You do not have almost deaf when using hearing aids. Many doctors recommend it to their patients Start with devices early, before hearing loss becomes severe. Olive Union's Olive Max was the first product hearing aids I encountered this specific purpose-designed device, intended for users with “mild to moderate” hearing loss, which the company defines as a hearing loss of 26 to 55 decibels. That matched my diagnosis, so I thought I would be the perfect candidate for these new devices.
Right off the bat, you'll probably say what I—and everyone around me—said the first time I saw Olive Max: They're definitely big. Like, really big. Each looks like a Bluetooth headset from the early 2000s, except you have to wear two. At the very least, the device has a sporty-looking two-tone white and gray design, including wraparound ear hooks that help keep them in place. They also carry one IPX7 waterproof rating. But at more than 12 grams, they weigh four or five times the weight of a regular pellet. Hearing aids do not require a prescription. A total of eight different ear tips, in three different styles, are included in the set to ensure you get a good fit.
Photo: Olive Union
As a hearing aid, the Olive Max devices work almost as advertised, and the average user can take them out of the box and into their ears to get started with little fuss, although hooking them over the ear properly way can be difficult, especially if you wear. glasses. Controls on the back of each console support volume (independently for each ear) and let you choose one of four environment modes (TV, Boardroom, Outdoor, or Restaurant). You can also use the buttons to toggle “Hear-Thru Mode,” which allows you to completely turn off environmental sound processing if you just want to use the Olive Max as a Bluetooth headset.
You can fine-tune your listening experience in the My Olive app — though, strangely, the hearing aid manual doesn't mention that an app exists or that you can even use it. hearing aid as a Bluetooth headset. (You want the My Olive app (Android, iOS), not that the Olive Smart Ear app isn't compatible.) This app lets you make the same adjustments as physical controls but also offers noise reduction and feedback cancellation (pro tip: maximizes both of these features), and it includes a more detailed graphic equalizer that allows you to fine-tune the frequency response even further.
You can't test your hearing directly in the app, although a short questionnaire will connect you with a variety of “AI-recommended presets” based on your age and some inputs other basics. If you want things more refined, you'll need to dig into the manual equalizer, but this is mostly a case of trial and error. It's also worth noting that the My Olive app includes a sound therapy system designed to help. people with tinnitus. I don't have tinnitus so I'm not qualified to test this feature.
Photo: Olive Union
