Advice on new aids and speech understanding

I have had two hearing aids so far: living in the UK, I first had in-ear aids from Specsavers (I don’t know the real make - they told me they were ‘own brand’). I found these physically uncomfortable and tiring to wear, but my main problem was lack of continuity in support - rotating audiologists between shops, so never seeing the same auiologist twice. When those aids died I got NHS behind the ear Signia aids, using NAL-NL2. I found these more comfortable, and with much better support. However, I have now moved to Portugal so no longer have access to the British NHS. Amplification in the right aid is now failing, so I will need to replace the pair.

There are three hearing aid suppliers in Portugal, Widex (not so widespread, but their audiologists seem to have a good reputation), Audika (who do Oticon), and Audição Activa (who as far as I can tell do only Nexia, and seem to aim at the cheaper end of the market with shops everywhere).

My main problem with hearing (with an aid) is speech comprehension. Even when the sound is otherwise good I seem to struggle unless I can lip-read. For example, I find it almost impossible to understand the radio. I know this is an ear, not brain, problem, since I can understand the radio (in English or Portuguese) without problems using bone-conduction headphones without a hearing aid. My NHS audiogram shows bone conduction 10dB above headphones at 500 and 750Hz Hz, equal at 1000 and 2000Hz, 20dB above at 3k 15dB above at 4kHz.

I am now 70, and have used hearing aids for the last 7 years when the hearing loss started making meetings impossible, However, I already had trouble understanding lyrics to music in my 20s (as I realised when I found my wife knows the lyrics to almost everything without ever having read them).

The ideal for me would be to be able to experiment with different settings for myself. My current Signia app only lets me control volume and something like treble/bass (also direction for the ‘universal’ setting). I do not know if apps for other aids allow more control. l would guess that none give any control over relative temporal/frequency accuracy, which might be related to my speech problem, but it would be good to know what I might be able to do and the distributors don’t tell you this kind of thing.

Can anyone give me any advice, specifically about how to go about improving the speech understanding problem?

Thanks

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It sound like you are ready for and asking to program your aid’s YOURSELF.
I am 86 years young and have been programing my aids for many years.
I believe it is the best way to take control of your own hearing … there is a DIY section on hearing tracker : Hearing Aid Self-Fitting and Adjusting [DIY] - Hearing Aid Forum - Active Hearing Loss Community
You will need a windows computer and a NoahLink Wireless progaming device ($100 to $200) on ebay .
The software is available here on the DIY thread, and also help there.

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Start by reprogramming the aids you have now and learn … you might find they can do what you want them to do … HEAR BETTER.

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My current ones are faulty, and need replacing. The only available brands for my replacement are Widex, Oticon, and Nexia. Which is best for self reprogramming?

Rather simple once you get the hang of the software for each, but the new Widex hearing aids cannot be self-programmed as it used cloud-based software with logins only available to registered audiologists and hearing instrument specialists attached to a retailer.

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I have the Nexia’s and they are very good aids and can be self programed with the NoahLink wireless
There is a newer model Resound Vivia same as Costco Jabra 30 … it has the AI chip for better speech in noise .
Spain has several Costco’s … if you are close to one they are much less expensive there.

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I would not recommend Widex for two reasons. Their new model is cloud based and the audiologist has very limited access to configuration currently. For example, they cannot configure the Widex in Nal-NL2 mode mode.

As far as speech clarity is concerned, I have found Oticon Intent 1 the best. I have just finished a trial of Oticon Intent 1 and Widex Allure 440 and there is no comparison. Oticon beats Widex in speech clarity hands down and I find Oticon are not as loud as Widex.

Can’t comment on Nexia as I have never heard of them. Just be aware that the single biggest problem with Widex at the moment is their new aid was rushed to market and many audios are complaining that they cannot change - what used to be basic settings - such as Nal-NL2. Widex cloud system is just not ready for operations.

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What!? It is indefensible, it is so pointless…

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