Jabra Enhance v KS10?

If you look in the Smart 3D app, when the wind noise is bad, what program are you in? And then, if you tap on Sound Enhancer, at what degree of strength is the wind noise setting? For Quattro’s, the Outdoors program is best for wind noise and you can tune the degree of wind noise suppression but having it on in programs designed mainly for speech, e.g., All-Around vs. Outdoors, degrades speech comprehension a bit the more you have it cranked up. Same for noise suppression - the max noise suppression setting is recommended mainly for suppressing noise without speech. “Considerable,” last time I checked was the highest noise suppression setting recommended when you want to listen to people talk.

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In my case, the Costco fitter used the defaults running through the fitting software. My Quattro’s were fitted by an independent audiologist whom went out of business. I have not had to adjust up the wind-noise cancellation in any of the programs that have that ability. I have noticed one time only that a gust of wind went directly into my ear and caused a small bit of wind noise that was apparently cancelled out by the default programming. Otherwise I don’t get any wind noise with the Jabra’s.

If I was in your situation, I would have the Costco Fitter go through each program and make sure that they have not adjusted the wind-noise reduction settings - as perhaps if you were fitted by Costco in the past, they used a prior setting/preference with previous devices thinking it would apply for the Jabra?

I can tell you this may be a mistake as the Jabra/Resound Once is a totally different animal from the Resound Quattro’s I had in terms of how they sound and operate.

I wish you the best of luck on your follow-up visit in getting this resolved.

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Question for all the experts on here. I tried the Jabra and the KS10 at my hearing test the thing that most stood out on the Jabra was that I could tell where sounds were coming from something I haven’t been able to do for quite awhile. Ultimately I got the KS10 for the connectivity and so far they are working well. If I decided to switch what would I need to get with the Jabra’s to be able to have something close to the same connectivity?

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The Jabras will stream audio from iOS devices (iPhone, iPad) using Bluetooth LE (mfi) and from many Android devices (using ASHA). Jabras don’t stream from laptops via Bluetooth, but you can plug a ReSound multi-mic (which I purchased through Costco) into a laptop headphone jack and stream to the Jabras that way. To my ears, the “sound” of streamed audio from the Jabras vs my KS9s was noticeably different, despite my efforts (equalizer settings) to make them more similar. I preferred the KS9s. I go in to Costco today to pick up my new KS10s. ReSound has a number of accesssories to help with streaming: https://www.resound.com/en-us/hearing-aids/accessories

One can also use the ReSound TV Streamer 2. The advantage of the TV Streamer is that it’s AC-powered so you won’t have a battery to charge or eventually use up the battery lifespan. One could leave the Multi Mic charging while plugged into computer audio, too, but keeping Li-ion-powered devices charging at 100% while being used, too, is not good for long-term battery lifespan. I keep my Multi Mic at less than 100% charge as I’ve never had to use its full charge at one go.

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I’ve read, skimmed through ReSound white papers for both the One’s and the Quattro’s. In a key feature, All-Access Directionality, they sound very similar (great thing about “technical” white papers is they never really give you the actual technical details because of trade secrets and all that jazz). Besides the M&RIE in the ear, the design and placement of the body microphones is different and Ultrafocus, which you previously had to seek out as Narrow Focus in the Restaurant program, is now a main program and probably even more focused than the variable beam-forming tunable in the Restaurant program. So if you go with ReSound PR, you’ll get a more natural sound, better sound localization, 2 dB better signal-to-noise ratio for speech recognition (forget what circumstances this is supposed to occur), and easy access to highly focused beam forming for very difficult speech recognition situations such as listening to the agent at an airport terminal counter with a lot of buzz on all sides around you. Not all experienced Quattro users find the Ones/Jabras a night and day difference over the Quattro’s/Prezas: Resound quattro vs resound one. The Ones/Jabras to me do sound like a definite functional improvement but one that is more evolutionary than revolutionary. I guess I’ll only really know if I get to try them or an even more advanced evolution somewhere down the line.

The issue is that some of us don’t want to have to hold the phone while talking. With the KS10’s I can be doing yard work or chores that require both hands and still carry on a conversation. Prior to getting hearing aids I would often wear a Plantonics bluetooth earset in one ear. Now I have that hands free freedom again. I missed it.

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Yeah I get that, but you don’t have to actually hold the phone or even take it out of your pocket if you have things set up like you want it.
I did give a few solutions on how, but the thing is it’s not private, as others can hear the conversation, but it’s seems the biggest problem is background noise, those mic’s on the Paradise (K10) have been giving a few people problems with background noise “clouding” the conversation for the caller.

Just one other thing, do you, do the double tap to answer your call, or some other way.

Does Jabra have some variation of frequency lowering as a fitting option?
{Edited to incorporate info from posts 82 and 83} The Costco Jabra most likely has frequency lowering however per @MDB amd @Raudrive posts below Costco locks Resound and therefore presumably Jabra and therefore it seems likely that only someone with access to Costco software for Jabra fitting could go DIY.

Currently have Phonak Audeo V with which I have been generally happy, but lost one HA. Most likely will try KS10 first and actually prefer how it would work with iPhone than Jabra. If Jabra does NOT offer any frequency lowering then I can simplify my choices which would not be a bad thing. Currently do not have freq lowering in present Phonak HAs, but current private aud (only when I recently inquired) indicated that it is something that might be worthwhile given my audiogram and poor word recognition testing.

I know that Resound ( a GN Hearing product) has Sound Shaper (a Proportional Comp[ression frequency lowering approach) but does Jabra (also part of GN Hearing) use or even offer the same/similar approach in its fitting software?

I was told in a different thread that given the extent of my hearing loss that the mic in ear version of Jabra would not be possible due to my power needs (supposedly UP receiver).

For anyone interested in frequency lowering there are many excellent though focused on professionals articles in audiologyonline … here is one 20Q: Frequency Lowering Ten Years Later - New Technology Innovations Joshua M. Alexander 20Q with Gus Mueller Hearing Aids - Adults Hearing Aids - Children VA Selections 18040

Frequency lowering it seems is much more of a skill and art form than basic HA fitting; if tweaks to standard fitting get you to good or acceptable hearing it seems that it is not necessarily a good idea to experiment with frequency lowering as while the remapped higher frequencies (to a lower freq) provide your brain with more information it can also degrade the sound quality of the original signal in those lower freqs so there is often a real trade off in listener experience. It isn’t a free lunch.

One of the other reasons I probably will lean toward the Phonak KS10s is the Roger mic options which I hope that I do not need, but would be nice to have that option going forward.

As always, appreciate your thoughts and comments.

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These aids do have frequency lowering technology called Sound Recover. The next generations of Phonak and KS9 and 10 aids have a later better of frequency lowering called Sound Recover2.

As far as I know all of the big 5-6 hearing aid manufacturers have frequency lowering technology. It’s called different things but pretty much does the same thing, allowing high frequency hearing losses to hear those upper frequencies by moving or transporting those higher frequencies to lower frequencies you can hear. It’s a really great technology for those who need it.

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Yes @Raudrive but does Jabra Enhance Pro (from GN Hearing as mfg) in its fitting app have frequency lowering as an option? I know that Resound (also from GN Hearing parent) has it. Also know from one of the few frequency lowering threads on forum that you and others in that thread have found some benefit from freq lowering. Perhaps I will need to ask in the DIY sub forum, however since this thread is comparing/contrasting two Costco HA options it seems appropriate to sort out this functionality ? here. Thanks for your input to this thread.

ReSound has Sound Shaper (frequency compression) as a feature for the Quattro devices, but not the ReSound Ones. Looking at Smart Fit 1.11 for my (since returned) Jabras, Sound Shaper is not a fitting option, nor is it (or anything similar, as far as I can tell) listed on the One datasheet. As far as I can tell from the fitting software, the Jabra feature set is identical to ReSound One.

Interesting ReSound article on frequency lowering: https://www.hearingreview.com/inside-hearing/research/evidence-based-practical-considerations-fitting-sound-shaper-individual-patients

The data sheet I found for ReSound Ones

ReSound ONE

does list Sound Shaper under Audiological Features, for all three technology levels. Likewise, I did a simulated fit on Smart Fit 1.11 for a patient with One 9 aids, and Sound Shaper is there.

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Thanks for pointing that out. I am confused, obviously. The ReSound One data sheet for the M&RIE receiver version doesn’t show Sound Shaper as a feature: https://tinyurl.com/82r9ued2 but the data sheet for the standard receiver version does: https://tinyurl.com/dpuypzfj

I went back into Smart Fit and, yes, as you said, Sound Shaper is there as an “Advanced Feature” for the ReSound Ones, including the M&RIE version. But, it’s NOT there for my Jabras. The Advanced Features shown for the Jabras were Directionality, Directional Mix, Time Constants, DFS Ultra III, Noise Tracker II, Wind Guard, Impulse Noise Reduction, and Expansion. But, no Sound Shaper.

Wow that would be a poor selling point from Costco, no tinnitus control or frequency lowering on the Jabra!

Check out expansion.
All of Costco aids have different names than it’s parent company.
Frequency lowering is there, just a different name.

While I am glad that I asked the original ?: Does Costco Jabra allow for frequency lowering in the fitting software? I am still confused as to the correct answer. Could one of you DIY members confirm that @Raudrive is correct that it is there but under a different name (in this case Expansion).

@Garyh thanks for link to what I expect will be an interesting article to read if indeed frequency lowering becomes a functionality that I should explore once I get new HAs in about 4 weeks.

As usual the forum is a source of great discussion and information, thanks to all.

I vaguely remember that @MDB has posted a number of times on frequency lowering, which I think he’s said that he uses himself. IIRC, he’s said that Phonak offers one of the most sophisticated frequency lowering/compression schemes whereas the one that ReSound offers is very basic and not as flexible. As to getting an answer on Costco Jabra’s, I’ve always found the fitters at my local Costco very helpful even in answering questions over the phone without having to drive there and show up in person. Maybe it would help to give them a call.

On “expansion,” perhaps @Raudrive is thinking of something else. Expansion in fitting typically refers to raising the noise floor for soft noises so you’re not as aware of electronic noise from your HA circuitry or very soft noises from things like the refrigerator humming when it’s below a certain dB level (and perhaps expansion can be done by frequency, e.g., targeting the predominant frequencies in the refrigerator hum, etc.???). Someone edyookate me on that!

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Agree that Resound’s frequency lowering is pretty basic. It’s got basically 3 settings. Forget what they’re called, but something akin to weak, medium and strong. I can provide more info than any “reasonable” person would want. And yes, I use frequency lowering and am fairly familiar with the system that Signia and Phonak use. They both use Frequency shifting, but Phonak’s is dynamic.

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ReSound calls it Sound Shaper, so that would be what to look for.
@jay_man2 did a bit of programming on these models, have a read of his posts.