@runner: I like this. It’s one of the most concise statements on hearing aid brands that I have seen.
@hpres: Because of the number of Oticon technical white papers on their site, I haven’t “Oneboxed” individuals … it’s easy to navigate their download site.
I can’t help you with the Philips technical stuff, unfortunately.
Good luck.
I suspect this is the Phillips whitepaper: https://wdh01.azureedge.net/-/media/hearing-solutions/pdf/global/white-papers/ph_hl_wp_next_generation_20-h2_uk.pdf?la=en&rev=9313&hash=6E4EE44D06F0E2D5210F21BB5B871769
apologies for asking a “newbie” question here, I’m considering getting my first paid of aids, have been putting it off for years. Costco hearing aids are perfect price range but I’ve heard they are older models made by bigger brands? Are connectivity on these reliable?
The Costco models may or may not be the latest model, but they are still quite current. I think many would question if the connectivity on ANY hearing aid is reliable. Costco’s are no better or worse. Your hearing loss should be able to be helped by any of the brands that Costco carries. Connectivity is a little tricky because people mean different things. There’s streaming from a cell phone. There’s streaming from other devices like computers. There’s an app that allows some control over the hearing aid. Not every phone is compatible. Some are compatible with the app, but not streaming. Sometimes even the HA fitters aren’t clear.
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@MDB already gave you the link for the Phillips Hearlink 9030 whitepaper.
If you want the MoreSound Intelligence whitepaper (that I referred to) for comparison with the Phillips Hearlink 9030 whitepaper, here’s that link: https://wdh01.azureedge.net/-/media/oticon/main/pdf/master/whitepaper/69674uk_tech_paper_moresound_intelligence.pdf?la=en&rev=3F19&hash=B5DB11DE0F46CCEF6E2409805F73A672
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ah thank you for the reply! I just thought connectivity as in being able to stream from my phone and TV, didn’t know there’re all these types. Just wondering do these Phillips HAs allow for phone streaming and android connections?
They are “Made for iPhone” and they are “ASHA” compatible which means they will basically work with Pixel 3 and later and Samsung S10 and later phones. If you want wider Android compatibility you’ll need the KS9 or Phonak Brio 4 models or you’ll need another device to go carry along with your hearing aids.
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VOLUSIANO and MDB
Thanks for the links to both white papers.
In my observations of the new Phillips Hearlinks, I failed to mention there was no difficulty connecting to my iPhone 10 with iOS 14.4.1 or iPad Air 4 and actually connected faster than my KS-8s. Just like my KS-8s, the auto handoff feature of both Apple’s mfi or the LE Bluetooth standard did not work but turning off streaming on the device not in use overcomes that glitch.
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I’ve observed the MFI auto handoff feature work only 1 time between my iPhone 7 Plus and iPad for my OPN 1, and that’s probably by random chance. Most of the times it doesn’t work. And yes, that’s common knowledge that you can pair your MFI hearing aids with multiple iOS devices and just turn off BT on the unused device guarantees that you get proper MFI connection with the chosen device.
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I don’t normally give reviews, but this is something you should know if you are a musician and you need a hearing aid. Costco’s Jabra hearing aids are pretty special. I initially bought a pair of Philips aids, but they interpreted my cello sounds as feedback, and gave a very fast, annoying vibrato/tremolo to every note I heard being played. I would have had to play my cello without the aids. I did a lot of research, and was going to return to Costco with a list of adjustments that I wanted; I doubt that the Philips could even be calibrated the way needed. Then I found out by the research (see link below) that the Jabra hearing aids incorporate technology from their parent company, Resound. They have a special “music mode” that is more than just tweaking the settings—it accomplishes all that I had wanted. This includes: an increase in the peak decibel limiting level to 106dB (since music is unlike speech), wide dynamic range compression, lower compression ratios, more accurate cancelling of feedback, omnidirectional sound pickup, noise controls turned to “off.” If you play a musical instrument, these are the ones to get! The speech mode is, in my opinion, just as good as the Philips, and you get more control of how you want it to sound. There is also a setting for noisy situations, such as conversations in restaurants. Costco was very good about exchanging my Philips aids for the Jabra ones.
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Which Jabra aids did you buy? Did you compare the preset music modes in each? Did you try Widex which some musicians seem to like?
Jabra Enhance Pro 20. I did try the preset music mode in Philips but it is not at all the same; it produced the impossible to bear tremolo effect. The Jabras have differences in their capabilities, not just calibration differences. The Jabras incorporate the changes in the research paper I listed, which refers to the research of Dr. Chasik and others. No, I did not try the Widex. They are much, much more expensive than what Costco offers, and Costco’s Jabras (which are made by Resound) solve all my problems. I have severe to profound hearing loss in the most crucial frequencies of my cello, and yet these hearing aids allow me to now play and hear the overtones which were previously lopped off on the input of most other hearing aids. And no tremolo effect. Try them. Costco gives a 6 month free trial during which they can be returned. (I have no connection to Costco except as a satisfied customer).
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That pdf is an interesting read. Music is a big part of my life and it is important for me to get the best out of a music program. I am being fitted with philips 9040’s next week, I had read many people having positive experiences with the way they handle music however there seems to be occasional mention of the vibrato effect. If I run into similar problems I will have a go at the jabras.
The researcher I meant to refer to is Dr. Marshall Chasin. You can find his research online about on music and hearing aids, but the article I have cited sums up the important points. Higher decibel input, lower compression ratios, wider frequency range, and a specific feedback programs that does not interpret musical tones as feedback. I rarely endorse products, but it took me a long time to find this research. And the Jabras have made such a difference for me, that I thought it was important to share my experience as a musician and save time for others who may be experiencing similar problems.
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This is always a good place to start for those of you having trouble with your music.
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I’m surprised to hear this. 106 dB input dynamic range is not that impressive. I googled the input dynamic range for hearing aids and the ReSound LiNX Quattro is said to have 116 dB SPL. I know Oticon has 113 dB SPL. Phonak probably has the same 113 dB SPL as well, IIRC.
I have Philips 9040s (my first HAs and just got them in December so quite new to all this) and hated them for music when I just used the general program - had that vibrato effect you’re talking about whenever listening to a sustained note, and a lot of suppression where there shouldn’t have been. Getting the audiologist to install the Philips music program (they call it “hifi music”) and then also fiddling about with the equalizer settings in the phone app was a game-changer for me.
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Good to know, I’m getting fitted with the 9040’s tomorrow. I will make sure the audi adds the hifi program.
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I have the 9030’s and hifi program really boosts low and high frequency gains too much for me. I would not call it tremolo as much a distortion, pitch shifting with some high frequency notes, etc. They still have anti-feedback on medium with HiFi program and with those boosts they need it. I tried turning the feedback off at first and got lots of feedback. I tweaked the hifi program radically but gradually until my electric guitar sounded right on the very highest notes and it took about 6 complete time consuming iterations. It took a 14 dB reduction in the 3k-8k range and 3 db in the 1.5k-2.5k range along with one volume increment in the app (-2.5dB) to get them to sound right. I left the feelback at medium but likely can turn it off now.
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