Looking at Resound One-7. Should I get rechargeable batteries or standard?

Hearing Aids
#1

Hi -

Pretty much like what the title says!

I am leaning towards getting standard batteries, since I am concerned that rechargeables are going to be prohibitively expensive to replace. I am not thrilled with being tied to the rechargeable case, either.

This will probably be the last HAs I will buy unless they permanently fail on me for some reason. I don’t mind the once-a-week battery replacement, and the batteries are really inexpensive at Costco.

I held onto my last Phonak HAs for quite a few years, but it was limited in signal processing technology. The newer tech on the Resound Ones will probably take care of the limitations I have been living with.

However, the one thing that failed on my current 6 year old Phonak HAs is the battery door on my right unit - the battery retention is loose now.

Does anybody know the cost of rechargeable battery replacement for the Resound One-7?

Thanks,

AzJazz

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#2

Can’t really offer any advice but I wear Phonak aids and I know the battery door will eventually wear away over time. I bought some spare ones that only cost £2 a piece. I think £2 is maybe $4 or $5 for you?

If you do go with battery option, maybe looking into getting spare battery doors might be handy for you?

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#3

I think you’ve already answered your own question. If you’re not happy with the idea of rechargeables and fear the cost of out-of-warranty replacement, I’d recommend you get the disposables. If you live somewhere where it gets very hot in the summer, the disposables would probably be more durable, too. Li-ion battery lifespan suffers by prolonged exposure to high temperatures.

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#4

I don’t have any specifics for Resound rechargeable, but IF you have to pay to replace the rechargeable batteries, you’d likely be looking at $200-$300. However, the way most providers work is that if you take the aids back near the end of warranty, the manufacturer will replace the batteries at no charge. I wouldn’t expect to have to expend money for rechargeable batteries for at least 6 years, quite possibly longer. This is of course assuming that they are not abused.

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#5

Was just thinking of the being exposed to high temperatures bit. When being worn, they are exposed to a 98 plus degree heat source for prolonged periods. :slight_smile: Having one side of the aid well ventilated should help.

#6

I just “shot myself in the head” with an Insta-Read Infrared thermometer. It read 91 deg F whereas the back of my hand and a calf both read 85.6 deg. I’ve read elsewhere that the surface temperature of human skin is ~87 deg F. The brain is metabolically more active per gram tissue mass than the rest of the body. Something like 25% of your resting calories are consumed by the brain and it’s only ~3 lbs (< 3%) of your body mass. So even though the head is a little hotter superficially than the rest of the body, the HA body has some surface area not in contact with the ear lobe or head and I wonder, for RIC aids, whether the wire to the receiver can act as a heat radiator, too? I would think ITC rechargeables would be the most heat-stressed. I’ve also wondered about smartwatches. It’s 63 deg F in our house right now and the outer surface of my Apple Watch is 82 deg F - and will be a lot toastier when the temp inside our house is allowed to rise to 85 deg F during the hottest part of the day in 107 deg F Texas global-warming July-August summer days. So we’ll see how long the Apple Watch and the Quattro’s last.

#7

Hey, thanks @Zebras! I didn’t know that there was a way to purchase a Phonak replacement door.

Thanks, everyone … this was good advice! I will discuss this with my audi, and check into the “in-warranty repair” option before my warranty expires to get an 3-4 extra years.

Cheers,

AzJazz

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#8

Good point. I wasn’t thinking of location on the body. The receiver, being in the ear canal would be closer to 98 deg, but is likely less sensitive to heat than the battery. And just going on a nonsequitir tangent, perhaps someday they’ll be able to take advantage of that temperature differential and use it to make a self charging battery! :slight_smile:

#9

Interesting idea! Or a hearing aid that powers itself like a mechanical self-winding watch! I guess HA’s are too small and really old people move too little for the self-winding watch type of idea and perhaps a mechanical watch needs less energy than an HA to operate.

#10

Here’s a do it yourself version! Clearly they’d need to work on miniturizaiton. :slight_smile:

#11

Given how cheap the batteries are, it makes little sense to get the rechargeables. And if you travel often, carrying a bunch of tiny batteries is way more simple.

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#12

I’m trialing ReSound Ones now and like the rechargeable case. They last all day and then get set in the case. Never need to worry about buying or changing batteries. I’m sure it comes down to personal preference in the end.

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#13

You’ve been trialing them for a while now. Any update on how you like them and whether your audi solved the problems you were having with them? (sorry if I missed that in another thread already!)

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#14

You’re absolutely right, I’ve been trialing them since early October. Closest fit I’ve had so far, but still having trouble getting the programming right. There’s been many trips into the audiologist to fix it and we haven’t solved it yet. Audi contacted her ReSound rep. They’re sending another demo pair and the ReSound rep may come to my next appointment. Still waiting on the new pair to arrive and coordinate an appointment time with the rep.

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#15

I have made my decision - I’m going with disposable batteries. After living with the Resound Ones for over a week, I have found two inconveniences with the rechargeable batteries:

  • I use the dehumidifier canisters to store my HAs - This is almost a requirement for me with the wax I build up on a daily basis. With the rechargeable Resound Ones, it isn’t easy to turn the HAs totally off so that there isn’t a risk of feedback with the HAs sitting right next to each other - not to mention that the HAs aren’t charging overnight in the dehumidifier canister. The recharger doesn’t have any way to dehumidify (from what I see).
  • When I need to take out the HAs temporarily for a while, I would usually drop them in the dehumidifier canister to keep them out of view from my 21 year-old cat - who, if she saw them, the HAs would end up under a couch or cabinet or refrigerator … and possibly chewed on. Again, since I can’t easily turn off the rechargeable Ones and plop them in the canister, I have been leaving them out on a tabletop, a few feet apart to prevent feedback. Suboptimal.

When combining these issues with my concerns about long-term rechargeable battery life, I have decided that disposable batteries fit my lifestyle better.

4 Likes
#16

Interesting addendum for my rechargeable battery decision.

I ended up purchasing Phonak Paradise P90 HAs with 312 batteries. I’m really happy with my purchase overall, but I did discover two facts after my purchase.

  • The rechargeable P90s have two features that the 312 battery version does not:
  1. The rechargeables have a motion sensing capability that enhances the mode selection algorithm. Sitting still in a restaurant will have the HAs go into a mode to reduce background noise and target human voice better. When walking is detected, it goes to a different mode to target human voice.
  2. Double tap-to-answer/Voice assistant isn’t available on the non-rechargeables. On the non-rechargeables, I need to reach and press+hold a button to answer.
  • The Phonak rechargeable hearing aid case has a compartment for a desiccant puck (The Resound didn’t), so my concern about dehumidification was not a problem with the Phonaks. The Phonak non-rechargeable case doesn’t have the desiccant puck compartment, so I had to purchase a drying canister.

News you’ze can use.

AzJazz

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#17

I’m an Oticonian, so I hope the Resoundigans won’t consider my $0.02 off topic:

When my audiologist suggested fitting me with More3s I wasn’t too keen on being forced down the rechargeable path.

But … I’m retired, so long shifts aren’t a concern, and my initial reading on the Oticon charging station was reassuring, because I could power it with a battery pack, eliminating worries about power failures and more cords for the cats to chew.

After a month, I wouldn’t go back to disposable batteries (unless the Li-Po batteries prove short-lived).

After 16 hours of use, my machines still show 30-35% charge remaining, so they’re completely recharged in about 1 hour and 45 minutes. I only have to recharge the external battery once a week (it could go for 10 days), and the whole recharging getup is compact and portable.

I’m 71, and take meds that cause fine motor tremors in my fingers, especially in the morning. It’s reassuring not to have to fumble with 312 disposable batteries any more.

I understand that while my “conversion” works for me, it might not, for you … I’m simply offering up my experience to allay some common concerns about rechargeables.

[I don’t know what Resound’s claim for battery life is. If it’s 16 hours, versus 20-24, I would have balked at going rechargeable.]

#18

@SpudGunner - I totally understand your situation, and would probably have made the same rechargeable choice if I had fine motor concerns. Not yet for me, thank goodness … but it may be in my future.

From what I have been reading, the companies all claim “full day” usage. Maybe there should be an industry standard for what a “full day” is - mine is 24.0000 hours. :wink:

Having owned quite a few cell phones, and being very familiar with LiPo technology, the main thing that wears down LiPo batteries (besides extreme heat or cold) is the number of charge cycles. They don’t even need to be full charge cycles, though charging from 90% to 100% does add a bit more strain. Additionally, wireless charging lowers LiPo battery life due to the lower energy transfer efficiency that results in more heat generated in the device being charged (resulting in higher heat at the battery which causes damage). I generally don’t charge my cell phones until they are less than 30%, so generally once every 3 days or so. I never use wireless charging. My two cell phone batteries are both well over 3 years old, and both holding full charge like new. My smart watch, on the other hand - which only supports wireless charging and gets very warm - is already having a reduced capacity after 3 years, even though I only recharge it once every 4 days (it was once every 7-8 days originally).

Required wireless charging HAs every day (two strikes against battery life) just makes me think that their capacity will be significantly limited at the 3 year mark. The technology is so new for the industry, I am willing to wait until the dust settles.

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#19

Hearing aids are a personal thing, so only you can make that decision. I have been wearing aids for 16 years, most disposable batteries, but I was working and traveling so they made sense to have. I am now retired and my aids have rechargeable batteries and I love not having to worry about my batteries going dead during the day or at church etc. I no longer travel as much and I don’t mind carrying a charge for night time chargings.

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#20

Well, @AzJazz: I just checked, and at least my Oticon More3s aren’t wireless.

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The charger case has a USB-A plug, and quite a heavy-gauge wire, as you can see in the pic.

You had me worried there, for a minute!