Great explanation of why I can hear someone but still not understand them… thanks!

Hi, thank you so much for the very clear explanation. You mentioned that age related hearing loss typically affects the high frequency tones. While hearing loss due to prolonged or excessive exposure to loud noise often results in lower frequency tones. So if you’re the poor guy who happened to work many years in an extremely loud noise work environment in a time frame where ear protection was limited to one being issued some tissues to roll and stuck in your ear, and you’re now in your sixties, you probably lost both high and low frequencies. But that’s beside the point I wanted to make. The main take away is that I finally have heard a logical explanation why I partly more and more find myself in a situation that’s text book material and matches your example 100%. I never blamed it on sound quality of modern phones or televisions; that’s nonsense. But I start to wonder why I couldn’t understand a single word while the volume was high enough to hear them speak plus the people speaking don’t mumble but are perfectly clear. The only explanation I could come up with was: “it’s all in between the ears” ( to stay in tune). Was considering visiting neurologist as it could be cognitive (although I doubt that) but now I can re-visit my audiologist (or better find a new one coz my current one tested 3 times and the end result and recommendation was; you’re getting old, this is part of the game get used to it) It is a pity that I live almost on the other side now f the globe from Arizona otherwise I would be knocking on your door. Would to close with one big thank you

I've been wearing BTE hearing aids since the 90's and have seen many charts similar to your example but no one has ever explained the different alpha sounds as you did with your example. Thank you.

I have severe to profound loss. Yes I can hear but can’t understand. This is a great explanation. Lip reading has been my go to.

That was interesting; I have excellent hearing but in a room full of talking people I struggle. I call it 'speaker buzz.' The sound is there but I cannot define it!

Thank you so much for recommending a hearing up provider. I just had customer ear molds made for my hearing aids made by the hearing up provider. Much better hearing with them! Also the provider is so much more knowledgeable and professional than my prior provider!!! 8:05

This will be my first admittance to hearing loss and doing something about it. This video provided an excellent grounding in understanding what is going on and what my audiologist should know. I want to walk in with an abundance of knowledge and take control/responsibility for its betterment but I will appreciate/"listen" to their expertise.

Great explanations, as always. I have learned so much watching your videos.

This is the best explanation I've heard. Thank you!

I understood every single word you said with clarity....now to finish the video and hope you gave me tips on how to achieve 100% clarity

Thank you so much, Dr. Cliff. You've described exactly what I believe my hearing problem is. For years I've struggled hearing what someone is saying near me in a crowded, noisy room. This is one of the main reasons I don't like such environments. While watching TV late at night and not wanting to disturb my spouse, I'll wear Bluetooth earbuds and notice that I can hear everything so much better. As you've stated in this video, my wife and I have both made comments on what a terrible job sound mixers do these days in movies. Yeah, it's not them. It's our hearing loss. Both of our mothers wore/wear hearing aids, so we're both possibly dealing with age related and hereditary hearing loss. Thank you for educating me about my condition with such clear speech on your part. It's very helpful for those of us who are dealing with this. Two thumbs up (👍👍), liked and subscribed!

My Jabra Enhance Pro 20 available at Costco is essentially the same as the Resound Nexia 9 for $1600 which is $3000 less!

Thank you so much for this video. It was extremely informative and useful. I learned a lot.

I have severe hearing loss of about 50%. Without my hearing aids I am pretty much deaf. With my hearing aids I can hear pretty much at a normal sound level. What has happened that as a result of my hearing loss my brain is loosing the ability to understand speech or words. Testing indicates that I am able to understand 6 out of every 10 words I hear. This was caused by having post operative infection in my leg that required me to wear an infusion pump for 7 months giving me a constant flow of antibiotics to cure the infection. They were able to save my leg but the antibiotics damaged the filaments inside my ears. My hearing loss is stable but if my ability to understand speech worsens, I will need Cochlear implants. I completely understand hearing words but being able to understand them. It is a complex problem and a lot of research is being done to find a cure. They are working on a treatment to make your body regrow the filaments inside the ear. I hope they find a resolution to this problem.

Thanks. Good explanation of clarity loss. Different loss profiles are interesting. FWIW, Those big, heavy landline phones did have better sound in the past than current cellphones (or current landline phones for that matter). That is not an illusion. They probably cost quite a bit more to make as well.

Your explanation is very good EXCEPT you did not mention dealing with tinnitus!

I found this very interesting, especially the diagrams of the inner ear. I have hearing aids and thankfully hear we'll. It proves to me we had a disigner and He is God. Our Creator.

Exactly! Thank you. I know I have hearing loss at high frequencies and tinnitus. But I can understand my daughters easily and a couple of friends who are all musicians both vocal and instrumental and love playing in musicals. So they have learned to speak clearly with good diction. How can I teach people to speak clearly that think they have to yell for me to understand, without them getting angry?

Thank you so much for this information 😊

What we need, as with so many of these type of videos, is testimony from people who purchased the item (Resound Nexia) and found it lived up to the expectations. Over to whoever - please let us hear from you!

Can you do a video on this break through procedure called Canalplasty, "it is a surgical procedure that widens the ear canal, the tunnel that connects the outside of the ear to the eardrum. It may be performed to remove some bone from the ear canal to make it wider" -

This video describes my issue to the T. I just tested both Resound Nexia and Widex SmartRic for a week each. I was so excited to test Nexia since Ive been a fan of Resound for a long time and geek out on the tech they use however, for me it seems like with the SmartRic I was able to understand more words. They are both great aids IMO and at the top of the top.

Wow ... over 4K people have already watched 👀 this Vlog! I was later than usual tuning in because I was getting a delicious beef stew in the crockpot for your dad. 😋

This video was very informative. As the husband of a wonderful woman who has undergone three unsuccessful surgeries by supposedly reputable surgeons, I'm deeply concerned. Despite being told that her torn eardrum has healed, she still has no hearing in her right ear. We're unsure of what to do next, as her experience with a hearing aid after the first surgery was terrible - all she could hear were echoes of sounds. I wish I knew what to do to help her at this point

Interesting video. I can hear pretty much everything with my hearing aids but when I hear people talking behind me or in another room, or listen to the radio, I can hear them talking but don’t know what they’re saying. With the radio, it’s like listening to a foreign language broadcast.

This was so helpful and explains my clarity loss. Is there a difference between Resound Nexia 9 vs 7 for clarity?

Thanks!

Finally, it is sure for ANSD 😊

I have been to see the audiologist and diagnosed with a hearing/clarity loss as you describe, but I haven’t done anything about it yet because I am very nervous about spending all of that money and not getting improvement. The audiologist did not describe the problem as clearly as you did and that causes me to wonder whether all audiologists understand the problems that you describe. So, you can understand my angst. How do you find an audiologist such as yourself who will do the job properly?

It is also important that your Audiologist understands Sensory Processing Disorder. I found out too late that this is what I have and had already spent $$$$ on hearing aids that do help me "hear" but they will never help me understand what people say the first or even second time they say something. There seems to be a lack of general understanding about this and how it affects hearing-3 audiologist so far and none of them knew anything about it and kept saying I meant "hyperacusis" (which I do have) but that is not the same as SPD.

This is the first time I've read about what I assumed was the case with the 3K passive preamp our ear canal does. We evolved to exploit it even with speech. The downside, I was hit with an exploding capacitor from one foot away. That 3K range gets hammered because of that passive "amplification". They used to call it boilermakers disease but Purdue frowned on that.

I’ve never heard of “clear speech.” Amazing! I can understand you perfectly, without closed captions.

Rarely use my Widex, due to clarity issues. Driving with them drives me crazy, all I can hear is wind (yes the windows are up)noise and tire noise. iPods do me as much good as anything and didn’t cost $5k

There’s also another more important factor in the equation for many aging folks that report MUMBLING… people mumble when they speak.. It depends a lot on the person speaking, their energy level, and their comfort level with the topic of conversation. 1. It’s more common, with age, that the volume level of the speaker gradually drops towards the end of a sentence, increasing a perception of mumbling or in combination with mumbling. 2. This is also seen in public speaking classes at any age where the speaker is less confident, and a similar phenomenon is seen when discussing uncomfortable subject matter, or when someone suddenly realizes they’re full of spit. 3. People get tired and the rate of mumbling increases. There’s a very high correlation between increased mumbling, increased age, and hearing loss of those around them.. it’s not a causal relationship.. just growing old together. Also, if the problem is happening on the phone, don’t overlook that the speaker might have stepped into a room with lower reception which degrades the call quality.. The hearing problems are real enough on their own without the need to overstate them because people do in fact mumble as a measurable part of speech.

Isn't it incredible how our ears operate so amazingly? 2:00 -2:58

Back in 2002 after testing the audiologist said I would not benefit from hearing aids because I suffered from a lack of discrimination. Fast forward a number of years and technology has changed that. While hearing aids are now a daily essential to my life, it must be noted that they are not a panacea, unfortunately. The pitch of other people's voices and their various speech mannerisms also have a large role in who I can understand in a conversation.

I score poorly in the word recognition, but with my Phonak Paradise/CROS hearing aids, I can understand speech quite well. For example, I listened to this video and had no problems understanding your words (using a TV Connector). I can listen to (and understand) all sorts of accents. The voice in the word recognition is very low and difficult to understand.

I was tested recently and have mild to moderate hearing loss. The audiologist recommended the phonak lumina line of ha, ranging from around $3,000 to $7200. I’ve never worn ha’s so I’m just wondering if there’s a big difference in different brands of ha’s. Just kinda wondering zinc I don’t have any experience with ha’s. Thanks for your informative videos

You not going to answer any questions but I will ask one anyway? When do you know that a hearing aid like the Resound is going to give you that much better speech recognition then Oticon OPNS2 I have now? When and where do you get to where no hearing aid is going to help with word recognition? How bad does that have to be that you have to say..hearing aids and all the “real hearing measurements” are not going to help? NOBODY wants a Cochlear implant operation with all that risk unless there is no other options.

Do you suffer with mild high frequency hearing loss in one ear? Do you wear an hearing aid? Or is one good ear compensating enough?

I have issues with clarity. I hear people’s voices but have difficulty understanding them. Background noise turns conversations into a cacophony of sound. Wearing properly fitted hearing aids has helped by allowing me to adjust the focus on the speech i want to hear . ..

Thanks for this video. Realize those with age related HL is the biggest population, however how about effectiveness for mentioned other types of HL and curves; and expected improvement in clarity?

Although some of the lack of understandability of speech in modern films and TV may be attributed to hearing loss, the fact is that much of it comes from poor diction by modern actors, and from sound engineers making background sounds, music, etc. too loud in relation to the dialog. The proof of this is that unintelligibility is less of a problem when watching re-releases of old films than when watching new releases.

I had mild age related hearing loss. Accident caused more loss in both ears and the fact everything is coming from a deep well. Why?

I've been wearing Oticon Real 1 miniRite R hearing aids for high frequency loss and tinnitus. Having worn these aids for slightly over one year, I am less than thrilled with their performance. Audiologist suggested this model because of my tinnitus. When watching TV I regularly ask, "What did he say?" The TV seems loud enough, but the clarity is lacking. Does the Resound Nexia model offer a masker?

Are there any exercises that can help improve Word Recognition Score after getting hearing aids? I have top of the line Phonak hearing aids, professionally fitted for my high frequency loss, but my word recognition still isn't good and my audiologist seemed to think there's nothing that can be done about it. It seems to me like there should be a way to help "re-train" your brain to correctly process and recognize words after getting hearing aids. Anyone doing research into this area of hearing health?

TV listening; turn off the surround sound for clarity. Buy the premium TVs that have audio selection like 'clear sound' program.

i have been using resound top of the line hearing aids for two years. i still cannot hear people during important meetings at work. i complained to resound directly with no solution. my hear aid provider tried twice to adjust them but still with poor results. to me, the high investment in high end hearing aids was not worth it and resound washed their hands to help

How do you recover hearing loss in specific frequencies without technical aids?

a co-worker of mine reports that when scrolling through images on different applications, that some images cause a static noise through his hearing aid. What is this? I cant find any results.

Hi Dr. Cliff.... I have Tinnitus in which my "ring" is around the 6,500 hz frequency range. Which means that sounds in that frequency range are masked because of my Tinnitus. Will a hearing aid such as this help my situation at all? Thanks, Ken

What is the difference between the Nexia 9 and the Jabra Enhance Pro 20

I’ve been diagnosed with nerve deafness in one ear. I’ve been told that hearing aids won’t help, and I’m just screwed.

No one explained the clarity component of hearing for me. I wondered why I could hear voices but did not understand what was being said. Scary, frustrating. embarassing and could be irritating to those you ask to repeat what they said although most folks have been kind, patient and understanding and at least tolerant.

My wife and I frequent a local restaurant full of hard surfaces and lots of tv’s playing. I often tell her that I can understand a word she is saying when she’s sitting right next to me. Ironically, I love to play “name that tune” with her. Whereas I can’t understand a word she says, I can clearly and easily pick out any song they play as if I were wearing headphones (whereas she never can hear the music), no matter how noisy the restaurant gets. Explain that one. 🤔

I have exactly same problem. With profound hearing loss I just got new OTICON exceed BTE and I cant figure out why there is no clarity and having hard time to understand spoken language. Is there any way improve clarity with Oticon or should i try different brand?

I have profound loss. I am struggling with the Tone of the aids. I am right now fitted for Resound One. This is so hard to "hear" if the tone is unnatural to me.

Dr Cliff, I cannot find a hearing aid that is compatible with my Moto 5 G 2023, that allows streaming of phone calls and music? Any suggestions, cannot afford iPhone plus hearing aids.

Cool pic, Cliff. 😎

Even with my professionally prescribed hearing aids, I still can't understand what some people are saying

I got that problem

And some people do mumble or don’t project their voice beyond their nose or speak much too rapidly.

How does the resound nexia compare to the intent 1? are they comparable

Would this help with Auditory Processing Disorder?

Sorry if it was answered in the video. Are there ways to increase your speech comprehension score? For example, reading a book out loud.

Yes sure..

This is a marketing video. Most people have worked out that losing the higher frequencies reduces the clarity of speech. I thought Dr Cliff was going to talk about room reflections, background chatter, the audio path to the brain and how we analyse speech in the brain according what we are expecting. Very disappointing.

This is me. I can hear, but I cannot understand. Profound high frequency loss, means loss of clarity.

The way sound in films is modified today IS a lot different from the way it was years ago, clarity was the emphasis years ago. There is a peception by film makers now to lower the tone of speach to dramatise all the crap they produce, along with tabacco filters making everything look brown!

I can definitely hear you but I can barely understand what you are saying. It sounds like your voice has a loud buzzing that masks your words. When I watch movies the background sounds and music wash out the speech and for most movies they might as well be silent movies.

So disappointed that you have sold out. First one of your KZfaq videos that was an ad for a brand of hearing aid. I am sure that several brands of current hearing aids do cover everything that the resound does.

Of all the people that I listen to on you tube you me old mate have the slushiest speech of them all. I kid you now.

I have to admit your reiteration of comments made by people like me such as the sound quality of the TV etc is worse than it used to be is exactly what I would say. I still feel much of our communication devices are very poor quality audio but I accept, thanks to your excellent explanation that its not the whole story so perhaps it is time for a hearing test Doh!

Yep, sometimes it sounds like people are talking in a foreign language. 😀 a lot of high frequency loss here.

What happens when the auditory nerve has been damaged? Even with the hearing aid, clarity is still poor!!! Everything is too loud & hollow, but still remains mostly noise!

What do graphs look like after a person went thru Chemo. what sounds are killed off because of this?

I wonder if my partial hearing loss is due to a reduction of the brain’s ability to process what is delivered to it. Sometimes I don’t “listen”.

My wife mumbles, that's for sure!

Wow, this video has 120,000 views in three weeks The video that eludes to the fact that hearing aids, don’t actually work to hear speech. That’s just crazy.

I dont have an ear canal for inserting this crappy hearing aids. I dont undertand why there isnt a single one of those that uses bone conduction

I see Audein hearing aids are getting famous now. Have you investigated them?

I wish my husband would wear his aids at home. He seems to think he doesn’t need them at home but I have to repeat 3 and 4 times getting louder every repeat. It gets old. Also when I ask him something or tell him something he never responds so I have to ask him if he hears me.

I've been told my high frequency hearing loss, similar to my wife's voice, is God's gift to men married over 45 years. You want me to correct it?

I am learning Spanish, but I have difficulty understanding what they are saying because they speak too fast.

My hearing loss is most predominant in female voice frequencies. I can hear men just fine.

What?

I just got hearing aids from the VA. In my view they suck. I can hear more but I hear more of everything. Often some sounds are much more amplified than typical conversation sounds. These aids shouldn’t cost nearly as much as they do. You can graph and talk about all the technical details you want! When push comes to shove it’s not what a doctor says it what the user experiences!

What if your WRS is dramatically worse with noise? Are hearing aids likely to be beneficial then?

The problem with earing aids is a simple one…they are way too expensive,and so prohibitive for most people. Make them affordable and many hearing problems will be solved.

'Very disappointed that this educational video became an advertisement for ReSound hearing aids at 5:15. I'm gone.

Here’s the problem…if he’s getting sponsorship dollars from Resound, can I trust his advice to avoid Costco? One single sponsored video can have a ripple effect through the rest of a provider’s content. And it isn’t that Dr. Cliff is biased. The impression of subjectivity is enough for me - and probably others - to rank the reliability of his advice lower than channels that don’t accept sponsorship. I don’t begrudge Dr. Cliff his business model - he’s entitled to take on sponsors, and he is clearly knowledgable. But there’s a price to having a price, and that’s in trustworthiness. It isn’t that he’s not trustworthy, necessarily. It’s that he now has to overcome a much (to me) higher bar to maintain his credibility. Whether he does or not is up to each individual viewer.

Just another hearing aid ad. Happily, I didn't understand a word.

You are wrong about the way audio is recorded today vs. previously. It is no secrete that the overuse of dramatic surround sound and poor sound engineering for the dialogue is making it near impossible (or literally so) to understand speech in some productions even by those with perfect hearing. Yes, younger ears can cut through the noise and decipher speech better with surround sound stuff going on in general. But there HAS been a change. One director (can't remember his name) is famous for this and of the opinion it's not necessary to understand the speech, that sometimes it's just for effect. The features you described providing missing frequencies won't fix this. A lot of millennials have taken to leaving subtitles on habitually, though not just because of this issue. Also, I've come to learn there's another issue where ears can start introducing distortion. Earing aids can't fix that. This is not to say the features you describe are not a godsend.

What??

I beg to disagree some on TV movie dialogue, they are mixed differently nowadays and different mic setups. Just watch some old vintage tv shows and they are so much better to hear.

My hearing isn't that bad, I just prefer to ignore some people.

I just listened to your entire video. I think it would be interesting if you had a demonstration of what it sounds like without your system of filtering and then with your system of filtering. It might even be interesting if you demonstrated over compensation for those upper consonants that don't get through if you exaggerate them in a section of the video This would let listeners recognize what the difference is between consonants present and clear versus conscience not present. I appreciate your hearing my comments, and I would be interested in hearing what an overcompensated video might be so that I can tell if my clarity is disappearing Thank you Bye-bye.

Interesting presentation, but it became just an advertisement, too soon.

SAY IT LOUDER, FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK! 😃 🙌 🦻

If everyone speaks like you do there isn’t a problem hearing 🤷🏻‍♂️