Earmolds vs Grip Tips

Hearing Aids
#1

Hi there,

I’ve had a recent audiology appointment and with some of the adjustments that were made, my audi suggested that I’d try customized earmolds.

I’ve been using the Oticon Grip Tips since I started wearing hearing aids about 2.5 years ago and liked those. However, they needed to be replaced every month as they’d lose the grip and also they’ve been creating more feedback with the new adjustments. So I thought we could give the earmolds a try. We went for thermotec earmolds.

I received them early this week and I’m still in the process of getting used to them… first of all, they are much bigger than what the audi had previously discussed with me. He just said that the provider probably thought this was necessary (maybe because of the form or my ear canal?). They do fit quite comfortably though but i am also feeling the occlusion quite a bit and my own voice sounds quite nasal. I mentioned this at the appointment and the audi had a look at the vents but said that they are already as big as possible and that i will get used to it.

After the first five days my view is as follows:

  • the fit is quite comfortable but i can feel them more than the grip tips
  • the earmolds are much more visible and i am a bit self conscious about that… but ill probably get used to it and maybe that is actually a good thing so people know i am hard or hearing. The grip tips were pretty much invisible.
  • the overall sound is ok, but not necessarily as good as with the grip tips. Or at least not better.
  • my voice still sounds bad most of the time and very nasal

The positives are:

  • no more feedback
  • easy to insert and comfortable fit

I am sure that the sound could still be somewhat improved and hopefully the sound of my voice as well.

The questions that I now have are:

  • have you had similar experiences and did you get used to your own voice or find a different solution somehow?
  • do you think with my hearing loss earmolds are necessary? I’ve read that if the hearing in the lower frequencies is still good, earmolds might not be the right option? The audi said they should give me much better results. I am not sure at the moment if the positives outweigh the negatives yet and whether it can get there.

Thanks for any insights :blush:

#2

I’ve gone to custom molds and have gotten used to them and like them.
It’s a balancing act judgement call. You need the molds if you want to get the gain you need to high frequencies without feedback. However if downsides are greater than the benefits, then you could likely manage with the griptips. You are however likely to end up in custom molds at some time as your hearing worsens.

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#3

For my part, I have found the Grip Tips to be better than either custom moulds or domes. I have large ear canals and use the large size Grip Tips but even so I find it quite tricky to put in or out. I certainly have not found that they slip out by themselves. I have absolutely no feedback using the Grip Tips but there is occlusion which I have got used to.

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#4

It is your call, of course. I tried molds, and the occlusion was so bad that I would rather revert to an ear trumpet! I am a very amateur singer and brass player, and the occlusion made it impossible to hear the ensemble. Forget dinner conversation with the family.

I use closed domes that seal. Right now I’m off to play horn in a reading of the last movement of Beethoven’s 9th with an amateur chorus.

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#5

Thats great. I had the vented grip tips and they would create feedback sometimes.
Are you the same that you can only ever use them for about a month? Mine kind of got dry over time and then the fit wouldnt be as good. They wouldn’t slip out but somehow they just didn’t sit correctly in the ear anymore so I’d have to change them every 4 weeks.

#6

Thanks for your view on it. A few more days into testing I feel like it has gotten a bit better already. Not sure if i have just gotten used to my own voice or if it has gotten better as i am recovering from a cold.
So I’ll test some more and will also have the settings adjusted a little bit again. I think long term it is probably better to get used to them. I am only 34 now so I am sure as I age the hearing will get worse!

#7

The manufacturer says to change them every month anyway so that’s OK. Mine get covered in dead skin and stuff and I have managed to take them off and wash them. I use the unvented ones and get no feedback. I tried making a small vent with a red-hot needle but this gave a bit of feedback so I went back to no vent. My ear canals are huge and not both the same size so I have a hard time with domes. I did have custom moulds for a time but they just would not stay in my big ears.

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