Hearing aid advice for cookie-bite hearing loss?

Hearing Aids
#1

Hello! Just recently discovered this community, and it’s already been very helpful. I’m glad to be here!

I’m 34 y.o., wearing hearing aids since childhood (got first HA being around 12 y.o.), my hearing loss is not genetic, but probably induced by some drug/vaccine I got as a newborn. My hearing and audiograms have been relatively stable throughout the years, though just recently they are showing signs of further hearing decline.

I’m currently wearing a pair of Widex Uniques, model U-FP 100, which I got in 2019, and thinking about changing them to something else, in the same price range or slightly higher.

I’m trying out different HAs with my audiometrist, so far we have tried:

  • Widex Evoke FA-30 (can possibly get to try FA-110)

  • Phonak Naida Paradise P30-UP

  • Oticon Zircon 2 miniRITE T

  • Some Bernafones with receivers, but I didn’t like then immediately

I have basically the same problem with all of them, and that is speech intelligibility, especially in noisy environments, especially when there are multiple talkers in the room. I’m not too picky about how HA sounds, my main concern is understanding speech. I’d very much like to see the improvement in that area, nothing else matters much.

Important notes:

Unfortunately, I don’t have access to the newest HA modes, like Phonak Lumity series or Oticon Intent, or Widex Moment, they are simply not certified yet in my country so no reason to wait for them. The newest models/series I have access to are: Phonak Naida Paradise, Audeo Marvel, Oticon Zircon, More, Xceed, Widex Evoke. Also have access to Resound, Signia, Unitron HA’s.

Form-factor of hearing aid doesn’t matter much, though I prefer traditional BTEs since I was always wearing them and had good experience with, and receiver models I’ve tried so far (Zircons and Bernafon something) were not really impressive in terms of sound, but standard ear domes for receivers are very uncomfortable, and obviously I’m not going to do custom ear molds for them just to try these models out. I have good comfy earmolds for BTE models though.

Need general recommendation/advice how to go about getting new hearing aids, with main focus on speech clarity/distinguishing from background noise. So far I very much like tech features of Oticons and Phonak, especially their apps and iPhone connectivity features/streaming, but I feel very little improvement in the main area where I have most problems.

Any thoughts/advice is much appreciated! My audiogram should be attached to my forum profile.

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#2

Welcome. First some questions:
1)Do you know what your word recognition scores are? (Usually shown as a % correct and the dB level they were done at) 2) In quiet situations can you actually understand the speaker or do you rely on lip reading?
If your main issue is speech in noise, getting a Roger device to go with the Phonak Paradise could help. They are pricy and a little complicated to get the right one. (Don’t just buy the first one you see on EBay) For one on one, the Phonak PartnerMic can be very helpful and is much less expensive.

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#3
  1. No, I think I haven’t ever done this type of test
  2. No, in these situations I do understand the speaker well and definitely don’t rely on lip reading (I don’t like to watch on people faces… Not good, I know, but it’s a habit unfortunately).
    As for Roger devices – yes, they are really expensive here and my HCP’s company doesn’t even provide any, so I’ll need to get them somewhere outside. And I’d rather not rely on any additional devices, if possible.
#4

I don’t think you’re going to notably improve speech in noise understanding without an additional device. Phonak PartnerMics cand be purchased used for pretty reasonable price and are great for one on one speech in noise. Roger devices are more capable but pricier and more complicated.

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#5

Why do you think that additional devices are necessary? Speech understanding is hard to improve with HA’s alone for my hearing loss?

#6

Speech understanding in noise is hard to improve for anybody. When the microphone is far away from the speaker, somebody’s speech is pretty much just part of the surrounding noise. If a microphone can be held close to the speaker, it can do a better job of picking up the speech and not including so much noise. Same reason you move closer to somebody you’re having a hard time understanding. There are some fancy things hearing aids can do to get rid of the noise, but from my experience none are as effective as using a microphone close to the speaker.

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