Decision about Oticon Xceed - Help Needed!

[kelly.maloni]

Hello! I’m new here – and, despite researching hearing devices for the past few months, I am relatively new to the issues/vocabulary/science of hearing loss. I’ve read a number of posts on this forum – and it’s clear that my understanding is very limited so I will almost certainly use the wrong phrasing and muddle my questions/explanations.

Background: I’m trying to help a friend. Let’s call her Bee. I’ve attached a copy of her hearing test results below. She’s 89-years old and has had hearing problems since childhood. Over the past decade or so, she lost all hearing in her right ear and she has profound hearing loss in her left ear. She lost her husband a few years ago and is increasingly isolated because of her hearing challenges. So, I have been working with her to try and explore new hearing aids and/or technologies that might help her hear the television, use the phone, hear the sermon in church, and participate in conversations with family and friends.

Bee has worn hearing aids for decades and has tried several different brands. Her current hearing aid (she only wears one) is probably 6-or 7-years old. It’s a Rexton aid with a 675 battery and it helps her more than other aids have in the past but she can’t hear the priest at church, she can’t hear me when I call her on the phone, and she often has trouble following conversations with her son and daughter when they’re just a few feet away. If she’s at a restaurant or trying to communicate with a cashier, Bee usually needs to lip read or guess what the other person is saying. I should also mention that Bee uses a Verizon flip phone and doesn’t have experience with smartphones, tablets or computers.

So, we visited a new audiologist a couple of weeks ago who tested Bee and recommended the Oticon Xceed. It’s a big investment for her – and the hearing aid seems to require a number of extra devices (ConnectClip, TV Adapter) that make the price even more daunting. I am the only person advising her on whether to move forward with this purchase and I want to make sure I’m asking the right questions, considering the key issues, etc.

Questions
1.) The audiologist, who we liked, described four different hearing lifestyles (Private, Quiet, Active and Dynamic) and suggested Bee fell somewhere in the middle – either the Quiet or Active. Active is about $500 more expensive, which isn’t ideal, but it’s where she’s leaning at the moment. I’m confused about why there are four price points but there seem to be only three different versions of the Xceed – Xceed 1, Xceed 2, and Xceed 3. Can someone explain the discrepancy? Additionally, whenever the Xceed is discussed, Oticon Opn S is also mentioned. What is the relationship between the two?

2.) Is the Oticon Xceed, the brand you would focus on or should we be considering other options? Is it okay to zero in on one brand given the advice of the audiologist? She spends most of her day at home watching the news. She drives occasionally, shops for groceries, goes to mass a few times per week, tries to talk to friends on the phone, visits doctors, etc. She’s stopped going to group events. She’s an inherently social and engaged person but is increasingly frustrated in her limitations. (Honestly, I don’t want a long process. She’s 89 and I’d like her to see improvements very soon. But I don’t want to be foolish given the expense.)

3.) Bee is passionate about the importance of a 675 battery, which she has now with the Rexton; she believes it is critical to any hearing success she has now. Will she be able to use a 675 battery with the Oticon? I’ve read that batteries have to be changed every few weeks. Is that true? And doesn’t that get very costly?

4.) One of the main draws of upgrading her hearing aid is the “Made for iPhone” or bluetooth pairing now available. This will be a significant learning curve for her. **Has anyone on the forum upgraded to bluetooth or Made of iPhone hearing aids without prior experience with smartphones or computing? Does use of these aids require a certain comfort level with modern computing. Any perspective on this? **

5.) I know we have to purchase an iPhone 7 or up. (I’m thinking the 7 plus would be best for her.)
– Which of the other accessories are essential to her fully enjoying the benefits of the Oticon hearing aid given her lifestyle: ConnectClip, Oticon 3.0 TV Adapter, or the Remote?
– If she could only afford one of these, which should she buy?
– Does she need the ConnectClip to hear other people at the dinner table, understand the priest’s sermon or get phone calls streamed to her hearing aid? Would other less expensive microphones pair with the Xceed?
– Does she need the Oticon 3.0 TV Adapter to stream audiio to her hearing aid or are there other options available?
– Other than e-bay, are there places to find second-hand accessories for the latest models of the Xceed?

6.) Finally, has anyone had success getting their insurance company cover any of the costs of an expensive brand like this? If so, how?

I know this is a LOT to ask. Any feedback would be helpful.

[Laura_B]

I would question why this audiologist wants to change from Rexton to Oticon ?
If she is comfortable with the Rexton maybe the only thing she needs a an aid that is just more powerful than what she has.
In my opinion, different name brands of aids sound different to many people. It may be important to her to stick with the brand where is comfortable with the sound quality. She just needs it to be louder. Does this Audiologist offer different brands or just Oticon ?
If this audiologist sells different brands, maybe she could trial different ones.
to see which one she likes better.

The Oticon Exceeds are the newest hearing aid manufactured by Oticon, hence the higher cost.
In my opinion, I think this is overkill for her.
My hearing loss is slightly worst than hers in that ear and I wear Oticon Dynamo. It is a powerful hearing aid with a size 13 battery ( smaller than the 312 ).
This is an older make from Oticon, but powerful and probably at half the cost.

There are a lot of people here that go to Costco.
Apparently they sell hearing aids at a greatly reduced cost, so this may be an option for her.

Good Luck in your search.
Laura

[rothlev1]

At her age, bells and whistles are probably overkill. I would suggest Costco also, it is possible that if her income is low, she might qualify for almost free hearing aids thru starkey’s program. So I would check what her income is and call Starkey to see if she may qualify. Another option is Audicus hearing , which is on line, they sell a quality product at a low cost. Again, you would need to call them to see if they can work with her degree of loss. If you can teach her to use an I phone, she would have more options for hearing on the phone using the I phone and blue tooth. If she is tech advanced then the remote mic’s is an option, but only if she is able to keep track of and use these items. TV steamer is a maybe, I wouldn’t buy it right off the bat. Get the hearing aid first, see if she can learn an I phone and then go from there.

[MDB]

1. 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.
2. Brand likely doesn’t matter. Key is the audiologist.
3. 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.
4. Does she use a smartphone at all now?
5. 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.
6. This all depends on what her insurance coverage is. Read the policy with a fine tooth comb.

[Raudrive]

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.

[Sierra]

A lot of questions! But here are a few thoughts:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. If Costco is an option, their prices are usually much better. See this link:
   Costco Hearing Aids
6. 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,

[rothlev1]

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.

[wegierka]

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)

[wegierka]

Sorry for cutting in the thread but what is the range of lowering frequencies in the Phonak?

[youbgone]

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.

[Raudrive]

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.

[Sierra]

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.

[Mago]

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.

[rothlev1]

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.

[youbgone]

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.

[Sierra]

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.

[Sierra]

You asked about the differences between the three levels of the Xceed hearing aids. Here is a link to look at the technical details.

Oticon Xceed BTE

Here is a similar document for the ReSound:

ReSound ENZO 2

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,

[kelly.maloni]

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…

[Sierra]

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.

[rothlev1]

#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.