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BIRDING Magazine (American Birding Association)
Letter to the Editor, Birding magazine, May/June 2005, pages 240-242 ________________ Hearing Aids I enjoyed the Letter to the Editor ("Hard of Hearing?", by Paul R. Julian) about the SongFinder product, published in the December 2004 issue of Birding, pp.569-572. Although it was not actually mentioned by name, it has to be that product. I have been high freuency deficient since I was five years old. I have a pair of hearing aids sitting on my dresser. They cost me a fair amount, but they are useless. I was promised (and have been by many specialists) that all I had to do was "Buy my hearing aids for some outrageous sum of money, and you will be able to hear all the little birds." Baloney! None of he hearing aids on the market reaches the frequencies at which some birds sing, i.e. 6,000-10,000 Hz. That is, until I purchsed and used the SongFinder. Recently, I have been taking a "Birding by Ear" class from Steve Shunk (of Paradise Birding), just because he can hear extremely well. He locates by ear. I locate by eye. Than I can photograph. That was until last year when I purchased my SongFinder. All I can say is Wow! I can now hear Cedar Waxwings! I can now hear White-crowned Sparrows! I can now even hear bats! Of course, I cannot hear them at the same frequency that you can, but I can hear them. It is like a blind person seeing for the first time in sixty years. I have "sold" this aid to others, and the reaction is always the same as mine was last fall. Wow! WOW! The fact that each unit can be customized for each person (using user-adjustable controls) is another plus. And the price is less than 1/5th the price I have been quoted for super, digital hearing aids, and in stereo, too. Am I saying too much? I don't think so. I can say that the SongFinder has revolutionized by ability to bird. Now I can not onlyi see the birds, but I can also locate them by sound. This alone is worth ten times the price. You can learn more at <www.hearbirdsagain.com>. Please note that I have no proprietary interest in this company; I am just a satisfied customer. Kevin Smith |
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