I’ve been wearing hearing aids for 45+ years. I’ve been wearing two BTE hearing aids. I have profound to severe hearing loss. Recently my left hearing seems to not hear as well, not sure if it’s the hearing aid or the ear itself. My current BTE hearing aids I got in 1996 and they are analog hearing aids. One ear can hear high pitch and the other can hear low pitch sounds.
I’m going to an audiologist later this week to have my hearing checked and I have hearing aid that I would like to get, hopefully the audiologist has them. They are Phonak Naída Q-UP Premimum Q90 is what I’m looking to get and a lot of people seems to like them.
What I would like to know is that with the digital hearing aids, does holding the phone up to the digital hearing aids such as the Phonak Naída Q90 I’m looking are compatible with iPhones and such to talk on. I don’t mean using using bluetooth, I mean holding the phone up to your ear with the hearing aids in t-coil mode. I know there are bluetooth coils that you wear around your neck to talk to people, I have one and I found those annoying to wear.
You may be able to use the phone in that manner. Do you use telecoil now? The cell phones may not have the magnet necessary to start the telecoil, but there are stick-on magnets your pro can give you for all your phones. I don’t know how well that will work though. I’ve never had a telecoil in mine. I did notice recently that the HTC One has a T4 rating (which is good).
Without telecoil or bluetooth you are left with trying to position the speaker part of the phone over the microphone of the hearing aids. Some people seem to be able to do that easily, but it usually takes me a few tries to get it right, then halfway through the call I move it a little and have to find that sweet spot all over again.
I much prefer the bluetooth phone device. For my Resounds it is called the Phone Clip+ and although it can clip anywhere, I still wear it on a lanyard, around my neck, under my shirt. Since it is under my shirt it does not swing around when I turn or lean down, and it still works fine, except if I am moving around people on the call hear the microphone movement against the fabric, so I normally pull it out when on a call. It is also the remote so I change programs or adjust volume very quickly, pressing the buttons through my shirt.
Advantages to bluetooth are that the call is hands free so I can keep doing whatever I was doing and I never say, sorry, I dropped the phone. Also, the call goes in both ears and the hearing aid mics are off, so call quality on my side of the call is fantastic. You can specify to your pro whether you want the hearing aid mics on, off, 50%, or whatever when on a bluetooth call. You can also stream TV into your hearing aids.
You may also want to consider the new Made for iPhone hearing aids which allow you to stream audio directly to your hearing aids without the need for a neck-worn device. ReSound LiNX and Starkey Halo are both available with superpower receivers that can probably fit your loss.
If I weren’t using a BICROS I would get an aid that allows bluetooth directly from phone to aid with no neck loop. With the neck loop my audiologist has to really work to adjust it right so it is irritating at times and it’s easier to find a quiet place or put my phone on speaker and use it as a phone sometimes or make the phone loud and take off the HA so I understand what you’re saying. On the other hand, why not try the newest bluetooth technology and return it if you don’t like it?
I can use t-coil with certain phones. But not with my iPhone and Dect 6.0 cordless phones in my house. The iPhone I can barely use it, I can hear some buzzing sounds. The Dect 6.0 is impossible to use due to the buzzing sounds. I’m hoping that the digital hearing aids resolves that issue since my current one is analog and from 1996, so it’s probably not compatible with today’s technology.
I would use the bluetooth but I can’t answer the phone quick enough on my iPhone due to that I have to either get my t-coil loop headset on (doesn’t require bluetooth) and get my hearing aids in t-coil mode to answer the call. Again with the new digital hearing aids I’m hoping that I can just answer the phone and put it up to the digital hearing aids to automatically enable the t-coil mode to talk.
But I wouldn’t know if my iPhone would work due to that I don’t if it will give that buzzing interference noise with the digital hearing aids.
Where do I find that information? iPhone has the “Hearing Aid Mode” settings (I have that enabled), but I don’t believe it works that well with my 1996 analog hearing aids.
I didn’t think there any hearing aids that has bluetooth built-in. I tried looking for one and all I have found is that you have to use a neck loop for bluetooth.
Which hearing aids has the bluetooth built-in now?
I had my visit yesterday with the audiologist and she only carries Resound hearing aids. She wouldn’t even try to work with me with other brands. But, the Resound does sound pretty nice with the iPhone connection without having to use a bluetooth loop. I’m going to try the Resound and see how they work. They will give me 30 days to try the hearing aids and will swap them with a different Resound if the one she recommend I try first to see if they will work for me.
The Resound Linx (wireless to iPhone) goes for around $6000 per pair. The Resound Verso 9, rebranded as Costco Kirkland Signature 5 are priced at $1895 per pair. They are wireless direct to Resound TV Streamer, Mini Microphone, and Phone Clip. (loop not required).
If the Resounds don’t work, then the Phonaks are definitely worth a try. They have a Duophone mode that streams the conversation to both ears when you hold the phone up to one ear for conversation. That might be my favorite feature.
The problem is that the Audiologist I went to doesn’t have Phonaks and it sound like she won’t even try working with Phonaks. I have to find an Audiologist that do support them and I’m not sure how to go about finding one.
The Duophone on the Phonaks is what I like about since my hearing loss is split (one does high and the other does low) and being able to hear both tones make a big difference.
This comment is quite helpful to me as I will be 1st time HA user and cell and corded phone listening experience are high on my list of listening goals to improve. If I am understanding things correctly the Phonak (and I’d be looking at the Costco Phonak Brio similar to Audeo Q90) would allow for hearing simultaneously in both HA in two manners: 1) Duophone mode where one holds phone up to ear; and then alternatively 2) with use of the Compilot via BT. Right? If you also do some of your calls via Compilot would you please compare any differences in your listening experience from the two options. If I can avoid having to purchase the Compilot it’d save about $300 and make the cost of the Phonak Brio at Costco only about $400 more than the purchase there of Kirkland Sig 5 (similar to Resound Verso 9) with the PhoneClip+.
I am assuming that with the Kirk Sig 5 the only way to have the sound in both ears is using the PhoneClip+ or to put the telephone on speaker phone. If that is correct than I see a good advantage for me with Phonak option.
Thanks for any further input on this aspect, and my apology to @pintnight as I don’t mean to hi-jack your thread, but this seems relevant.
The only Resound model that works like that is the Linx. Keep in mind you have to use the iphone microphone, so unless you can lay it down close to your mouth, it is not truly hands-free. That may not be an issue if you are fine using the phone somewhat in the conventional manner, with just the incoming sound going directly into both hearing aids. The Phone Clip+ is truly hands free during the call but does involve wearing an extra device.
If you go to Costco to try the Phonak Brio ask your HIS about possible issues with feedback.
I’m still just inside the 90 day policy with my KS5s and wanted very much to try out the Brios. My in-store demo with my regular guy was a dud with the Brios (as he told me it would be beforehand - due to feedback issues.) Being somewhat paranoid, (they really are out to get me ), I went to a 2nd store this week for a formal consultation with their HIS. Nice guy that I had talked to briefly before.
He (also) indicated he’s seeing some issues with feedback with the Brio’s he has out - with people over a certain hearing loss level. And after looking at my history file he stated clearly that the KS5s were a better choice for me. We sere strictly talking about the RIC model with regular (not custom fitted) domes, btw. Apparently I would need custom fitted domes to make the Brios a possible.
Now maybe he’s just doing a CYA for the other store’s HIS (whom he knows), but I tend to believe him. He also does not like the wind feature on the Brios - versus the KS5 - says it requires a separate program instead of being automatic.
FWIW, I seem to do just fine with my Android smart phone just putting it up to my ear, with the KS5s. (I no longer use land lines.) I did have some issues during a multiple person conference call after I first got my aids - but not nearly as bad as I used to have without them. But being mostly retired I have no plans or desires to use a streaming device for phone use - conference calls be damned!
Like the OP I have been wearing HA’s for 46 years. I have profound hearing loss and wear two BTE aids with the “T” coil switch. When talking on a cordless or cell phone I’ve always held the receiver of the phone near the top of my ear where my aid and t-coil is located. After reading through this thread I got to wondering why I couldn’t just put my Android cell phone up to my ear instead close to my aid.
I remember seeing a setting in my cell phone to turn on for hearing aid compatibility which I have tried but it didn’t seem to have any difference if it was on or off. Still I was putting my cell receiver near my hearing aid. So as a test I turned on the setting in my cell phone for hearing aid compatibility and made a call then place the receiver of my cell to my ear (where my ear mold is) to see if my HA’s t-coil would pick up the sound. It did! I can’t believe I’ve missed this setting and phone placement all this time! Now I can hear on my cell much better with more clear sound than before. Sadly my home cordless phone doesn’t have a setting like this. With it I still have to place the receiver near my aid to hear.
My thanks for the OP and other posting in this thread. You folks helped me!
Here is a screen shot for the setting in my cell phone so maybe it can help someone else.
), I went to a 2nd store this week for a formal consultation with their HIS. Nice guy that I had talked to briefly before.