- Some hearing aid manufacturers make 4 levels. I suspect the Xceed 3 would be fine. It uses different noise reduction than the 1 and 2, but it’s still a very fine hearing aid. Oticon S is the RIC (Receiver in Canal) Oticon hearing aid that uses the same processor as the Xceed.
- Brand likely doesn’t matter. Key is the audiologist.
- From what I can tell, the Xceed comes in a version with the 675 battery. Smaller batteries can need changing every 4-7 days. She’ll likely get a couple of weeks out of 675. If you’re not careful where you buy them they can get expensive. This hearing tracker website and Costco both sell them at a very reasonable price.
- Does she use a smartphone at all now?
- This question is a bit complex. Basically you need to find an audiologist/hearing aid fitter that seems targetted on helping her rather than selling expensive product.
- This all depends on what her insurance coverage is. Read the policy with a fine tooth comb.
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Welcome to the forum.
Your friends hearing loss is pretty much gone from 2000 hertz up. As you mentioned the right ear is pretty much gone.
Due to her hearing loss in the upper frequencies something to consider would be an aid with frequency lowering technology. This technology takes higher frequencies she can not hear and moves those sounds down into frequencies she can hear. Oticon has this technology as do most other manufacturers. In my opinion Phonak has the best frequency lowering technology at this time. I use it aggressively with good results.
Your friends loss could be fit with an ultra power (UP) aid or possibly a super power (SP) aid, it would be close with the SP. The UP aids normally come with a size 675 battery and the SP aids typically come with size 13 batteries. The 675 battery aid will last a couple weeks between battery changes. The 13 battery aids will last about 8 days between changes.
The more powerful aids will usually have a teli-coil in them for phone use. If she has the older style phone these aids can be set up to automatically switch over to the phone mode, no smart phone needed.
You have come to a great place to learn about hearing aids and get good help.
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A lot of questions! But here are a few thoughts:
- On the church find out if they have a telcoil system. If so, you will want to get a telcoil option in the aids. Most of these high power aids will have it (possibly including the ones she has), but I presume it needs to be set up.
- On the iPhone, I would say as long as someone else sets it up, it would not be a big step from a flip phone. Generally 5s and later will do MFi. Costco currently sells a 6s for a good price. Used or refurbished ones are often available.
- As far as the TV adapters, I would focus first on getting her aids set up so she can listen normally. If she is living alone then she can turn up the TV to suit herself and the aids.
- As others have explained the 675 battery is the biggest and will give the longest life. It is a good idea, but not essential. Size 13 batteries are the next biggest, and are an alternative, but will not last as long. The aids may be smaller with a size 13.
- If Costco is an option, their prices are usually much better. See this link:
Costco Hearing Aids - I would agree with a previous comment that she would benefit from frequency lowering or sometimes called frequency compression, where high frequencies are compressed down to where she can hear them.
Now for brands. First I would focus on a BTE type aid in the highest power, usually called UP. I would consider these hearing aids:
ReSound ENZO2 - This is a ultra high power aid with a 675 battery and is iPhone MFi capable. This would probably be a safe choice, but price could be high. An alternative would be the ReSound Vida from Costco. However it seems to only be available in a high power, and does not go quite as high as the ENZO2. It also has a 675 battery, and is MFi.
Phonak Naida B - This is similar in power to the ReSound ENZO2 with a 675 battery, but is not MFi. Costco may have a very similar model sold as the Phonak Brio 3. Similar power, 675 battery, but no MFi.
Rexton Adore PB - Costco have a line of aids called Adore. The Adore PB model is high power and may be suitable. They are MFi and are available with a telcoil option.
Hope that helps some,
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Lot’s of good advice. Try Coscto, ultra power, frequency lowering, and get the telecoil . I have used it on my landline It is a very good help. She will be very happy. Skip all the add ons until she determines how the hearing aid functions. With those set ups she may not even need the blue tooth and the I phone if she isn’t ready for that change. I am not sure that the whole levels thing is even applicable with her level of loss. Dr. Cliff has lot’s of on line videos that explain a lot.
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Yes, Costco version of Naida B as the Brio 3 is the best option in relation between high quality and the price.
IMHO (I couldn’t like Enzo)
Sorry for cutting in the thread but what is the range of lowering frequencies in the Phonak?
Great posts here, especially for someone new looking for a hearing aid - power hearing aid. I should mention that even at 89 years old its good to trial a few different HA’s, unless the first one selected is a “home run”. With Oticon Exceed new on the market I personally would try that first and see how it works out. You usually do better with “new” technology that is current versus buying a HA that has been on the market two, three years. Plus the 675 battery is “perfect” for a ultra power aid and easy to replace. Also you can buy a years worth of batteries for under $40 - online.
Also check around with other hearing specialists/vendors on pricing. You will find price variation, as much as $1000 plus per aid.
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The range of frequency lowering for me is 800 hertz to 2500 hertz. It will go lower but don’t have the exact answer for you. I could look it up if you want.
The idea for my loss was to get the upper range of frequency lowering down into my hearing range without lisping the S’s in speech.
I can now hear birds, appliances in the kitchen, insects outside at night and the blinker sound in my truck. Pretty amazing.
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One other thought. I don’t know a lot about BTE aids, but I am aware they can have thin and regular size sound tubes that take the sound from the receiver in the aid to the ear. I believe the larger size tubes can deliver more power. In the off chance her existing aids are using the thin tube, perhaps they could be changed to the larger one? Don’t know. Just a thought that might provide a very inexpensive upgrade. When looking at new one, be sure to look for the larger tube option.
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I would NOT recommend Costco, even though there is a loyal Costco following on this forum. Your friend is accustomed to wearing hearing aids, so all she needs to get used to is a newer, updated, aid. You said you like her Audiologist. Stay with her. Bee deserves the best & simplified experience possible. She deserves an expedited process and fitting from a professional Audi who is compassionate and knowledgeable and willing to meet with her to fine tune the aid quickly and efficiently, not waiting 2 weeks for an appointment. The environment of an Audi’s office is very different from the hustle and bustle of Costco warehouse.
Streaming directly to the hearing aid(s) - TV - phone is life changing. I would recommend the TV Adapter as an accessory. Simply turning up the Volume on the TV making it louder DOES NOT help understanding. Being able to enjoy the news and hear TV streamed directly into her ear
keep her engaged with the world. Ask her Audi to ask the Oticon Rep to include it with her purchase. The Audi will also fine tune the TV Adapter for her. It is very easy to work. She will use it everyday.
She will be able to trial Oticon and other brands if she chooses to try others. I would follow the Audi’s recommendations.
Yes, some insurance companies pay for a basic hearing aid. Medicare does not, but check her secondary insurance plan. Ask the Audi’s office to confirm.
I think your choice of iPhone 7 Plus is excellent. I would purchase new to avoid potential issues with a refurbished phone. Streaming phone calls will allow her the best way to hear. The iPhone has a Live Listen function that acts as a microphone that I find helpful.
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I would let Bee make her own decision. It sounded like the prices were above her budget from the Audi’s office. If that is the case she should be made aware that there are cheaper options, and let her decide if she wants to try them. Certainly the hearing aid “test” is done in a sound proof room, and the fact that the Costco itself is a loud noisy environment actually makes it easier to test the aids .The biggest downside would be waiting for appointments. If Bee is like most older people she would not be running back and forth to the office, once they are programmed correctly for her loss. Her needs should be easily be met with a couple of follow up visits. My husband is 70, not particularly demanding as far as his hearing aids. He has never gone back to the VA for any follow up what so ever.
Yes, she should make her own decisions and one of them was posting on hearing tracker to see what other have to say. Bee - make sure you find a good Audi as others have stated. And in likelihood you will find a “way better” Audi/hearing specialist (that sells HA for a living) in private practice versus what you might find at a retail chain. Not knocking Costco - but there known to have “high turnover” in staff which many times impacts repeat customer service.
Opinions differ on Costco. Yes, you can hit a bad hearing aid specialist, but that can happen anywhere. My experience with Costco has been excellent. I would not even think of going somewhere else, unless I had a need for some specialist setup like CROS.
Costco does not work on commission and have no incentive to sell you more hearing aid than you need. All Costco hearing aid centers do REM, while more than half the small shops do not.
And, while I could afford very expensive hearing aids, I have a problem paying something like $6000 for a set of aids that sell for $1500 at Costco.
You asked about the differences between the three levels of the Xceed hearing aids. Here is a link to look at the technical details.
Here is a similar document for the ReSound:
One thing to keep in mind is that some of these so called features require two hearing aids. If the plan is to only use one, they would be of no benefit. Seems to me that the key feature is that the aids have sufficient power for her loss. It would also help to have the frequency shifting feature which takes high frequencies lower so she can hear them. And the Telcoil would be nice IF the church has a Telcoil loop installed. If not, then it is not going to help.
It is possible that the lowest feature aids are sufficient for her needs if the basic power requirement is met. The Costco aids typically don’t come in levels of features like this. They include all the features that are commonly used.
Hope that helps some,
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So I’m the original poster. I can’t thank you all enough. It’s a lot to digest and I definitely need to better understand the comments around frequencies and adjustments . I’ll google more on that.
Regarding my question 5 in my initial post, are there universal tv adapters which might be less expensive or do you need ones specifically built for whatever device she chooses such as the Oticon?
A little more context, for the past decade she has gone to Costco for her hearing aid supplies and adjustments. She LOVES the Costco hearing consultant who has tuned them for her. But we wanted a new perspective and someone who wasn’t just selling Costco devices so we consulted with this independent audiologist. Bee likes the new audiologist a lot but still has a lot of trust in her Costco specialist. She does not have telecoil or Bluetooth with her current aids so we know we want to upgrade. Would you do a trial with the Oticon and consult with Costco on other aids? How would you approach this smartly/efficiently without being overwhelming?
The “active” version she’s considering of the Oticon (is it Xceed 2 or 3?) will run about $3800 for one aid not including the adapter or clip. Is that cost high? Average for this model? Do you try and negotiate with the audiologist or call other sellers? I’m not sure the right way to approach this that’s fair to Bee and to the audiologist we’re working with…
Some quick answers. I think the first thing you need to decide is whether or not she really needs the maximum UP power aids. They deliver about 145 dB in the ear canal. That is a lot! However, if she needs it, that might eliminate the Costco versions of the aids. I’m not sure they can go quite that high. If an aid like the Costco ReSound Vida is suitable, I believe it would cost about $1300 or so. The Brio 3 is going to be similar.
There is no trial process at Costco. You just buy them, try them, and take them back if they don’t work. My thoughts would be to start with the lowest priced option that looks like it is suitable, and give it a try. They should be honest with you about the power she needs, and tell you to go somewhere else if they cannot supply an aid that is suitable.
#1 - That is what I would do. If they cannot help they will say so, if it doesn’t work out, you return them. As far as the TV steamer, my knowledge is they are brand specific, I use resound hearing aids, you can buy the srteamer on e bay for less money, don’t know whether Coscto beats Amazon or not. I have purchased some of my accessories used on e bay. I would get the hearing aids first, and then when they are a win, decide on the streamer and how to purchase one.
This is what I see for an HP power Rexton, Mosaic HP 80 6C. It does seem to work for her loss, so the need for a UP hearing aid may not be certain. It would be really useful to know what she has now for a hearing aid, and if the fitter believes it does not have enough power. Assuming it came from Costco, they should tell you that.
Notice the blue shading. It is taking input frequencies from 2 kHz to 10 kHz and squeezing them down into the 2 kHz to 3 kHz range. That is frequency compression.
I am presuming that she is not a cochlear implant candidate for whatever reason (and/or a surgical candidate depending on the truth of that bone line).
There are a couple of different options for UP hearing aids that she could look at. But hearing aids aside, did the audiologist talk to you about reasonable expectations? With a loss like that, she will likely always need visual support for hearing. Certainly you can get a clearer call via bluetooth connectivity, but this may not be enough to make a significant difference for her. Is she a cellphone kind of person, or would she be better off looking into captioned phones, or learning to use Skype with family members with live closed captioning? Has she turned on the closed captions on her television?
She likely won’t be able to hear at church with the hearing aids alone, no matter which hearing aid she gets. If this is a goal, she’ll need a remote microphone (unless the church has other assistive listening devices that are hearing aid compatible) and she’ll need to sit up front.
Her friends and family members need to be made aware of her hearing limitations and need to be recruited to help communicate effectively with her. She may need help with this.
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Let’s get real here. If I buy two HA’s (outside of Costco) for $6000, I’m not going to buy the same two HA’s at Costco for $1500. Maybe you meant $3000. That’s still a stretch. Secondly Costco does not offer new HA’s that just hit the market. You won’t find the Oticon Exceed at Costco since the majority of their HA’s the chain offers go back a year or two. Still good HA’s but if you want 2019 HA or soon to be 2020 HA you won’t find them at Costco. Also Costco does not carry all brands of HA’s and offers some under different names. Going forward I believe Costco will be the “elite” OTC provider for HA that are reasonably priced - but again your dealing with a wearhouse chain that sells far more then just hearing aids.