As I found out, the next superpower (SP) Oticon hearing aid will PROBABLY be AFTER 2026! The next ultrapower (UP) will be even later. Oticon gave us an unpleasant surprise - in the anniversary year they released only one model Intent!
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This is bad news. Where did you hear this? (if you are allowed to say).
Frustrating that so few are offering the aids now in SP/UP ranges. It looks like Phonak/Unitron are the only recent aids.
I learned this from a person at the Oticon representative office in Russia. Oticon looks very lazy. So yeah, Phonak comes out on top.
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Other recent SP offerings with Android streaming support are Starkey Evolv AI Power Plus BTE 13 and Signia Intuis SP 4. Recent BTE (105db max fitting range) models are Resound Nexia NX88-DWC Rechargeable and Widex Moment BTE 13 D.
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Thanks for the heads up.
Maybe Oticon have made enough profits from Phillip HA’s, so they drag their feet until 2026 - awaiting or testing new technology to implemented.
It doesn’t matter. People with severe hearing loss are always at the end of technology, when they always need the latest technology.
I think that Phonak will release UP version of Infinio sphere in 2025. Why not buy Phonak?
This is a long-standing habit of Oticon sound. Switching to another brand will be almost impossible.
Well, to put that in context, I think that Oticon and Phonak offer a different “hearing” experience. I’ve been a previous owner of Oticon and even trialed the Intent, but remain in the Phonak camp for now only cuz I found the BT connectivity more stable and the sound quality easier for me to comprehend speech (two of my biggest concerns!).
If you are thinking that the Phonak Sphere is better than the Intent, I can’t say cuz I haven’t tried the Sphere. But I do think that the fundamental hearing algorithms could be different so that there may not be a clear winner between these two. It just depends on how the person wearing them perceives the world of sound they live in.
Does that make sense?
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Bluetooth stability is not what we use hearing aids for. But sound stability is what we pay attention to. Oticon’s open paradigm is different from Autosense with floating parameters within one program. Also, Oticon’s DSE algorithm suits me much better than Phonak Adaptive.
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I had difficulty hearing the phone calls without Bluetooth. When I bought Oticon OPN back in 2016, MFI streaming was a blessing for me and I gained confidence. However, as time passed, I got sick of iOS and wanted to try out Android which I was finally able to do in late 2022 as I bought ASHA capable Starkey Evolv AI and Samsung Galaxy S21. How do you manage without Bluetooth?
I have iPhone, so I use MFI protocol. I could connect via Bluetooth with Connectclip, but it turns out my hearing aids don’t work well with it, and there aren’t many Bluetooth sources around me. Plus, I don’t talk on the phone. So I sold Connectclip and kept TV Adapter.
Your hearing loss is so severe, you should be considering Cochlear implant. I understand that you may be wary of the surgical invasion, but you don’t really have many options left.
Sometimes I think that I might go Cochlear in my right ear if it further deteriorates.
I have congenital hearing loss, and I got first hearing aids at 4 years old. So I have no auditory memory. Implants are useless in that case. Hearing aids help me in all cases except speech, where lipreading helps me.
Has that audiogram been stable since your birth?
yes, but with some decrease after illnesses and antibiotics
I am not convinced. This may have been the case in older CIs that were developed around 2000 and when prelingually deaf adults had not yet developed any lingual/oral communication (only sign language).
I see you are communicating not only in Russian, but also in English. I appreciate this. Moreover, you are a lipreader, which may be a good predictor of better outcomes after CI. Using HA and seeing them helpful is also a good sign, better than not getting any benefit from them.
CI-in-prelingually-deaf-adults.pdf (1018.5 KB)
Like @jim_lewis, I also try to ask ChatGPT for information:
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By comparison, a 2004 study claims otherwise:
Thank you for worrying about me! But I’m 46. It’s too late to experiment with my hearing. It’s a surgery with an unknown outcome, “Russian roulette”. I’d rather stay in a stable condition. Besides, hearing aids have more connectivity options. And they’re smaller, more comfortable to wear.
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