Life is full of aha moments. Ian O'Malley's most profound aha happened just recently, after popping in a pair of hearing aids at the behest of his audiologist. For the first time I detected the slight rasp in my wife's voice, he says. During their 14 years of marriage the couple had shared so much, yet Ian was still missing out on one very important facet of their relationship the warm and fuzzy feelings evoked by the sound of a loved one's voice. It took a simple change of habit wearing hearing aids to deepen that emotional connection and for Ian to accept the reality of his hearing loss.
Signs of Decline
There were telltale signs of Ian's hearing decline. Even at the age of 30 I found myself asking people to repeat themselves way too often, he recalls. A prominent radio host in NYC at the time, instant replay at work had become a godsend. Ian considered these hearing challenges nothing more than minor inconveniences he could easily deal with. And he did. Quite well, in fact. His career flourished and life was good. The thought of wearing hearing aids never crossed his mind even well into his 40s until he met his soon-to-be-wife.
Concert Tip Off
Ironically, it was a rock concert that tipped her off to Ian's condition. For most of his career Ian had attended three to five concerts a week. It was part of the job, a fun part, but one that in hindsight had taken a toll on his hearing. My ears would ring for days afterward, says Ian, describing what he now knows was tinnitus a persistent ringing in the ears caused by noise exposure. He had always chalked it up to a harmless side effect that would fade after a day or two. He never really considered the long-term consequences. After attending a concert with his wife, his outlook changed.
She was shocked that I didn't wear earplugs, he says. Ian obliged and earplugs became a requisite from then on. Also part of the deal was an appointment with an audiologist. Conversations with Ian were tough at times. She thought that I either wasn't listening to her or that I was forgetting, Ian says. I certainly didn't want her to feel that either was happening, so I made an appointment. A hearing test confirmed hearing loss, mostly audio in the high-frequency range: Bingo! Precisely the range of most female voices. In the back of my mind I knew my hearing had declined, but I guess until I witnessed the impact it was having on loved ones, I wasn't willing to do something about it.
Overcoming the Stigma
Plus, Ian had to come to terms with the stigma associated with hearing aids. When I think of hearing aids, I immediately visualize a huge earpiece connected to a long cord of fishing line.' Why would I want to resign myself to wearing something so conspicuous when I can get by without them? Again, Ian's reluctance quickly turned into acceptance the second he was fitted with a pair. The slim, modern design of the hearing aids offered by his audiologist wasn't at all what he expected.
He also didn't expect his hearing to so vastly improve. The first thing I did was stand outside and just listen. The wind blowing through the trees, the birds chirping, the sounds were distinct and clear. Ian compares the experience to a plate of assorted food versus a stew where all sounds mix together and ingredients are hard to discern. The experience was fascinating, and one that Ian didn't want to lose. Pink Floyd, one of my favorite bands, definitely crossed my mind. I knew that with hearing aids I'd really be able to enjoy all the musical nuances and unique sound effects of their concert performances. I wish I would have gotten hearing aids 10 years ago!
Widex Gets it Just Right
Like many new experiences, the novelty can wear off over time. The longer he wore his first pair of hearing aids, the more he discovered elements of the design and functionality that weren't quite right. It's hard to express exactly what the issue was, I just felt that I needed something different, he reflects. Ian shared his reservations about his inaugural pair of hearing aids with his audiologist during a follow-up exam. She suggested he try a pair of Widex SmartRIC hearing aids. They turned out to be the perfect solution. Admittedly, when this journey began, I didn't know enough about hearing aid brands or technologies to ask the right questions, Ian says. The right choice for Ian came down to trial and error.
The Widex SmartRIC's superior directionality, reduced wind and touch noise, and improved battery life made a huge difference in the quality of Ian's hearing aid experience. My colleague and morning show host at the radio station had spoken highly of the Widex hearing aids she wears. I can understand why! Remember seeing HDTV for the first time? You could see the improvement over analog TV immediately. It's the same with the Widex SmartRIC hearing aids. The comparison to my original hearing aids and improvement of my hearing in general is remarkable. Ian isn't just hearing better; he's hearing sounds the way they were meant to be heard, with greater realism and dimension a tribute to the Widex SmartRIC's TruAcoustics technology.
The technology does such a good job, I usually just leave the hearing aids in Universal mode, Ian says. The hearing aid adjusts automatically to the environment, so everything sounds very natural. A setting that Ian does occasionally adjust via the Widex smartphone app is the equalizer, raising or lowering the bass and treble to his liking. During road trips he might also access the directional settings to focus on and emphasize audio coming from the left or right, depending on if he's a passenger or driver. Ian also finds the Widex hearing aids invaluable as he pursues a career in real estate. This is
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
28/10/2025
ESPN Announces Monsters Funday Football', Its Latest Real-Time Animated Bro...
28/10/2025
SVG All-Stars: Catherine Chalfant, Manager, Remote Operations, ESPNThe Ole Miss alum is an operational force behind ESPN's extensive college-football catalo...
28/10/2025
Elevating the experience: AI and data take Ryder Cup to the next level By Joe OHalloran
Tuesday, October 28, 2025 - 10:25
Print This Story
NBC produced th...
28/10/2025
Conquering the Air (waves): Taking a close up look at the IBC Accelerator Priva...
28/10/2025
World Series 2025: Spectrum SportsNet LA Brings Dodgers Fans Closer to the Actio...
28/10/2025
Dylan Southern and Benedict Cumberbatch at the premiere of The Thing with Feathers (photo by George Pimentel / Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)...
28/10/2025
For three weeks in Lagos, Spotify's Greasy Tunes Caf pop-up brought the cit...
28/10/2025
Once a niche subculture, German rap has evolved into an influential cultural movement. Now, Spotify is giving the genre a new home with OFFCULT, a playlist dedi...
28/10/2025
Shane Delia's Malta serves up the Mediterranean this summer
28 October, 2025
Media releases
Feast on 9,000 years of culinary history Mondays from 24 No...
28/10/2025
SBS's global sporting festival continues with the FIVB Beach Volleyball Worl...
28/10/2025
Bilbao, October 28, 2025 - AgileTV, a leading technology solutions company for t...
28/10/2025
Disney, NBCUniversal, FOX, Paramount Each Achieve Double-Digit Monthly Growth
...
28/10/2025
CINCINNATI The E.W. Scripps Company has announced an agreement to sell WRTV, its local ABC-affiliated station in Indianapolis, to Circle City Broadcasting for $...
28/10/2025
Berklee College of Music and Berklee Valencia Named to Billboards 2025 Top Music...
28/10/2025
NEW YORK As AI usage continues to spike, a new study from IAB delves into an important aspect of how AI is transforming the advertising business with new data s...
28/10/2025
Charlie Jablonski, a broadcast tech pioneer who helped shape the modern era of Olympics television coverage, died Oct. 25 at his home in Lake George N.Y., the N...
28/10/2025
VIENNA, Austria Bitmovin has launched Bitmovin Observability, a new stand-alone video data solution that delivers real-time insights into video playback. The so...
28/10/2025
LOS ANGELES LucidLink, the file streaming platform, has announced a Frame.io integration and expanded mobile capabilities at Adobe Max....
28/10/2025
Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitably connect the right content to the right audience, today announced that it has joined the Ama...
28/10/2025
Lightware, an industry leader in connectivity and signal management solutions, has announced a major update to its Taurus
platform, which now delivers flawless...
28/10/2025
Following a successful mid-September International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam, Hiltron Communications will promote its full range of satellite communi...
28/10/2025
Open Broadcast Systems has chosen MC&S (Media Consulting & Services) as a reseller to help strengthen its presence in France.
With over twenty years of experi...
28/10/2025
Bitmovin, leading provider of video streaming solutions, has launched Bitmovin Observability, a new stand-alone video data solution that delivers real-time insi...
28/10/2025
Ease Live, the leader in interactive TV technology, today announced the successful launch of interactive graphical overlays for UEFA Champions League matches fo...
28/10/2025
LucidLink, the file streaming platform, today at Adobe MAX announced a Frame.io integration and expanded mobile capabilities, streamlining collaboration and hel...
28/10/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has promoted Nick Hasenecz to general manager of WNDU, its NBC affiliate in the South Bend-Elkhart, Ind., market....
28/10/2025
Applications Open for Berklee Fenway Neighborhood Improvement Grant Boston nonprofits can apply by December 12 for funding to support community projects that ...
28/10/2025
28 Oct 2025
VEON's JazzCash Wins Silver Award for Innovation in Lending at ...
28/10/2025
Guests include Wayne Rooney, Maya Jama, Dame Laura Kenny, Chloe Kelly, Chris McC...
28/10/2025
The two-hour special, recorded live from the iconic Dolby Theatre in LA, will ai...
28/10/2025
Eutelsat upgrades teleports with Rohde & Schwarz satellite uplink amplifiers High efficiency and resilient Ku-band amplifiers for excellent RF performance
...
28/10/2025
These appointments come at a pivotal time for ABC, as the organisation continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of a digital-first media ecosystem. The ne...
28/10/2025
Scripps Research awarded $4 million to advance platform for neurodevelopmental disorders The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) grant support...
27/10/2025
You can touch this: Haptics becoming central to the virtual live experience By Adrian Pennington
Friday, October 24, 2025 - 09:12
Print This Story
The vid...
27/10/2025
A tale of two trailers: France's Stop & Go doubles up with its new hybrid tr...
27/10/2025
Pro Padel League Stages City's Cup Finals Inside NYC's Hammerstein Ballr...
27/10/2025
World Series 2025: Sportsnet Delivers Made-in-Canada' Moment for a Nation U...
27/10/2025
ESPN Extends Partnership With Sony's Beyond Sports To Expand Animated Altern...
27/10/2025
Reid Davenport attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Life After at The Ray Theatre on January 27, 2025, in Park City, UT. (Photo by Robin Marsha...
27/10/2025
As the days grow shorter and the nights get darker, there's nothing like getting swept up in a story that sends shivers down your spine. In honor of spooky ...
27/10/2025
UPDATE: Both parties have reached a new carriage agreement....
27/10/2025
LONDON As Hollywood jumps into the production of mini-dramas, a new study from Ampere Analysis finds that more than one in 10 internet users have watched drama ...
27/10/2025
LONDON Yealink, a provider of unified communication and collaboration solutions, has joined the NDI ecosystem with the availability of its SmartVision 80 premiu...
27/10/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Chris Conroy as general manager of its stations in Cleveland, leading WOIO, a CBS affiliate, The CW station WUAB and Telemundo outl...
27/10/2025
ESPOO, Finland European connectivity leaders Nokia and Ericsson, have partnered with Berlin's Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI), to shape and drive ...
27/10/2025
PHILADELPHIA Comcast has expanded NOW TV Latino, its Spanish-language live TV and streaming offering, adding five more channels from Univision, ViX Premium with...
27/10/2025
Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics, will present its latest products and solutions at InterBEE 2025 (Hall 5, Booth 5218) Makuhari Messe in Chiba, ...
27/10/2025
Back to All News
City of Shadows, the New Netflix Thriller Arrives on December 12
Entertainment
27 October 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Downl...
Life is full of aha moments. Ian O'Malley's most profound aha happened just recently, after popping in a pair of hearing aids at the behest of his audiologist. For the first time I detected the slight rasp in my wife's voice, he says. During their 14 years of marriage the couple had shared so much, yet Ian was still missing out on one very important facet of their relationship the warm and fuzzy feelings evoked by the sound of a loved one's voice. It took a simple change of habit wearing hearing aids to deepen that emotional connection and for Ian to accept the reality of his hearing loss.
