#1

I’m shopping for a custom ITC hearing aid with bluetooth. I want better understanding of soft speech and better speech clarity in noise. I DON’T care about visibility - my RIC is less visible than an ITC will be. I want bluetooth so I can use an Iphone app. I’m looking at Custom or Omnia by Resound, Oticon OWN and Phonak Virto Paradise M312. Oticon has Soft Speech Booster, Phonak has Speech Enhancer, and Resound claims 150% better speech understanding in noise. Are these features effective or just marketing hy

#2

From what I understand Bluetooth is a challenge with ITC due to their small size and there is no good place external to the body for the antenna. Why ITC instead of RIE? You can custom molds for RIC but most of the electronics are tucked behind the ear.

#3

I may end up going with RIC but they don’t work well with my glasses, masks, or parka hoods. If I do get an RIC I will definitely goo with custom molds.

#4

I have RIC and glasses. I had to wear masks during COVID. For those that loop over the ears, one tip is to remove the loop from the top of the ear first.

For soft speech and speech in noise I get my Oticon More 1 aids tomorrow. The new model Real aids were introduced last week in some countries.

#5

Of the three manufacturers you mentioned, Resound’s new customs are the only ones that are rechargeable. My biggest gripe with Resound, however, is that their programming software does not allow for near as fine of tuning as Oticon and Phonak re: fitting bands.

Phonak’s and Resound’s apps are more functional than Oticon’s, but I like Oticon’s sound quality better FWIW. In our clinic, we have had significantly less issues with Bluetooth connectivity with Oticon, but Phonak using classic bluetooth to connect to more things without a streamer is significant for some people.

Oticon’s Soft Speech Booster and Phonak’s Speech Enhancer are not features I access or need to consider regularly, so I can’t speak to the objective relevance of either.

#6

Have you looked at the new Oticon Companion app? Many say it is an improvement on the previous one.

#7

I have, and it certainly is an improvement in some ways, namely the addition of RemoteCare.

I just don’t like that the user can’t adjust very many settings or craft custom programs. You couldn’t do it before anyway, and it has been largely inconsequential for virtually all of my patients, but it’s a neat feature to have.

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#8

Welcome to the land of marketing hype. There are a lot of manufacturers making a lot of claims that their hearing aids just don’t live up to. To compound the problem, hearing loss is a very individual thing. Your best bet is to find out through trial which aid fits your needs best. No one can tell you which aid is best for you.

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