Choosing hearing aids

Hearing Aids
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#1

I’m not convinced I’m going to get a good result with my new NHS hearing aids. People say that the audiologist is key, well at Specsavers you get to see whoever is available and they do seem to vary hugely in their skill levels. I’m still trying to see if these Signia Stretta Aya UP with moulds will work for me once the teething problems are sorted out but I have the feeling that I get better sound with my current aids: Phonak Audéo with open domes (7 or so years old).

I was looking at maybe getting Oticon Real 1 aids with open domes from an independent hearing professional but now I’m wondering if part of my issue is that the Signia aids handle sound differently from the Phonak aids that I’m used to, and perhaps I’d have similar issues with the Oticon aids. Would it be more sensible to stick with Phonak, maybe the Lumity because that can come with disposable batteries? I really don’t want rechargeable.

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#2

Hi Gina,

In a way you are suffering from having choices.

I think you have to take a step back and evaluate what you need to suit your lifestyle and then if you have the budget.

After that, all things being equal, it comes down to preferences.

If you cannot afford to spend too much privately, personally, I would go back and bang on the door of Specsavers, I assume this is the free NHS provision, and say you are not happy, and try to get the fitting issues resolved.

If you can afford to go private, I would personally try to evaluate what aids meet your needs. If you are used to Phonak that may push you back in the direction of Phonak. The plus points for Phonak tend to be good connectivity and reliability. If you are looking at Oticon then the plus points are it’s open soundscape and again, reliability, and performance in noise. With respect to your question about the differences between the Real and the Phonak, the open soundscape of the Real will deliver more sound in general as compared to the Phonak. Some people prefer this. Others have had difficulty with it.

The Sphere however from Phonak is getting some amazing reviews in noise. But this may not be a concern for you. There are other aids out there that people have had success with, including Widex, Signia and Resound. I have even seen people rave about Widex.

Whatever you decide, I would recommend that if you are suspicious of the competency of the Specsavers audiologists, I would look elsewhere and try and get an audiologist on recommendation within travelling distance. One that follows best practice, Real Ear Measurement etc.

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#3

Don’t be afraid of ‘rechargeables’. Unless you are ‘on the road’ all the time and likely to be separated from electricity, I really don’t see what the concern is about. Putting them in the case (it’s portable) and taking them out again is not such a big deal!

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#4

I’m quite new to hearing aids (not quite two months) with the initial ones from Boots (Lumity L90) and now (a couple of days) some Spheres from Wholesale Hearing.

The two things I’ve noticed is that getting them set and then adjusted for you is key.

Adjustment is key

With the Lumitys it was more about the physical, some longer receiver wires so the aids were not cutting (I exaggerate) into the tops of my ears and some little retention locks (just a very thin strip of flexible clear plastic curved to keep the receiver in my ear canal, they kept easing out on the sound quality dropped off).

With the Spheres, initially programmed with my audiogram in the profile above, they were terrible. However, a quick (not rushed, very supportive with explanations along the way) remote adjustment session with the WH audiologist via a video call on the Phonak app, the second set up was light night and day from the initial fit. So much so I’ve taken the Lumitys back to Boots.

Go back to Specsavers for another fitting. They are paid by you (via your taxes and the NHS) to provide this service.

Rechargeables

Having used rechargeable batteries for many years in all sorts of devices, I’m very comfortable with them. Just stick the device on charge while you sleep and it is ready for you in the morning.

This has applied to laptops, phones, earbuds, car and now hearing aids. The only battery I’ve had an issue with (which I’m about to get replaced) is 2015 MacBook which now only lasts a couple of hours.

The Lumity charging case (which if you are away from mains power for a number of days has a battery in it for 3-4 charges) was, while light, was a bit big, drop in a bag rather your trouser pocket. The Sphere case (which also has its own battery) is much smaller and you can drop it in your pocket (or a bag if you want to look after it, they are not cheap). The Sphere case has a smaller well inside, so fine for domes but you may struggle with larger ear moulds if you use them (I don’t).

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#5

The concern is battery longevity. I have to change my phone when my battery wears out; changing hearing aids because the battery is worn out would be a lot more expensive and complicated.

#6

Thank you. That all sounds very sensible and I’ll keep it in mind. I’m going to start by banging on Specsavers door!

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#7

Thank you. I hadn’t thought of trying two aids at the same time! I’m beginning to think I’l stick with Phonaks, if I can, and go back to the audiologist I met from Hearingaid.org.uk. He’s not very local but near enough and will do home visits, so he may be my best bet. I wouldn’t have thought of using Wholesale Hearing and I’ll look into them too.

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#8

Hi!

I am a high school student, and I need to design a hearing aid prototype. As such, we need to interview hearing aid users, could you please kindly answer these questions, it would be a really great help.

  1. Are you using any assistive hearing technology (e.g. hearing aids)?
  2. How long have you been using them?
  3. Is this prescribed or bought over-the-counter?
  4. Would you say that the price was reasonable or quite expensive?
  5. Are there situations where you think that your hearing aid is not optimal to use?
  6. Are there any special features that this hearing aid has which assists in your hearing?
  7. Are there any issues encountered in the usage of your hearing aid?
  8. Did you need any repairs or adjustments in your hearing aid lately?
  9. Are there any aspects of your everyday life that are affected by the use of your hearing aid?
  10. Are there any specific examples where your hearing aid is better or worse than you expected?
  11. Are there any additional features that you would like to include in your hearing aid?

Thank you very much, and I hope to make this project fruitful and contribute in any way I can.

#9
  • Are you using any assistive hearing technology (e.g. hearing aids)?

Phonak Infinio Sphere hearing aids

  • How long have you been using them?

Hearing aids, 6 weeks, these ones 3 days.

  • Is this prescribed or bought over-the-counter?

I have a prescription for hearing aids, but these were bought privately.

  • Would you say that the price was reasonable or quite expensive?

At £2,500 they are more than five times the price of my glasses, so very expensive. I bought these from an online retailer (with audiologist support), but if I’d bought them from a high street audiologist chain they would be £3,500 to £4,000 which would be prohibitively expensive.

  • Are there situations where you think that your hearing aid is not optimal to use?

Generally no, other than obvious water sports and places of high risk of loss or damage. Much the same as a mobile phone.

  • Are there any special features that this hearing aid has which assists in your hearing?

AI chip that is supposed to improve speech in noise (it does seem to work well in a busy supermarket).

It also has rock solid Bluetooth streaming which means I’m able to listen to audiobooks and take part in Teams calls.

  • Are there any issues encountered in the usage of your hearing aid?

The initial set up set the left ear too loud and tinny.

  • Did you need any repairs or adjustments in your hearing aid lately?

A next day remote support audiology appointment (telemedicine) allowed remote adjustment of the programming of the aids, which solved the problem.

  • Are there any aspects of your everyday life that are affected by the use of your hearing aid?

I’m able to hear my kids while I’m cooking in the kitchen (so improved family discourse) and I’m able to hear in loud social situations.

When walking with my dog in the countryside I’m able to listen to large volumes of audiobooks (over the last few weeks I’m reading more than one non-fiction book a week).

When navigating in a local city using Apple Maps on my phone, I was surprised when directions were streamed to my hearing aids. It made me chuckle as it was like some guardian angel speaking out of thin air.

When exercising the notifications from my watch are relayed to my aids.

Another thing that made me smile was that notifications from our outdoor cameras were relayed (via an Echo spot) to my aids. The camera had recognised my mother in law arriving on the front drive and then let me know. Not quite daredevil, but I now have a mother in law detector.

  • Are there any specific examples where your hearing aid is better or worse than you expected?

Initial set up was unusable, so worse, but following adjustment they have been better than expected, enabling me to re-engage with social interactions.

  • Are there any additional features that you would like to include in your hearing aid?

No, all good.

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#10

I’ll try to answer as best I can,

  1. yes
  2. 30 years
  3. prescribed
  4. Quite expensive
  5. Yes, In loud noise
  6. amplification, noise reduction, direction ability, ability to make many adjustments, Bluetooth connections to tv, laptop, ipad etc.
  7. They occasionally need repair or have to be replaced. Ear molds need to be carefully fitted.
  8. Yes, hearing aids needed to be sent to manufacturer for repair.
  9. Enable communication with other people, improve social life, allowed me to work before retirement
  10. No. Always hope that it will be better but there are limits
  11. Like to be able replace rechargeable batteries
#11
  1. Yes, Hearing Aid (1)
  2. 2 months
  3. Prescribed
  4. Very Expensive ($3500 for 1 Phoanak Lumity L90)
  5. Streaming Music. Streaming talk radio and audiobooks is “OK” but i think i need a mold not a dome to help that.
  6. turning down the background noise so i can hear speach in noie or the TV a little better
  7. my first pair was a different brand and i had a lot of feedback and rubber domes didn’t fit well and retention was bad. no adjustments seemed to help. I still think that hearing aide may have been faulty.
  8. I’m still in my trial period with the Lumity so, yes i’ll be doing multiple adjustment appointments.
  9. using the handset of a tradiational phone while at work is greatly improved. voices are louder fuller and clearer. before they were soft and tinny at best
  10. see #9
  11. I hope to trial the no Phonak Infinio Spheres to try the AI noise reduction features. Custom Molkds. I also would like to see hearing aid manufactueres put a little more research into people with low frequency or reverse slope hearing loss.