NEW! Sound World Solutions CS50 Wireless Bluetooth Sound Amplifier (Left Ear)

When my hearing deteriorated I made an appointment with a specialist who was located on the upper level of a shopping mall. After the hearing tests were concluded I was told I had a moderate hearing loss and I was handed a hearing aid designed for such a loss. I was told to walk around the mall to test out the hearing aid. I strolled around both levels and even went outside but was not impressed with the performance of this item. I could not see spending the outrageous cost of this hearing aid with such low quality performance and so I returned the hearing aid to the specialist.After the latest edition of Consumer Reports (CR) arrived I noticed one of the sections was about hearing and this CS50+ was one of the articles described in this report. I have had good success with purchasing items based on CR reports so I decided I would give this CS50+ a try. As usual, when wanting a product, I headed for Amazon and made the purchase.The amplifier arrived with a carrying case, two rechargeable batteries, a battery charging kit, three sizes of ear tips and an earpiece cleaning tool. The user guide is the epitome of user guides. As you know these days the cheapo companies provide user information with faded out subminiature font sizes on small scraps of paper. Not this user guide. It is the best one I have seen in a long time and not only easy to read but easy to follow as well. Kudos to Sound World Solutions for providing such an excellent guide.This amplifier has a volume control button, a program button and an adjustable tube to provide a comfortable fit. It did take a bit of time for me to locate the buttons and get the fit just right but when finished I could now clearly hear my spouse as she explained to me how I never do anything right. I can now watch TV without having to use my headset. I can hear the birds chirping as they hang around my bird feeders and chow down. I can even hear the deer as they chomp on plants that they like. I am very satisfied with this product.There is one issue I would like to point out. These days hearing aid sellers make a big promotion on the hearing aids being invisible or nearly so when installed. This amplifier is clearly visible. It does not make an iota of difference to me because I am only interested in the ability to hear and do not give a rat's posterior if the aid is visible. However, if you would be bothered by visibility you may want to bypass this item,.

I've had one of these less than a week and I'm ready to write my review. I have no hearing at all in one ear, and have worn very expensive hearing aids on the other for more than 20 years. I am aware that this is a personal amplifying device, and not technically a hearing aid. And it is VERY IMPORTANT to see a doctor before you get any kind of hearing device to see if there is a medical (and treatable) cause for your hearing loss.Pro:1. The sound is better and clearer and louder than any hearing aid I have ever worn. As if that isn't enough2. The cost, of course, is nothing compared to what I have spent in the past.3. The bluetooth was easy to set up and works very nicely with my iphone. (My last hearing aid was bluetooth-capable via a separate device but the whole thing never worked properly; if it did connect, the sound was too poor to actually use it for a conversation.)4. Rechargeable batteries! Two of them! I've wanted rechargeable batteries forever. And so far, they charge easily and quickly.5. The feedback I was getting the first few days was easily gotten rid of by adjusting the earpiece tip. (See below.)6. When I'm driving, I can now actually hear conversation of the other people in the car.7. The companion iphone app is pretty simple to use, and very nice to have, instead of having to go see an audiologist to make every adjustment.Con:1. Yes, it is big and it is black, which happens not to blend with my hair coloring at all. When people see you wearing a hearing aid, they will often speak more clearly, face you, etc. When they see you wearing a bluetooth earpiece, they just think you're listening to your phone. I'm guessing I'll have to take it off at airport security.2. The road noise when I'm in the car is pretty loud. But the Restaurant setting helps it a bit.3. I need to take it off to talk on a landline phone, for now. Working on that.4. I wasn't able to reach the company by phone (to ask for the bigger ear-tip, no longer a problem) because I didn't want to leave a message and be called back, which I guess I could have done, but I don't like doing that.How I fixed the ear-tip: The biggest one was uncomfortable, the medium was too loose, and it stuck out of my ear too far, which created more feedback. I cut the bell end (the big part) off the smallest one, and also cut off a bit of the length, and put it on the device. I took a softer ear-tip from an old noise-reduction earbud that I don't need to use anymore and pushed it down over what was left of the small tip. This makes the new ear-tip fit snugly on the device, and parallel to my head. I have NO FEEDBACK AT ALL, even when I cup my hand over it.BTW: If you're new to hearing devices, the sad truth is that nothing will block out the background noise in a crowd. Even a $4000 digital customized hearing aid won't really do that. At least mine never did.

I like the three environment options on the settings and you can even use the phone app to change settings. You can take your own test using the app and the device will adjust to your area of need - low or high tones. I also like that it is bluetooth so I can answer my phone using the device. My husband states that the sound on calls is very clear using the device with bluetooth.