I have to self program my Step Mums Phonak M70 and it’s so much harder as I don’t know what she’s hearing.
Her NHS Aids are not Bluetooth which is why she got the Phonak Bolero/Sky M70 M.
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I had a look at a friends’ single Naida UP, with moderate to profound loss, and a big area of SoundRecover2. I added a couple of Additional programmes but didn’t touch the programming. Definitely scared me off 
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Back in the late 60s or early 70 I gigged in what I think was called “Northways Lounge” or something like that.
Big picture windows where you could see the ships and barges going through the canal that lead to the locks.
Nice bar, but with the big picture windows, the acoustics were terrible. The drums used to echo off the glass and arrive a fraction of a second later.
---- Back on topic —
Right now, I think I’m too shy to DIY adjusting my own aids.
Seems to me that my lack of knowledge about how to do that would give me more odds of screwing things up, and possibly damaging my ears.
I’m sure I could learn, but I don’t want to take the time to do that.
I have an online business selling snippets of my music to other musicians who use the snippits and call them their own, I’m a gigging musician in a duo, and I make our own backing tracks for new songs.
That means for every new song we learn I have to learn the drum, bass, keyboard, guitar, and other parts well enough to record them. It’s very time consuming. That’s why other musicians buy from my online business.
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I have try #2 and #3. I’m not sure which is better, but they both work.
Is it possible for me to swap them myself, without going to the Audi?
If so, how, and what do I need?
Thanks.
OP thanks for this topic.
A very recognizable journey for me as well.
I have been wearing hearing aids (BTE) on the left side for over 15 years. Due to my hearing loss and surgical ear canal (now surgically repaired), I have been using custom made anti-allergic molds for years.
I have tried several acrylic and silicone molds over the past few years. The silicone molds were too tight for me. The molds have a vent between 0.6 to 0.8 mm. Nevertheless, I keep getting an itchy and sweaty (wet) ear canal. Consequently, I regularly feel the moisture really running out of my ear. With my hearing aids, I have had to do without the low frequencies (bass) for years.
The sound was most of the time bad for me, even very tiring to listen to. After half a day I was really tired. Audiologists kept telling me that nothing could be done.
Now I am testing the Phonak Infinio Sphere and Oticon Intent 1. Both sounded very bad with custom molds. Both low (bass) and higher frequencies were hard or impossible to hear. I could hear people very poorly. Again, after a few hours I had an itchy and wet ear canal. Venting of 0.6/1.0 mm.
Now with the Phonak, I temporarily switched to a dark silicone double dome earpiece. Remarkably a world of difference! I also had that difference recently with the Oticon that was temporarily fitted with a dome.
Feedback measurement at the audiologist showed an immediate improvement. Now the Phonak sounds better to me. Low frequencies (bass) and clarity are more evident. The sound is more natural. Unfortunately, the occlusion effect is now a bit more pronounced when I talk.
The Phonak is still not quite optimal. With streaming it goes better but in quiet surroundings it sounds with like I have a cotton wool in my ears. Could it be the well-known Phonak “sauce” that removes part of the high frequencies? What is remarkable is that so far I have not had an itchy or wet ear canal.
How is it that domes now sound better to me than custom-made molds? Is it due to insufficient occlusion? Does it have to do with my hearing loss? Is the audiologist doing something wrong? Is it because of my surgical ear canal?
From left to right:
Old Phonak, Oticon Intent 1, Phonak Infinio Sphere
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I see you have rather canal earmold with no additional support as in skeleton molds. This may also explain poorer feedback test in earmolds due to leaks around them.
As for better sound quality in the dome, putting on the same receiver, perhaps its tip is positioned more in front of the eardrum and not against the canal wall, but I only theorize.
Your earmold are rather shallow - maybe better quality is also from deeper placement of the dome. This could also make external part of ear canal open to environment and less sweating.
Surgical ear canal may be a problem; it probably makes taking deep ear impressions riskier. However, I think someone more knowledgeable will comment on it. It also depends on the kind of surgery.
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I was using those Phonak Power Domes for a while.
For me fit was the key.
I ordered Power Domes from a*azon in each size. I tried them all. One ear was borderline M or L. The other was L. Once I knew the size, I used that size only. Until Iost a power dome in my right ear for 3 weeks…I’ve used “closed domes” in the right size ever since.
Previous experience, way back, the audi said “use these” in one size. I never survived that trial.
I don’t have the same hearing aids as you. I have Phonak Audeo Paradise P90R’s. They now have the new (for them) 5.0 receivers. I used to have the 4.0 receivers with the miniscule and awful wax guards.
So for me size is critical. I need to get more of the closed domes…size is critical. And way back my audi used to give me a few domes in mislabeled boxes. My new heaing aid professional is excellent, but some distance away.
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The domes are fitting in your ear with less venting than the custom molds, for whatever reason. The molds are leaking, or simply have larger vents, or are less accommodating to a mobile ear canal.
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@Bimodal_user @DaveL @Neville
Thanks for your clear explanations.
Skeleton ear pieces that is a good point. I am going to include this in my next appointment at the audiologist. I also want to start discussing it with my clinical audiologist at the hospital.
As for the ear impressions these are taken from me with silicone impression material quite deep as standard. The ear pieces end up being quite a bit shorter. Often too short and too small so they have to be remade. I will take this into account in my follow-up appointment.
I am going to take this period of time to see what it will end up being. I can definitely say that the dome feels pretty good with my hearing.
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@Bailey72 , put your index finger 1-2 cm deep into the ear canal, especially touching its front part, and open the jaw wide and close. You can repeat it. You should feel the movement of the temporomandibular joint in front of the front wall of the ear canal.
I recommend my other post:
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I didn’t like the power domes (of course we are all different).
I am guessing that because they didn’t have a vent, the audio felt muffled with less dynamics.
The custom ear molds are working much better for me.
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You must also mention the type of operation you had, perhaps with your ENT surgeon, because I don’t know if it affected the ear canal wall, dilating it near the eardrum. If so, filling that dilation with fluid for a silicone impression may risk getting stuck once it has cured.
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I think the same is true for most HA users.
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No, not really. User satisfaction is pretty high with domes, especially for milder losses. They’re hygienic easily replaced and suit a wide variety of canal types, especially more dynamic ones. The main strength of them is that you’re not beholden to a custom shell shop if something goes wrong, a receiver needs replacing or even a waxtrap gets blocked.
People in this forum are a self-selecting, motivated group of wearers. For example, in the real world: the number of people who want to self-program aids I’ve seen in 20-odd years of fittings could be counted on one hand, but there’s several people here who want to home-brew their devices. Similarly we used to fit 90% custom aids when I started, but the flexibility of dome choices and RIC fittings all that has changed. Especially with better feedback management.
Just as a very rough line, if you have a conventional sloping loss and your 2KHz is 60dB or less, then you can be fitted with domes, whether you prefer it or not is probably suggestion or conditioning.
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I believe what you say is true, provided the care received is good, as you provide.
My second pair of hearing aids was provided by a company with closed domes. Then they changed them for power domes, without taking care. I went back to closed domes quickly because the power domes were the wrong size.
sometimes the container was labelled with the wrong size.
I’m amazed how such a tiny peace can affect the performance of my hearing aids.
I’m grateful that Phonak has supported my hearing aids so well.
They replaced my hearing aids and charger at the end of warranty.
They provided 5.0 receivers taking out the 4.0 receivers that had the horrible wax guards that were so difficult for me to use.
Thank you for the interest you show for all of us. And thanks to all the others who do so too.
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Or comfort or retention issues with domes?
Yeah that too with or without sport locks.
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I’m back using sport locks. On my 5.0 power receivers that Phonak just released for me. Just before I got the new receivers I lost a power dome in my right ear for 3 weeks…
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After a few weeks gigging with the ear molds and using the TV Monitor on the headphone output of my mixer, I’m happy.
I can monitor the music at a low volume, and the ambient noise of the room isn’t covering it up, forcing me to turn the monitor volume up.
I have my Android set to stay on when plugged in, so when someone comes up to speak between songs, I can slide the balance slider to the room rather than the TV device.
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I have the Phonak Audeo’ Cros. Ear molds are essential for those of us with profound hearing loss. Once you get fitted and wear/ use them you forget they are there in your ears.
As another poster stated on another forum: “It’s a journey.”
Wishing you the best.
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