I hear much less speech with digitals and the other sound that I do hear cause me pain, headaches and sounds so horrible. I’ve tried numerous audiologists and different digital aids since 1998 and I have te same issue with them all. Apparently unitron have a Max coming out which is aimed at people like us that prefer the analogue sound, I don’t wanna get hy hopes up though.
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I’m talking about current digital hearing aids.
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I have one from 2013 (unitron Max e sp) and find it worse for speech than the bernafon I had in 1998. I’ve had it adjusted about 10 times by 2 different audiologists. The newer aids like the oticon opn, Signia motion, new Unitron Max with ‘classic’ programming seem really good in their write ups though and I’m interested to trial those ones. My loss is between 75-90db across the frequency range. I have no usable hearing without aids, my speech recognition in one ear is about 90% and the other is 65% in the audiologist office. Not sure if these things make a difference.
Hi,
I have a severe to profound loss (I believe 70-90db across frequencies). Have been aided since 1984. Still clinging to my 30+ year old analogue phonak superfront ppsc but am trying to get my digitals adjusted with not much support or understanding from audi. The frequencies of the digitals sound good but my voice is too loud/boomy/echoey. TV sounds amazing. Music is good. My kids voices sound muffled and quiet. Other voices seem to lack clarity but it gets better if I increase the volume but then I am wayyyy too loud and annoying. And environmental sounds are too. Any ideas please? I tried adjusting treble and bass on the useless app but it doesn’t do much at all. Could less gain, more volume help and also reduce bass for the Echo issue? I have Signia Motion 5px SP BTE. Thank you for any suggestions. I have an appointment on the 10 may to ask for another hearing test and a Real Ear Measurement too. Hopefully I can hear clearly again soon. Still has me stumped how I have more clarity with an old analogue than a fancy new digital!!
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Yeah pretty hard to make this change after using analogue HAs this long, these are linear single channel, your new digital are non-linear multi-channel, but all is not lost, most profound users will have better success with using the fitting algorithm DSLv5, which gives a more linear feel to sounds, although it’s also known that the standard gain in a first fitting is sometimes a bit louder than most people will tolerate.
So ask you audiologist if their willing to try DSLv5 for you, and to also lower some of the frequencys by a few dB.
Your lucky as these are usually a couple of the things that are quite hard to get right, hopefully if you do try DSLv5 it won’t ruin these settings for you.
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This sounds like tuning issues.
Are you streaming the phone and TV? Since they sound good. This will say a lot about how the aids are tuned comparing the good and not so good.
Somehow you and your fitter need to work this out or you need to find another fitter.
Good luck
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I have had the same issue of switching from analogue to digital hearing aid with my severe-profound hearing loss. Hearing aid manufacturers have a linear program setting that may help. There are a few HA manufacturers that have a semi-linear setting as well. My Resound HA’s have linear and semi-linear setting(as well as WDRC). My main program was set to semi-linear which gives some benefit of using compression. My second program was set to linear. After a couple of months of switching back and forth I ended up settling for the semi-linear setting due to more speech comprehension. It is known that many severe-profound hearing loss individuals have a difficult time switching from analogue to digital but studies show that digital has some benefits for profound hearing loss individuals. It could just be taking some time for your brain to get use to digital.
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Hi @dhoz, as for clarity, it is a bit of a misconception regarding more severe/profound losses, perhaps our “Holy Grail”, we crave it! Unfortunately, we might get clarity in perfect conditions, but not in the more challenging acoustic situations… Adapting to digital aids is a challenge, and I am afraid the hearing aid manufacturers will not regress, and go back to analogue, so sorry to say, adapt you must. One of my friends in the profound threshold, with a conductive loss, I have known her for 40 odd years, anyway she clung on to her old analogue BAHA aids, and refused many offers of new digital BAHA’s as she hated how digital sounded, but eventually they had become unrepairable, so out of any other options she was forced to go digital, and now she is fine… As you can see by my audiogram I am also in the severe/profound threshold, I have worn possibly 15 to 20 different sets of aids in the last 30 odd years, mostly Phonak and Oticon, both analogue & digital, I am on my 4th set of Phonak Naida’s, I have the latest Naida Paradise BTE UP with custom silicon molds, and twin walled tubing, apparently the twin walled tubing helps with feedback, and gives me another 5db of gain… These are brilliant aids, the very best I have ever owned, Bluetooth connections are rock solid, I can pair with up to 8 different devices, 2 simultaneously. Phonak TV connector is a wonderful piece of kit, I have 2, 1 on my iMac, and 1 on my TV, the sound is pristine. As for clarity, I can hear the birds again when I am out and about walking, I can also hear the kitchen clock ticking away from approximately 10 feet away… Phone calls are a breeze via Bluetooth to my iPhone x. I have only had these Naida’s for 5 weeks, and because of Covid, I have yet to try them out in a more challenging environment… Hopefully they will be fine. Good Luck, Cheers Kev.
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Hello, no I’m not streaming anything on them. It’s mostly just my daughters voices that I’m struggling with, I’ll ask the audi if she can make softer voices louder. If I can understand my daughters then the rest of the issues I’ll learn to live with. Thanks so much for your input, it is so helpful!
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Hi Kev, thank you so much for your comment it is incredibly helpful! I have screenshotted it and will show my audi the suggestions on this forum. I have always had phonak aids (analogue) and haven’t yet tried any digital phonaks. I will ask the audi about using the streaming option as well, I haven’t a clue if mine have that option yet! Good luck with your new Phonaks, hopefully they work well when you try them out in public when the situation permits. Thanks again 
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You are most welcome @dhoz 
I would say, if you have been using Phonak analogue BTE’s in the past, then adapting to the Phonak digital BTE’s aids should be easier…. They are a bit larger as they have the 675 batteries, which will last approximately 12 to 14 days with moderate streaming, TBVH I no longer notice their size, the sound is much richer, and crisper with BTE’s as opposed to RIC’s, perhaps you could trial the Phonak Naida Paradise and see how you get on? Let us know how you progress. Good luck, cheers Kev.
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Thanks Kev, the phonak analogue I wear now is BTE with a 675 battery, as are the new digital Signias (albeit they are a lot smaller) so I’m used to a bulkier aid and battery. I’ll ask the audiologist next week if I can trial the Phonak Paradise. The clinic I go to is owned/repped by Signia but have mentioned in the past that they would be willing to order in other manufacturers aids. If they cannot help me after my next appointment, I’ll be looking to change clinics. Most of them here in Australia are owned by hearing aid companies who push their own brand, giving us very little (if any) choice over what we put in our ears. We’re just expected to take what they suggest and be on our merry way.
I’ve managed to get an old analogue working really well for me today, my usual one is all green on the copper parts (trim pots etc) so assuming this was why I wasn’t hearing as usual with the analogue. I’m only 40 though so I know I need to get used to digital as the analogues won’t last me for the rest of my life! I’ll ask the audi to do a REM on the analogues and then see if she can set the digitals up close to that. I think that’s how it works anyway 
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They are slightly smaller and lighter than previous versions of Naida, so they are a bit more comfortable. I am assuming you were pre-lingually deaf (born deaf) so it may take you a while to adjust to digital, plus there will be sounds and words you haven’t heard before, but you will get there…… If nothing else we humans are great survivors, and excellent at adapting to what life throws our way! Streaming audio books is a great way to train your brain via your new aids Do not let your AuD fob you off with their brand, go elsewhere if need be! Amazingly my Naida Paradise were a first fit, no adjustments, nothing, worked perfectly fine after my AuD setup, and I am a DIY programmer with all the software and hardware, but I haven’t ever felt the need…… Cheers Kev 
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Thanks Kev, you’ve been an awesome support. I had normal hearing at birth but by time I was 4 my parents noticed the TV getting louder etc and I was diagnosed with a moderate loss. Could get by ok without hearing aids for a few years but then the loss progressed to the severe range by time I was in my early teen years. It plateaued for a couple of decades and just in the last couple of years it has slightly deteriorated again. I’m very lucky to have learnt to talk before losing my hearing and I’m quite the chatterbox and also very loud, as my family love to remind me 
audiobooks are an absolute fantastic idea, I hadn’t considered that! You’re a wealth of knowledge it’s great you can self program your hearing aids if need be, I’m so used to doing my own adjustments on the analogue so it’s a bit frustrating having to wait for audiologist appointments to get adjustments on the digitals.
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Thank you for the very kind comments I get a lot of satisfaction from hopefully pointing folks in the right direction, if I can? I previously worked as a specialist support worker for the Deaf and HOH, also as a Deaf Awareness Tutor, so I have retained some knowledge from those days, but nothing beats personal experience, and over the years, I made many mistakes through ignorance! Knowledge is a powerful thing if handled correctly…… For my sins, I now work with Criminal Justice, I take the bad boys and girls out to work in the community, it can be both challenging and rewarding in equal measure, and ultimately sometimes very frustrating, but I do get the occasional success story, which in turn gives me such a high! Cheers Kev.
John! You took the words out of my mouth. Digital to me is like nails on a chalkboard. I will end up mentally insane if I cannot get my hands on an analogue. Can I ask what you’re using now and how it’s sounding for you?
Have you tried this unitron aid and how close is it to analogue? I’m going through the awful process of trying to cope in the digital world and I’m losing my mind.
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@kaylee Could you edit your profile and provide your current audiogram? I might suggest you look in to Phonak Lyric’s, but I don’t know if they’ll fit your needs. (They are analog.)
They also have some disadvantages, like having to visit the audi every couple of months when the batteries die.
I’m quite happy with mine…
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Also, $$$$. They are reputed to be pricey.
WH
I don’t know … it depends on what you’re comparing them against. If you have the mindset that without features like bluetooth, etc, they shouldn’t be compared with models that DO have those features, then perhaps they are pricey. They are about half the price for top-of-the-line Phonak or Oticon models, but that “half the price” is an annual cost with these. So at the end of the 2nd year you’re paying money in to it that you probably wouldn’t have to otherwise.
I’m way too new to this game to know how often most end up buying new devices…
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