Some of you will remember I posted THIS article on Earhooks recently, earphones for hearing aid wearers.  Whilst they are good, there's one slight drawback with them.  If the hooks slip or move, the volume can change.  This is because the coil inside the hooks moves further away from the pick-up coil in your hearing aids.  So they are not took good for when jogging or exercising.

So I decided to try something different.  DI Shoes.  Direct Input Shoes. I've never tried them before.



Also available from Connevans, these Direct Input Shoes are designed to fit most makes and models of BTE hearing aids (there are different shoes for different aids).  They clip onto the hearing aids, making contact with the direct input contacts of your hearing aid.  



The shoes are sold individually and are not cheap.  Mine (shown above) were £13 each!  £26 for a pair!  Ouch!  In addition, you need a lead which are available in several different lengths and in black or white.  I chose the 1 metre length in white, £20.79. Ouch again!



I tested them out for the first time and I was immediately VERY impressed by the sound quality.  And great stereo too! (Stereo is something you cannot get from a loop system)  In use, they look just like you're wearing earphones.  The only slight downside is removing your hearing aid to fit and remove the shoes each time but that takes only seconds.  When clipped on, I could hear 4 beeps, signifying the hearing aids had selected program 4, the one set up for DI Shoes.  The Mic was also active at the same time so I could also hear my wife talking at the same time as listening to my music.  I expect this could be changed by my audiologists though, if I wanted to. 

While these were not cheap, they're worth every penny! I think I'll be using the DI Shoes more often now, rather than the Earhooks.

I hates those aids shoes, they come with radio aids at school, they are so annoying to take it off. Teachers always saying take aid out and pull shoes off carefully but we kids just yank them out of our aids with aids still in ears. Lol!!

I've never used them before, Speedy but I'm loving them as earphones at the moment.
Of course, mine aren't radio. Just a 3.5mm jack for MP3 player, mobile phone, laptop etc.

same here!!! lol

i remember them at school too i use to hate them so much! as i could never take it off the hearing aid as it was s tigh fit Also i didnt bother to put it on T (as i wanted to hear around me not at the teacher only)! i also got a set at home for mp3 players and that they are good but it old fashed for me now

Lol, I don't always put them on too. Most of the time I pretend that I have put it on but when really I just loop the wire over my ear, as long I don't move my head too much it stays there lol. Radio Aids are useless for me anyway, don't see the point of it for me but I can see it is useful for others.

yeah it uneless if it for a group talk (as i was in a hearing school when i had the radio) i coulnt hear what other poeple said also the teacher have to pass their radio onto them so they can talk on to it but then again i never borther with the T i eather take the battery out of it, push the thing out just a bit so it not pluged in, (i dont know what they are called but they are this square thing if u know what i mean) and when i was in ohs i always have exuse that it not working lol or lose the shoes, but in the end they stoped using it.

anyway to leg glad u found something to enjoy it with and u can able to run with it with out the hook having to fly allover the place