Invisible IIC Pros and Cons

Hearing Aids
#1

For my first hearing aids, I’m torn between invisible (IIC) and regular. I have typical moderate hearing loss in upper frequencies with accompanying tinnitus. I haven’t found a discussion here about this.

(Ulterior Motive: I’m only 51 with little hair left and don’t know why I’m being vain. But I don’t want my HAs to show.)

Here are my pros and cons to help start the conversation:

IICs – Pro: Virtually invisible. Cons: Short battery life. Too small for directional microphone. Ear might feel plugged up unless aid is vented. Vulnerable to wax and moisture. Loss of bass sounds.

Behind the ear open-fit – Pros: More features. Directional microphones. Cons: Vulnerable to moisture.

Here is how I see it. I’m not worried about more batteries, but I don’t know the actual cost. Both have moisture possibilities. Since I’ve just started having hearing loss, I don’t see myself needing directional microphones or lots of features for my first pair of hearing aids. When I need new ones in 3-5 years, maybe then I will have further hearing loss requiring different things.

Thanks!

#2

If the only reason your leaning toward IIC’s is because you don’t want your HA’s to show, forget about it, very few people will notice your HA’s(even with little hair left) and those that do notice, nobody will care you are wearing hearing aids. Get the style HA that will allow you to hear the best.

1 Like
#3

I’m wearing IICs, but don’t think, that occlusion would be an issue. The sound is absolutely natural, directional hearing also works fine due to the deep placement. Batteries usually last 4 days long, I think it is still acceptable. Benefits of RICs are rather the option of wireless function and the ability to provide a more perfect hearing experience.
It may depend on your main point of choosing the style: do you consider comfort&discreteness as the most important factor (in that case decide for the IIC) or do you would like to go on with the best hearing performance (in this aspect RICs seem to overperform IICs)?

Here you can read about a guy, who trialed both an IIC and RIC.

An another experience

1 Like
#4

Dear Niellob,

It sounds as if you and I are in the same boat. I’m in my second week of trying a pair of Starkey IIC aids. My hearing loss is moderate, in the high frequency range. The aids are not a great fit, and in fact “move” in the course of even an hour’s wearing. The sound is unnatural. All sound is amplified, and listening to speech in a noisy environment (loud restaurant, etc.) is even more challenging than before I had the aids! And I had even “programmed” the aids to the restaurant setting, using the Starkey T2 app. So as far as I’m concerned, it’s back to the drawing board. I’d like to test-drive a BTE model next, with an open fit. Like you, vanity is an issue, as I’m a female and not too old yet. Please let me know what you decide on. And good luck!

Amitie1

#5

I was fitting a (35 yo)customer yesterday who has a historical connection with owning IIC. He’s just replaced one of them which he lost and the other needed servicing which meant that he was without his aids for a fortnight. In the intervening spell he wore Moxi Kiss 20s.

Apparently the natural clarity, lack of occlusion and improvement in comfort is sufficient to warrant purchasing a set of the Moxi (to wear in work, apparently).

He’s a lawyer, so I’ll leave you to pick the motives out of that heart vs. head decision.

#6

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you will see behind the ear hearing aids, no ifs ands or buts. Heck, people can see IIC depending on the fit. IIC are difficult to fit, took me 3 tries on each ear and while they fit well now, the right one is not perfect yet, I get pain if I move the wrong way or hit the ear wrong. Still the fact that 95% of people don’t notice I have hearing aids makes it worth it. I get about 4 days per battery. Costco has super cheap batteries so I’m not really worried about that. They have to be adjusted properly too but a good audiologist. When I got my first one, the sound was rediclous, it was way too loud in the high frequencies, now they are adjusted pretty well and I don’t have to blast the TV to hear it. I don’t really have issues with the rain, no wind noise, everything is pretty much the same. Yes I don’t have the wireless features, but I don’t need them either, my phone works just fine if I hold it to my ear, I can wear over the ear headphones, in ear headphones would probably be a problem. The biggest problem for me is remembering extra batteries and to take them out before showering or swimming.

#7

I had just gotten the Resound Future hearing aids, RIC style, and was a little concerned about what people would think. So at what I thought was a good time at work when we were all gathered, I announced I was now wearing hearing aids. The response was, that’s great, you needed those. Where are we going for lunch?

Then my wife and I were going to a dinner party at a neighbor’s house and the host was telling us about some who would be there, and telling them about us. One lady was a speech pathologist and had some professional interest in people with hearing aids. So when we got there and were meeting the new people we didn’t know the lady said, I’m told you are a new hearing aid wearer, and I could tell she was looking at my ears. Then she said, but you didn’t wear them tonight? I said yes, I’m wearing them, and with me turned sideways it took three of them about 10 seconds to find the hearing aids.

Then at work one day I was trying out a different ringtone and a guy I work with every day walked by my office. He stopped and came back and said what are you doing. I said I was trying to find a ringtone I could hear. He said you have trouble hearing? I said yes, that’s why I wear hearing aids. He said, you wear hearing aids?

People just don’t notice, or care, that you wear some type of device. People wear bluetooth headsets all the time, when not on calls, and nobody thinks twice about it.

#8

I wear the Soundlens (IIC), I was fitted two years ago. I’m thinking of buying an another set as back-up ( I could buy it with reimbursement at a very attractive price), so now I’m trialing the resound verso 961 RIC. Before I got the versos, I supposed they will definitely offer significantly better hearing experience, than the soundlens do, but it haven’t happened.

  • versos are louder, than the soundlens, I think, I can hear more sounds with them, but it is not accompanied by better comprehension (understanding speech is about the same)
  • soundlens have more natural sounding (but to tell the truth also the versos are very near to it)
  • in terms of wearing comfort the soundlens are clear winners - just put in in the morning and forget about them. You can do the same activities as without the aids: making phones, having headphones or even earplugs!, no problem if it’s raining, you can run a hand through your hair without whistling, you can sleep on your back if you want, and so on…
  • I experience no difference in directionality and hearing in noise situations
  • Using landline phone is sometimes problematic for me with the versos - but due to the open fit I can hear more or less, what is said
  • the only big difference is the wireless option. I think, it’s amazing, that I can make calls with my hands in the pocket. It’s also fine streaming audio from my phone to my ears. It makes also a difference, that it indicates “in my ears”, if I get sms, email or a call
  • Regarding discreteness soundlens - of course - are better, but the versos are also very small and with some hair around your ears very hard to notice

Unfortunately neither of them gives your normal clearing back. Definitely not, but they can help a lot.
So I still don’t know, whether I should buy the versos as well or not…

#9

yours must fit deeper than mine, I can barely get ear buds in my ears and when I do, they are up against the sound lens. Still everything else you say is same with me. No real change in my daily activities, just have to remember to take them out when showering, wetting my hair, swimming etc. Sometimes I think I lost one because they just go in and you forget about them.

— Updated —

yours must fit deeper than mine, I can barely get ear buds in my ears and when I do, they are up against the sound lens. Still everything else you say is same with me. No real change in my daily activities, just have to remember to take them out when showering, wetting my hair, swimming etc. Sometimes I think I lost one because they just go in and you forget about them.

#10

I have had Starkey Soundlens hearing aids for almost a year. For the first three months I loved them. The trial period was only 30 days.

They are comfortable to wear and were much better than my old HA. Almost no occlusion and no feedback. Then the volume in the right ear HA began to fade. Within a week it was just an ear plug. I took it back to the audiologist and she had it sent back to Starkey. Starkey told her that the receiver had become filled with earwax. They replaced the receiver. This became a regular cycle until the last time it took only about a week for the aid to start to fade. Several times I was told that Starkey would replace the hearing aid but they never have. They replace the receiver at a more frequent rate because with each cycle of replacement the aid fails quicker. Now a month or so ago the left HA began to fade. I have simply stopped wearing them. I no longer have insurance to offset some of the cost. Averaged over a couple of months I hear better without them on more days.

So be aware of this should you consider in the canal HAs such as Soundlens or Lyric. You just get the 30 trial.

It seems to me that wax will be a problem with any HA I use. The business end has to be in the ear and will fill with wax. What’s the point of spending thousands and when the aids begin to fail they become more like ear plugs not aids?

#11

I’d recommend something like a Jodi vac for you, to suction wax out of the receiver. I had one patient in a similar situation and that did the trick for him. http://www.jodivac.com/jodi-consumer_product_details.html

#12

Can someone explain the difference between ITE and half shell aids. I am getting Oticon Altra Pro ITE from the VA and when I go to the website I see IIC, ITE, half shell, and full shell. I can not really see the difference between the ITC and the half shell.
Thank you for any help with this.

#13

The ITC is meant to sit in the canal entrance, but the 1/2 shell notionally occupies the lower half of the concha portion of the ear. In practice they can look fairly similar though - especially when the 1/2 shell is ordered in a ‘low profile’ configuration.

#14

Thank you so much. I have worn half shells before and they works just find for me once the mold was done correctly.

#15

I just got the Starkey iic and am having similar issues. Also female, not too old, and vanity is an issues, just curious- did you end up keeping the Starkey iic’s? Went to a different audiologist who told me the Oticon is a much better iic product. ANy advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated!

#16

I love my Oticon Alta Pro ITC aids, they are not invisible but very close. Oticon does now have the IIC aids. But for me I do not care if anyone knows I wear aids, and I needed the extra power.

— Updated —

I love my Oticon Alta Pro ITC aids, they are not invisible but very close. Oticon does now have the IIC aids. But for me I do not care if anyone knows I wear aids, and I needed the extra power.

#17

Thanks so much for your input and prompt response! Seems like no one ends up liking/keeping their iic’s… With my current Starkeys, I find close sounds like moving paper or the microwave door shutting to be excruciatingly loud but still can’t understand/ need captions for watching tv:(.

— Updated —

Thanks so much for your input and prompt response! Seems like no one ends up liking/keeping their iic’s… With my current Starkeys, I find close sounds like moving paper or the microwave door shutting to be excruciatingly loud but still can’t understand/ need captions for watching tv:(.

#18

I just received my Oticon Ria Pro iic’s and really like them so far (only 3 days so I’m still in the honeymoon stage). I had Siemens cic’s for about 7 years before. All in all I think these have a similar sound that seems natural to me and my loss.

L R
250Hz 40 40
500Hz 40 35
1000Hz 45 40
1500Hz 40 40
2000Hz 40 40
3000Hz 35 35
4000Hz 45 45
6000Hz 45 40
8000Hz 45 30

#20

I tried the Phonak Audeo Q 90 – 312 and the Oticon Alta Pro – miniRITE. As my audiologist predicted, I didn’t like the sound created by the Phonak, but do like the Oticon. Also, negatives my audiologist told me about IICs are echoed in this forum by users.
As for my aids being visible, I agree with other users: It ends up not bothering you. It seems anyone to whom you are talking who sees them, thinks you have a problem, and doesn’t say anything, soon forgets you have them because you are acting normally.
I even turn things around on people who mention my hearing aids. One of the first things I say is that I hear better than they do, mentioning hearing loss statistics.
My audiologist was correct that the color of behind-the-ear aids should match you hair and not your skin in order to be less visible.
Also, I’ve learned to go back to your audiologist as many times as needed to get things right. Plus, the most important aspect of hearing aids is an audiologist you like who will let you try different things. Mine, for example, is letting me come back just to program one setting – changing it from noisy restaurants/parties to car road noise.
.

— Updated —

I tried the Phonak Audeo Q 90 – 312 and the Oticon Alta Pro – miniRITE. As my audiologist predicted, I didn’t like the sound created by the Phonak, but do like the Oticon. Also, negatives my audiologist told me about IICs are echoed in this forum by users.
As for my aids being visible, I agree with other users: It ends up not bothering you. It seems anyone to whom you are talking who sees them, thinks you have a problem, and doesn’t say anything, soon forgets you have them because you are acting normally.
I even turn things around on people who mention my hearing aids. One of the first things I say is that I hear better than they do, mentioning hearing loss statistics.
My audiologist was correct that the color of behind-the-ear aids should match you hair and not your skin in order to be less visible.
Also, I’ve learned to go back to your audiologist as many times as needed to get things right. Plus, the most important aspect of hearing aids is an audiologist you like who will let you try different things. Mine, for example, is letting me come back just to program one setting – changing it from noisy restaurants/parties to car road noise.
.

#21

when rite aids started coming out, cic aids were the smallest aids you could get. imo rite aid became popular for 2 reasons. audi’s had an easier time fitting the aids without having to schedule another appointment in order to get an impression for a custom mold. but the primary reason why it became so popular was that old ite and cic users were more used to having the speaker closer to their ear drums so they preferred the sound of an rite aid. now rite aids are the most popular style for all the lines. but why did so many ite and cic users decide to go with rite aids? imo it’s the reality of the consequence of not hearing well enough that led to their social circle diminishing. some people may write you off for wearing a hearing aid, however all will write you off if you can’t understand what they are saying.

it used to be that the bte aid of all lines were hands down the top performing aid. but now that does not seems to be the case. with all the development dollars going to rite aids, these models gets all the advance features and typically match the performance of their bte counterpart. but then it seems that the half shell ite aids and larger that have the dual directional microphones are matching the performance of their rite counterpart. all this leads me to believe that the same components are now being used across all lines. the only difference is if the aid can support dual directional mics and the physical form factor with regards to the placement of the microphone and speakers on the aid.

so what am I writing. imo the iic users of today are the cic/ite users of old. eventually they will break down and move up in size to an ite aid with dual microphones and possibly then move up to an rite. all the while more development dollars will be pulled away from the form factor that has proven to be the best for hearing aids, the bte.

I bet the time spent developing rite aids delayed the introduction of the ability for aids to fully stream sounds between aids. siemens introduced an aid with 3 microphones in their triano model. although it was a failure as I believe siemens went back to dual microphones. I bet the rite aid popularity made companies ignore this idea.

innovation in hearing aids technology is progressing at a snail’s pace. it took nearly i think 5 years for a company, siemens binax, to come out with a competitor to phonak’s spice line. we got to direct our money to where the real innovation is.