My first test Drive-Oticon OPN-S 1's

Hearing Aids
#1

So far I am really impressed using only 1 general preset and volume control. I believe my Audiologist is not going to be a great help in programing my aids for max use.I hope I’m wrong. He is not very hi-tech. We shall see.

First I am understanding speech again and have not said ‘What” since getting them fitted. My Halo’s 2 's had failed and sending them in for repair.
Issues I am having with OPN-S 1’s are while I am watching TV (Which now is at a normal volume for my wife) in living room and she is in the kitchen making noises (about 30 feet away) like pots and pans or unwrapping things I hear her just as loud as TV. Very annoying. Only speech is coming from TV and her background noise is way too loud.Again its my first week and I am hoping I can adjust this background noise out in future software adjustments. Me self programming or my Audiologist.

Was in a very very crowded restaurant and noise was the max I have heard in a long time. Which I guess is a good thing. Even my wife was having trouble hearing me but I did not have trouble hearing her at our dinner table. The noise level was testing the hearing aids to the max but not once could I not hear my wife speaking which never would have happened with Halo 2’s. The issue was similar to my living room experience that it did not seem to tune out everyone else’s volume and conversion. I felt like I was in the movie with Jim Kerry “Bruce Almighty” and hearing everyone’s conversation. I am hopeful I can correct this with the software but the software does its job by allowing me to understand those close to me and hearing everyone else. My aids have no programs in them yet since he did not want to complicate my environments for first week. He did put volume control on so I could at least adjust that. That did help turning down for background noise but made it more difficult to hear my wife but I still could but did not come as easy as with them set to default volume. I used the Genie 2 software to take a look but not ready to make any adjustments yet until I really know what I am doing. I did save my settings to software to compare what my Audiologist does next and hear the difference. I have used hearing aids for 3 years now and the Halo 2’s where good for first year but I believe the mic’s have been failing or the receivers for last two years. Been reprogrammed 4 times by audiologists . On way to Starkey for repair under warranty. Be good to compare both OPN-S1 and Halo 2’s when they get back.

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#2

This is the inherent characteristic of all OPNs, it lets you hear everything. It may be annoying at first, but it’s not any different than what a normal person hears, everything. So just give it time and eventually your brain will get used to all the sounds and will learn to tune it out.

If you wish to be in a cocoon where you don’t hear anything except what you want to hear, then the OPN is the wrong choice for you. I’m not really aware of any adjustment you can make to tune some sound out but not others. No hearing aid is smart enough to read your mind and know what you want to hear and what you don’t want to hear anyway. Let your brain read your mind (it’s the only thing that can) and tune sounds out for you.

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#3

I personally find the OPN1s hearing experience so wonderful and a gift that I haven’t had in decades. Sure it takes patience and time for my brain to adapt but I have been wearing them since early December and it is almost like I have normal hearing. And I only wish I could wear them 24 hours a day

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#4

I started using the Opn S 1 model a few days ago and my hearing experience is 100% better than using the Oticon Ria Pro aids. The cost is worth the quality of life, I speaks so low now people can’t hear me lol. I’m only 38 years old with severe hearing loss, I can’t live without them.

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#5

I agree with you 100%. I think the hearing aids are doing exactly what they promised. Let me hear everything around me and will take some time for my brain to adjust to having my hearing back. The thing that amazes me is that the technology can allow me to adjust the way I hear sounds unlike a normal persons hearing. I can adjust it from being too soft or too sharp or even too loud. That is what I am looking forward to when my audiologist adds more programs but for now I am very happy with the way they are performing. While I am in a trail period I still wonder if there is a even better results out there with the ReSound
LiNX Quattro or Phonak Audéo Marvel.

#6

Then if you can you should try them all

#7

Was hoping someone already tried them and what they thought. But I may.

#8

From my experience other can love them and I would hate them or the other way around. Even with similar hearing issues we all hear differently

#9

I agree with Cvkemp here. You simply cannot rely on what others think about the hearing aids of their choice, or what they think about hearing aids they’ve tried out. It’s SO subjective that others’ opinions really don’t matter except for yours.

What you can do in general is just try to see how popular certain hearing aid models are. But even then, it doesn’t mean that they’ll work well for you because they’re popular with others.

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#10

I think popular is the key word. I was lead to Oticon OPN-S by the amount of people who liked them and were happy. I saw things about others that I know I would not like. Oticon was my starting point and depending what I read about others satisfaction with other brands I may just stick with them.

#11

I have the OPN1s custom ITE half shell hearing aids and I love them even after having an issue with my right hearing aid. The repair turn around was fast and now my aids are even better than before. For me this is my third pair of Oticon hearing aids and I am so use to the sound. I have tried other brands that were good hearing aids, but I prefer the custom aids due to my activities and when the fit is right like I have gotten with Oticon customs, once you get use to them it is like I am not wearing hearing aids and I am hearing close to normal.

#12

Hi all, I am one week into using my OPN1S and like others I am amazed how acute my hearing has become. I am hearing things I didn’t hear before (wind chimes in the front of the house while I am inside…birds)

I played golf yesterday and heard the ugly shots I made :frowning:

My only concern is with the wireless attachment to my electronic devices. Yesterday, I made (and answered) several calls. A couple of times, my left HA cut out and came back in. Once it was the right HA. Couple of time, it was like I lost the call as both HAs lost the signal(?). After the call, I checked OticonON app and it said I had 78% power in the batteries. I go to the Audi today and see what she says.

tony

#13

Do you connect to an iPhone or an Android phone?

#14

I have zero issues when connected via connect clip to my Android phone.

#15

I have both an iPhone and an Android phone with a Connect Clip and I have zero issue with either by now as well. A few years ago there were issues but for the last 9 months or so, no longer any issues.

I suspect maybe you are not on the latest version of everything.

#16

I am still trialing OPN-S HAs w connect clip (to Moto G6) and I too occasionally experience connection drops w one side or the other while wearing it on my shirt. Shouldn’t happen, but it does. Sometimes moving the connect clip closer to the dropped side helps.

#17

@petermo, I, too, have the Moto G6 and ConnectClip, and I don’t have to most clear connection all the time either. I’m thinking it’s the phone.

#18

The forum helps me to understand more about the aids, - settings, options, functionality, etc. - but as far as rating them, that is entirely unique to your own perception.

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#19

iPhone 7 (iOS 12.2) and Watch 3 (v 5.3)
Interestingly enough, made quite of calls since last Wednesday. Some were fine, others displayed the left and/or right drops. Sometimes drops were in the house sometimes outside (was thinking interference from other wireless devices). Also, disconnected and or removed the HAs from my other devices (iPod, iPad).
At the Audi visit, I asked her to call my phone to show here how the Watch doesn’t “see” the call answer event. OF COURSE IT WORKED!
Since then, it worked one other time but usually when I answer a call I have to press decline on my Watch otherwise it continues to buzz my wrist till it times out.
If I were to rate the OPNS1 for apple compatibility, I would have to give it 3.5 stars, Almost a hit.

just me…your mileage might vary
tony

#20

I trialed the Marvels before trialing the OPN S1 and 2. For what it’s worth, I found the Oticon general program far superior to Marvel. You might find the opposite to be true. I was a previous Oticon user for 10 plus years. What has disappointed me so far is I’m getting little value from any add on manual programs, though they aren’t much needed given the how well I hear in “general” with OPNS. I had a number of issues with Marvel. Connectivity was poor as you may have read given all the user complaints. It didn’t like the buttons on top and the casing of the aids was very susceptible to noise from touch. The temples of my glasses would rub on them. Very annoying. Mostly I felt that sound was slightly more distorted with Marvel. Both aids were fitted optimally with REM. I wish Open Sound Booster was better or that the directional program I have added was more powerful because, despite liking the Open Sound paradigm, there are times where closing the sound down would help in particular circumstances. That said, whichever brand works best in its default program is probably the one that is best for you.
I’m not a techie and only giving you my unwashed feelings about my user experience.