Deafness and headphones
Sun, Jun 10 2012, 10:44AM
I need to use headphones for the first time (moved into a less soundproof flat). Problem: I'm deaf in my left ear. Obviously my NHS behind-the-ear hearing aid, which helps a lot with loudspeakers, will have to come out when the headphones go on. Is there a way of wiring the phones up for mono, or do I resign myself to only hearing the right-hand stereo channel? Anyone else had this problem? Thanks.
Wed, Jun 13 2012, 4:21PM
#2
RE: Deafness and headphones
Many thanks for helpful suggestions!
Tue, Jun 19 2012, 3:57AM
#3
RE: Deafness and headphones
It has really been said a lot of times how headphones and similar items could lead to how an individual could turn deaf when using it on extended amounts of time per day but I would likely think that is just something they are exaggerating a little too much.
A lot of factors are integral in totally disabling the audible capability but it would probably lessen its effectiveness but not totally shut it out.
Sat, Jul 7 2012, 12:02PM
#4
RE: Deafness and headphones
Why should you need to remove the hearing aid? I need them for both ears and there is no discomfort from headphones. What is more, as you know, without the hearing aid on your left ear you will lose high frequencies and detail. Just as important, it is vital for the brain to adjust to hearing via a hearing aid; indeed, my audiologist has demonstrated that with time - I'm talking of a period of several years - one's hearing actually improves. In conclusion, I would suggest that you consider buying another set of headphones which sit more comfortably on the hearing aid.
Hi David - 2 options that come to mind (assuming you have a standard hifi):
(i) depending on how good your left ear is, you could look for headphones or a headphone volume control that lets you adjust the volume of the left and right channels separately (e.g. Sennheiser seem to offer such a thing.) You would use this to attenuate the signal to your good ear whilst having the overall volume on your amplifier turned up high. You would have to be careful you don't accidentally blast your good ear.
(ii) you could invest in an audio mixer plus appropriate connectors to combine the L and R signals into a single signal you would then send to your right ear. The mixer buffers the L and R signals from each other. You shouldn't try and and combine the signals by just joining the wires together. Perhaps if you have a local guitar shop they might have something suitable you could try. Note that stereo to mono jacks on their own do not mix the signal like this, they drop one channel.
Ted