The present study 1) examined speech recognition at three intensity levels and in noise for adults with bilateral hearing loss who wore amplification and were referred for cochlear implant evaluation but did not meet current audiological criteria, and 2) compared their performance to cochlear implant recipients using current implant technology. When tested at 70 dB SPL, hearing aid subjects' word and sentence recognition scores were similar to or greater than the scores of cochlear implant recipients. Compared to their implanted peers, however, subjects' scores were significantly poorer at normal (60 dB SPL) and soft (50 dB SPL) presentation levels for words and at soft levels for sentences; detection thresholds were also significantly poorer at 1000 Hz and above. The assessment of candidates at louder-than-normal levels (i.e., 70 dB SPL) may not correctly portray their day-to-day communication struggles.