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Wednesday June 18, 2008
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I'm sensitive about my hearing, because it's critical to my job. And as the PC Magazine cell phone reviewer, I get emails periodically from people with different levels of hearing loss looking for solutions to help keep them connected. (Deaf people love Blackberries.) So I was intrigued to see the Songbird, the first "disposable" hearing aid.
Typically, hearing aids cost a heck of a lot of money - we're talking four digits. They're individually fitted, and you have to replace the batteries. When the Songbird comes to market later this year, it will cost only $80. The speaker element comes on an adjustable-length wire, so it's one-size-sorta-fits-all. You buy it over the counter with no doctor's visit required. And when you run out of the 400 hours of battery life (call it a month or so), you buy another one.
Obviously, the cost will add up if you use it for a long time. But for people just starting to get hearing loss, or as a backup hearing aid, it looks like it could be just the ticket.
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June 19, 2008 12:24 AM
Heck... you can by the "game ear" type generic @ Cabela's for $35 & keep replacing the battery....
(lets see..$80 x 12 = way to dm much)
June 19, 2008 1:22 AM
Ugh... stay away. These folks had a product in the late 90s which was useless. The first product they sold was about as useful as the "bionic ears" or "spy gear" sold in toy stores. I thought they went out of business a few years ago. I guess not. It is unlikely this "new product" be any better. There is a reason why hearing aids are normally fit by audiologists. Hearing lose is non linear and there is a fair amount of adjustment to the DSP to give the best effect.
June 24, 2008 9:13 AM
Sascha, thank you for your interest in Songbird. My name is Stacy Kirk and I work for Edelman, the public relations firm representing Songbird. It truly is a disposable hearing aid that gives people with mild to moderate hearing loss an alternative to traditional (and as you pointed out, very expensive) hearing aids. We do want to make sure your readers understand though that it's actually quite unusual to have to replace a Songbird aid after only a month. It is designed to last for 400 hours of active use. We believe that Songbird wearers will most likely use it on a situational basis: to watch television or a movie, while at church, or in an important meeting, etc. That means the device will last more like several months. When you factor in the cost of replacing the batteries in traditional hearing aids (at least weekly), plus annual cleanings, insurance and other miscellaneous costs, it becomes even more apparent why Songbird disposable aids are the right solution for many people's ears and their pocketbooks!
July 4, 2008 12:55 AM
Comments:* The original Songbird was a very good hearing aid, even though it did not fit as many people as they had hoped. The circuit and performance were as good as other premium-priced hearing aids on the market at the time, and better than many, according to research studies. The primary reasons it did not sell were (1) audiologists and dispensers were not able to make $2000 per sale because it sold to the consuming public at about $40, (2) Songbird made an error and attempted to sell it professionally through audiologists - a major marketing error, (3) most audiologists who complained about the instrument never fit the aid, but were "experts" at telling others about how bad it was, and (4) don't believe that all expensive hearing aids are finely adjusted by the audiologist. Most simply insert the poor results of pure-tone audiometry, and let a computer select the settings. Also, if you hear individuals saying that the Songbird was useless, chances are that they speak from ignorance, concern about what it might do to their income levels and are attempting to protect their "turf," or perhaps, are dishonest and misleading individuals. I speak from having fit many of these instruments successfully, and still have individuals asking for them. Like every hearing aid on the market, one has to learn how, when, and where to fit such instruments.
August 1, 2008 12:49 AM
WHERE CAN I BUY A SONGBIRD ???
September 16, 2008 5:15 AM
I bought a total of 4 Songbirds in the years they were out, and only one of the four was not defective. It either didn't work, or stopped working after a week. This is the primary reason audiologists (including mine) rejected Songbirds.
November 5, 2008 3:01 PM
I don't think people without hearing loss understand what its like. You're choices are to pretend its not happening and be embarassed when you mess up, or to spend thousands of dollars on something that requires constant adjustment from the expensive frauds that are audiologists. Songbird may not be perfect yet but at least its a product that will benefit people like me.
March 20, 2009 7:00 PM
I lost most of my hearing about 5 years ago from medication I receved after surgery I have about 70% hearing left in my right and 20% left in my left ear. So as an entry level I was thinking of the song birds hearing aids my question is are they hearing aids or amphlafires ? are they worth a try or am I just throwing my money away. Most hearing cost way to much money for me right now due to me loosing my job of 22 years because of disability so I was thinking if they work I could get buy for awhile.
March 23, 2009 3:33 PM
Hi Denis K; it's probably better if you go directly to the source to answer your questions, since we haven't actually tested one: http://www.songbirdhearing.com. I hope it helps!
July 21, 2009 12:56 AM
I am lost,having been sold hearing aids by a so called reliable hearing aid co.The aids were from a really fine company,the audiologists were not trained.I do not know how they were permitted to dispence aids to the unknowing customer.I am 86 am without hearing due to this.I just do not know who to trust.I have no duplicate money to spend!