Having had an operation for Mastoid in my left ear due to Meningitis over ten years ago I have been left with approximately 14% hearing, all of it bass and muffled. The ear drum survived but the ear canal had to be rebuilt and a hole repaired where the infection went around and under the ear drum, this in turn attacked the small bones that create sound.

I was fitted with a hearing aid which did help a little with speech but I could never get on with it. Without realising it for quite some time I had learnt to lip read, this didn't become apparent until covid and everyone was wearing masks. I stopped using the hearing aid as I found it easier to lip read.

Music was no longer enjoyable and for years I rarely played at all. I asked about hearing aids which would work for music but my audiologist at the hospital said it was unlikely that I would get near to what I was hoping for with some form of aid. Then he suggested bone conductive headphones, but was unsure as to how effective, or even if they would be effective.

I found some online, Shokz open run pro and thought it was worth a try. They are not headphones in the traditional sense as they do not cover the ears, they sit just in front of the ears on the bony part of the skull. You still hear what is going on around you, I think they were designed for joggers. The sound is not as good as a traditional headphone but in my case is much better. They are not perfect, too much bass and they tend to make a sort of buzz inside your head. They may or may not be suitable for all with hearing loss but as they cost around £150 it might be worth giving them a try. I see that there are a lot more choices now available.