The Oticon BTE HAs (Xceed) are fairly old now. (Aug 2019). They are good aids, but the field has moved a fair ways in that time.
WH
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Hi. I went to the ENT doctor today and he told me that I donāt have any plugs. He has done an audiometry and the results have remained between both audiometry in April and August. He has told me that my left ear is in such a range that it is starting to be difficult to adjust.
I returned the Phonak Lumity to the center and this afternoon I connected my Phonak Q70 with icubeII and performed the AudiogramDirect within Phonak Target. Iāve already updated my audiogram data.
On Monday Iām going to a center to try Widex and see what they tell me there.
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I havenāt left Phonak, what I donāt want is the center where I was. Iāve been recommended another site that also sells phonak and Iāll go to it later. But I also want to try other brands.
Iām glad to know that Iām suitable for hearing aids like Phonak Audeo Lumity. Iāve had phonak hearing aids for many years and I like them. But I need to find a good hearing care professional who will program them well.
Thanks for the links. They help me a lot.
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Do you know if you can fit the UP receiver? You mentioned the 1P receiver earlier. If the 1UP receiver fits you should be good until further hearing loss.
Glad to see you looking around for the best fitter and hearing aids for your loss.
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I didnāt know there was a UP receiver in this model. When I asked at the center what would happen if I had more hearing loss, they told me that they would put the P receptor with a mold, they didnāt tell me about other receptors. Thatās why I need to find another site that sells Phonak that they know and can clarify my doubts.
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@Sara
My hearing loss is through guitar playing (electric). I play very rarely now, but when wearing my Paradise P90s (with slimtips) at a band rehearsal, it also sounded like I was playing through a transister radio! The other guitarist said it sounded fine. When playing now, I wear a 2015 set of Phonak Spice+ (with domes) instead. Maybe itās the slimtips or Phonakās feedback control working overtime?
Either way, they donāt work for me in this scenario.
Peter
Iām no expertā¦
Sounds like you need to turn off noise cancellation or /and any speech enhancement.
I love listening to chiptunes (80s game console music) and I must say Speech enhancement definitely killed it. Now that i have Speech enhancement disabled on my recently obtained Oticon Xceed 3 the chiptunes sound good again but still not 100% , since itās still noise and similar to feedback noise Iām sure feedback cancellation is killing the 5% that sounds bad. lol.
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I play classical guitar. I have the Signia AX7 aids. These come with a āmusicians programā. that did not work. I had the audi tweak that program and now they are excellent for music. No more warble or tinny transisitor radio sound.
Programming is everything, especially for a musician program. Somewhere on this site I and others have downloaded pdf about how to program aids for music. I brought this in to my audi and she thanked me.
I think itā[s impossible to evaluate a brand unless the programming is correct. Itā[s useless to search for the perfect brand if all that you test are programmed poorly.
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There is a huge conductive overlay in the OPās left ear (the sensorineural component of the hearing loss is basically symmetrical between ears). Because of that, a RIC will not be a great option for that ear. However, a BTE is not great for the right ear. Phonakās current options are really awkward for a loss like this because they do not have compatibility across devices, whereas Oticon, for example, can fit a RIC on the right and an SP/UP BTE on the left (custom tip on the right, earmold on the left).
That all being said, my first recommendation for a hearing loss like this would be to investigate whether surgical correction of the left conductive component is possible. If surgery could correct that loss, hearing aids would still be required but the fit will be much easier and the outcomes better. As it is now, the left ear is basically unaidable at 2 kHz and above. A good surgical outcome could give back those frequencies. But I am also in an area that has access to some very good surgeons, and not everyone is.
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In my left ear, the ossicles of the ear canal are missing. I had surgery about 25 years ago and was fitted with a prosthesis but within a few years it stopped working.
The last time I asked, they ruled out a new operation and I havenāt asked again.
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When was the last time you asked? I know a couple of patients whoāve had good revision surgery. It may not be an option in your case, but if has been was a long time since you last asked, medicine changes.
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It was years ago and I was told that the operations worked for a few years but then the deafness returned due to rejection of the prosthesis. Since then I havenāt asked and in the check-ups I have with the ENT they havenāt told me anything about having surgery.
In addition, since then I have had to deal with more health problems that worry doctors more.
Anyway, the next time I go to the doctor Iāll ask.
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Hello, next Monday I have an appointment to try Widex. Iām curious because two ENT doctors have recommended this brand to me. Iāll let you know how it goes.
Could you share with me the software I need to program?
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Thanks to the many people on this forum and their advice, I have sought out a new audiologist and what a difference it makes for the better! I encourage you to do the same. I wear phonak virto marvel and previously had phonak virto q. Both have the more powerful microphone which I assume you have as well. the q did seem to have a different sound for music which was better. I asked the new audiiologist to make my phonak marvel sound better for music and she did! I tried resound about five years ago and couldnāt adjust. An audiologist told me I was better off sticking with phonak because my ābrain had adjusted to itā. Not sure if that is correct and maybe some others can weigh in on that.
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I personally do not agree with this.
Initially when switching hearing aids, even the same brand, there can be a difference in hearing but your brain will adjust. The idea is to get the aids properly adjusted for your hearing loss then give your brain some time to adjust.
There are like mits to this though, everyoneās hearing is different and as we know, not all hearing aid fitters are equal.
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Iāve also been told that itās better to stick with the same brand because Iām already adapted to phonak but, where Iāve tried it, the sound has been very bad. I imagine it was because of the audiologist and thatās why I want to try another center.
I need to find a good audiologist, but Iāve found that itās not that easy.
On Monday Iām going to a center that sells Widex and Iām going to try it for two weeks. Then, in another center, I will try Oticon and finally I will go to another center that sells Phonak. Between the three of them I hope to find what I really need.
In the meantime, Iāve also picked up the Noalink Wireless. If I canāt get a good audiologist, Iāll have to learn how to program the hearing aids myself.
Totally agree with this. ::
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Good on you, DIY is sometimes the only way forward for some of us.
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By trying three you have a really good chance of finding one that works for you. I like audiologists that are smart and willing to try adjustments that fit the person. I think a combination of some mechanical/scientific skill and an interest in learning about the personās lifestyle and particular hearing needs is the best combination in an audiologist. Also someone who really enjoys solving a problem and tweaking things to make that tiny adjustment that means so much to a personās quality of life.
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Hello and happy new year!
Last week I finished my test with Widex Moment 440 and it didnāt go very well. I liked the more natural sound but understood people less and the left earbud beeped for feedback. They put a lot of effort into the adaptation and made a custom mold in my left ear, but I listened with a lot of occlusion and very amplified in the left ear. It was very annoying.
Today I started the test with Oticon, but the person who attended me did some very quick tests and gave me two open capsules. Itās only given me a week of trial, Iāll have to find another site that sells oticon to try them out.