Author Topic: Anomoly  (Read 1486 times)

guest5079

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Anomoly
« on: December 22, 2017, 02:47:45 PM »
For some time my 'hearing needs' have been looked after by a well know spectacle suppliers. Unfortunately they were unable to deal with a problem I had and suggested 'going private'. Being a bit parsimonious I looked on line and found that what they suggested would not work. So after a long wait I managed to get a check done by the NHS directly through our local District Hospital. It was reported that I have virtually no hearing in my left ear and my right ear only responds to the lower end of the sound spectrum.
Yesterday I was fitted with two new aids. When I started our Jazz, I was a bit disconcerted as I could not hear the engine. On the trip home I could not get over the fact that the car was so quiet. My hearing is so improved that I could hear the very slight change in tyre noise as I went around bends.
It was explained that the two new aids were tuned to my prescription and so I know that they are giving me some form of normal hearing. So you experts out there, what is happening? I should have thought that given I can hear as normal as can be done, it would have made the car noisier. I can only surmise,  as I was only picking up low notes previously, the new aids picking up higher notes are giving some form of balancing of sounds, hence the car seems quieter. It does take a bit of getting used to that being able to hear a much broader spectrum of sound  seemingly  reduces noise rather than enhances it.  Any sound boffins out there. I will be able to ask the expert but I will not be back for a check for some months. Still at least the telly is no longer bouncing off it's table!!!!!!!!!!!!!!with the volume having to be turned up so much.

guest1372

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Re: Anomoly
« Reply #1 on: December 22, 2017, 03:35:54 PM »
I assume the new aids are boosting the frequencies that are most useful and filtering those that are not, also that sub 1500 Hz frequencies are generally not helpful for social use but are for hearing stationary traffic.  It is possible that for safety reasons they are re-tuning several portions of the audio spectrum into your ear's more receptive frequencies, with modern digital electronics shifting sounds up or down by many octaves is very easy. 

Do the choirboys all sound like Brian Blessed.... ?
--
TG

guest5079

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Re: Anomoly
« Reply #2 on: December 27, 2017, 11:10:38 AM »
Sorry should have done this earlier but accessing a search engine over the past days has been impossible. So while I can.
Thank you TG for your offering it just about gets through my porridge. I must say I am impressed with these NHS AIDS, so used to squeaks, screams and interference, having the sound on the TV up very high and forever asking my Wife to repeat, that it has taken a few days to appreciate the clarity and lack of interference that was endemic in the old ones.
So many thanks TG

culzean

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Re: Anomoly
« Reply #3 on: December 27, 2017, 11:59:48 AM »
My wife used to work for an NHS 'speech and hearing centre' and fitting and tuning in hearings aids is a very skilled process.  if the aid does not fit in the ear canal correctly all kinds of noises from the squeaks and screeches you describe,  the same mechanism as feedback when you get a microphone too near a speaker.   The NHS still magic for most things,  but due to the millions of patients they deal with each week and pressure on staff there is bound to be the odd experience of less than perfect care.   Private companies generally hive off all the lucrative easy procedures but when they mess things up (more often than is advertised) or you are really sick patients always end up in NHS care.

We used this 'feedback' phenomena in our maintenance department when people used to leave their personal two way radios in strange places - I perfected the skill of getting two radios, one in each hand and pressing 'speak' button on one,  by moving the radios various distances apart you could get all kinds of interesting noises,  we used the noise coming from the 'lost' radio speaker to track down its hiding place.
Some people will only consider you an expert if they agree with your point of view or advice,  when you give them advice they don't like they consider you an idiot

guest5079

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Re: Anomoly
« Reply #4 on: December 28, 2017, 11:20:10 AM »
Slightly off subject but with reference to Culzean and feed back. Our masters decided to introduce a system of 'auto' logging on or off. Being plod works in the main the 3 shift system, the 2 o'clock start for patrol was the worst. The control room used to get shirty with everybody trying to book the vehicle on for patrol availability. So this new system came in by pressing buttons an auto code went through and the computer logged it. Great but no radio operator in the car new when this was happening and often the computer could not deal with many signals at once.So the only way was to check verbally. Moving on to Culzean, personal radios were favourite for feed back was  when some one put their switched personal radio down near to the station radio operator, I am glad in my day we didn't have ear wigs with the scream that used to come out over the radio.

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