Are Hearing Aids a Commodity?

Hearing Aids
#1

Reading the forum lately, my impression is that HA are like watches, shoes, eye glasses,…
In a sense, that like watches, you have smart watches, sport watches…, sport shoes, causal shoes, boots (I know, they’re made for walkin…), reading glasses, distance glasses, sunglasses…

Meaning, HA too are in a way similar to the above, in a sense that there is no HA that is like a Swiss Army Knife do it all.

If one can afford few HA, then maybe a Phonak Audeo for certain situation and an Oticon Intent for other situation, or maybe a Signia Pure IX and Widex SmartRIC…

Maybe I am OTT, but what is your opinion?

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#2

Hearing aids are a medical devive by description, it has the be adjusted and configured for the individual’s hearing loss.

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#3

Well, nothing stopping someone from getting two different HA and get them fitted at HCP, same for prescription eyeglasses!

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#4

That would be kinda like having single vision glasses and computer glasses.
But there is a better way , multi-focus glasses, they do it all (I use them).
With hearing aids all the new ones have auto changing with many different programs, (very much like multi-focus lenses) which can be set up for very different situations, and change automatically or manually.

I believe changing brands of ha’s several time during a day (with very different settings) would be very confusing to the BRAIN … which usually take weeks to adjust to the change when someone gets new aids.

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#5

Two different brands would not be the ideal situation, in my opinion. All hearing aids (except maybe some iic) can have several programs, that the wearer can switch to, for specific situations.

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#6

I don’t think having different brand aids is a good idea either, I can hear sound differences in the way aids process sound. I havd trailed different brands, but i keep coming back to the one i am use to. I can hear the difference in sound, maybe it is the tone maybe it is just the difference in processing of the sound or even the way sound is filtered out or left in.

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#7

Brain has been designed in a wonderful and complex way; I think it can adjust to different HAs easily than people think, it’s a no-brainer to “him” (the brain) :sweat_smile:

Bifocal or varifocal aren’t always a good choice, everyone is different.

And you read time and time again on this forum, people like this or that HA because they suit their lifestyle and requirement, but there is always something missing, which some other brand offer, hence my post.

Why switch, if you can afford a backup pair/second pair, so you can fill the missing piece of the puzzle.

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#8

This is probably true for the common hearing loss, of which i don’t have. I have backup aids but from the same company as my primary set of aids. And yes i can hear the slight difference between them. My aids are Oticon aids, first off Oticon aids are set to give as much of a surround sound as possible which i like and even need as a safety system. I live and hike in a forest that requires me to be aware of my surroundings. There are lots of wildlife, even bear. I also love the song birds and even the insect sounds. I have tried other brands of aids and felt like i had ear blinders on.
Yes i know of people that don’t want to have the surround sound, which is their liking. I grew up in the country on a farm, i don’t want to be fenced in or cut off from the bigger picture. For me and my wife we love traveling but can’t stand hotels. We take our trailer and find places to stay that isn’t so tightly packed. Yes I am claustrophobic.

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#9

Go for it and let us know how it works out for you.

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#10

Luckily, @1Bluejay hopefully will be trialing Oticon Intent, maybe she could give us her feedback on switching between Oticon and Phonak!!! :pray:t3:

#11

As hearing aid wearers and hearing loss patients we are all very individual in our needs, environments, and likes and dislikes. Even though two individuals have very similar audiograms their hearing environments and experiences will mostly mean that they have totally different hearing aid requirements that will vary from fittings to different brands of aids all together. Most individuals make their minds up about the aids they have within a few minutes to a week or so. And yes our brains are very dynamic but it still takes time for adjustments. That is why it takes any changes in habits 6 weeks normally before it is a set habit, and until that point it is a struggle to continue to stick with changes in habits This true for moving to new homes, moving to new locations. And changes in hearing aids even from the same brands.

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#12

In-case you missed this one.

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#13

Hi, I have phonaks P70t, and are pretty good, I always keep in mind that it’s never going to be like a good set of ears, but close enough, your loss is similar to mine, even hear my 2nd neighbor blowing his leaves from inside my house with windows closed, can’t complain. What’s most important is understanding what my wife says. AND … Make sure that you find a good Audi to program them properly to your needs, regardless of the brand.

#14

While I know and understand that even with my aids i will never have "normal hearing ", it doesn’t stop me from that desire, nor does it stop me from my continuous push to hear the very best i possibly can, and my audiologist is right there with me on that. I was raised to never except my second best. That doesn’t mean I have to be better than anyone else just always better than my previous best.

#15

I will! I will! I go in on Tues for hearing test and was told that the Oticon Intent trial pair will be configured that day, so I’d walk out with them. Granted, this will be a new paradigm for my hearing, so I hope I have patience and at least have a couple follow-ups to get them to sound optimal.

But I’m like INSTANT with my hearing. Usually within a couple min, it’s thumbs-UP or thumbs-DOWN. I can even tell when the shape of a rubber dome has been changed on my aids with eyes closed. It’s nuanced, but I’ll notice it.

Will post my trial in an Oticon user thread or start a new one. It could be a slam-dunk … or it could be GARBAGE! A lot depends on the person fitting these. Plus I have a large investment in Phonak mics and the redundant pairs of Lumity Life aids.

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#16

From my experience you are going to more than likely notice a huge difference in sound. How that effects you i can’t say. For me coming from Oticon when I tried the Phonak aids I thought they were very harsh sounding, and also I felt like i had ear blinders as I could only hear in front of me. I love my surround sound.

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#17

If you decide to keep them, look for a Phonak neck loop. Because the Oticons will still have telecoil you will still be able to use your Roger devices! I have seen some pretty reasonable on Ebay recently.

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#18

Thanks for your insights and advice, Gents!

cvkemp: I’m guessing that I’ll initially HATE the sound - just as I always have with every brand of aid ever since I’ve bought them. It’s only with the patience of the audi that I get the sound quality and programs set up to be near perfect. Will this new audi have that? I’m the ultimate test: determined, SUPER experienced, articulate and push back if I don’t like something.

raylock1: I also read (was it you who posted?) that the Phonak Roger mics work with Oticon EduMic. I just need someone to walk me through the yada yada.

#19

Perhaps they are a commodity. Maybe there isn’t enough competition to see real improvement

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#20

I disagree I have seen lots of improvements over my life time. My uncle woreva body hearing aid in the 1960s, and i have seen lots of improvements just in the last 20 years. But hearing aids can never replace the hearing we have lost. But maybe the medical community will find a way to regenerate the ear itself.

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