I recently went private and replaced my NHS (UK) BTE Oticon Engage aids (that use tubes) with the latest Phonak Infinio Sphere aids. With the latter, none of the various programs seem to make much difference and at the moment my new aids are not better that my old ones. They were set up by an audioligist remotely to a supplied audiogram, but left to my own devices, I can’t say their better.
Could I be doing anything wrong? And is there an easy way of making a comparison n different environments, which doesn’t seem very practical?
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I am very interested in this.
Considering them myself.
Hope many respond.
Any HAs need an ongoing level of support from a qualified and knowledgeable person who will deal with the adjustments needed to dial them in for your particular needs.
If you got them from an online seller, with no post sales adjustment support, they are programmed to a manufacturer first fitting formula. And IMO, that means that a large amount of the value, functionality and capability of the HAs has not been set up for your situation.
I believe that any HAs are only half the battle when it comes to dealing with a hearing loss beyond mild to moderate ‘typical’ one. The other half comes from the person who fits them. Their ability to tweak the HA’s settings to meet your needs is a crucial part of maximising their benefit. They have the capability to adjust hundreds of settings using Phonak’s Target software following feedback from you and assessments using tools like Real Ear Measurement. You cannot have this half of the battle fought if you are set up to use manufacturer first fit alone.
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I’m guessing you had custom molds on your previous hearing aids and have some kind of dome in these? Your audiogram would help (click on your symbol, then the bell, then my audiogram) but if you went from a pretty closed fitting to an open one you’re not going to get the gain you need. Also ideally you should get REM (Real Ear Measurement) to ensure you’re getting adequate gain. If REM is not available then at minimum you need somebody who will work with you to adjust the aids so they supply the gain you need. As others have said, the adjustments of the aids are more important than the aids themselves.
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Extremely valid comments - thank you. My Phonal HAs were bought online, but I had four remote sessions with a very patient audiologist (who could change, all the settings) and a lot of the original problems, due to being unfamiliar with their many settings, were sorted. However I still feel a lack of control; changing profiles and their settings seem to make little difference, making me wonder, did I need to spend all this money?
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This is a classic example of why hearing aids really need to be an ‘in-person’ purchase. There could be something incredibly basic wrong with your fitting that can’t be ‘seen’ online.
Aside from this - fitting verification is only really possible in a clinical environment - you’ve basically bought an Aston Martin on Ebay and you might be trying to drive it around on VW Beetle Wheels, which could also be flat. Unfortunately, you can’t tell by looking at the situation what’s wrong.
It needs professional diagnosis.
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I don’t know if a local Phonak provider would help get you fitted optimally in a clinical setting for a fee, if the hearing aids were purchased online and not from them. Or whether the online Audiologist would be ok with that, or have any suggestions to get an optimal fit?
Are you still in a trial period?
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My 30 day money back guarantee has run out but the online audiologist, working for the HA supplier is still available for consultation and we’ve arranged a further online meeting for 21 January. I have tried the NHs and they are not interested as these HAs were bought privately. My frustration with the Phonak HAs is that changing the profiles makes very little difference and even within one profile, changing the levels have little noticeable effect. So I can’t say if they are better than my no-cost NHS HAs.
Time for a DIY project by the sounds of it.
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Not sure I understand that comment! Sorry.
You could if you wanted check out the self fitting forum here.
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I am having the same issue with the Phonak Infinio Sphere. My experience does not match what others say or what my audiologist’s expectations.
@Bernster
Which comment do you mean… there’s no quote.
You have one of the best HA’s made at the moment and your programm ‘s don’t work for you?
Which comments are you talking about here? Can you please quote what you mean. I can’t imagine I’m the only one that doesn’t understand you. Are you wearing the right HA’s for your hearing problem? Audiogram wise it wouldn’t be a bad choice for you. But possibly I’m just mistaking your comment also.
Even online, such HAs are much money… at this point, does it not make sense to find some local Audiologist that will just charge you for the service of testing you and tweaking the HAs. Call around. I had made some calls and it seemed reasonable… Good Luck!
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I am in a trial period for a pair of the Spheres. I had the same experience as you, i.e., not seeing what all the fuss was about with these HA’s, but the audiologist had fitted me with open domes. You will not get the benefit of the Sphere technology with open domes. I am now using vented domes, and there is a significant difference (but not the life changing difference I hear about from other users). When I go back to the audiologist on Wednesday I am going to ask her for closed domes. I think to get the benefit of these aids you need either closed domes or custom ear molds.
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Mine aren’t fitted with open domes - they are ‘power domes’ which I believe are closed ones. Originally, they were too small for my ear canal, so when I cupped my hand around the HA, they whistled (audio feedback). With a larger power dome, there is no whistling.
My issue is that there seems little change as I switch the profiles, even when I enter the sphere profile. In fact, if it wasn’t for the excellent streaming facility (TV, phone) and better fitting of the Phonak Sphere, then I would say they are no better than my free-issue National Heath Service ones which use air tubes rather than wired speakers.
It is very difficult the make meaningful comparisons between aids or, with one type, comparing different noise environments.
Not sure what to do about it!
Wouldn’t that invalidate the warranty where an online audiologist still gives me support?
Sorry, I am new to the website and can now see the value of using quotes. Sorry for the inconvenience!
Good suggestion. Thank you.
No, why would that be? The warranty is with the manufacturer, but yeah so sometimes when you want things done properly you have to do it yourself unfortunately.
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