And I doubt you hear anything 3khz and higher at moderate sound levels from your right ear, but you can get your highs from left ear. I’m not saying frequency lowering is the be all/end all, but it’s the only practical way to get audibility in the higher frequencies for lots of people.
1 Like
I use a Plantronics MDA200 that connects to both laptop and office phone to my hearing aid Bluetooth device, a Phonak Compilot 2. I use it several hours a day.
2 Likes
The impression you gave in terms of your description was that you likened your loss to Sinead’s - it’s not. What you might also not be aware of is the need for better ambient sound ‘quality’ - I resist using the term ‘quality’ as it is hugely subjective; however, in this case the Opn S would be our clinical ‘go-to’ choice in terms of sound-field preservation and not futzing around with music.
FWIW, potentially introducing temporal distortion through frequency lowering would be a very marginal decision ONLY prompted by a qualified poor speech in noise results. Again the effects on ambient sounds and music are also affected.
Marvels are great aids and I’m also impressed with the Unitron Discover - this client might do well with them, but they wouldn’t be the go-to choice in this situation.
1 Like
I’ll try to be more sensitive in how I word things to not rock the boat. My intention is previously stated above, and I’m sorry you interpreted that intention or assumed that differently, because again, if you re-read what I wrote, I didn’t say what you said. Now remember, this is an online forum. Appreciate you looking out for the OP. Thanks!
It seems like we all see different salient aspects of a patient. Curious what the salient aspects of “this case” are that point toward the Opn S. Thanks.
1 Like
The need for more natural sounds and ‘unmanaged’ sound scape. The need for maximum openness of the fitting coupled with minimal feedback and a directionally capable noise management system.
Also given the reference frame of the patient - namely quite normal lower pitch hearing, the way the aid handles the transition between the regular canal input and the amplified portion of the signal is pretty important. The recent advice from Sonova regarding whether to run the feedback manager or not at the first fit tells me that they aren’t applying any in-situ gain control based on it within the Marvels/Discover aids.
What establishes this “need for natural sounds and unmanaged soundscape?” Is it the patient’s audiogram (near normal low frequency hearing)? I’m struck by a dilemma that both doctors and audiologists face. Does one offer the “best” treatment, the one most likely to obtain a cure or minimize a deficit, or the one most easily tolerated by the patient. The “need for natural sounds…” sounds like more of the later to me. To me this sounds like something best determined by a psych profile or maybe questions aimed at priorities rather than drawing conclusions from an audiogram. Heck, we’ve got one guy here on the forum with a very similar audiogram and he’s happiest with barely vented silicon molds. Am I missing something? I do totally get that hearing aids do no good if they’re not worn.
I have used closed click sleeves for about three weeks now after using open click sleeves. About the only time I notice the closed, slight ear plug like effect is when I am in a relatively quiet environment. It seems like the automatic noise management system of the HA’s fairly slowly ramps down amplification when it determines there is nothing important to hear. Without noise being amplified it seems a bit like wearing ear plugs. That all changes of course when the the TV is on, or someone is speaking.
One effect I have noticed is in the car on the highway. At least in theory the HA’s detect this and adjust the mode. It works quite well with it picking up voice from my wife while keeping the driving noise in control. What I heard was that when she was not speaking it got quieter and quieter until there was no wind noise at all. Then when she would speak I would hear her clearly. But after she stopped speaking there was wind noise that slowly decayed in volume again until it was essentially gone.
I suspect the closed fitting is what is allowing the HA’s to have this kind of control of noise. Probably the most interesting effect is on computer keyboard clacking noise. It seems now with the closed fitting the HA’s recognize this as noise and suppresses it when there is no other noise around. Then my wife starts talking or making noise in the kitchen, and the clacking noise comes back big time.
But in short the benefits of the reduced feedback with closed fittings outweigh any negative effects.
I highly recommend Direct Streaming to your Hearing Aids - Oticon OPN or the new OPN S since you are used to the way Oticon sounds. I also struggled with Alta Pros and the Streamer (original Streamer and Streamer Pro). Your assessment of the Streamer is 100% accurate. Direct Streaming to Hearing Aids is Life Changing!! That reason alone is enough to buy new Hearing Aids, in my experienced opinion. Seamless, quick connections to iPhone calls…Live Listen on iPhone also avail for additional help - streamed if using Speaker or during Lectures, etc. Other accessories are available.
I cannot help with suggestions for your hearing Loss…just to to say again, that MFi hearing aids will change how you work and play!
You will be able to mute the outside noise – AC --or fans, etc or turn the noise down drastically - easily and fast - and stream the calls at the volume you want. Nothing like the delays and buttons on the Streamer.
Direct Streaming without wearing a finicky Streamer has enhanced my life beyond words.
Yes, the near normal low hearing combined with the lack of previous success. This gives the customer a very definite reference frame of what sounds should actually sound like.
If you put a pair of aids on a patient without a solid level of experience, occlude and over process the sound or fail to make them sound natural and lack feedback, you’ll run into potential rejection problems.
The nearest comparison I can give you is your variation in visual perception in terms of how your colour gamut might be different than someone else’s. This is what gives rise to the differences in how people see that black and white dress,
2 Likes
I use the Starkey SOUNDLENS SYNERGY iQ i2400 IIC. My primary reason for wearing them is to help with my Tinnitus which they nearly eliminated. As for streaming, they operate on 900 MHz and use a wireless streamer which I leave in my pocket. It allows me to make and receive calls seamlessly and change program modes on my aids. I have had them for about a year so far and the most difficult part was getting Starkey to make them fit perfectly so they stay in. It took Starkey about 9 tries\remakes and now they are perfect and in my opinion well worth the hassle.
If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask.
Regards,
Ray
I have similar loss. For me it’s been gradual over the years. Thankfully my hearing loss has stabilized and actually improved over the last three years. I currently use Signia NX7 bte. The improvement from these aids is very dramatic. They are a full featured aid. I do self programming and have found the sweet spot. The remote app on my iPhone makes tuning for various conditions an easy process.
2 Likes
Signia pure are really good I have a Mac and an iphone all link up perfectly. Also the /signia TV streamer is a must if you watch TV as sound streams wight into your aids.
I don’t think this has been mentioned before, but another option you might look at is very low frequency control. I don’t know what it’s called elsewhere but on my Resound Fortes it’s called expansion and it’s supposed to control the low frequency humming or buzzing you get from things like air conditioners and fans. It doesn’t remove the low frequencies, at least it’s not supposed to, just the droning kind. It helps you hear what you want to hear in the low end.
Hi,
- My audiogram is very similar to yours, but age related.
- I have used various aids since 2007 and have had others for shorter trial periods.
- Up until this year, the all from 2) above have been at best borderline helpful … untill
- Current setup 3 months: Phonak Audeo B90 312 with Phonak Compilot ll and TVlink ll - A quantum improvement.
So responding to your specific points, from my personal experience with this setup:
- Hearing: these have been an ear opener (excuse the pun) for me compared to previous aids, even with the standard 1st pass programming. The Phonak multiple environment adaptation is amazing!
- Specific programming: Like you I am in a similar environment (also ME) with a/c’s and especially traffic noise: a bit of judicious tweaking has controlled all of that.
- Streaming: yes the streamer is a bit of a faff, but the sound quality is excellent and the functionality easy to use. I switch between TV, IPad, Iphone and yes… MacMini easily. It’s all bluetooth (which in itself is at times a flaky technology). The TV link needed only if your TV does not have Bluetooth.
Ponts to consider:
- The new current Phonak model is the Marvel (“M”). This does all the bluetooth without a streamer, though you will need your iPhone to manage it.
- Why did I get the end of line B90’s rather than the new M90 - Only because there was a wait till the M90s became available and my current aids were next to useless. As pure hearing aids there isn’t much difference between them, and the clincher, I got the B90’s at an amazingly cheap price second hand. The intention being they would be a stop gap till the M90s became available. However given my overall satisfaction with these B90’s I very much doubt I will “upgrade” any time soon. Especially as they cost iro $4,000 locally (my B90’s and all the bits came to <$1,000).
- I was so happy with the B90’s that I bought the programming interface ICube ll and now tinker myself with my wonderful audiologist as a backstop safety net. (Windows software in Parallels on OS10 Mojave … not for the faint hearted!)
So in summary, from personal experience, your audiogram, and your specific needs I would recommend the Phonak aids, the latest M90’s should tick all your boxes, the older B90’s with streamer bought secondhand a close second only in that it needs a streamer. There is a version of the B90, the B90 Direct which offers streamer free streaming (direct bluetooth) but according to my Audiologist compromises on some of the pure audiology performance so never tried.
BTW there are lower spec aids in the range 30, 50, 70, which are cheaper and may be adequate for you but no experience with those. Your audiologist would advise. Interestingly the M90’s trial aids are configurable to the different performance levels in the fitting software so it is easy to trial the different performance levels (and costs) without having to fit new trial aids.
3 Likes
Thank you so much for such a detailed response. I’m finding here that audiologists do EITHER Oticon or Phonak and trials aren’t the norm, so I’m guessing I’ll have to decide between the two brands in advance… Did you try the any other brands or just the Phonak?
I tried Signia (previously Siemens) Pure 13 7NX. The Phonak was way better and significantly less expensive though that may vary by location. I have not tried Oticon either on this occasion or previously, so can’t comment on them, though forum posts are positive. I have not tried the Phonak Marvel M90 either, forum posts suggest its very much like the B90s I have, with perhaps a small improvement in pure hearing and a significant improvement in bluetooth connectivity.
As far as I was aware, Phonak always offer a trial period, and manufacture specially configurable aids to facilitate. It would be odd and generally undesirable to have to make an upfront commitment without a trial period, though no accounting for local jurisdictions! Certainly worth insisting on if there is such a possibility. Ideally you would want to trial both the Phonak and Oticon and then decide. Having said that I would just go ahead with the Phonak Marvels, local support and costs taken into consideration. You can get a feel for international pricing of these aids on Ebay.
None of the manufacturers offers a ‘trial period’ as such - it’s down to the individual supply channel.
There are certain amounts of ‘Demo’ aids around though.
1 Like
I would think offering “free trials” would be a PIA. Something else to keep track of and little recourse if somebody doesn’t return on time or returns damaged.
Your hearing loss profile is a lot like mine (ski slope), and I’ve had this type of loss since I was a toddler. I was fitted with an Alta in one ear back in 2007 and didn’t wear it often because it didn’t really help with comprehension in noisy environments. It just made everything loader and enabled me to hear sounds that made my world noisier, but didn’t really enable me to communicate better. So I usually left it in a drawer. Last fall, I decided to investigate how hearing aid technology had advanced in the past 10 years to see if maybe there was something out there better suited to my type of loss. I was fitted with an Oticon OPN, which I trialed for 4 weeks before deciding to purchase them. These new aids are incredible—and I wear them all day. The special programs for Speech in Noise and music work really well and I can finally carry on conversations in noisy restaurants and understand what people are saying when they pull me aside to whisper something during a meeting or lecture. It makes the world noisier, but in a good way. My hearing is not perfect. I still have to ask people to repeat themselves on occasion, but so don’t people with normal hearing. I encourage you to find an audiologist and try out the latest generation of aids. If possible, check out the Oticon OPNs, as I think you will like them a lot. Make sure you find place that will let you trial new aids for at least a month. It takes a while to get used to hearing a full range of sound again. This is a major investment. You need both the right hearing aid and the right audiologist (who is willing to listen to you and knows how to program the aids to fit your loss and lifestyle). BTW, I use the Bluetooth features to listen to music and podcasts through my iPhone, but it took a few visits to the audiologist to get everything working correctly. I also just swapped out my ZPower rechargeable battery kit for the second time, as it has been buggy, but Oticon has been great with customer support.
Hope this helps! Good luck!!
1 Like