Hope for the new year.

[Widthofacircle]

Happy New Year Friends!!!!
Brendan

[pberggren1]

Can you use ear buds or headphones? I realize they won't make the floor vibrate, but neither will the dinky, pea-shooter computer speakers....

Al

I cannot use ear buds because I am deaf. I have not tried to use headphones, but possibly they could work too. I will have to look into that.

[Al]

I cannot use ear buds because I am deaf. I have not tried to use headphones, but possibly they could work too. I will have to look into that.

Yeah, I thought about this some more, and realized that, given your implants and kind of damage, ear buds would not work. However, over-the-ear phones might. I wouldn't bother looking at the expensive ones--their main advantage is better response in the octave above 8-10 kHz, which your implants presumably do not pass to the nerve anyway. You may have to tweak either the equalization in the audio driver in your computer, or the implant mapping, or both. This would be an interesting exercise in patient satisfaction and enjoyment. I'm thinking it would be fun for one of your docs to write it up for some journal. Maybe we could even get some audio manufacturers on board....

Al

[pberggren1]

Yeah, I thought about this some more, and realized that, given your implants and kind of damage, ear buds would not work. However, over-the-ear phones might. I wouldn't bother looking at the expensive ones--their main advantage is better response in the octave above 8-10 kHz, which your implants presumably do not pass to the nerve anyway. You may have to tweak either the equalization in the audio driver in your computer, or the implant mapping, or both. This would be an interesting exercise in patient satisfaction and enjoyment. I'm thinking it would be fun for one of your docs to write it up for some journal. Maybe we could even get some audio manufacturers on board....

Al

I think I can hear about 10kHz but am not totally sure. All I know is that the mapping that is done to my processors is done by electrical current and not with frequencies. I have a large pair of wireless headphones that I may try. I try to listen to music right now and even in the car it does not sound good.
I have tried some good CDs too and no good. It all sounds like noise.

[Al]

I think I can hear about 10kHz but am not totally sure. All I know is that the mapping that is done to my processors is done by electrical current and not with frequencies. I have a large pair of wireless headphones that I may try. I try to listen to music right now and even in the car it does not sound good.
I have tried some good CDs too and no good. It all sounds like noise.

As I say, some tweaking is in order. Hate that you have to go music-free.

Al

[Sangye]

Man, I really hate that you can't enjoy music. I hope you can find a way to make it happen Phil.

[pberggren1]

Man, I really hate that you can't enjoy music. I hope you can find a way to make it happen Phil.

Actually, I have not been able to understand or enjoy music for many years now. Since the summer of 2004. Oh well. Maybe some day again. It is not really important to me. When my hearing first started to go I was quite concerned and worried and got depressed. But now if the hearing does not improve from where it is now I will not be upset. I can live with what I have now.

Thanks Sangye.

[janNaz]

Wishing you all a happy New Year!

[Al]

Actually, I have not been able to understand or enjoy music for many years now. Since the summer of 2004. Oh well. Maybe some day again. It is not really important to me. When my hearing first started to go I was quite concerned and worried and got depressed. But now if the hearing does not improve from where it is now I will not be upset. I can live with what I have now.
Thanks Sangye.

Phil, music is a uniquely human activity and pleasure. And the enjoyment of it is likely therapeutic in may ways. This, in fact, is true even for congenitally deaf people. Do you remember enjoying music? I think there must be a way of bringing that back into your life in some way.

I'm interested in those implants. I do have any information on them, but I am guessing that they convert frequencies (in the form of air pressure changes) into a current--likely by varying impedance. This, then, could stimulate the nerve, that sends the signal to the brain by its own pulse frequency modulation, according to the triggering current. I would be surprised if they pass 10 kHz signals. Most devices are optimized for speech, so they provide a boost in the 4 kHz range. Even when they have a music setting, the upper octave is commonly lopped off. I'm also curious how the implants work together, in stereo. Much of the pleasure of hearing, and the sense of depth of experience, comes from subtle differences between the ears, enhanced by the natural movements of the head from side to side. The brain does some fancy processing to make this possible, well past the hearing mechanism itself. But it does require a differential signal between the two sides. Finally, a normal hearing mechanism relies on a good del of feedback. In fact, there are more nerves going from the brain to the ear than the other way around. Again, I don't know how your implants do their mapping, but I am supposing that they do not rely on a return signal. A lot of technical things to think about here, but in all cases I truly believe that it is worth your--and our--while to sort it out.

Al

[pberggren1]

I will have to find out if I can hear above 10kHz.

I can hear music right now but it just sounds like a bunch of distorted stuff.

I have tried all sorts of music and nothing sounds good.

I have alos tried listening with only one processor at a time. But things sound much better with both on.