LiNX versus Halo Infographic and Detailed Comparison Blog

Hearing Aids
,
#1

We have spent many hours gathering information for people who are comparison shopping the Starkey Halo versus the Resound LiNX. Our findings are summed up in this infographic.

We have tons more information on the blog, including in depth product and app comparison tables at the bottom. Please feel free to share your own feedback about either the LiNX or the Halo at the bottom of the page in the comments. We would love to get this dialogue going!

#2

An interesting comparison.
It may be useful to make it clearer that the Halo gets longer battery life from a larger battery and larger physical aid - although pictures of both are on the diagram.

The key issue with HearingTracker at the moment is simply the lack of reviews.
Such a small sample of reviews means that the ratings are not very reliable.
Hopefully, HearingTracker can get more publicity and the number of reviews can grow significantly.

As far as hearing aid reviews are concerned my main concern is that too many reviews are left by first time hearing aid users.
Such reviews are interesting but I do not attach much weight to them. Too many of these reviews focus on comparing hearing with an aid vs hearing without an aid, rather than saying much about the comparative quality of an aid.

I currently have a pair of Widex Clear 440s and tomorrow I will be picking up a pair of Linx 9s for a trial. I can also try the Halo’s if I want to.
I am an Android user so won’t initially be testing the iPhone compatibility side of things. However, if the new aids do offer a significant benefit over my existing aids then I will consider getting an iPhone 6.
Once I have spent a reasonable time with the new aids I will post a detailed comparative review on this site and on www.HearingTracker.com

#3

I am so intrigued by the LiNX but I want to see more full reviews from users. Please keep me updated on your experience garydhooper. I think the reason I wouldn’t consider the Halo is because I like the design of the LiNX so much more. Also, I’ve heard but am not sure if it is true is that the Halo must be controlled by Apple device and that is it! The LiNX however can still hook up to all of ReSound’s accessories. Look forward on hearing your review plus many others.

— Updated —

I am so intrigued by the LiNX but I want to see more full reviews from users. Please keep me updated on your experience garydhooper. I think the reason I wouldn’t consider the Halo is because I like the design of the LiNX so much more. Also, I’ve heard but am not sure if it is true is that the Halo must be controlled by Apple device and that is it! The LiNX however can still hook up to all of ReSound’s accessories. Look forward on hearing your review plus many others.

#4

Gary, thanks for the feedback. If you look carefully at the infographic you can see information about battery life next to each hearing aid. We have indicated the expected battery life (in days) and attempted to show this graphically as well. We gathered this information from the users on hearingaidforums.com. I would like to invite hearingaidforums.com users to correct any inaccuracies seen in the infographic, or on the related blog post.

Gary, I am with you 100% on this. I welcome your criticism are share your enthusiasm about Hearing Tracker succeeding.

We have the best system for collecting, sorting, and analyzing hearing aid reviews - anywhere on the planet. Our system accounts for multiple factors which have previously plagued online hearing aid reviews:

  • What is the exact device (we have added specific model names, something no one else has done)
  • Who fitted the hearing aids (While the devices themselves are an important contributor to success, research suggests the audiologist skill level means more)
  • What is the reviewer's audiogram (People have varying success with the same devices, even when fitted by the same audiologist. This is due to many factors, but audiogram is a huge contributor)
  • How were the hearing aids configured by the audiologist (What speaker power-level, open or closed fit, etc)
  • What REMs target was used (Your audiologist should be performing real ear measurements or REMs. There are many prescriptive targets in use today, that prescribe different volume/tone/etc)
  • How many years of experience does the reviewer have wearing hearing aids

However, as you have pointed out, we do not have many reviews. This is frustrating for us too. Imagine building a chess playing robot only to find no human players available to take advantage of it. It’s a bit like that. We built a behemoth of a big data application with the express purpose of analyzing hearing aid and audiologist performance, to reveal trends and help consumers find the hearing help they need … but there is too little data to reveal anything significant. Our background in data engineering and statistics means we are all too aware of the need for more reviews. A lot more.

We have done our very best to encourage the community to submit hearing aid reviews:

  • We have asked for community support many times on websites like hearingaidforums and alldeaf. (Thanks to those that have!)
  • We have attended conferences like HLAA to gather hearing aid reviews from [real people](http://www.hearingtracker.com/blog/hearing-aid-review-system-introduced-at-hearing-loss-association-of-america-hlaa-convention/)!
  • We have always had a policy of shipping free hearing aid batteries for each hearing aid review. (We have thousands of packets ready to ship. [More Info](http://www.hearingtracker.com/blog/free-hearing-aid-batteries/))
  • We have also asked audiologists to help generate hearing aid reviews with their patients, as you can see from these [blog posts](http://www.hearingtracker.com/blog/category/for-audiologists/hearing-tracker-for-audiologists/). (We have also been featured in numerous audiology industry journals)
However, there is a distinct chicken and egg problem when it comes to Hearing Tracker.
  • Consumers don't engage websites that are lacking content (e.g. consumer reviews at a consumer review website)
  • Audiologists won't engage Hearing Tracker unless it brings them business, which requires consumer engagment.

While we have built in a ton of features to help audiologists learn from their own (and industry-wide) clinical outcomes, most audiologists still see Hearing Tracker as an online marketing website. In fact, I regularly hear these questions from audiologists:

  • "So it's like Yelp, right?"
  • "What's your web traffic like?"
  • "How do users find your website?"
  • "How is signing up going to improve my bottom line?"
At first we thought audiologists would participate with Hearing Tracker just to gain knowledge from the review system. For every patient review they would learn more, including:
  • What are the best devices for people with profound loss, mild loss, etc
  • What is the optimal configuration for a given hearing aid model and a given audiogram
  • What devices (and brands) are performing the best in your clinic, and industry wide
  • How is your performance changing over time on a number of dimensions
  • Are your patients satisfied with the clinical setting, the wait times, etc?
  • How does your patient satisfaction stack up against your competition?
Unfortunately, very few audiologists would spend the extra 30 seconds per patient to generate a hearing aid review, for the sake of practice development and professional growth. There are a number of exceptions, but overall, we have been disappointed. As a doctor of audiology I feel slightly ashamed by the lack of interest in this project, especially given the potential Hearing Tracker has for improving hearing outcomes on a global scale.

The bottom line is this: Until audiologists see the marketing (self-promotion) potential of Hearing Tracker, they will not bother to generate hearing aid reviews with their patients. When will audiologists see the marketing potential of Hearing Tracker? Well, this won’t happen until the hearing-impaired community relies on Hearing Tracker as a primary resource when selecting a hearing provider - When consumers begin saying “I found you on Hearing Tracker,” or “I came to you because you had great reviews on Hearing Tracker.” But hey, there’s the Catch 22 again.

I know all of this sounds very pessimistic, but I want to assure you that we are very optimistic Hearing Tracker’s future.

  • We believe we have the best system to cater to the needs of both audiologists and consumers.
  • We have seen slow, but steady, growth in our user base on both sides (consumers and audiologists).
  • At last count we have 338 registered providers (with over 17,000 listed), over 500 consumer users, over a hundred unique website visitors per day, and 100 hearing aid reviews.
  • We have been gaining visibility in the hearing industry, and have been featured in a number of trade journals (as previously mentioned).
  • We have recently been in discussion with the leadership of HLAA regarding the endorsement of our audiologist review system
We are working hard, from within the audiology profession, to spread the word about Hearing Tracker. I can happily report that we have received a very warm reception from the academic leaders in audiology, who share our vision and see Hearing Tracker as a game changer for consumers and audiologists. For those that are unfamiliar with the hearing aid industry, let me be the first to tell you - things are a real mess right now. We have big box retailers like Costco undercutting traditional dispensing audiologists, the proliferation of self-fitted hearing-aid-like devices (called PSAPs), and smartphone apps that offer to "correct your hearing." Personally, I think competition is a good thing, and I welcome all of the recent market disruption. I have two very good reasons for welcoming the disruptive business models
  1. It’s good for consumers to have additional options, alongside traditionally dispensed hearing aids
  2. To stay in the game audiologists will have to do a number of things (which are all good for the consumer)
  • Provide a universal standard of care
  • Prove that their services are worth the money
  • Come up with more competitive pricing
  • Improve government policies to support 3rd party contributions from medicare/medicaid/insurers/etc
Number 2 is Hearing Tracker's big opportunity. We are offering audiologists the chance to prove their clinical outcomes (and value) to consumers, by generating quality patient reviews. What about the audiologists that generate poor outcomes/reviews? Well, this is the best part. To compete, they would need to up their service quality, spend more time with patients, improve their technical verification procedures, sell better products, etc, etc, etc. Hearing Tracker could provide the platform for transparency, that could encourage (force) audiologists to provide a more uniform standard of clinical care, in order to retain customers and stay competitive.

Note: Hearing aid reviews on Hearing Tracker can come from anonymous users or verified users. Verified user reviews can be accessed by clicking on the “verified reviews” checkbox on the hearing aids page.

To help encourage discussion, we have even added discussion boards to the bottom of every hearing aid model page. We make it easy for users to add their audiograms, and see it on a graph, and we also add the audiogram to the review page, for reviews that have been submitted in conjunction with an audiogram. You can see an example on this review. (the reviewer only added a basic audiogram in this case)

Also, a user may submit more than one review. I would encourage you to review both hearing aids if possible, once you have decided which aids you will keep. As a part of your review you will tell us which hearing aids you returned, and which you kept. Here is a user who reviewed both the LiNX and Halo.

Also, keep your eye on this project, which may allow you to someday run iOS apps on your android phone.

I’m sorry for the extremely long post, but I really felt the need to explain the context for Hearing Trackers lack of reviews. I am hoping that this community can see the potential of Hearing Tracker. If it wasn’t clear enough in my post, I will reiterate here. We need your support to help get this project off the ground. Here are a few things you can do:

  • Encourage your audiologist to join Hearing Tracker. They can list their services, their location(s), which hearing aid brands they fit, their bio, and lots more. Here is my [example profile](http://www.hearingtracker.com/hearing-providers/10-abram-bailey).
  • Encourage your audiologist to generate reviews on Hearing Tracker. We all want to see Hearing Tracker produce great data. Get your audiologist to pitch in.
  • Sign up on Hearing Tracker, complete your audiogram, and submit a review. You do not need to provide your real name or address, unless you want free batteries.
  • If you don't have time to leave a complete review, leave a comment below the device, on the discussion board. Lots of people are viewing our site every day, so you might just help someone!
  • Sign up for our newsletter (at the bottom of the website). We will send very occasional updates.
  • Talk about Hearing Tracker online, and link to us in blog posts, and other media.
  • Share the infographic above.
  • Follow us on social media - [Twitter](https://twitter.com/HearingTracker) - [Facebook](http://facebook.com/hearingtracker) - [Google+](https://plus.google.com/+Hearingtracker) - [LinkedIn](http://www.linkedin.com/company/hearing-tracker)
Thank you so much for your post Gary. I hope Hearing Tracker can one day achieve the potential that this community deserves.

Sincerely,

Abram Bailey, AuD
President
Hearing Tracker, Inc

#5

Thank you Abram for your detailed response.

I can see that you offer a good site but it must be frustrating getting the community to start to use your services.

Yesterday my washing machine broke and I had to order a new one. On the site I ordered it from each model had dozens and in some cases hundreds of reviews.
If someone is willing to put in the time to leave an review for a washing machine then they are likely to be more keen to leave a review of something as critical as a hearing aid. (If only they know about the hearingtracker.com site.)

The new iPhone aids are bringing about increased awareness of hearing aids to many younger potential hearing aid users - who are more likely to adopt sites such as hearingtracker.com. If you can get the ball rolling I am sure that usage would grow quickly.

I received my Linx aids yesterday and already have much to say about them. However, I will will wait a week or two before I write up a review so that I can produce a more detailed report from a wider range of environments and after I have had my first post fitting tune up.

#6

Thank you Gary. I really appreciate your feedback and support. If you (or anyone else reading this) has any other feedback, or requests for Hearing Tracker’s future development, please let me know. This project is for the community, so I want to ensure that I do my best to cater to your needs and wants. We have the IT expertise to make it happen, if you can dream it.