My experience going from Widex to Oticon to Starkey trial

Hearing Aids
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#185

After using Livio for two days, I’m thinking these are for me. I can’t help but think back over the past six months, “if I would have only started out with these”. It’s like I have my hearing back, I didn’t think that would be possible a few days ago. I only hope this continues as well as it has so far. Everything sounds close to like I remember it did 7 months ago. Especially voices I know well.

The Livio’s also did well in the open top Jeep. At 35 mph I didn’t even have to turn the volume down in edge mode. Wind noise was low and normal sounding. Could hear my wife easily. There’s a setting that detects when your in an automobile by going over 10 mph, I have it enabled but I’m not sure what it does. One of my favorite features is the “tap gesture”. I can double tap my ear to turn streaming on or off. This is very useful when watching tv. When my wife says something I can easily switch streaming off wo grabbing my phone and finding the button. There are a ton of features in the app, Dr Cliff has a video that goes into some of these in detail.

The Livio’s aren’t perfect. I wish I could understand the tv at my wife’s volume wo using the streamer but I can’t. Only about 50%. The streamer is not as loud as Oticon but with everything at its loudest level I can hear it ok. Maybe something the audi can do to help that. I also can hear the aids rustling against my ear and head sometimes, especially when I eat, never had that problem with Widex or Oticon. Maybe something audi can do there too. Unwanted noises (in the kitchen, rolling up garage door, shutting doors, etc) are louder than OPN’s but not as loud as moments. I’ll get a better test of loud sounds at work tomorrow.

Sitting outside on the back deck last night, we have outdoor speakers about 30’ from where we sit, the music actually sounds like music and not some kind of noise like I heard from the other two ha’s.

It’s still very early in the trial with Livio’s but so far they seem to be great for me. Audi didn’t even run REM on the Livio’s so its possible they could be even better. With Widex and Oticon I always knew what I was hearing was from ha’s because everything always sounded amplified and reproduced. I just don’t get that feeling with these.

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#186

To check which Starkey programmed memory is set for Car,open Thrive and select the Memory Menu at the bottom of the screen on the right. Then select Device Settings and you’ll see a Car selection; select it. Yours is probably set for Car, which is the programmed Car memory which kicks in automatically about 10MPH but it can be changed to whatever you want by selecting the “pencil” to Pick a Memory. The Car memory wasn’t per-programmed on my Livio Edges, so I’ve been trying Crowd and Outdoors until I can get into the VA Audiology Clinic to get the Car memory programmed instead of the Telephone memory which is unnecessary with ITE HAs.

If you have the Starkey TV Streamer, you shouldn’t need it that loud to hear it in your HAs. I have the volume set about half way and any louder than that is too loud streaming directly into my ear. In two weeks I haven’t had any problems with the streamer not being connected to my HAs–unlike my other trials. I setup a double-tap for my left HA to start/stop the TV streamer and it works great, plus a double-tap for the right HA for Edge mode. On the Thrive Device Settings screen, select Tap Gesture to set your desired taps.

#187

Ok, so car is just an auto memory selection fir your desired memory. Mine do not have the car memory either I’ll have to ask audi about it.

My streamer is connected to a Yamaha receiver through analog, same as Oticon. Receiver volume for that input was on 75 (kept Oticon streamer about 75% of volume with that same connection) I could barley hear it at that, had to turn it all the way up to 98. I also tried digital connection, same thing, wasn’t loud enough and no way to turn the receiver up with digital output. Not sure what’s going on.

#188

First of all, do you have the Starkey TV Streamer? Starkey TV streamer.pdf (24.1 KB) If you don’t have this TV streamer, someone else will have to tell you if it’s compatible with the HAs. Try to see if you can also trial the Starkey streamer with your HAs.
Depending on what you have for a TV, it should have an optical audio connection output. That will be your best connection to the streamer. You could also use the receiver optical output, but when I initially did that back on my first trial, I couldn’t get streaming audio if I watched a steaming service (e.g., Netflix) if that was coming from my TV and not my DISH receiver. I guess it depends on how everything is set up, but try the TV audio output.

#189

Yes it is the Starky streamer. I did try the optical output from the receiver. (same as Oticon streamer) and wo being able to turn the output volume up it was just to low.

#190

Reading about how your hearing goes in an open top vehicle reminds me that I suspect in retrospect that that’s how I lost some of my hearing. Our daughters as teenagers got relatively newer cars to drive with AC, I drove older family cars in which the AC had broken and we were too cheap to repair with a new compressor, etc. I was driving as high as 75 mph with all the windows open and the radio blaring loud enough to be heard over wind noise so I was probably at least in the 90 to 100 dB sound range due to the radio adding quite a few dB. Hearing loss is a well-known side effect of motorcycle riding, too, and a large part of that is the wind noise, not entirely the sound of the exhaust. So probably pleasure driving at city and neighborhood speeds is OK in an open top vehicle but I’d look out for many hours (4 or 5) at a crack, 8 to 10 in a weekend round trip as I was wont to do in middle age. Hearing Loss Caused by Driving With Windows Down, Radio Turned Up Loud?

I think just as people, especially young people, are not very accepting if you tell them that extremely loud music at rock concerts is not conducive to maintaining good hearing, most people probably don’t want to believe freeway driving in a convertible could hurt one’s hearing in any way.

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#191

Then, I don’t know what the problem is. You might try re-pairing the streamer to your phones using this file attachment. Start on the first page with “Pairing outside of Inspire X” TV Streamer Pairing (12-19).pdf (221.0 KB)

If that doesn’t work, call Starkey tech support tomorrow at (888) 481-5512 and let them help you. Because, if my TV streamer didn’t work, my wife would keep telling me to turn the TV sound lower…

#192

I could always tell after a Jeep ride (before HAs) my hearing would decrease after the ride. We generally keep our speeds low but some highway riding also.

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#193

Thanks @gcyr42. I’ll probably just wait and talk to audi about it, I can use it with the volume all the way up.

#194

@gcyr42

I’m a little confused with Edge mode. The way I understand it, tap on left ear put’s HAs in Edge mode. Is this the only way to get Edge mode on? How do you know your in Edge mode, there’s nothing in the app about “Edge Mode”? I turn it on but after time goes by I end up wondering if I’m still in it.

#195

I have Widex Beyond. It is programmed to increase volume by a quick press of the right aid Button and decrease volume by a quick press of the left aid button. To change programs, use a longer press on the right aid and it toggles between each program. Check with your Audi.

#196

Thanks for the info but my trial has ended with the Moments.

#197

tim4, I believe you said you are using the Starkey HA’s and have no hearing in 1 ear. Do you use a cross system to pick up hearing in your deaf side? I’m impressed that your word clarity is much better with the Starkey. Jay

#198

No not deaf, just one ear is worst than the other. My left has been bad for about 5 years. Six month’s ago my right lost almost 50% of the 90% that I had. My audiogram is posted.

#199

I figured out one way to know if your in “Edge mode” is to select the equalizer icon in the app. If in Edge mode a warning will pop up saying you can’t make adjustments while in Edge mode, just hit cancel and not continue to stay in it.

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#200

Missed (at least I did) in the recent Starkey update is that their audiologist programming software, Inspire X, was updated to v2020.1. Here are the Important Updates noted in the update:
Inspire X 2020.1 Important Updates.pdf (126.9 KB)

Notice two new functions–Introducing IntelliVoice (read the Inspire X update description) & Find My Phone. I didn’t find any info on that 2nd one.

Also missed is an updated * Thrive Hearing Control App Advanced Version manual. Check-out unnumbered page 4 under Accessories. You’ll be able to access/enable IntelliVoice by tapping that accessory. However, this is “available for Edge AI technology and iOS only.”

So, I guess we have to visit our AuDs to get these. For Veterans, Starkey also updated their Remote Car Anywhere capability which should satisfy the VA’s requirements. Now we only need to wait a year or two before it becomes available…

#201

I’m going to audi in the morning I’ll ask about the updates. Also one of the complaints in Dr Clif’s video was the remote programming, notice they improved on that too.

#202

When I went to the VA to have molds made for my current ITE HAs, the AuD told me the problem was Starkey used remote adjustments instead of live session adjustments. The VA didn’t allow that type of remote adjustments/programming. Starkey now has live session remote programming, so that part should be fixed. Now, it’s when will the VA approve it or whatever they have to do to start using it.

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#203

I just called Starkey tech support to find how the HAs are supposed to find a phone if the Thrive app is on the lost phone and there are no other phones available to use. Even if there were, you’d have to download Thrive, pair your HAs, and ask Thrive Assistant to find your phone.

What you need need to do is preset Thrive Assistant as a double-tap gesture for your right or left hearing aid BEFORE you plan on losing your phone! Then, that double-tap for Thrive Assistant will send a signal to your lost phone to play a ringtone. I haven’t tried this nor do I intend to because I currently have Edge Mode & Start/Stop Audio Stream setup on my right/left HAs and that’s what I’m keeping.

Since there are no instructions for this procedure in their updated user guides, I suggested they add these instructions as an FAQ so people will know how to use it and decide if they want to use it.

#204

It was a bad week to be trialing HAs. We had thunderstorms all week with high humidity and barometric pressure going crazy, so was my ears and hearing. Ears feeling clogged up and stuffiness everyday. When that happens everything I hear is distorted. I did figure out when my ears are like this Livio’s did better than OPNs. I had a little better speech understanding with Livio’s. Went back to Audi this morning and she tweaked a little more. Still didn’t run REM though. I’m not sure why she waits to do that. She waited a while on the moments and OPNs also. I trust her though, she seems to really know her stuff, as far as I can tell.

It finally cleared out here today, no humidity with nice temperatures, so maybe a good hearing weekend coming up.

This is starting to sound like a diary. :astonished:

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