Hi! Im new to this forum. I have a lot of experience fitting hearing aids from virtually all the major manufacturers.
I’d be happy to answer questions of help with hearing aid ideas or fittings.
Look forward to being part of this forum.
Thanks for the offer.
COuld you please have a look at my audiogram and let me know if Phoank Smarts can correct this loss?
In addition, I have been trying Smarts III and the receiver makes noises whenever the audi tries to increase the gain or increase the soundrecover.
What are these sounds? Is it a programming issue or that what the receivers should do ?
These sounds are like machines working in the receiver.
Mike, how about the Phonak Naidas or similar? How’s your experience regarding fitting these? There may be some out there that may need some help…
Also, have you worked with the FM technology with these aids??
I totally know that sound you are talking about…simply put it is “circuit noise”. As strange as this concept may sound it is basically the sound of the hearing aid being on and working.
I have fit and played and have personally worn aids for product knowledge and although Phonak makes a nice product there are def “quieter” products out there.
Microtech’s Axio ST line is very clean and transparent along with Oticon’s Dual, Dual Mini and/or Agil products.
Microtech has a MUCH better feedback manager (best in the industry period!) and this may be of great importance considering your audiogram and the amount of loss in your high frequency range. Youll need good power for those ranges and you don’t want your aid to be whistling all over town. THe Oticon would have a greater potential for feedback for your loss.
One last thought too…if you try the higher model of the SMART it will not be any quieter that the III’s. Sorry.
Naida’s are excellent…but not necessarily my favorite. Depends on the loss.
Mike J,
I just got a new hearing aid but I don’t have the audiogram information on me. One thing I do have hard time understanding people especially the voices. When they are talking, I do hear some kinda of static where the voice are not clear, and also, they talk kinda low. At the same time, the background noise is very loud. The hearing aid I have is Virtue 12.
Any idea on how to fix that part especially the voice part?
Hi Mike,what do you think about the seimen motion or pure line, looking at these for my mother, here is her audiogram
would depend on your audiogram. hard to say without seeing your test results. Virtue is a good product.
Great product, but i dont like that product at all for that audiogram. I would not do an open fit configuration for that. You could do the motion or pure (i like the pure) but would def want to look at getting custom earmolds to attach to the reciever.
If you get a motion or pure you will def have problems with feedback with Siemens. Be fine if you get a custom mold.
Thanks for the reply Mike, so you are saying with an open fit mic attached to the say, pure 500, She would have a problem with feedback that could not be adjusted for?
Sure it can be adjusted so that it doesn’t feedback. But…the only way to do so it to reduce the amplification to reduce the feedback. If you reduce the amplification you reduce the benefit of your hearing aids.
Maybe you can try it with your provider as he/she recommends. You’ll will get feedback though if you get your head close to anything.
Also, an open fit will loose too much empahsis in the low frequencies that you need. Getting a mold to attach to it will get you back the low freq amplification that your audiogram calls for.
But follow your provides lead. I don’t want to confuse the matter. Hopefully just offering some good advice.
Thank you Mike, I really appreciate your response, it is great to have informed people to draw your conclusions from, every bit of info helps toward the whole, sincerely Charles DeLauro
How much does that affect speech clarity?
After looking at this again maybe I can offer a little better help or advice to try. Regarding understanding the voices try having your provider increase the “TK/Threshold Kneepoint”. If this TK is set too low it can cause the hearing aid to go into compression too soon. Raising this can help to let more information in and can improve the understanding in general.
The static issue is difficult to trouble shoot without seeing the hearing aid. Perhaps it needs to be repaired? Maybe a new microphone will correct this. But, assuming that it is working properly. Really hard to say.
Regarding voices being low: Raising that TK that I suggested above will also help with this. Your provider can also raise “gain for soft sound” to help with some of the soft speech information. Your provider should know what this stuff means with ease.
Do you have knowledge of your test results? Do you know what your speech discrimination is? If you have poor discrim (ability to understand) then it could be more difficult all together for understanding.
Just keep with it and be positive and patient with your provider. A good attitude does wonders for both the patient and provider.
Hope this helps you. The Virtue is a very good product so feel good about what you have purchased
That noise i dont think will affect speech clarity. Now if you did upgrade to the higher models of the SMART I do feel that the speech will be easier to understand in noise. Phonak does a nice job at managing noise (restaurants, bowling alley, crowds, church etc…).
Moving up from the III to the V might be a great move. Some huge gains in features when you make that jump. To go from the V to the IX is also good, but the margin of difference is not as great compared to the III to the V.
And yes the Phonak SMART line is a nice product for your audiogram. I like this fitting. Some patients notice that “noise” and some don’t. Looks like your the prior.
Is your provider using a power receiver as opposed to a standard receiver? If a power receiver the stronger receivers have a definite tendency to be louder than the standard. I have not put your audiogram into a computer so I can’t say if a standard receiver would do the job for your loss but would be quieter.
Yes I am trying the power receivers, becasue of the bad loss in the mid and high frequencies.
Even if I hear the voices it is still very difficult to understand. Do you think it is a matter of adjustments or I have dead spots preventing me from benfiting from the aids?
When I tried increasing the soundrecover the receivers sounds became louder and I didn’t like it.
Those are specific things that will have to be discussed with your provider.
Be careful of the RIC (receiver in canal) products. They have a lot more contra- indicators which may cause problems with fit and comfort. I would recommend a thin tube over a RIC. This is more versatile. The motion will be a better fit.
Micheal McCroskey MBA BC-HIS Lic #404