Updated 9/29/2009 10:25:30 AM
Songbird Flexfit is an inexpensive digital disposable hearing aid that claims to help people with mild to moderate hearing loss. We test it out with the help of an Atlanta Audiologist.
Linda Davis really cranks up the volume when she hears an old Platters tune on the radio. Not just because she loves the music but also because she is one of an estimated 55 million Americans who suffer from hearing loss. "It was really bad I couldn't understand any females whatsoever," she said. Often people had to write out what they were trying to tell her.
So Linda went to the Auditory Verbal Center where she was tested and fitted with a pair of hearing aids. "I really love them," she said. Unfortunately hearing aids can cost thousands of dollars and require professional office visits that are not always covered by insurance.
Songbird Hearing claims their new Flexfit is a high quality disposable hearing aid that don't require professional fitting. It sells for $79 plus shipping on-line and lasts about 400 hours of use before you throw it away and buy a new one.
We asked Linda to try out the Flexfit to see how it compared. "It's a little bit bulkier," she said. "Here over the ear it fits okay." Nichelei Talmore, an Audiologist at AVC, ran some hearing tests on Linda to see how the Flexfit did. She says for a broad band amplifier the Flexfit worked pretty well. "It gave her really good benefit in the mid to high pitch range. She was floating around normal at 30-25 db," Nichelei explained. "However in the bass tones she was all the way down to 45 which is below normal."
Even at $79 a piece, the Flexfit could end up costing hundreds of dollars a year if you use it a lot. But for occasional or short term help for hearing loss, Linda thought the Flexfit might be worth a try and gave it a thumbs up. Nichelei recommends for a long term solution people get fitted with a hearing aid can be fine tuned for individual hearing problems and gave it a thumbs down.
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