Hearing Aid

I purchased my Opticon OPN-1 ( I believe this is correct for the top of the line Opticon Hearing Aids and sat through through ihree or four adjustments. These are absolutely necessary because I am a former musician (now retired) and what I hear is so important to me whether I'm driving and listening or if I am playing. The most difficult thing for me is expressing a wide dynamic range, distortion that comes off like the "Shhhh" sound of a cymbal that carries on while in conversation or the "airy" sound of background noise thar I never heard before. Most important was recognizing what I believed I actually heard but was a wide dynamic range that was new to me. Learning to hear again has been an experience I never believed I had I'm the past. I understand that the damage to my hearing was caused by loud music but I became use to what I perceived until I began to fine-tune my hearing. I learned to accept what I was missing and now understand that I learned to lip read very well. It wasn't simply accepting a hearing loss because, quite frankly I didn't believe that my hearing loss was real. Over time the correction and adjustments helped me understand what was normal and what an artificial range. I'm not sure that there is any actual understanding of what you lost until you begin to hear sounds like you haven't heard before (like crickets or the caucauphanouy of noise that is a shock to the system when trying to block out the shock of my dogs barking as I recover from a migraine or even the airyness surrounding conversation directed at two people over a table of 10 or more.) Proper adjustment is very difficult to achieve when comparing noise to directed conversation. I never understood what I had lost and it took me nearly six months to adjust to the reality of a flat sound and another with symphonic dynamic range. Wade Zarella took me though those stages and the technology is so very accurate on the Opticon Hearing aids that once you incorporate them into daily wear and the adjustment that represents the most accurate range of sound that is within the range of human hearing, the loss is even more pronounced. Try this; I live in La Quinta surrounded by a Cove of three mountain ranges. If you take your dog's out at night you might see them looking for something, usually a sound above the human range. Turn up the volume of your Opticon OPN1 until you can hear what hear like a new litter of Coyote pups. It's amazing what we miss out on or accept as normal. There is so much more occurring all around us that we miss out on that will amaze. Desert Audiology is one of the best in my book to gain the most from a hearing loss that we can restore. I highly recommend being helped by a true Audiologist who wears his product and understand how to define a specific range of hearing loss important to each if us AND putting up with this long explanation putting hearing experiences into words. Wade is very good at this and at times I fall asleep with my hearing aids in so I won't disturbed my wife who is trying to sleep!

Dr Kato is very thorough and great bed side manner

I have been seeing Lisa for over 30 years. Previously, she worked with my former audiologist, then went into business on her own. When I was no longer happy with my former audiologist or another one I found, I sought out Lisa. She has always been a consummate professional with me and is always well-informed on the latest technology. I love learning about new technologies to help my hearing (I am profoundly deaf), but I've never brought up anything she didn't already know about. I've recently been thrilled by my upgrade (after a long 10 years) to a new aid that pushes me from being profoundly deaf to within "normal" hearing ranges! I trust Lisa and her team to take care of me so thoroughly that, even though I relocated to Orange County, I still drive two hours to Palm Desert to see her.

We have been doing business with Ryan for about 10 years. He has always bent over backwards to make sure that we got the right hearing aids for my husband and I. He has also maintained them to make sure we could hear correctly. He is very knowledgeable and keeps up with he training. I highly recommend Golden State Hearing Aid Center and Ryan.

Payton and Jason are very helpful and knowledgeable. They keep the office bright and friendly, and truly do all that they can to address your hearing health concerns. I can trust the experience and expertise.

I went to Upstate Hearing a few weeks ago for the first time. They were very professional and very informative about the type of hearing aid that I needed. Some of the new hearings aids that the audiologist tried on me are remarkable. ( Bluetooth technology). I would not hesitate to recommend them to friends.

Great office staff

The staff here, from the welcoming front desk personnel to the Dr.'s made a visit here comforting and relaxing. I would recommend Paradise Hearing and Balance for all your audiologic needs.