of Phonak TV Link/ Compilot. After I got my Cochlear I switched from wireless Sennheiser headphones to TV Link/Compilot. The signal is transmitted directly to your Cochlear processor so no distortion, it's the best "almost normal" hearing I have all day. Just like your headphones, you can mute the TV and still hear the audio through your compilot signalling your Cochlear. Also you have volume control in the compilot.

As a matter of fact, last year when I upgraded my sound processor and hearing aid to the AB Q-90 system, I got a compilot. I use it in the morning when listening to the news. I intend to try it listening to music and if it's as good as the television audio, I will buy a 2nd one to put in my shop just so I can listen to music while I am woodworking. It's amazing what getting rid of the acoustic environment effects does for your hearing when you are deaf like us!

I don't use my Sennheiser headphones anymore but they worked well before I got my Compilot. I was recommending them for someone who doesn't have a Ci.