Jabra Enhance Pro distortion like cracked speaker

I have new Jabra Enhance Pro 10 (I think rebadged Resound Omnia) from Costco for a month now. These came with the M&RIE and tulip domes. Previously, I had Costco KS7 for about five years. My issue is the HAs sound like a cracked speaker. I don’t think it happens so much with streamed audio (hard to tell due to streaming tinny effect), but is most annoying when talking with someone even in quiet situations. I naturally hear the low sounds, but the overlapping processed highs are “crackly” sounding. This occurs at all volumes. I have an appointment with Costco next Thursday, Feb 2nd, but I am hoping someone knows what this could be since I might need to suggest that to Costco at the appointment. I do have a hard copy of the fitting session if that would help with any questions you have about how they were programmed.

@JT337: Welcome to the Forum .

Have you changed your wax filters (cups) yet?

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Hi JT337
I just returned my Jabras…to Costco. I was fit with the M&RIE as well. They seem to introduce some problems that fitters are not ready to deal with. 1) They have feedback problems, so the feedback control has to be really dialed up…may cause other issues. 2) No Frequency shifting available disabled with the M&RIE receiver. This may cause problems with the fit if you had previously used some sort of frequency compression. shifting?

At any rate, I was left with the impression that the Costco fitters are not very familiar with the M&RIE receiver

I switched to a self fit set of (used) Phonak P70s. Very happy so far.

Hope you do better at the next fitting.

Ethan

If you need frequency shifting you are outside the prescribed range for M&RIE receivers.

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I have changed them just to be sure. I kind of have wax-free ears so rarely do I get wax routinely using q-tips.

Thanks Ethan. I have been reading about your experiences lately.

I also had the issue with the crackling voices using GN Resound ONE. I was fitted with low power receivers and open domes.

My audi never managed to fix that. NEVER. I bought a Noahlink wireless and I went full DIY. I updated the firmware and fiddled with the settings until the crackling was gone.

I know this is not really helpful, but maybe it offers some counsel to you, because 1) Others have experienced that and 2) It can be fixed.

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Thanks @OpenFitted for that confirmation. I have read much about the success of DIYers and I likely will take that route. I almost ordered the NOAHLink yesterday but decided to wait until I knew whether I would keep this Jabra (Resound) brand.

You won’t regret going DIY by the sounds of it, this could be a programming issue that can be sorted, but could be just as easy to work with your audiologist, because very important to make sure you have the correct receivers and domes, settings are right, looking at your audiogram show’s a severe to profound in those higher frequencies, so could be just that?as in those M&RIE aren’t for everyone, I didn’t like them at all, I went back to using standard receiver’s, have you tried the standard receiver? if not you could give that a trial and see how you like them.

Oh nearly forgot, it’s the Noahlink wireless programming device,not the NOAHLink which is a totally different device you don’t want :slightly_smiling_face:

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@tenkan, I haven’t tried standard receivers yet, but I plan to get that done before anything else they do at the visit. This would be just to eliminate that from the equation. At my initial fitting last month, they said they could just remove the little microphone if it didn’t work out with feedback and then that MRIE becomes like a standard receiver. I also plan to ask about custom vented ear molds. According to Dr Cliff AuD on YouTube, a steep-sloping high frequency loss, identical to mine in his example, is better handled with custom vented molds.

Yes, NOAHLink wireless is what I meant to say. I have it tagged to get. Would just need to hunt up the Resound SmartFit stuff, but first need to see if these HAs will be kept.

Yes get them to turn it off and see if you like it, I had to get new molds and was just on the limits of M&RIE so replaced them altogether.
SmartFit is available and easy to use as well.

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I just started trialing the Jabra Enhance Pros 10s with M&rie receivers last week. So far I most likely them (much better than my failing 6-year-old Resound Calas and the Philips 9030s I gave back last year) but I have had two problems: 1) They tout a 30-hour span before the LI batteries need recharging, but I am getting more like 16-18, which is enough for a full day’s use, but sometimes cuts it close. The left HA seems to lose its charge more rapidly even though it’s my stronger ear. I don’t stream all that much, maybe 3 hours total. The other problem may be affecting charge longevity–for best results I have to crank the volume up several decibels from the default settings in the programs I use, based my audiogram and initial fitting. As for feedback and cracked speaker effect, the feedback isn’t bad with my tulip domes except when I check the fit or push them further into my ear canals. But I do hear some crackling at higher/highest volumes and higher treble adjustments. My Costco HAS has only limited experience with these Jabras, so that may be an issue. Followup visit Feb. 9, so any advice would be appreciated.

If you need to crank up the volume and get some distortion, is it possible you need more powerful receivers?

That’s enough steaming to make a difference to total running hours, a few things affect total hours, noisy environments, power output, extra features of premium models.
16- 18 hours does seem low, but regardless the quoted total is all done under laboratory conditions. A bit like those put out by the vehicle manufacturers that claim those unreal MPG figures, but in the real world, don’t even come close.

Yes but this alone will make a very small difference, not enough on its own, but if your having to “crank the volume up” every time you use them, then you should get you clinic to set to a level your comfortable with.

They need some adjustments, your well within the limits of the M&RIC receivers, so it’s most unlikely your “maxing them out” to cause distortion, looking at your audiogram, you could try custom made molds for better overall fit, lower some of those mid-high frequencies could also help.

Could be, but the M&RIC only come in one power level tho, would have to move to HP standard receivers.

I just looked again at the M&RIE datasheet and the user is well within the fitting range for that receiver.

Could it be that the way Costco does fittings they just don’t start out giving me all the volume my HL requires? It happened with the Calas as well. When I complain they raise the volume but have never switched my receivers in the past. Btw closed domes sound plugged up and occluded, but it has been awhile since I tried custom molds (on Oticon Agil pros about 10 years ago. They kept sliding out of my canals).

Not for an experienced user, that’s something that they should only use for a first timer, but something to ask them about when you go back.
Ask about custom molds,with a vent (so you don’t get that plugged/occluded feeling) and a canal lock, so no more sliding out.
You don’t have to change receiver as I mentioned your within the fitting range, you do come close in a couple of frequencies when you hit 70dB as the M&RIC is around 80dB, this is where they could look at additional adjustments.

Yes agreed, I did mention this is my original post, comes a bit close in some frequencies, only about 10dB headroom.

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This thread is a few months old now but I just got the Jabra Enhance Pro from Costco as my first ever hearing aids and am experiencing the same distortion/cracked speaker sound at higher frequencies. They sound like static pops and occur most when someone is talking, especially female voices. It’s still a bit of a struggle trying to sort out what sounds are “new” versus ones that are over-driven or shrilly.

Wondering if you found any improvements through adjustments or went with different HAs?