Hi folks
Thinking of getting new hearing aids with a view to getting a job in a coffee shop. I am just wondering has anyone had the specsavers advance elite hearing aids and if so are they good enough?
Or would i have to pay for more expensive ones and would they work?
I am severe loss on my left ear and moderate to severe on my right ear.
Thanks.
Welcome to the forum, hey can you post your audiogram as it’s very hard to offer “sound” advice without knowing this, but there’s no “best” HAs, only you’ll know what works for you, so you’ll need to do a trial of a least a couple of different bands to know which might benefit you, is there a Costco near you, they only sell premium models and have a very good trail period.
If you use the search button from right here on hearingtracker you’ll find a lot more information about these.
They are in most cases, rebranded models from the most popular manufacturers anyway .
Hi Albert welcome to this very informative forum. I have moderate to severe hearing loss in both ears and have been fitted with Specsavers Advance Elite Aids 2 weeks ago. They are my first HA’s so can’t compare them with anything else. All I can say is that they are bloody fantastic and have transformed my hearing back to how I used to hear things. Specsavers have been absolutely brilliant with testing, information, fitting and calibrating, nothing has been too much trouble for them, The HA’s are a rebadged Unitron Moxi Blu 9 which are the top of the range. So far so good, but haven’t tried them in a noisy cafe environment, They have performed very well in a noisy shopping plaza situation with the auto noise reduction and focused microphones, I have been able to hear my wife and shop assistants perfectly whilst the clatter and other noises are not a bother. I chose the Advance Elite as they have more chanel‘s of auto compensation in different environments. The Advance Elite have cost me less than what I was going to be charged for Unitron Moxi Blu 5’s from another Audiologists so very happy in that regard. Here is a link to a thread I posted on my journey to select these https://forum.hearingtracker.com/t/help-with-suitable-aids-for-my-hearing-loss/76164 it’s a long read but this was my learning curve from not knowing anything about HA’s. The Advance app is very good with seamless connection giving you manual control override for different environments. The in ear phone calls are amazing. I have been nothing but impressed up to now with these aids. Bluetooth connection to other devices is excellent up to 10 metres but you can only have 2 connections at any given time. Hope this helps .
Hi thanks for the reply.
My question is given my hard of hearing would it be worth getting these advance elite hearing aids or would i have to go for more expensive ones. Specifically would i be able to hear what people are saying when they are beside me or behind me or in nosiy environments.
I had a hearing aid i got off the state years ago and it was useless - as in i couldnt hear what people were saying if they were not facing me.
I really just want to do my due dilligence and get hearing aids that work well.
thanks.
Hi, In answer to your question. If you decide to go with Specsavers they have a 90 day no quibble returns policy. As was explained to me by the Audiologist that if you decide the aids are not suitable within this period you can get a refund or can upgrade to the more expensive Branded Aids that they supply if you wish to (obviously you would be charged the difference in cost). Also with the Advance Elite app there is a Cafe mode that gives you the ability to change the listening parameters with volume, balance, sound equalisation, noise reduction, speech enhancement and microphone focus as shown in screen shots of the phone app.
Hi. Thanks for the reply. I will have to really consider getting them. My hearing is so bad when it comes to speech and i want to get them to be able to seamlessly work in a coffee shop, which will have a lot of background noise.
I will book an appointment with a specsavers audiologist and see what they say.
Hi, I am from the UK and currently trialling the Specsavers Advance Elite which in the UK SS reckon are the equivalent on the Phonak Paradise Viro (In the Ear) V90’s. I have been wearing HA’s for close to 45 years and my last/current/old pair are Phonak Virto V90’s (Venture). So far I have been so unhappy with these aids, even after a retune, but I 100% realise it is all subjuctive and although I do not currently have an Audio gram to show the way you describe your loss is similar to mine, although mine slightly worse on right (@Ynotrekab ).
My Aud advised the Specsavers set up is not the standard hearing set up that other manufacturers use which may be the reason I am so disappointed.
So in my current Crusade to buy new aids I have trialled, Starkey Insio Evolv 2400 (ITE) - best quality sound I have ever experienced, rubbish blue tooth its Made for Iphone but signal kept dropping returned, The SS Advance ITE will be returning when my Phonak Lumity arrives (17 May), Resound Omnia, not impressed no Auto function, these are my first RIC will be returning, also probably dumping this AUD as she has been not very good, gives me about 15 minutes with her, no explanations, nothing…).
Anyway enjoy your aids…
Hello all,
I’m new to the forum having come across it when doing research in hearing aids for my mum - thanks for all the valuable contributions. We made a decision so I thought I’d share our experience so far.
We ended up going with Specsavers audiology here in Australia, and their Advance range. The audiologist said this includes Demant Opticon, Sonova Unitron or Sivantos Signia.
The one we got for mum was the Advance 72 Elite 9 rechargeable BTE based on the Unitron Moxi Vivante. Apparently it just released here in early December 2023 and replaces their Advance 71 range which was based on the Unitron Blu.
When I compare the Advance and Unitron Vivante hearing aids, they look identical, and their user manuals are almost, but not exactly verbatim. The app is Hearing Remote rather than Unitron Remote Plus.
Since there is a big difference in price - Unitron Moxi V9-R is around $6,800 a pair online versus Specsavers $3,495, I expect there will be some software limitations on the Advance but nothing significant that I could find.
Anyway, she’s been wearing them for almost a week and everything is working well. I’m so happy that I can now speak to her at normal volume and don’t have to keep repeating myself and yelling, even in a noisy cafe.
Welcome to the forum, have you got a Costco nearby, or are considering Phonak only?
Costco give the better deal by far.
Hi Shay,
I have the Elite model. I am in the UK and it may differ by region, but it’s the Unitron Vivante Moxi V-RT. It is very similar to the Phonak Lumity, with the Sword chip. And yes, sonova is the parent company of Unitron and Phonak, so the Elite is essentially a sonova product. But I have seen Australian posters saying the Elite is a Signia in their country.
I am not sure why you say the lumity is not robust enough. Who said that? If you mean in terms of recharging, then, yes, I get about 16 to 18 hours with around 4 to 5 hours of streaming. I know that Starkey and Signia get double that with their latest models.
I bought the Elite model a couple of months ago and after some initial doubts about it’s performance in noise, I decided to keep hold of it. Like the Paradise, it’s bluetooth connection is very good and it’s been solid so far. I posted a detailed review on here if you want to look for it.
In Australia the Advance range is supplied by Sivantos (Signia) Sonova (unitron / Phonak) and Demant (Bernafon / Sonic / Oticon). all three manufacturers supply models at all 5 technology levels from the most basic (standard) to the top level (elite). I suspect this would be no different in the UK
Not wanting to split hairs, but Specsavers in the UK do not sell Oticon. AFAIK they only sell Phillips with respect to companies connected with the Demnant group.
Hi All,
Had my Specsavers Advance Elite for 9+ months now and am still very pleased with them. Have been back to Specsavers a few times for minor adjustments with the settings and they have continued to give excellent service with their helpful knowledgeable Audiologist. I am now using custom molds all provided at no extra cost. could not be happier 
Hi tenkan… thanks, but I am in Ireland actually. No Costco here … sadly, we just get ripped off … I dont think there are any OTC HAs here at all
Hi glucas. thank you very much for your reply. I would love to see your review if you could post the link. I am actually in Ireland. I am told that Elite has just upgraded to the Paradise 90. I would be ok with that. I am a first time HA user. I presume I will lose some functionality on the device and app, given an own brand, but she assures me that it is not worth paying the extra for the Phonak Paradise itself. Wit the Lumity I mean I am not fully sold on the longevity of the rechargeable tech right now. Anything goes wrong with that aspect and it has to go all the way back to the factory. So for the moment I would prefer the disposable. No one told me as such, just my own gut feeling on that.
Hi Ynotrekab, thank you very much for sharing your experience.
Oh that’s no good, yeah looks like boots and Specsavers, personality I’d have a look on eBay UK to see if there’s something, you can get some pretty good deals considering.
Hi Shay,
The link is here Specsavers Advance Elite
But this does relate to the Advance Elite that I bought in England, which is a white label Unitron.
Good luck. I understand your concern about the rechargeables and I know the Paradise comes with a 312 battery as one of its options.
I don’t think you will lose any functionality on the device or app. Specsavers are provided with their own version of the app by Sonova. And there should be no major features that are not present. Maybe it will not have tinnitus support/masking.
