New Member, long hearing aid user

[PeteTab]

Hi,

New member here. I’ve been wearing HA’s for around 15 years and suffered from acute tinnitus for much longer.

I got fitted with NHS aids 15 years ago and wore them until 5 years ago when I took the plunge and went private. I didn’t do any research or go to a few audiologists and was fitted with Widex Evoke 440’s. These have been fine and the Widex Zen program has really worked wonders for my tinnitus but they have started to play up a bit lately and I’ve noticed that clarity of speech is getting worse.

I’m ready for an upgrade now and done loads of reading up on the latest and greatest aids (this place has given me great insight) and decided that the best for me at the moment will be the Oticon Intent 1.

I’m sure most of the other brands would suffice for my needs but the Intents come out on top for me.

Anyway, just thought I’d introduce myself and give a bit of background incase I pop up in any threads.

Cheers

[cvkemp]

Welcome to the forum. I have been wearing aids almost 20 years. The last 14 have been a number of different Oticon hearing aids. I am an American Veteran with service related hearing loss and blessed with having my veteran’s benefits. I know so many seem to bounce from brand to brand but I have found i just want to have a consistent sound and that is what Oticon has provided.

[Baltazard]

Hi @PeteTab welcome to the forum.

Are you able to trial the Oticon Intent or the new Widex SmartRIC?

[PeteTab]

@Baltazard, I’m going to trial the Oticon and if they give me that “wow” moment over my Evokes I’ll stick with the Intent.

[Baltazard]

@PeteTab Are you getting them from Boots hearing?
How long is the warranty 4 or 5 years?

[PeteTab]

@Baltazard, I’m going with Audiological Science. I know a couple of people who have used them and they have been full of praise for them, although you can never be certain.

They have a clinic local to me, they have a 5 year guarantee and a sixty day, no quibble return policy.

[Baltazard]

@PeteTab Good price on the Oticon Intent

[OldMusicGuy]

I am currently trialling Phonak, Oticon Intent and also ReSound Nexia. I would recommend trying different brands. I have been amazed at how different the Phonaks and Oticon sound to each other. Neither has been an “a-ha” improvement over my current ReSound Linx 3Ds. Both have some pros and cons.

I was surprised because my current aids are quite old and I expected all the latest generation aids to be a big step up from what I have now. But they aren’t, and it’s making the choice quite difficult.

[Baltazard]

@PeteTab See below:

Purchase online uk

You might find that this company only looks good on their website. The claimed number of locations they work from is clearly rubbish. I’m not entirely sure which bit of the NHS they work with, but there’s only a couple of CQC registered independent providers in the U.K. I’m not saying they aren’t legit, but it’s clearly a lead-gen operation, possibly selling you product from an unusual channel.

[PeteTab]

@Baltazard, thanks for this.

When I started looking at the Oticon Intent, I used the Oticon website for Audiologists local to me who I presume are official vendors of their products.

[hevara]

@PeteTab did you end up getting the Oticon Intent from Audiological Science?

I am also considering an upgrade from my 5-year-old Evoke 440s. I am currently undecided between the Signia 7IX and the Oticon Intent.

According to their website, Audiological Science has a branch near me, although it does not appear on Google Maps.

[PeteTab]

Apologies for the late reply @hevara, I’ve been away a while.

No, I’ve still not bitten the bullet yet. Regarding Audiology Science they seem to “rent” rooms in/near NHS clinics.

I’m probably still going to go with the Intents but I didn’t want to be trialling them whilst I’m doing a lot of travelling.

[Crom]

I had the same journey. I came across Audiology Science. The prices are amazing. Their website is a masterclass in marketing. This is their sole (and head) office:

See on the right of this image. Their finances (available on companies house) look fairly healthy for a v small company. Look at the trust point reviews. The one star reviews are quite illuminating…missed appointments, audiologists turning up late. It all smacks of a small company trying to achieve something with very limited resources and on the cheap…and they are, presumably freelance audiologists turning up to rented spaces.

Having said that, I’m a small business owner so fair play to them. It must have taken a lot of effort to build and support that network. BUT, I don’t like the smoke and mirrors routine and I question, which has already been stated above, which channel or country of origin is their kit coming from?

I’ve contacted them and will report back.

I should say that I am not in the industry, merely a punter, no connection with any hearing-related company!

[PeteTab]

Thanks for your insight @Crom.

I’ve looked on the Oticon website at their, I’m presuming, official audiologists.

Although I probably wouldn’t have any quarms using Audiology Science I’ve found an audiologist quite local that have their own premises and for around £100 extra and similar t’s & C’s I’ll probably use them.

[finovox]

Best of luck in your quest to find an improved aid.

In terms of speech clarity, I’ve found that servicing often helps. Tiny layers of oil from our skin can interfere with membranes in microphones and tubes can shrink and narrow over time. Even if you do get a new model, keep your old one serviced as a back up and do this while the model is still covered for repairs.