#27

No, I am not.
I bought 4 sets this year in the process of learning what aids best fit my needs. My hearing changed a bunch a year or so ago. Have done the self programming thing for 10 years. Always bought used aids. Never had hearing aid insurance and not a vet. Guessing around 8 sets in this 10 years.

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#28

When I was under the NHS, I usually got upgrades every six years although it was meant to be every three. But the NHS never updated that regularly. Now I have gone private, it’ll probably be four to five years.

#29

Too many variables to suggest there is some timeline to replace a hearing aid. Cost, limited technology changes, hearing level doesn’t change, Audi input, etc. Some people replace cars every 60,000 miles, some replace 100,000 miles and some replace over 200,000 miles. You can’t put a time frame on when a hearing aid should be upgraded because it varies from user to user. And of course digital hearing aids can be adjusted for one’s hearing loss if there is a change in hearing level. Why upgrade to a new hearing aid if Audi can adjust current aid to compensate for hearing changes?

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#30

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#31

Yes they do. For best longevity.

#32

I am a technology slut! If I see some really neat feature that I think might help me hear better, I just have to have it. That has worked out about every 2 years so far.

I pass on my old aids to family and friends. :hear_no_evil: :hear_with_hearing_aid:

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#33

The best technology for me has been the streaming from my iPhone to BOTH ears. I do pretty good on the phone again. Unfortunately, understanding speech in noise has not improved despite the claims from the manufacturers. Until the algorithms can be improved significantly, I will not buy another set of aids for a long time.

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#34

I have no insurance except the $500 every 5 years that my medicare advantage pays. So I will upgrade when I can afford a new phone AND new hearing aids to DUMP the iPhone!!

#35

In the past I have upgraded my Resound hearing aids every 2-3 years. I last upgraded to Resound Quattro after 1 year of use of the previous model because, for me, the hearing quality was so much better.

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#36

Sorry but nothing in life is free. They may be ‘giving’ you new HAs, but somebody is paying for them.

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#37

Numerous studies have shown that untreated hearing loss costs a society real money (think a hit in productivity and GDP) … So, while tax payers might be paying for hearing loss “treatment” (hearing aids), it is society that is a beneficiary. So, you’re right, they’re not “free” … but the value delivered to society is greater than the cost (tax burden).

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#38

I had planned for one more year on my five year old aids, but my dog managed to grab one off my night stand and chewed it up. I’m now retired and Medicare doesn’t provide any coverage except getting a discount through my advantage plan. Which amounts to nothing. So I’m going to Costco for the next set. The idea of spending $5000 dollars for a set of aids is simply unacceptable.

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#39

@bvail Yes I’ve paid my taxes for 53 yrs, and the voucher system for people on pensions only covers the lowest tier, the most basic HA of whatever brand best suits your hearing needs. If you require any assistive listening devices etc that require BT or other form of technology. You have to pay the difference.

As I now have a CI I have an Enzo2 5 the very basic level of Enzo2 that does have BT. Even though my N7 has direct streaming, this level of Enzo is so basic I need a phone clip to stream to both ears. Yes I could have purchased a Quattro, but the Enzo does the job I require… It didn’t cost me anything, when it needs replacing it’s only going to be a $30.00 fee.

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#40

That is me too. What HAs do you presently have. My Word recognition is 75% in both ears. I love the IPhone streaming to both ears for phone calls and music and the TV streamer is great. I have Signia Pure 13 BT HAs. I’m happy with them. Struggling w/ the new IOS 13, which doesn’t have to do w/ HAs but BT. :roll_eyes:.

#41

I have the Resound Linx 3D’s. The updated iOS has been a problem for me too. My hearing aids want to connect to my phone when I take photos. Doesn’t happen all the time though. Plus, when I get in/out of range of my phone, I hear these connection beeps that I never used to hear. Very annoying.

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#42

Same here about the beeps when away from the phone. Then the Bluetooth is disconnected. One thing I have found as a workaround is if I’m only hearing audio through one hearing aid , I open the Battery door of the one HA that isn’t streaming and keep it open about 15 secs and then close it. Then Bluetooth ‘sometimes’ connects. Not always but sometimes. Also, I don’t know if this applies to your HA app, but it takes forever for phone to connect to BT. I don’t know why but if I wait long enough it finally connects. ‘Sometimes’. :crazy_face:. Good Luck.

#43

Google can’t even stream phone conversations to hearing aids on a Pixel 2/3. Something Apple has been doings since at least the Iphone 5. So I’m not sure I’d proclaim Google as the leader in HA technology.

#44

I think if you read my post carefully, I did not proclaim Google a leader in HA or all phone technology. I did mention relative to Apple that Google (and HuaWei) are now consistently being cited as having the best smartphone cameras although depending upon what reviews you read, the iPhone 11 now may be considered equal or superior to those devices and very much back in the race to tout “best camera.” The incorporation of AI into the picture taking process is cited as a good part of the reason why Google’s Pixel cameras take pretty good pictures.

My point was that Google has recognized accessibility as something to address in a big way. Live Transcribe, Live Caption, etc., along with the AI chops to make big things happen. Not to get into a flame war but Apple depends on Google for its search engine and pays Google billions of dollars a year to use it under the Apple name (if you don’t want to straight up use Google Search). Was true for a while with Google Maps, etc. YouTube, Google Photos are all very big things.

The claim that I made was “So if anyone is going to come along with killer AI technology and a hearing app ecosystem that makes me want to upgrade for “must-have” improvements, I think I’d bet more on Google and its collaborators more than anyone else…”

Apple has depended on Google in a big way, not the other way around (except possibly for the cash flow Apple has provided Google). But with today’s announced 23% drop in the profit of the Alphabet parent company of Google in its quarterly earnings report, perhaps I need to reconsider rosy predictions about where Google’s AI and accessibility technology is taking the world - but how about Live Transcribe and Live Caption for the iPhone - how’s that coming along? Google Translate is also considered the best on-the-fly translation app and something that would be very useful to have incorporated not only into HA technology but also into regular old ear buds for normal hearing folks. I have to confess to not being particularly familiar with Apple products (my wife has owned an iPhone for many years, my daughters MacBooks for many years) but what do Apple users do for on-the-fly language translation?

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#45

Wow. When is your book on this subject coming out ?

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#46

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