Hearphones Update

[rolanni]

Frequent readers of this journal will recall that Steve and I drove to Burlington Massachusetts back in mid-September in order to explore and experience the Bose Hearphones.  We undertook this pilgrimage because I am losing my hearing, as one does, and find it particularly difficult to hear my tablemates in restaurants and bars.  As a writer, of course, I spend much of my time in bars, hotel lobbies, restaurants, and other noisy places, so this deficiency was starting to affect my work.

So, the Hearphones, which not only have directional amplification, but noise-cancelling.  I took them with me to Baltimore, where they received a series of stern tests; the sternest of which was at The Tilted Kilt.

For those who are, as I was, ignorant of this eating establishment -- it's Hooters in Plaid.  It is also one of those places that believes that NOISE IS GOOD.  MORE NOISE MEANS WE'RE HAVING FUN!  LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS OF FUN!

In fact, The Tilted Kilt is exactly the kind of place that I have in the past actually bolted away from, once the door has been opened sufficiently for the din to escape; and I can feel it strip away whole decibel levels.

Sensing an Opportunity, however, I nodded to Steve and we went in to have lunch.  It was noisy.  Ghod, it was noisy.  An array of televisions were on and blaring over the bar, the music was blasting straight down -- and it was just such a constant assault, you could barely pull together enough concentration to read the menu.

I put on the Hearphones, and -- I could still hear the music, and it was LOUD.  And right then, I said to Steve, "These things don't work.  I'm taking them back."

. . .and I took the plugs out of my ears.

Oh.

My.

Ghod.

The Hearphones worked.  They really did work.  I couldn't get the plugs back in fast enough.

"I'm keeping them," I said to Steve.

Now, there was a downside.  Though I could, though the magic of technology, dampen the music to merely stupid levels, and I could zoom in on Steve, so I could hear him?

He, working with plain old, unaugmented human ears, couldn't hear a word I said.

So, I'm keeping the Hearphones.  I still need to get used to hearing my own voice inside my ears, and listening to oneself eat is kinda off-putting, but with practice many things are possible.

Also, I seem to have overcome the early problems I had with keeping them charged -- operator error due to misunderstanding regarding the controls.  I had assumed that they would turn themselves off after X time of not receiving a bluetooth signal from the phone.  Nope.  Gotta turn them OFF.

Here ends my report.

 EDITED TO ADD:  Google is apparently not your friend in this, and even a search on BOSE HEARPHONES does not return a good result.  Therefore!  Here's your link.

Comments

No headphones as yet

[ireneha]

I am also loosing my hearing, as I slowly turn into my mother.

Luckily I don't spend a lot of time in noisy hotels, bars and restaurants.

I do need to bring/wear my button with a picture of an ear, with the typical "no" circle with a slash over it. So I've started to sit in the handicapped area: front of a no-mike panel, and request that my neighbors in a large room not talk over the speaker.

I expect to be needing the directed hearing (which is what those headphones are - I think) very soon now, as I am already lip reading.

[hairmonger]

Perhaps I need to study up on these if they're that directional. I am not losing my hearing. My hearing, according to tests, has always been "perfect" and the answer to "Well, why can't I understand people is noisy surroundings?" was always "Everyone has trouble with that." Not as much as I do. Eating with people in _quiet_ restaurants means that I can hear maybe one word in ten. (Add that to my food allergies and restaurant meals are an obstacle course.)
Recently modern technology has informed me that my ears don't process sound at the same rate (have I said this before? I've said it a lot since I found out) and that accounts for my trouble with background noise.
I will save that link.

Mary Anne in Kentucky