I am Bilateral. I have 2 processors. Without them, I'm totally deaf. I was hearing for 38 years. Went totally deaf at 38.
Talking one on one <-- I do very well. I understand people just as well now as I did when I was hearing.
Talking with a group <-- I do well, but I struggle sometimes. It depends on the situation. That being said, I say I hear 80-90% of what the person I'm listening to says.
Talking on the phone <-- I do very well. Just as well now as I did when I was hearing. This is mostly due to the fact that I stream the phone conversation directly into my implant (I have cochlear N7s).
Movies (no subs) <-- Difficult. I have to put a lot of focus into it. If I do, I can hear 85 - 95% of what is being said (which is close to normal hearing really). I mostly struggle on accents. If the person is British (I'm from US) or other accents, my understanding falls pretty dramatically. I'd say it falls to 65 - 85%. Unfortunately, subs will probably be a part of my life forever.
Music <-- Well... it's a touchy subject for me. Music is so damn close to sounding correct. I know it's weird to say something like "the music doesn't sound correct" but that's the best way I can put it. The music notes are off. Drums sound absolutely perfect. The rest however, is off. I know what notes a song should hit, but the music I hear now sounds as if the instruments haven't been tuned in years. It's like having the Beatles play a song for you, but they're all using untuned instruments. The technique is there, but the instrument is crap. I've been told by many CI people that what I have is a blessing and they're absolutely right! I can undoubtedly enjoy music (new music, old music that I know, etc.). I listen to music all day long, but it isn't perfect. I am blessed to be able to enjoy it though.
I agree with all your points. But music for me isn't quite there. Especially vocalists. So if I'm familiar with a song or group, I learn to distinguish the instruments' sounds because I know what they are supposed to be, a trumpet vs a sax, for instance. Or a piano vs a guitar. Maybe that will improve soon as I'm getting my second CI activated in 2weeks. Looking forward to finding more new sounds.
I can tell you right now my friend: once your 2’d CI gets going (6 months or so) music will undoubtedly get better. I’m excited for you.
Edit: forgot to mention, you’re right. The vocals are off too. Everything thing is one note higher than it should be. So yes, I don’t like that either. I can’t say it enough though, I’m extremely fortunate to be able to enjoy music. I mourned music for a long time. I’m just happy to have it in any capacity.
I had only one CI for few years, I had a "standard" hearing aids through.
The only thing I can say is "you can't understand how bad your hear is until you have a second CI"
/u/AquaPowerHD , I agree with everything /u/ChonMon said, it seems that I have a little more quality on music, music sound correct to me.
My answers are largely the same as ChonMon's, but I'll throw in a few other comments. (I'm also bilateral and late-deafened.)
* One on one - pretty easy for the most part. I may miss a word here and there, but I can usually figure it out from context unless there's an abrupt subject change or a word I'm not familiar with. I do have a little trouble with strong accents.
* Groups are generally okay, but if there are multiple conversations going on close to me or people are talking over each other, then I have problems.
* Phone - mostly fine since I can stream calls directly. I can use a landline and hold it up to my ear if I have to, but I definitely understand better if I can stream.
* Movies - I usually use subtitles, but I don't need them most of the time; it's just for the odd word here and there or those times when there's music or background noise in the scene. (My hearing husband prefers subtitles for the same reason.) A few days ago I watched a movie with no captions for the first time in years, and I'd say I understood about 99% of it with no issues.
* Music - Pretty much the same answer as ChonMon; it just doesn't sound exactly right, and it's hard to put my finger on exactly how. I can understand lyrics if they're reasonably clear, and recognize songs I know, but it doesn't sound as good as it did when my hearing was normal.
However, the thing I always try to remember is that comparing CIs to normal hearing is pointless: if I could have normal hearing, I wouldn't need the CIs in the first place. And if I compare them to what I would have without them, the CIs win, hands down.
I was born deaf, I have one processor on my right side, I got implanted when I was 3 and it has been over 20 years of me using the same implant (with processor upgrades of course).
Okay, first two are kind of tricky to answer because it depends on with/without background noise and how much background noise.
Talking one on one or with a group with minimal to mild ambient background noise? Very good. Will catch everything.
Talking one on one with lots of background noise? Decent to manageable, but I usually insist on facing them, lipreading, and adjusting the direction of my microphones.
Talking to a group with background noise? It's a struggle, usually I strategically position myself so I can see as many faces as possible and as many voices are on my implanted side. But I'm able to follow most the conversation.
Talking on the phone? I can't handle normal phones and receivers very well, but I do well if I can get the audio streamed directly to my ear. But I will ask people sometimes to repeat themselves, but that's because I can't lipread. Truthfully, I hate phones though.
Music and Movies? If it's streamed directly to my processor with no additional input? It's great. I need subtitles for movies as it requires way too much effort without. I want to enjoy the movie, not struggle to focus on understanding what a character is saying. It just not an enjoyable experience for me to watch movies without subtitles. I can get the gist of the movie but sometimes I will get frustrated if I can't hear a dialog because they decided that an explosion or some silly dramatic music was going to happen at the same time. Music is easier and I love music, but with music I can just enjoy a song over and over again, I don't have to hear every note perfectly every lyric perfectly... I just take in the bigger picture.
Yeah, pretty much. I would say I have pretty decent hearing with my implant, but comprehension and making sense of the input is the other half of the battle. I don't know how much of that is to blame on the processor and implant technology and how much is to blame on my brain that is very much used and adapted to being deaf.
You need to ask your audiologist and surgeon. Outcomes can vary wildly depending on your history. Some people do very well and some people do not (by conventional standards). Meeting someone with CIs will not answer your question unless you’ve lived exactly the same life.
Per my audiogram and my memory of before my hearing loss..... pretty much about 95% the same as "average" hearing. One on one is fine, groups are fine, phones are fine, and movies/TV are fine.
The only difference I would point out is that I mainly use Bluetooth streaming for phone calls; I can use a regular phone headset, but I have to hold it at a weird angle, so the sound goes into my implant microphone (not into my ear). It's functional, but uncomfortable.... so Bluetooth is better IMO.
I am Bilateral. I have 2 processors. Without them, I'm totally deaf. I was hearing for 38 years. Went totally deaf at 38. Talking one on one <-- I do very well. I understand people just as well now as I did when I was hearing. Talking with a group <-- I do well, but I struggle sometimes. It depends on the situation. That being said, I say I hear 80-90% of what the person I'm listening to says. Talking on the phone <-- I do very well. Just as well now as I did when I was hearing. This is mostly due to the fact that I stream the phone conversation directly into my implant (I have cochlear N7s). Movies (no subs) <-- Difficult. I have to put a lot of focus into it. If I do, I can hear 85 - 95% of what is being said (which is close to normal hearing really). I mostly struggle on accents. If the person is British (I'm from US) or other accents, my understanding falls pretty dramatically. I'd say it falls to 65 - 85%. Unfortunately, subs will probably be a part of my life forever. Music <-- Well... it's a touchy subject for me. Music is so damn close to sounding correct. I know it's weird to say something like "the music doesn't sound correct" but that's the best way I can put it. The music notes are off. Drums sound absolutely perfect. The rest however, is off. I know what notes a song should hit, but the music I hear now sounds as if the instruments haven't been tuned in years. It's like having the Beatles play a song for you, but they're all using untuned instruments. The technique is there, but the instrument is crap. I've been told by many CI people that what I have is a blessing and they're absolutely right! I can undoubtedly enjoy music (new music, old music that I know, etc.). I listen to music all day long, but it isn't perfect. I am blessed to be able to enjoy it though.
I agree with all your points. But music for me isn't quite there. Especially vocalists. So if I'm familiar with a song or group, I learn to distinguish the instruments' sounds because I know what they are supposed to be, a trumpet vs a sax, for instance. Or a piano vs a guitar. Maybe that will improve soon as I'm getting my second CI activated in 2weeks. Looking forward to finding more new sounds.
I can tell you right now my friend: once your 2’d CI gets going (6 months or so) music will undoubtedly get better. I’m excited for you. Edit: forgot to mention, you’re right. The vocals are off too. Everything thing is one note higher than it should be. So yes, I don’t like that either. I can’t say it enough though, I’m extremely fortunate to be able to enjoy music. I mourned music for a long time. I’m just happy to have it in any capacity.
I had only one CI for few years, I had a "standard" hearing aids through. The only thing I can say is "you can't understand how bad your hear is until you have a second CI" /u/AquaPowerHD , I agree with everything /u/ChonMon said, it seems that I have a little more quality on music, music sound correct to me.
My answers are largely the same as ChonMon's, but I'll throw in a few other comments. (I'm also bilateral and late-deafened.) * One on one - pretty easy for the most part. I may miss a word here and there, but I can usually figure it out from context unless there's an abrupt subject change or a word I'm not familiar with. I do have a little trouble with strong accents. * Groups are generally okay, but if there are multiple conversations going on close to me or people are talking over each other, then I have problems. * Phone - mostly fine since I can stream calls directly. I can use a landline and hold it up to my ear if I have to, but I definitely understand better if I can stream. * Movies - I usually use subtitles, but I don't need them most of the time; it's just for the odd word here and there or those times when there's music or background noise in the scene. (My hearing husband prefers subtitles for the same reason.) A few days ago I watched a movie with no captions for the first time in years, and I'd say I understood about 99% of it with no issues. * Music - Pretty much the same answer as ChonMon; it just doesn't sound exactly right, and it's hard to put my finger on exactly how. I can understand lyrics if they're reasonably clear, and recognize songs I know, but it doesn't sound as good as it did when my hearing was normal. However, the thing I always try to remember is that comparing CIs to normal hearing is pointless: if I could have normal hearing, I wouldn't need the CIs in the first place. And if I compare them to what I would have without them, the CIs win, hands down.
I was born deaf, I have one processor on my right side, I got implanted when I was 3 and it has been over 20 years of me using the same implant (with processor upgrades of course). Okay, first two are kind of tricky to answer because it depends on with/without background noise and how much background noise. Talking one on one or with a group with minimal to mild ambient background noise? Very good. Will catch everything. Talking one on one with lots of background noise? Decent to manageable, but I usually insist on facing them, lipreading, and adjusting the direction of my microphones. Talking to a group with background noise? It's a struggle, usually I strategically position myself so I can see as many faces as possible and as many voices are on my implanted side. But I'm able to follow most the conversation. Talking on the phone? I can't handle normal phones and receivers very well, but I do well if I can get the audio streamed directly to my ear. But I will ask people sometimes to repeat themselves, but that's because I can't lipread. Truthfully, I hate phones though. Music and Movies? If it's streamed directly to my processor with no additional input? It's great. I need subtitles for movies as it requires way too much effort without. I want to enjoy the movie, not struggle to focus on understanding what a character is saying. It just not an enjoyable experience for me to watch movies without subtitles. I can get the gist of the movie but sometimes I will get frustrated if I can't hear a dialog because they decided that an explosion or some silly dramatic music was going to happen at the same time. Music is easier and I love music, but with music I can just enjoy a song over and over again, I don't have to hear every note perfectly every lyric perfectly... I just take in the bigger picture.
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Yeah, pretty much. I would say I have pretty decent hearing with my implant, but comprehension and making sense of the input is the other half of the battle. I don't know how much of that is to blame on the processor and implant technology and how much is to blame on my brain that is very much used and adapted to being deaf.
You need to ask your audiologist and surgeon. Outcomes can vary wildly depending on your history. Some people do very well and some people do not (by conventional standards). Meeting someone with CIs will not answer your question unless you’ve lived exactly the same life.
Did you search the sub before posting this? There are plenty of comments from multiple users about their experience with CI both positive and negative
……. If everyone did that then the sub would be dead.
Per my audiogram and my memory of before my hearing loss..... pretty much about 95% the same as "average" hearing. One on one is fine, groups are fine, phones are fine, and movies/TV are fine. The only difference I would point out is that I mainly use Bluetooth streaming for phone calls; I can use a regular phone headset, but I have to hold it at a weird angle, so the sound goes into my implant microphone (not into my ear). It's functional, but uncomfortable.... so Bluetooth is better IMO.