Anyone Have Experience with EARGO?

Hearing Aids
#7

I just stumbled on an ad for Eargo a minute ago at one of the online newspapers I read. It was the first I’d seen the device, so natch, I surfed right over here to see if anyone else had info on it? And so - not for the first time! - I find info posted HERE before I’ve even heard of the device in the press or from my aud-guy.

I also shy away from canal devices - even with virtually zero ear wax as a problem. I just don’t think it’d be the best ear health to plug up the canal. Granted, these Eargos have the feathered domes … but with my loss I can imagine the leakage factor alone.

I do like the sleek look of the overall package tho! Altho I would not feel comfortable relying 100% on a rechargeable aid, for those who do, this seems like the right size. They’re selling for $2 grand a pair - about 1/3 what I paid for my Phonaks. But again, for my loss, I highly doubt this would be an optimal solution!

I’m curious as to what kind of audiogram profile would be best served here?

#8

It is more a high end PSAP. Adequate for someone with a mild-moderate sky-slope loss.

I’m not saying it is overpriced but it is at the higher end of PSAP products. Persons with good WRS and little problem with noise can get similar results at lower prices.

You paid full price for a quality, traditional hearing aid. With a good audiologist, you’'v made a very reasonable choice for a first aid by getting full support. Next time around you might consider a discounted aid of similar quality as you’ll have the initial experience behind you.

#9

For $2000 you can just get a set of real hearing aids, so what’s the point?

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#10

Is there any chance that I could persuade people to not use Acronyms? I have no idea what PSAP means and nowhere does anyone take the time to explain what it means. And there are plenty more uses of acronyms that seem to be freely used here and I don’t have a clue as to what they stand for either. It would only take a couple of extra seconds to type out the whole phrase. Or alternatively someone who is really literate in all these terms could take a lot more time and prepare a glossary of these acronyms for the benefit of everyone. Just a suggestion.

#11

PSAP stands for Personal Sound Amplifier. Discussion here can resemble Washington speak with a variety of acronyms. Google is about as fast a way to get meaning.

PSAP are self fitted and the claim is they aren’t for hearing loss but that a somewhat spurious disclaimer based on licensed professionals being required to fit “real” aids.

#12

Agreed that it would be difficult to wean people from acronyms. Google is what I use. Typically just googling the acronym does it–sometimes throwiing in “hearing” in the search sometimes helps.

#13

Google “PSAP hearing”. Don’t forget to add the term hearing. It makes a big difference.

#14

GOT IT! That’s what I figured, too. My loss is about as far from mild-moderate as the SUN from our MOON . LOL.

Just wanted to weigh in with my own acronym: 1DB (one DEAF bird!) :rofl:

#15

I looked at @AbramBaileyAuD mention of the reviews on the main site. While some are for the earlier and less expensive model, quality issues seem to pepper the reviews. OTOH, a rep from them has been doing triage.

All my experience with PSAP, while limited, has shown poor reliability issues. Those thinking about one should definitely look at the sites reviews to get a picture of that for the model that interest them.

#16

From our Eargo Plus reviews page. Here’s the info I have from Eargo:

  • Enhanced gain and frequency response characteristics to fit a wider range of hearing loss
  • Two layers of ear wax protection with removable Flexi Fibers and a removable HF4 filter
  • Numerous design modifications for increased product reliability
  • Extensive consumer support video library for greater user acceptance
  • Expanded Customer Operations center to provide immediate and personalized support
  • Each client receives a designated Personal Hearing Professional to guide them through the 45-day trial period and beyond
  • Eargo Plus is now available for purchase in all 50 states

Plus, some clarification I asked for:

  • What changes were made to gain and frequency response? We increased the gain specifically in the low to middle frequency region to help people mild low to mid frequency hearing loss. This not only allows Eargo to fit more people but helps current hearing aid users adapt to using our hearing devices.
  • How does the current wax protection system differ from the previous generation? The previous generation of Eargo only had Flexi Fibers that were glued on and could not be changed. By adding the dual layer of removable wax protection, the instances of Eargo Plus being affected by ear wax issues is minimal.
  • Anything specific you can say about design differences? Basically, the Eargo design was evaluated from every possible angle, and improvements were made with the rechargeable battery, the charger itself, the hearing aid jacket, the microphone, etc. The end result has been thousands of hearing aids and clients helped in 2017 with significantly increased reliability and very few RMAs.
#17

I purchased a set of the 1st generation eargos with a custom program back in Dec 2015. I will say they are the most comfortable device I’ve ever tried. I have gone through 4sets in 14mos.

Now onto the the problems. The first set was fine for 3 weeks and then they both just quit working. Eargo replaced them very quickly with no hassles. The second set did nothing but warble incessantly. Volume adjustments made no difference. Eargo replaced them without hassle. The third set did nothing but warble incessantly. I spoke at length with one of their audiologists Randy Sager. We walked through the feedback problem but there was no way to stop it. Eargo replaced them with no hassle. The 4th set was sent without the custom programming, Randy thought that might be the cause. Nope: the excessive feedback persisted. If I set the volume down to the lowest setting, the feedback stopped. But at that setting there was no effective amplification.
For my 5th set I was promised the new Eargo ‘Plus’. They never arrived. Eargo stopped returning my emails. Unfortunately, my recharging case with the devices inside fell out of my carry-on luggage on a business trip and I was never able to recover them. $2500 down the drain. I will say the Eargo customer sevice was great, until it wasn’t.

I believe the Eargo design is inherently flawed: the ‘Open’ design allows any amplified sounds to feedback directly into the microphone through the Flex Fibers. It’s possible the shape of my ears exacerbated the issue, but the first set seemed to be OK, until they simply quit working.

#18

I recently tried a pair of Eargo Max. I have mild to moderate hearing loss (which is what it was advertised for) and I thought they were too loud and too “bright” sounding (too much high frequency boost) even on the lowest of the 4 settings. Music sounded horrible on all settings, but not as bad on setting #1 (intended for phone use). My canals are also a bit narrow and I didn’t think they were comfortable, but I admit i didn’t wear them long enough to acclimate.

Customer service (in my experience) is superb, and the phone support I received was very professional. I spoke with US-based advisors with real names, individual email addresses and phone numbers (not an overseas call center, and I was treated as a person not a ticket number). They were great about communicating and follow-up. However, the lack of technical information and the saccharine-cute messaging in the documentation was more than a bit frustrating.

This is a one-size-fits-some product. It wasn’t right for me but I think it’s probably great for some people. No hassle about return. So my best advice is to try it if you want to, there is not much risk.

One other thing to note – they don’t tell you on the order page (because they don’t think you need to know?) but they ship UPS with signature REQUIRED. They also ship in a discrete box using a 3-letter company name so if you wanted to ship it to your place of work nobody would know it’s from Eargo. I wish I had known both of those things, because after several missed deliveries to my home I eventually had to go to the UPS depot (not nearby) where they were being held for signature. This was also very frustrating.

#19

EARGO’s web site claims that they are not PSAPs. They say that HA manufacturers must meet certain FDA criteria to call their products hearing aids rather than personal sound amplifiers. Does anyone know the facts here?

#20

A rose by any other name…

It isn’t a medical device which HA are. That’s good for the people who can benefit from such a device. Most of the laws are there to benefit those licensed to dispense hearing aids.

I guess they’ve joined the HA companies in obfuscation.

Based on your audiogram, I don’t think they are a great solution for you but likely better than nothing.

#21

Overoaked, you might find they work but you should try them AND also try a professionally fitted RIC HA. After my own experience I can’t see why you’d want to have something that works OK vs. something that works better because it is tailored EXACTLY for you.
After my experience above I went to Costco and ended up getting the latest Resound Forte 8. The sound quality is 1000 percent better, it’s more comfortable and people usually don’t notice them.
Also, the price is roughly the same.

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#22

larry2, Just to be clear, my post was simply seeking facts regarding if and how the FDA is involved in approving manufacturers’ advertising of their products as hearing aids or PSAPs. ERGO’s advertising implies that they have FDA approval to call their product a hearing aid, which I found to be interesting if not puzzling. I wasn’t commenting on the merits of ERGO’s products. I have Oticon OPNs, which I plan to stick with for a while.

#23

There was an OTC Hearing Aid Act passed not that long ago. Over the counter hearing aids do need to meet certain criteria to be able to be marketed as hearing aids. I know nothing about ERGO or the approval process.

#24

I’ve pretty much had the same problem. Good service till I finally gave up on the product. The feedback was horrific and I think it caused me further hearing loss. I am now back to asking “what” all the time.

#25

I personally did not user Eargo services but I was engaged in a long story of their relationships with my grandfather. Unfortunately, we did not check Eargo reviews beforehand like a lot of smart people do these days, so we went straight to their office and ordered a hearing aid for my grandpa. Shortly after this happening my grandfather said that he started having some problems with charging the aid. The device was indicating by the lights as fully charged, but then after 3 or 4 hours of work it was already dead. We tried to exchange the charger, but the customer support rep said that it was something wrong with our warranty or that the charger is not covered by the warranty (which is really strange) so got really frustrated and decided not to use Eargo product anymore.

#26

I realize this thread is a bit out of date, been looking into getting costco hearing aids vs these new DTC brands, was wondering if anyone, after using eargo for awhile, would recommend these?