I’m expecting the new 5.0 receivers to make it to Canada within the next few months, so then you can ditch the cerushields.
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Thanks Neville!
Much appreciated. I have Power Receivers 2P
Just a thought Dave, they changed the Dome fitting on Phonak Marvel, Paradise and Lumity. If your Audiologist fitted pre 2019 domes, it could be a reason why one came away from the receiver. They need to be “SDS” domes.
Peter
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Adding an audiogram won’t mean your whole life is on this forum, unlike what you’ve posted above and your age and what you’ve done and who you’re married too.
Posting an audiogram would really be useful!
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My theory, based on comparing ReSound domes which were also changed in the recent past, is that a dome which detaches from the receiver easily by pulling on the rim of the dome will be prone to come off in your ear.
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They must fit my new P2 power receivers.
All my domes are marked 4.0 now
My dispensing Audi who supplied my Phonak Audeo Paradise P90R hearing aids through workman’s compensation uses containers that are labelled wrong
Domes are 4.0 in Canada.
Thanks for your response
The wax guards are awful. I often have to surgically remove the spent wax guard from the receiver.
At home I use a sewing needle. At work I have used my Swiss Army Knife to remove the disorientated wax guard
My new Hearing Instrument Specialist is two cities away. Costs $50 to $100 to get there
DaveL
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Woodwind player and longtime hearing aid user. If you’re a musician you might want to investigate Widex Moments with ear molds. I wear the Moments 440 with power receivers and ear molds. Best sound I’ve ever had since beginning to wear hearing aids 33 years ago.
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Thanks jazzpete - I’m waiting on the earmolds for my Lumity aids. If this doesn’t work, that’s another option.
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Thanks for your recommendation.
I’ve used 3 sets of Phonaks for over 10 years. I’m concerned that my high end hearing aids don’t reproduce music well.
DaveL
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I wore Phonacs for several years before demoing others and finding the Widex sound.
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thanks for your review. You’re another musician who’s ethusiastic about Widex aids. I wear Signia Ax 7s with one power reciever and two ear molds. They’re very good! But I haven’t compared them to Widex. Next time around I’ll trial Widex.
Signia and Widex are now the same company, I believe.
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Update: Earmolds arrived, but audi says she doesn’t like the way they turned out, so she is having them make new ones.
I’m beginning to have some regrets about going with Phonak
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I had an in the ear hearing aid. It was moulded. It was awful. It squealed every time I chewed. Had it remade but my specialist had left to work for an ENT. It actually hurt.
It didn’t squeal I did.
Yours could have been moulded wrong
At least you have a specialist that cares.
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I’m hoping the new ones work. Time will tell.
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New ones came in, (#2) and a third type (deepest) is on the way.
These are much better, and fit in the ear canals without the discomfort which led to pain. But they are not deep enough to block out the internal saxophone bone conduction sound as much as I’d like. I play the sax on about 1/4 to 1/2 of the songs, depending on the type of gig. I also play wind synth, flute, guitar, and vocals on the job.
We had one gig this weekend, (it’s the slow season) and it was at a quiet venue, so they didn’t get the best test. Next weekend we have zero gigs, and then it starts to pick up again.
The third pair will be the deepest, but unlike #1 and #2, the audi can’t replace the speaker if it breaks. It has to go back to the maker. And we know it will eventually break.
When #3 arrives, I’ll evaluate if and whether there is enough improvement to make that inconvenience worth it.
Onward we go.
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I don’t have a choice so I am not sure what the problem might be. My hearing loss is such that the custom ear molds are the best for my hearing and ear health. I tried domes once and had an ear infection for 2 months until I figured out what the problem was. I am sorry the don’t seem to work for you.
They work, just not optimum yet. There were 3 different designs, and I’m thinking the next one will be the best.
The first ones didn’t go into my ear very far at all and were extremely hard, like glass. The second ones are acrylic, and they go about haflway. The third will go in deeper, about as deep as the domes. I think that will be the best one, but I won’t know until I try it.
Before the misdiagnosed allergy ruined my ears, I wore musicians ear plugs that went deep into the ear canal. They effectively dampened the bone conduction from my sax reed. My feeling is the deep ear molds will do the same.
The audi wanted to try the others, because when there is a problem, and sooner or later there will be, she can’t replace the wire & speaker in the ear mold. Instead, would have to send them back to the dealer, and that takes a couple of weeks.
Played the first gig with earmold design #2.
Using the TV Connector, hooked to the headphone output of my PA Mixer, and running the slider on the phone app to TV, it blocked out most of the ambient noise pretty well. That allowed me to listen at a lower level than the PA plus the room noise, which is a good thing.
I had some distortion, so I turned the headphone output down, and that solved it. I suppose I was overdriving the input stage of the TV Connector (just an experienced guess from use with other gear). I could then adjust the volume on the TV Connector device itself.
As expected the sound in the aids is different from live, especially the low end. I understand that my hearing loss is at the high frequencies, so the aids pump up the highs more than the lows. That meant a few times in the night I had to search for the downbeats. But it’s still a work in progress.
I’ll learn which songs I need to pay more attention to.
First impression is this might extend my music career. (I’m only 78 now, and it’s the most fun I can have with my clothes on).
I’m careful about keeping the volumes on stage under 85db, (A-weighted, slow response). But sometimes the room noise is already 80 or so, which makes things difficult for me. This is already better, but it wasn’t a particularly noisy room last night (it’s the slow season in Florida) so it wasn’t the best test.
I did find that shoving the molds in as far as I can helps, and the bone conduction from my saxophone was mild. That’s a good thing.
All in all, if I can adapt to the new sounds in the aids, and I’m pretty adaptable, this could work. I’ll try out #3 style molds when they come un.
I set my phone so it doesn’t turn off while plugged in, and clamped it on the keyboard stand in front of me. A tap can change the setting from TV to Surround, so in between songs, I can hear what the audience is saying (as good as I ever can)
I’m pleased with the trial. I have only 2 gigs each for the next few weeks. From mid-August to October is the dead zone as far as gigs are concerned. But I’m used to that. We’re spending the time learning new songs.
We are a duo, and I make my own backing tracks, from scratch. I just worked out and recorded the bass, drums, and all but 1 guitar part to Jethro Tull’s “Locomotive Breath” (customer request). My duo partner will play that part, I’ll sing and play flute. Tried it last night, and thankfully the flute was not too loud in the right ear, so as long as it’s on TV, I won’t have to turn the right ear down anymore.
Things are looking up.
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Three more gigs this week. I’m learning to adjust.
With lower output levels on the mixer’s headphone jack, any distortion that is left is extremely minor.
Pushing the balance all the way to “TV” on the app, allows me to have in-ear monitoring, and effectively mutes out the audience noise, so I can play with my ears at a low volume level.
There isn’t much bass response, so I’m learning to listen to other things in the mix for my cues.
I still have my little spot monitor on stage, but I haven’t used it for the last 3 gigs. I may eventually leave it in its case. I need to play more different venues with different needs before I do.
I have the phone plugged in, app open, and set not to go to sleep. That way, between songs, I can run the balance slider away from TV and more to the room. This helps me hear what people are saying between tunes.
If the music in the phones drops out for a while, the app switches to Automatic, but reverts back to TV when the music starts again.
All in all, as I get used to it, I’m getting happier with it. I’ll still be making minor adjustments, and trying different ways of doing it.
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The new ones fit deeper, but there isn’t a significant difference for me.
Both #2 and #3 versions of the molds block out the outside sounds well.
So when I plug the “TV Connector” into the headphone jack of my PA Mixer, it pairs to my H.Aids. On the phone app there is a slider that goes from surround to TV, and if I slide that close to the TV extreme, I can listen to the background at a low volume. Works pretty well.
I have my phone on the keyboard stand, on the app, and set so it doesn’t sleep while plugged in. If someone approaches the stage between songs, a tap/slide on the screen puts me back in the hearing aid mode.
The TV Connector seems to be equalized for speech, so there is some adjustment for me, as I can’t hear the low frequencies as well, but it’ll just take some getting used to.
Before the autoimmune reaction damaged my ears, I used musician ear plugs, and they also took an adjustment.
The result is, I’m going to extend my musical career, which is something that I love to do, and could certainly use the money.
So for those in doubt, if you want advice, I don’t come here very often, but I think if you IM me in this app, it’ll e-mail me. But understand any advice is just person to person, I’m not a professional, so run it by your pro.
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