Ear molds. Like 'em? Hate 'em? Pros? Cons? Problems? (Phonak Lumity)

@BobbyBoomer
Hi, as a former guitarist in a loud band (cause of hearing loss), I personally prefer the sound quality of the TV Connector, compared to my Roger On or Roger Select (whilst connected via base stations & TV)
Peter

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Thanks. Thatā€™s good to know.

Bob

Iā€™ve been sorting through issues with my Phonaks. Short history.
My first hearing aid was molded for me. A Widex in the earā€¦it hurt like anything. They had remade it because the first fit squealed every time I chewed. Sure didnā€™t squeal when they made it bigger. Talk inserts to me and little voice on my shoulder says, ā€œRun Away!ā€ Sorry @Neville Thatā€™s part of why I donā€™t have inserts yetā€¦

I was forced to use Power Domes by Peel Audiology twice. But I have feedback issues that Power Domes solve.

Iā€™ve bought them from Amazon. Turns out they are dispensed by a local audiologist through Amazon. Ten Canadian bucks gets me 10. I have a selection now of mediums and large. I can experiment. Itā€™s an easy way to get domes. Took a while to find them.
My right ear definitely needs Large Power Domes.
My left ear is a little smaller. Iā€™m using a Large Power Dome. If itā€™s bugging me I put a Medium Power Dome onā€¦until I have feedback issues. Donā€™t know why this is.

My story isnā€™t importantā€“maybe it will help you Buying Power Domes from Amazon may be a choice for you. I have a Prime membership. Itā€™s a lot cheaper than going to an audi office two cities away for me.

@Neville
Power Receivers! Yeah! (theyā€™re so loud!)

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New Phonaks are supposed to come in tomorrow. They are supposed to replace the entire aids. The last ones were lemons

I hope the trouble Iā€™ve had so far isnā€™t a sign of things to come. I know anyone can have a lemon, I hope thatā€™s a rare exception.

Iā€™ve decided to go with ear molds, thatā€™ll probably take some time, Iā€™ll report when I do. But first, get working aids. One thing at a time.

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Iā€™ve had custom ear molds for 2 weeks. Iā€™m hearing better, but itā€™s been tough getting used to them. Every day is a little better . Mine were $85 for the pair from Costco. I will make my mind up in another 2 weeks.They are returnable.

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OK replacements came today. Phonak says they replaced everything but the case. Iā€™m using power domes for now, and Iā€™ll give them a week or two before I decide to get ear molds or not.

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So far - so good on the replacements. If still OK by next week, Iā€™ll make an appointment for the ear molds.

History:

  • The first pair was fine, but some months later started distorting

  • They replaced the electronics and the replacement would cut out for a few seconds at unpredictable times. It did this even if I turned my phone off (to eliminate the phoneā€™s Bluetooth)

  • Audi asked for a new pair but they send the old ones back, so she returned them

  • The present pair came back, again with everything replaced except the case.

Itā€™s my first experience with Phonak, and they arenā€™t making a good first impression. But I know, any manufacturer can create an occasional lemon, so I hope this will be the end of the troubles.

When I get the molds, Iā€™ll come back and give a report, just in case anyone else is interested.

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It seems my old Phonaks were lemons. My audi demanded new aids, and Phonak said they replaced everything but the housings.

The difference was immediately noticeable.With the new ones:

  • The high frequencies are clearer.
  • The distortion is gone
  • They no longer go quiet for a few seconds at random intervals
  • And as a bonus, they are not rapidly draining the battery in my phone anymore.

So I went to my audi today to get the impressions made for ear molds.

Iā€™m hoping that with the ear molds, enough of the outside noise will be reduced so that with the TV Connector attached to my PA set, I can listen to the music at a much lower volume. With my phone on stage, between songs I can toggle the TV Connector off so I should be able to hear what people are saying (as much as I can with my hearing aids and my damaged ears).

Wish me luck!!!

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Iā€™ve been working with both my audiologist and the Starkey folks (Genesis AI) on earmolds with and without venting.

Earmolds are generally great - secure, donā€™t itch or irritate as much. But the degree of occlusion makes a serious difference. Obviously you can get a lot more gain/power with more occlusion but there are tradeoffs in terms of natural sound and focus in loud environments.

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Iā€™m going with vented molds first, but they havenā€™t arrived yet.

Itā€™s costing me $200 to try it, but if it works, itā€™ll be worth the price.

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OK, the new earmolds came in.

Iā€™m still in the getting used to them process, so Iā€™ll continue the story later.

First impressions:

They fit tightly but are comfortable.

Wind noise seems to interfere less when riding in the car with the windows open.

The little ā€˜handleā€™ for pulling them out seems to be a little short. Audi says she can get them to make it longer.

I donā€™t have a gig where I need my saxophone for another week or so. (Only guitar, voice, and synthesizer.) That will be the biggest test.

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And the beat goes onā€¦

The clear molds are too hard, and too big, so they hurt my ears at the point of insertion.

Audi is sending them back for the softer mold material. Thatā€™ll take a couple of weeks.

So Iā€™ve put the power domes back in for now.

ā€¦to be continued.

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so im kinda new to doing research about hearing aids, im a 15 yo and i always had hearing aids. i think i curently have sky m50 SP. i cant realy conplain about these hearing aids. but what do u mean with ear molds. like the ear pieces?

Molds vs domes

I hope this helps you sort it.

WH

Ear molds are made from impressions the audiologist makes of your ear canals. Instead of generic inserts into your ear, they are personalized. They should give you a better fit, and more isolation from outside environmental sounds. That gives you and your audi, better control over what sounds reach your ears.

This opinion is from another user, not a hearing professional.

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Domes. Domes. Domes

I finally made an appointment. Told my hearing aid fitter my ear hurt. And I needed proper noise control.
He took a look at the sore ear. I had a spare Power Dome stuck in there. How long was it there? Guessingā€¦weeks.
Now I have closed domes with two little holesā€¦whatever those domes are called. Much better.
Same ear a week later. I Carefully extracted one of those from the same ear.

Today I hung up on my wife. Fidgeting, without intending to do so, I shut off my phone nervously touching my ear.

There are days when I wonder whether all these modern things are really the way to hear better.

Who in their right minds designed the receivers/wax-guards/domes for my Paradise P90Rā€™s?

Should be simple to make clear molds. Or ones with softer mold material.

Hearing aids are medical equipment, after all.

Glad that I have the P70ā€™s, and I found the difference about domes and molds (Ear Moulds or Domes?Ā  Which is Best for You? - Jervis Bay Hearing Centre)

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My first hearing aid was for my left ear. I couldnā€™t afford 2; I bought one. My hearing loss was much less then. Donā€™t remember the make; Iā€™m not sure. Widex? An in the ear hearing aid.
My audi or fitter was wonderful and skilled. She left to work for an ENT Doc.
I kept at it. Finally, it squealed whenever I was eating, and every time I chewed.
The fitter who followed took another mold and my new hearing aid arrived as warranty ended.
It became my stress meter. And a source of stress. Stressed out? I put it in a case in my pocket. It hurt. I used it for about 10 years. One day I took it to Listen Up Canada and had it cleaned. The tech brought it back and said the microphone was broken. Told him it worked when he started working. He said I needed new hearing aids. I bet he knew I was angry.
My experience with molds/moulds? wasnā€™t good.
DaveL

Vents. The domes I had with my Oticons were vents. The Power Domes for my Phonax aids donā€™t have vents, but the ear mold that made my ear sore does.

Sorry I didnā€™t speak clearly.

It was the description or name of the domes. Also the name of sports locks for hearing aids

When I started I felt I didnā€™t know the code everyone used

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