Bluetooth headphones for someone with hearing loss

fatbeetle

Looking for recommendations please. Mainly for listening to music / audiobooks etc.

Many thanks in advance

oldernonethewiser

What will they be using as the source? eg, phone, laptop etc

Will these be bluetooth or wired ones?

fatbeetle

Mainly phone or laptop, prefer bluetooth unwired

MyRealNameToo

fatbeetle said:

Looking for recommendations please. Mainly for listening to music / audiobooks etc.

Many thanks in advance

You mention hearing loss... do you simply want the headphones to be loud or are you wanting a more sophisticated response? Is the hearing loss equal? Are they wearing hearing aids? Would the headphones work with the hearing aids or be used without them?

What is the source device? 

What's your budget? 

Preferences for in ear, on ear or over ear? Are these to be used alone at home or with others (ie close or open backed if over ear)?

If they are an apple user they may want to consider AirPods. Apple's iOS now has a hearing aid mode with certain AirPods so can test which frequencies you've lost and adjust the sound being played to compensate for those frequencies. I dont know how good they are (tested my hearing but it's below the threshold of needing adjustment) but they have been certified as hearing aids in the US at least so probably are fairly reasonable. 

Vitor

Need more info. Does the person already wear hearing aids, is  a recent audiogram available to help adjust the frequency response, are headphones wanted or in-ear buds, is reducing external sound wanted or is retaining situational awareness to amplify ambient sounds needed, does the source support one of the better Bluetooth protocols like aptX?

These are generally well regarde -
Sennheiser HD 250BT Bluetooth 5.0 Wireless Headphones with AAC, aptX™, aptX™ Low Latency, Converter Technology and Built-in Microphone, 25 Hours Battery Life, USB-C Quick Charge - Black: Amazon.co.uk: Musical Instruments & DJ

oldernonethewiser

I should have managed to read the "bluetooth" in the title - doh!

Not headphones but Apple have their hearing aid option for Airpods as mentioned above.

https://www.apple.com/uk/newsroom/2025/02/hearing-aid-feature-available-today-with-airpods-pro-2/

fatbeetle

Thanks Vitor, they look ideal.

matelodave

If you wear hearing aids (as I do), then reviewsyou probably don't want on-ear headphones but over the ear ones which allow you to just use the headphones without having to take the aids out. 

On-ear phone get really painful when they squash your hearing aids into your head behind the ears

I've got some Soundcore Q30 which do the job well or have look at the Sony WH-CH720N at around £70 and get very good 

Vitor

Bone conduction earphones may also suite people who are wearing hearing aids, but who still have functioning cochlea, as they work in a completely different way. Example is Shokz OpenMove

.

Sicard

I got bluetooth ones from Temu for £22 and they're great. They also help to cut out the din of the sicardas where I am in Gozo.

You can increase the volume. The rechareable battery lasts about 90 hours. 

Depending on your phone there may be an option in settings to disable the level of volume. They do this to prevent possible ear damage. Once disabled you can increase it even more.

If you're trying to increase it via laptop is it for watching films of using the internet?

fatbeetle

Many thanks again to all