I went to see the musical Matilda this week. It’s excellent, but a great deal of the singing is by children. This is what I call an extreme listening situation.
Anyone over about 40 years of age would have had trouble discerning all the words; the consonants were too soft and high pitched for most mature adult ears. Ah ha, I thought, with my fully adaptive Blamey Saunders hearing aids, I will get every word.
But alas, I hadn’t thought to bring my programmer with me.
Matilda is not really a children’s show, even though the median age of the cast is probably eleven. Still, behind me were children who couldn’t follow the story and were seeking a running commentary from an accompanying parent, accompanied by a seemingly endless need for crackly nourishment.
What I needed was a fixed directional microphone and more high frequency emphasis.
My next show will be Singing in the Rain. Before I go I shall set up a “Musical” program using the Custom program section of IHearYou(R). But I will still take along my Surface Pro and Incus programmer to modify it, if it’s not right for the occasion.
I have the gear to hear better than the average adult in tricky settings, so next time I’m going to use it.
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Sounds like a good idea. I think I need to get my hearing checked. In quiet situations- no problem. Any background noise and I am struggling!
I love the theater so you devices sound like the perfect thing.
You’re not alone, Teri! Deciphering speech from background noise is a common concern. If you’re interested you can find out more about IHearYou®
here > http://www.blameysaunders.com.au/ihearyou
Sometime this year i intend to replace my current Bernafon aids with SIE64 – mainly because of what I have read on ADRO. I will want the sort of flexibility you mention which is not available in the rudimentary iOS version of the software, and I do not have a Windows machine. Are you planning a Macintosh version?
Do you foresee a full clinical service in Sydney soon?
Would you be willing to write a detailed post on adjusting the maximum gain rule for such purposes as “more high frequency emphasis”?
Hi Alex,
Thank you for your comments, and apologies for my delayed response! We’re currently working on an updated version of IHearYou. Although you’ll soon be able to (fully) adjust your SIE 64’s with your iOS device, I can’t give you a release date just yet. And, yes, we actually do have a full clinical service in Sydney! It’s in Martin Place, and bookings can be made by calling 1300 443 279. I will add your post request to my list. My technical support team are always on hand to help you with that sort of thing should you get stuck.