Alera 761

Hearing Aids
#1

Hello… I am new to these forums…

I am about to get some ear amps for the first time, and my audiologist is suggesting/recommending Resound Alera 761.

As a rule, I like to do my due diligence before buying, however, I can’t seem to find any reference to this make/model on the internet, in fact, not even on the Resound site.

I called Resound, and they say the model is actually their Alera RIE 61 - and comes in 3 different models: 561, 761, and 961, however, I still am a bit lost and confused in trying to find information on this unit.

In particular, I am looking for opinions or reviews on the 761. Can anyone help?

#2

Mine is the Resound Future, Costco’s version of the Alera 9 RIE. The model you are looking at is the midrange, Alera 7. Here is a page that compares features.

http://www.resound.com/~/media/DownloadLibrary/ReSound/Products/Alera/alera-feature-overview.pdf

I can tell you, the features of the top model work. Two thumbs up from me. The 7 is missing a couple of the big name features but should still work fine. Only a trial will tell for sure.

#3

Also, here is a good article about wearing hearing aids for the first time.

http://www.hearinglosshelp.com/articles/hearingaidfriends.htm

For me, it was really life changing to get hearing aids. In a group setting in a loud restaurant, I would sit on the end so I would not have to participate too much because I just couldn’t understand people when there was any background noise. Now, I don’t have to compensate in all those situations where I couldn’t understand before.

#4

Don, thanks for the reply and the links.

Oh, my! Looking at that comparison chart made my mind spin… so many new (to me) terms and expressions… most of which I have no idea. Gonna have to take a course on this to learn what it all means!

Fo me, hearing drops off dramatically after about 1000 Hertz. I have very much trouble hearing anywhere there is high ambient background noise, such as pretty much any public area, like bars, restaurants, etc. I can no longer hear anything at the higher frequencies - such a alarm beeps, birds, etc. I am hoping these new Alera 761s will help me.

What I am really looking for is a review or opinion on these Alera 761s from some people that have them already. The company can sprout all it can about the quality of their products, but I take that with a grain of salt. The best opinions are from people that are using the product.

#5

Check out the ReSound Facebook page where several users have posted comments about their ReSound hearing aids.

#6

With your 1000 Hz rolloff I’d think you’d have trouble with articulation even in a quiet room. Is that the case?
See figure 2, below
http://www.polycom.com/global/documents/whitepapers/effect_of_bandwidth_on_speech_intelligibility_2.pdf
I think it was Bell Labs that said that 65% of the intelligibility is over 1500 Hz.

Audible indicators are still easy for me.
http://www.mallory-sonalert.com/3_2.htm

#7

Ok, I have had my new Resound Alera ear amps for a couple of weeks now… had to go back to get my audiologist to boost the amplification a bit last week, and seems much better now.

During my last visit, I also picked up the remote control for adjusting volume and programs… it was back-ordered. I am quite impressed with the level of volume control (up and down) I can achive with this remote.

What I am now interested in, is a bluetooth adapter. My audiologist says there is a device available that uses bluetooth to interface between my ear amps and my iphone, but he was unsure if it would work with anything other than a phone.

My question: can I listen to music on my iphone with it? Also, I was thinking of getting the TomTom GPS app for my iphone, and using it on my motorcycle and having it send me directions via bluetooth to my ear amps. Is this possible with this device?

And lastly, when talking to the folks at Costco a while back, they said there was a bluetooth device that could be used with legacy iPods… you plug a cable into the iPod and the other end into the bluetooth adapter, and it sends the music via bluetooth to the ear amps. However, I am not sure if this device was for Resound or another brand. Is it possible to get a device like this to interface with my Alera 761’s?

#8

Yes, you should be able to listen to music from your phone, and other bluetooth devices should be able to pair and connect. The device is called the Resound Unite Phone Clip.

Problem is, the sound is not that great. Your audiologist can make some adjustments and give you a little bass, but overall, just “OK” sound (not as good as ear buds).

The other device is called the Resound Mini-microphone. It has a microphone so someone could speak into that and it would go right into your hearing aids, and it has a line-in so you can plug a wire from the headphone jack of anything, into the line-in of the mini-microphone.

Since it is not geared primarily for phone use the mini-microphone may have better quality, I haven’t tried it.

#9

The Unite Phoneclip+ is wonderful for any Bluetooth phone including my Blackberry and new iPhone 5 but forget about listening to music - it would be awesome but it doesn’t work across the frequency range - if you actually enjoy music then stick to earbuds (although frustrating swapping over all the time.)

Streaming directions from your iPhone while on a motorbike works awesome with earbuds BUT I can’t get my helmet over my HA’s so couldn’t test that part. Even pulling my helmet over earbuds takes a few goes to avoid dislodging them - remember your helmet is supposed to be a close fit.

Funny experience last Saturday - using my iPhone with my earbuds for directions and iPhone in tank bag. Got into a traffic jam and iPhone advised it was shutting down due to overheat danger. I could only revive it once I got speed (wind) up.

#10

test the FORZA at costco if possible. i think it will bea better and

b cheaper. and very nsimilar.

good luck!

elijah

UOTE=Pauleduc;80530]Hello… I am new to these forums…

I am about to get some ear amps for the first time, and my audiologist is suggesting/recommending Resound Alera 761.

As a rule, I like to do my due diligence before buying, however, I can’t seem to find any reference to this make/model on the internet, in fact, not even on the Resound site.

I called Resound, and they say the model is actually their Alera RIE 61 - and comes in 3 different models: 561, 761, and 961, however, I still am a bit lost and confused in trying to find information on this unit.

In particular, I am looking for opinions or reviews on the 761. Can anyone help?