Can you use an Oticon OPN S1 & S3 at the same time?

DannyM · April 9, 2020, 4:11pm

I have a question likely geared to the AUDs in the room and/or the more advanced DIYers.

Can you mix Oticon OPN S1 & S3 technology levels on opposing sides?

Meaning can I use one S1 in my left ear and one S3 in my right ear?

After additional audiograms, it looks like my right side hearing is ~5db-10db better than originally expected. Therefore, I was prescribed only a left HA. So instead of only using one OPN S1 in my left ear (as I have now), would it be possible to purchase the much cheaper OPN S3 for my right ear so I have the benefits of two OPN S HAs at about ~$1,200 (between technologies) savings?

Notes: My left HA is not even up to my prescription yet (acclimatization period) and I feel like I can hear so much better on the HA ear than my non-HA ear. It is annoying and I get the sensation that my right ear is clogged and/or I just walked out of a loud environment. I feel having a HA in the right ear would balance things out so to speak. My most updated audiogram is now in my profile.

I hope this makes sense, please ask if you need any clarification. Thanks ahead for your information and thoughts.

Raudrive · April 9, 2020, 4:20pm

Looking at your audiogram I would think you would benefit from aids in both ears.
From earlier forum discussions aids of different levels will not operate properly together due to different functions.

cvkemp · April 9, 2020, 4:25pm

but from talking to my Audi and also Veterans that I have worked with, Oticon OPN/OPNS aids do not do well when there is that much difference between the hearing loss in the two ears.

DannyM · April 9, 2020, 4:30pm

I just updated my audiogram to the most recent one. The one you may have just read was after I had a respiratory and sinus infection back in December. So the update shows what I feel is a significant difference in my right ear. Please check my updated graph. Thank you for your insight!

DannyM · April 9, 2020, 4:31pm

Can you explain this a little bit further? Do you mean by mixing the technologies or in general with matching OPN S1s?

DannyM · April 9, 2020, 4:34pm

Thank you for the info on mixing technologies. It totally makes sense that it would most likely cause an issue. Nevertheless, I wanted others to share their experiences before I made a decision on purchasing another $3,000 hearing aid for my right ear.

Raudrive · April 9, 2020, 4:38pm

Your updated audiogram goes along with what your audiologist said.

cvkemp · April 9, 2020, 4:39pm

Danny there is the fact that the 2 levels of tech will not work together correctly. Also, Oticon OPNS aids don’t work that well for someone like you that has hearing loss that is not close to the same loss in both ears. I am not an Audi just someone that volunteers at the local VA clinic and have been come friends with the Audis there and also with a lot of the Veterans. And your hearing loss presents a lot of challenges for them to fit. And I know the Audis there will not fit Oticon OPN or OPNs aids to someone with a loss like yours. I believe they normally go with Phonak or starkey with your type of hearing loss. Please do not take my word for it talk with your Audi. Also, it sounds like this is your first time for aids so be cautious and learn as much as you can.

cvkemp · April 9, 2020, 4:40pm

yes I agree too the one aid is best for now.

PRR · April 10, 2020, 2:34am

I’m using one aid (money). I get a lot of funny illusions. A bird was behind me and I thought he was on my shoulder! Maryann called from the street and I had to turn 330 degrees to find her. Since I used to do stereo music mixes for a living, this is “wrong”, but also I have considerable experience working in “wrong” sound while setting-up or troubleshooting.

If your right ear is that good, and this is a “sudden” loss, my coin-flip says work with one aid for many months before coming to a decision. Even if you end up with two aids, being familiar with 1-ear hearing is a valuable skill for when an aid quits unexpectedly.

cvkemp · April 10, 2020, 1:14pm

I have dealt with one ear hearing because of one of my aids needing repair. With my hearing loss it isn’t easy to understand anything. It was my aid for my worse ear that went bad too. Sounds were muffled, and speech was not understandable in any environment. And I had to go to a weekend meeting that lasted 14 hours each day for 3 days. By the time the meetings were over I wanted to go to a cave and just hide for a month.

Volusiano · April 11, 2020, 7:22am

I can’t definitively tell you whether you can mix and match the different levels of OPN HAs or not. But in looking at Genie 2, as you can see in the Selection page below for my pair of OPN 1, after the HAs have been detected and you go to this page, it highlighs “Opn1” as the model of OPN HA I have. Although everything else seems to break out into the 2 left and right individual HAs, this model “line” in the middle does not break out for the left and right HA, but instead has only one model selection for both left and right HAs.

So just from the Genie 2 software programming perspective alone, it doesn’t seem to allow for the possibility that you can mix and max different OPN models for your left and right HA anyway.

Zebras · April 11, 2020, 9:59am

My friend wore a old Phonak Naida V (core) and a new Phonak Naida Q70 at the same time. Reason why, they would only upgrade 1 x ear as that ear had a change in audiogram.

The HAs couldn’t be programmed together and she had to adjust the program and volume control separately but she didn’t really have any issues with using 2 x different HAs.

This set up was used for a year before the Canada system upgraded both HAs.

She now wears Oticon OPN S 2s and much prefers the Oticon Sound.

Volusiano · April 11, 2020, 5:41pm

Zebras actually brought up a good point. You can just program the OPN S1 and the OPN S3 separately/independently. It’s no big deal, I guess, because it shouldn’t take that much longer to do the programming and/or adjustments twice, as long as your HCP doesn’t mind doing it that way for you.

The one drawback of mix matching the models is that you’ll lose some of the functionality that is reserved for having a pair of matching model, like binaural communication and binaural coordination between the two models. You’ll have to adjust volumes independently and not be able to make the change on one HA and have the same change taken place in the other HA automatically. Another thing to consider is that some OPN model only has 1 switch and relies on one side for volume up and the other side for volume down. So you’ll need to either get a model that has a rocker switch, or fiddle with the ON app to adjust your volume, twice.

Which brings it to another issue, you may not be able to stream from your iPhone or single ConnectClip to both models at the same time. But then maybe you can? I guess it depends on whether the iPhone or ConnectClip can pair with individual HAs independently and stream to them simultaneously or not.

Also, the discrepancies in features between the 2 models (like noise reduction, balancing power effect, spatial sound LX, Speech Guard LX, etc) may be noticeable by your perception. Or maybe not. You won’t know until you actually try it out.

DannyM · April 20, 2020, 5:12am

Thank you everyone. I just went for my first follow up visit. My Audi adjusted my one HA which has . He upped my lows & mids one step closer to my real ear measure prescription and rolled off the highs (6K>), which has significantly improved my overall HA experience. He explained further that he does not feel a HA in my right ear will make a significant improvement. I am going to stay with the one HA for now per my Audi and your recommendations.