Question from a rather scared friend - can music be heard as music w/a CI

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SBirn

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Honestly, I'd prefer answers from only those who know rather than not have heard the reality. I don't want to read about studies because I don't trust them. My friend (and I) were hearing and y'all know that. What sort of kills me are the promises I'll hear music again.

Will I hear it in its purest form (not Bose but a HA will do) or will there always be to me a duck quality or to others a mechanical quality? That's his biggest fear. It's what makes me pretty upset.

And, I'm sort of flipping out a bit with an adviser telling me he won't talk on the phone unless he knows the voice and person and he has had a CI for years. He didn't tell me until after my implant.

Thanks much.
-- Sheri
 
Generally, yes, but hearing music that plays frequencies to the extremes (<60Hz, >15kHz) seems to diminish. I think as CI technology is more refined, the closer hearing music sounds to what a hearing person would hear.
 
I have seen posts here from the guy that uses the screen name "Dr Phil" saying that he does not understand on the phone and still uses the Relay/TTY combination but that his brother that has a CI of the same vintage by the same manufacturer does fine on the phone.

I know this is second hand information but you might want to PM him for more information unless he pops up in this thread before you get to it.
 
It has been too long since I last remember music as a hearing person, but, music sounded good to me when I had my HA for years, and after the learning curve, music sounded much, much better with my CI's.

Will it be as clear as you remember? Most likely not. Will you be able to enjoy it? Most likely, yes.

The environment, speaker quality, & location are critical, and my mental well-being that day must be very good. I plug in my audio cable and it sounds awesome. In order to hear it all, I have to have 100% of my concentration on listening. When I am stressed out or not feeling upbeat, or surrounded by anyone that is annoying, I can't enjoy it.
 
Reba said:
Here's one first-person experience:

Questions on the Host's Hearing - The Rush Limbaugh Show
Click to expand...
Reba! This is absolutely fabulous! Thanks! (I assume there are enough exclamation points in here.) It also touched upon the other issues I wrote to my friend last night.

We were at a house and the three people went into a hot tub. I stayed inside playing with the CD player. I put on, "The River is Wide," a song I love and know. When one of the friends came in, I had her mouth the words so I could associate it with the dissonance. I "saw" and connected one or two words. I figured that I'd have to go into my head and "hear" the rest.
 
green427 said:
It has been too long since I last remember music as a hearing person, but, music sounded good to me when I had my HA for years, and after the learning curve, music sounded much, much better with my CI's.

Will it be as clear as you remember? Most likely not. Will you be able to enjoy it? Most likely, yes.

The environment, speaker quality, & location are critical, and my mental well-being that day must be very good. I plug in my audio cable and it sounds awesome. In order to hear it all, I have to have 100% of my concentration on listening. When I am stressed out or not feeling upbeat, or surrounded by anyone that is annoying, I can't enjoy it.
Click to expand...
Green, that's why when I was HoH, I was very selective about the speakers and system I purchased. It seemed odd to friends due to my hearing loss. But it made sense, I had to find the best quality sound and I did go to a place that had a sound room.

I suppose the answer to will I enjoy it remains to be seen in time. I have a catalog of sounds in my head and that seems to be what I'll need to draw upon to enjoy it - not necessarily what I process but a combination of my memory with the CD playing. It's really this last sentence that might help Limbaugh :).

Thank you, Green.
 
Jane B. said:
I have seen posts here from the guy that uses the screen name "Dr Phil" saying that he does not understand on the phone and still uses the Relay/TTY combination but that his brother that has a CI of the same vintage by the same manufacturer does fine on the phone.

I know this is second hand information but you might want to PM him for more information unless he pops up in this thread before you get to it.
Click to expand...
Ah, this is strange except, Jane, that our brains are different. So, with that in mind it makes sense. I'll leave Dr. Phil alone for a couple of days and PM him if he doesn't jump in. Thanks for this info.
 
femme Fatale said:
Generally, yes, but hearing music that plays frequencies to the extremes (<60Hz, >15kHz) seems to diminish. I think as CI technology is more refined, the closer hearing music sounds to what a hearing person would hear.
Click to expand...
Femme, so you're saying that the mapping will not hit those Hz levels? If so, this makes sense. If not, I'm confused.

Thanks,
Sheri
 
I came within a hair's breadth of getting a CI a couple years ago. The vast majority of my friends wanted me to get one and claimed that I could be one of them, hearing. I read many biased study reports and listened to several doctors' glowing recommendations, ad nauseum. In the end, I had to face the brutal fact: that because I became deaf at age two, I would NEVER be able to enjoy the same sounds the hearing person does, and that included music. It would drive me insane, so I opted out.
No regrets, though.
 
SBirn said:
Reba! This is absolutely fabulous! Thanks! (I assume there are enough exclamation points in here.) It also touched upon the other issues I wrote to my friend last night.

We were at a house and the three people went into a hot tub. I stayed inside playing with the CD player. I put on, "The River is Wide," a song I love and know. When one of the friends came in, I had her mouth the words so I could associate it with the dissonance. I "saw" and connected one or two words. I figured that I'd have to go into my head and "hear" the rest.
Click to expand...
I'm glad that it helped. :)
 
Jane B -It is factual re: Continue using VCO TTY notwithstanding I have/use a Cochlear Implant. It is also correct my brother does hear on a Regular phone with exactly the same model of Cochlear Implant.

I noted before in Sunnybrook/Toronto experience since 1984 that one person out of two implanted has trouble using a regular phone.

Aside: I am not unduly concerned on this matter as I can easily "hear" dance music quite okay. Also I have used my TTY since January 1996. I became bilateral DEAF in December 2006.
further aside: I have only 1 Cochlear Implant- my left ear.
 
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I have one CI Cochlear, other ear deaf unaided. Music sounds awful to me. Everyone is different.
 
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