#9

There are two very powerful CIC hearing aids. Starkey Destiny “Extreme power” and Siemens “Motion 701” CIC. Both of them provide near 75 DB gain. Michael I also have similar hearing loss as yours and I also like to stay with CIC and had Starkey before switching. I tried both of these hearing aids and they were extremely loud and powerful hearing aids for profound hearing loss. The Starkey has capability of changing the volume via cellphone or ipad (wireless) and great technical support for adjusting the hearing aid programs remotely. But I did not like its sound quality. If you were wearing Analog, you will have very difficult time to adjust to “Destiny” Starkey. Siemens sounds more like analog hearing aids and I hear high frequencies well while everything sounds more natural to me. Starkey sounds very shrill that hard to discriminate. However Siemens is more expensive and does not have any wireless control for CIC. I never had any problem with whistling with either of them.

I returned Starkey after a month of using it. Now I am trying Siemens and It is my first day and so far I am happy.

This is more detail on my experience with “Destiny Power extreme” Starkey. I had 4 programs. One for telephone (extremely bad quality), one for noise reduction (great noises reduction but worse possible sound quality), one for far distance (I loved this setting. I could hear very far distance. Great for lectures and TV) and last one for normal conversation. All the memories more and less had same sound quality of robotic and shrill.

Please let me know if you need any details on any of these hearing aids.

#10

With the greatest respect, the Starkey aids do not have an inherent shrillness to them at all. Clearly they were not programmed correctly to your needs.

I would bet good money that if you brought your Siemens aids to me, I could program the Starkey to sound exactly the same or better. There are over a billion adjustment combinations possible in a high end Starkey aid, and there is no truth in the statement that they all have a naturally shrill sound to them.

As for the maximum power, they advertise a 71dB gain amplifier but they have more power available, but they simply don’t offer it as standard. But I know it is possible to get more. Of course, just like the number of cylinders in a car engine doesn’t tell the whole of the story, the gain isn’t the only thing to know. The feedback management system has been proven to be number one in the world right now, adding 25dB of added stable gain without restricting frequency output, so this allows more use of the power without getting close to distortion levels or losing sound you want to amplify like many feedback management systems out there.

#11

Also I meant to point out that eXtreme Power refers only to the receiver in the hearing aid, not the aid model itself. So saying ‘Starkey CIC eXtreme Power’ is like saying a ‘Ford SUV’ There are at least half a dozen Ford manufactured SUVs out there, and in the same way Starkey offer their eXtreme Power technology in just about every model from entry level, right up to top of the line.

So your experience with an eXtreme Power CIC would have also been impacted based on the technology level that you purchased, and then how well it was programmed by the hearing professional.

#12

Steady on, people will start to think you are in their paid employ. :smiley:

Just as an aside, would you routinely fit power CIC’s to this level, my main reason for asking is that (apart from breakdowns) aren’t you asking a lot from the equipment to be working at this level all day everyday? Wouldn’t a meatier receiver in a larger ITE be a better option for the customer?

#13

The Starkey software is indeed very powerful. However during my one month trial, although both my audiologist and Starkey rep (via remote access) tried adjusting it many times in many different ways, still it did not work for me. Each time they were improving one feature, it was getting worse on other.

Many years ago, I used to program my own hearing aid because I was doing the software development for hearing aids. It is fantastic when you can adjust your hearing aid based on what you hear. By just looking at the Starkey software while my audiologist using it, I was impressed with some of its programming features. Most of all I loved the “sound point” of the Starkey program. The fact that Starkey is pioneer on allowing the hearing aid wearer to adjust his/her hearing aid based on what he/she hears and not based on what she has to explain to someone else to adjust it for her/him. But sound point was not available on CIC version and that a big lack for adjusting it. By changing different channels, compressions, or program setting (I had estat setting) improves some feature but worse the other. Overall I loved the programming capability of Starkey but I was very unhappy with its sound quality. I believe Starkey worked very hard on noise reduction that compromised the sound quality of this model significantly.

#14

Ha :stuck_out_tongue:

Well in all fairness, find me someone claiming to provide more than 25dB added stable gain…

No, personally, I think it’s all about RIC these days. This has become 90% of my business in this day and age.

When you make a custom product there is so much more scope for problems, while a RIC style aid can be sealed to make it water proof, the case is designed to fit all the components without compromise, it’s the way to go for most people in my opinion.

With the option of 71dB receivers a RIC can fit almost any loss these days (especially if it has the WORLD’S NUMBER ONE FEEDBACK SYSTEM IN IT :rolleyes: ) and you don’t have to worry about wax or water for most models. I also like that you are not blowing sound through a long tube as you are with a BTE.

CIC was always a compromise, exchange some functionality for invisibility. Although when they first came out, they were among the best available for some loss. But with technology available today, I find RIC has WAY more options.

THIS MESSAGE WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY STARKEY - SO THE WORLD MAY HEAR :smiley:

PS I wonder if anyone will read anything into the fact that this was post #666 for me…

#15

I hate that you had that experience.

The last year I ran a practice was 2008, and in that year my return rate was 2.53%, far below industry standards. So given my success with Starkey product, I just find it hard to believe that there was not more that could have been done for you. But hey, I wasn’t there. Hope you find (or have found) the success you seek.

#16

The model was Destiny eXtreme Power Starkey CIC .

#17

The better hearing aid for a customer is a hearing aid they will wear, not keep in a box. :smiley: With the best will in the world, if the customer is only prepared to wear a CIC then no matter the bells and whistles or improved gain that ITE or BTE or RITE solutions offer, it’s got to be in their ears to be any use, and I hope that doesn’t come over patronising. I’ve had a lot of hearing aids I’ve kept in my bedside cabinet over the years because they were ugly or uncomfortable - often both!

Some can be talked around, others it’s not going to happen and better to jump on board with what is being asked for or say I’m sorry I don’t believe I can fit you with something that will have satisfactory performance, feel free to try an alternative audiologist. This guy sounds like he doesn’t want to entertain other solutions.

Opinion obviously just as a hearing aid user, but YKWIM, people aren’t going to wear what they won’t wear. I would personally talk anyone who seems potentially open to other solutions into going BTE but I don’t think this is one of those customers.

#18

Ah. Well since the Destiny, there have been three generations of improvements at Starkey (4 if you consider RIC products).

Destiny is so old fashioned by today’s standards our stores don’t even list it on the price list anymore, although I believe some models are still available.

It was a good aid back in the day but obsolete today.

#19

Would you please tell me what other newer models Starkey have for providing 75+ DB gain on CIC? I was told that for CIC this model is the most powerful one and there is nothing else made by Starkey that goes beyond 75 db gain.

You mentioned that there are 3 more models created after Destiny eXtreme Power. Please give me the names of those models that have 75+ db gain for CIC (not interested on RIC or BTE or ITE, etc…) . I am only interested on CIC.

I am looking forward to your response because I am on trail period of Siemens and if there is anything better on Starkey (CIC only), I would like to try them before buying this one.

#20

The Starkey S Series IQ, can go to 71dB:

http://www.starkeypro.com/public/professionals/products/hearing-aids/s-series-iq/specifications-cic.jsp

The cheaper S Series 5, can also go to 71dB of gain:

http://www.starkeypro.com/public/professionals/products/hearing-aids/s-series-5/specifications-cic.jsp

Both of these models are newer and superior to the Destiny range, the IQ having the extra advantage of voice recognition which can greatly enhance background noise suppression.

Now although they only advertise 71dB of gain, remember that more of this is usable than many other brands because of superior feedback cancellation.

I can tell you on good authority that they can get more gain out of these aids if they have to, but they don’t currently advertise anything higher than 71dB of gain in a CIC. But I know for a fact they have gone several decibels higher than this when they need to. Frankly though, they don’t need to very often and don’t want some horse power happy hearing professional ordering more powerful models as a matter of routine.

I can assure you though, this is a monster power circuit, and if set on the low or non-compression fitting algorithms will satisfy some very power hungry patients.

Finally, I can assure you that both of these aids blow a Destiny out of the water, they are vastly superior in every way. If a hearing professional told you that the Destiny was the only power aid Starkey makes, this is only partly true and certainly not in the CIC range at all. They may have been thinking of a BTE power aid they make with Destiny technology that can do 80dB of gain.

#21

Thank you so much for the information. Do you know if the S series IQ for CIC can support directional Microphone or not? In their documents (in your link), it is mentioned that, it has Directional Microphone, but it doesn’t indicate if it is for CIC or not.

#22

Hello,

You should check Starkey S series IQ 11 CIC Extreme Power, Siemens Nitro CIC and Oticon Agil CIC Power. In my oppinion it is meaningless to add directional mic to a CIC because it will make it bigger.
If you want directional mics then you should take a look in RIC models like Resound Alera 961 High Power, Resound Dot2 30 High Power and Oticon Agil Mini RITE Power.

Regards

#23

Just to add my two cents…I’ve yet to trial any kind of BTE (several different brands, several said to be moisture proof) that could withstand my three mile daily jogs and associated hours’ worth of sweatiness. And it’s a normal amount of sweat, not something freakish…

#24

When Starkey invented this hydra shield technology, they were doing 2 hour training lectures at the time, on programming. They would drop one of these aids in a glass of water and leave it there for the whole lecture. After the lecture, they would pull the aid out and prove it was still working.

If it can withstand a couple of hours at the bottom of a glass of water, I’d have thought a bit of non-freakish sweat would be fine! :rolleyes:

#25

If you add directional mics, the aid will be bigger, closer to the size of an ITC or mini ITC.

The theory goes they are not all that necessary on a CIC, because the natural shape of the pinna provides the directionality. It only becomes necessary when you move the mics to an unnatural part of the ear, as with a BTE.

#26

Excuse me, I have just register this valuable site. Do everybody know any power CIC hearing aid including remote control for controlling its volume?
I think sometimes, the user would like to reduce its volume, when for example, he/she wants to study and sometimes he/she likes to increase its volume to hear weak sounds.
Thanks a lot
Nima

#27

Or you could have a multi memory button on the hearing aid, and have a program designed for quiet situations like study, or to mute them.

Having to carry a remote is a bit old fashioned and is just extra hassle.

#28

@ZCT, thank you. Actually I’m not sure whether it is possible to add a remote control on power CIC or not. When I talked to my audiologist, he said it is not possible for Nitro power CIC (301-701). I’m very interested about your idea, I’m still not sure if it is possible to volume down only with a button or not.