I’m getting M-70 soon. How can I know which earmolds I need? I will go to a Phonak company far away from my hometown (10 hours by bus) to have them and I need to make sure what to ask for.
Also, is there a way to program the hearing aids without Noahlink? Its cost is quite high!
Will I be able to connect the aids with my laptop through bluetooth? Or do I need a device for that?
P.S. Do you recommend that I buy Roger on to help me hear better in noisy places? Considering that its cost is insane (for me)!!!
For programming the Noahlink Wireless is required.
As additional microphone you can also try the Phonak Partner Mic, which is not so expensive.
As mold for your bad ear i suggest a full shell mold in acrylic (more stable and cheaper to produce), or you could ask for a skeleton mold this is a bit more expensive because this neeeds more manual work, it gives more comfort but is also less stable and can break more easely.
You should ask upfront for prices and price differences of the molds. And ask for a venting hole
On the good ear you could try a slim tube and domes, or also a mold, depending on your preferences.
the mold is connected via a clear silicon tubing to the hearing aids.
A mold is recommended for the bad ear. It woud be also possible for the good ear. You definitly should ask for a small venting hole in the mold, especially for the good ear !
The tubing needs to be replaced regularly (every 2 or 3 month) that can be done by yourself. I can send you the stepps for the tube replacement.
For the good ear you could also go with a mold.
bte earmold hearing-aid-tubes are sold online or ask local
Alternatively you could mount a Phonak Slim Tube 4.0 on the HA for the side of your good ear , but for this you need to order the correct side and size of the Slim Tube 4.0, and then you need the correct domes. A dome needs to be placed on the SlimTube on the ear side.
Picture of a Phonak Slim Tube 4.0 for Right side and length 0 (shortest length)
I’d prefer not to put a slimtube on it, but if there is access to REM than you can confirm whether on not the slimtube is impacting provision of gain. If there’s no REM. . . I wouldn’t want to put a slimtube on it.
There’s going to be some variability from person to person given differences in anatomy, but once your lows are at 60 dB HL you really only need a pressure vent (1mm or less) and once you get to 90 dB HL even a pressure vent becomes a bit questionable.
The vent is to reduce occlusion, but it’s not required. With pediatrics it is regularly the case that we cannot even fit a pressure vent into the mold and so they just have to grow up with occlusion. I had a patient once who thought that without a vent pressure would just build up until . . . something bad happened. I don’t actually know why the pressure vent is referred to as a “pressure” vent, because it is not relieving pressure.
I have the Roger On In and it is fabulous when setup correctly (i can help with that). It is pricey. The In version has the “receivers” (software that will intall to your hearing aids). If you get the Roger On, and you don’t already have licenses installed in your hearing aids, the Roger On will not work.
If you are buying used hearing aids there is a chance it will come with receivers already installed.
Another option, cheaper than Roger On In, is the Roger MyLink. It is a t-coil neckloop that connects to the Roger On. There is a newer model called Roger Neckloop. I dont know for sure that they come with a Roger receiver. You may have to get a Roger x03 receiver and physically plug it into thr Mylink or Roger neckloop. X03 receivers are pretty cheap, used.
So, since Phonak doesn’t make this simple or easy, summary:
Roger On is good. Very helpful in noise. It must be set up well to work well
Roger Select probably good also.
Roger On In is a Roger On that comes with Roger receivers.
Must have Roger receivers for Roger ON to work. The receivers could come from a Roger In device, or could already be installed in used hearing aids, or could be in a Mylink or Roger Neckloop.
I think, but not sure, that the older Roger Pen 1.1 will also work. More certain the mylink and Roger pen work together. The Roger On is a refinement of the Roger Pen 1.1, but the Roger Pen is good also! Much cheaper, used. I will try to connect my Roger pen directly to my hearing aids and see how that works.
Roger On (and Roger Pen) come with a docking station/charger that can be used as your TV transmitter.
