To give you an idea of how much in-ear medical devices like hearing aids cost this will reflect how affordable music devices are:

1. Cochlear implants with all pre and post services included (Surgery, therapy, rehab): 60K one ear/side average North American rate
2. TransEar device for single sided deafness: $3500 one ear average Central CA price
3. High end Digital Hearing Aids (active lifestyle, Datalogging, almost a terabyte of memory, remote control, wireless connectivity to tv and bluetooth): $6600-$8200 pair
4. Basic Digital Hearing Aids (non-active, nursing home): $1490 a pair

With government and corporate health care in effect add at least 10% for taxes to these prices soon as Obama-Care goes to town on the medical world. Currently there is zero tax on medical devices like hearing aids, that will soon change. How does one put a price on the emotional connection sound gives us as we live our lives, talk with friends, listen to our children sing a song, or the quiet whisper your first born makes? Corporate health care is not for me!