I’ve had the R-C’s for a few days now. I’m 30 and these are my 3rd pair, but the first after a 10 year hiatus from aided hearing (my first pair were analog ones from the 90s).
I had done a lot of research and my intent was to purchase a pair with a neckloop streamer. I have an Android phone and streaming audio reliably was my top priority. This version had apparently come in a couple days before I came to check out Costco’s offerings. The Costco rep called phonak to clarify a few things and we learned that the RC’s were not compatible with Phonak’s standard streamers. I was about to go for the standard Brio but I got to read the TV link manual and figured it suited my needs more as I did not care for having to wear a streamer. It’s not exactly wireless but it’s been very reliable and the range reaches most of the house with only walls and floors interfering with the signal. It takes any audio input and comes with an auxiliary cable so I’ve taken it in the car and even to the beach with a portable charger (it seems to hardly draw any power either). I’ll be purchasing a Bluetooth receiver to get another level of wireless. I was able watch and comprehend an animated movie without subtitles-unheard of (pun intended) to my friends and family.
In terms of hearing improvement(if you can’t tell, I suspect I have different priorities compared to most hearing aid patients), I needed a few days to adjust. I had asked the Audi to take the power level right up to 100% prescription. Wind and road noise was cute for a little bit but got annoying; fortunately, I had a wind program and the streamer could cut out environmental noise through the app.
The first real test I gave the hearing aids was attending a service at a big echoey Church. I could eavesdrop on small children 20 feet behind me. When the organ came on, it was like an epiphany. I could pick out immediately the tones I knew I could never hear before. If I wasn’t a “men don’t cry” kinda guy I would have just sat and wept until it became awkward for the folks next to me.
The thing I was most interested in was wether I could hear the sermon. And except for when my mind wandered, I heared almost every word.
Other thoughts: My biggest complaint as of yet are the domes. I may just have small curvy ear canals but the domes get so irritating and my outer ears are very sore. I’ve had impressions made for ear molds but I’m still waiting on them.
The app takes some time (5-20 seconds) to connect to the aids and they disconnect whenever you leave the app (to save power). A little annoying, but I’m still glad to have the features.
either way I’m happy I had good experiences with phonak in the past just it didn’t gel with my needs in school (radio aid compatibility issues) I will update on my first week of using these.