Check out Bose Hearphones. Not cheap at $499, but less than $2,500.

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/wellness/conversation_en...

I have used a pair of those in an extraordinarily loud bar. One of those places where you have to stand two feet away from each other and yell. I’m pretty deaf, but it was the other people asking me to repeat. I was understanding them fairly well. I get similar reports from other users.

They are expensive due to regulation as medical devices.

They are expensive because of the rent-seeking cartel that adds more dubious features while gradually raising the price. Even MDHearingAid, which started under $500, with a stated policy of serving a wide market at a low price, recently added one more microphone and doubled their price. They keep sending me offers of $50 off, if I buy two. Got greedy, like the rest.

Oh the good ol' "rent seeking cartel" meme again. Never heard that before.

Even though the same rent seeking cartel produces the same non medical hearing loss grade devices at lower prices. Good call.

They preferably do not. They do defend their lower flank against the coming disruption, e.g. via Costco. MDHearingAid is not part of the group of five, they are a disruptor.

Until recently, the non-medical devices have been simple amplifiers, which are technically not competitive.

Rent-seeking because they successfully lobby for Federal regulation that locks out competition by providing a high barrier to market entry.

Hearing aids now have an OTC (over the counter) bill passed in the FDA. Senator Warren lobbied for the bill for Bose. I think Bose is going to attempt to break into the D2C space with hearing aids.

So you can buy them cheaply online from low-regulation countries? Or those with broad black markets?