Has anyone had a chance to trial both the Oticon Real and Widex Moment Sheer/440 ?
I would be interested in hearing their opinions.
I am currently trialing the Oticon Real which I like versus the Phonak Lumity which I also trialed but it wasn’t for me.
1 Like
According to your Audiogram @Markem… I would be more inclined to trial a Phonak Naida Lumity UP BTE (they are just about to hit the market) that’s a hefty hearing loss for a RIC aid, even with 105db receivers, and unvented custom moulds, the RIC’s will be maxed out, and most likely the receivers will blow, within a year? That means new receivers & custom molds once a year or so? IMO, a BTE would be more practical solution, and would probably sound better, this would also give you a little headroom, if your hearing deteriorates further, 675 batteries will last between 10 & 14 days, depending on how much you stream… Good luck with your choice though, cheers Kev 
5 Likes
Thanks kevels. I’ve heard that line of thought before.
No way am I going with anything Phonak btw.
Trialed it and hated it.
On my 3rd week of trialing the Oticon Real and having a much better experience.
Hearing very well in restaurants and large group gatherings are my key take aways.
Longer battery life than the Phonak as well as music sounds fantastic over the Phonak.
Not sure what the (db) increments are on the general settings on the companion app but I’ve gradually, as my ears adjusted, decreased from the volume from the zero setting down to minus 4 which is where it stays in most environments. A notch up to - 3 to hear the back seat passengers for instance. Also had to lower the high frequencies on the eq which sounded a bit harsh in speech.
I meet with my Audi next week we’ll fine tune some things.
So in a sense this is my review on the Oticon Real, anyone have anything to add regarding the Widex ?
1 Like
Try Oticon Xceed 1 UP. RITE hearing aids will never work with your audiogram (maybe only with future xMEMS receivers).
2 Likes
Thanks for the post.
Great news about the Oticon Real. That is quite a feat to get that level of performance with a RIC considering your loss.
About your experience with the Lumity? How was the programming done, did you have Real Ear Measurement? What were your specific issues? Was it tinny?
1 Like
I was thinking much along the same lines @glucas… Any hearing aid, is going to sound rough, if the A.uD/Fitter isn’t experienced enough to deal with its complexities, REM when done correctly, is a great starting point… Personally, I like both Oticon & Phonak, they are both excellent hearing aids, for me it then comes down to connectivity, so at present, Phonak wins hands down, without the use of another intermediate device… Also coupled with Phonak Roger ALD’s, these can be a game changer for profound hearing losses, in certain acoustically challenging environments… The Top 5 or 6 hearing aid manufacturers, will all make excellent hearing aids, but they are only as good the person who fits the aids, in the wrong hands, they will sound absolutely terrible… IMO, an Ultra Power (UP) or Super Power (SP) BTE hearing aids, will always sound richer & fuller than any RIC aid, they also have the power, to deal with severe/profound thresholds… And yes, UP BTE’s are going to be big (much bigger) but anyone who knows you well, they are acutely aware your hearing loss is “BAD”, they have always had to repeat a sentence, rephrase, mime or gesture, in order to communicate with you… You cannot hide severe/profound loss, it is effectively impossible, except it, embrace it, and move on! I have always said, I would wear hearing aids the size, and colour of 2 large bananas, if I thought they would help me to communicate more effectively 
Cheers Kev
6 Likes
Yes amazing isn’t it about the Real. Programming was done with REM.
We decided to try the REM settings with some minor tweaks until next appt. I found at home the REM settings were too loud and lowered the volume 4 clicks on the app.
Whatever than translates to in DB.
The purpose of the trial is to see if an RIC would work for me. If not, move up to the BTE.
So I see what’s happening here, we’re getting way OT with all the concern. I appreciate it, but I don’t think I asked whether I should go with an RIC or BTE.
2 Likes
Concern I think is just from individuals who have had RIC in the past and it hasn’t delivered enough power.
This is a bit of a grey area. RIC UP Receiver V BTE SP or UP. The claims are that RIC UP deliver up to 100 DB across all frequencies, but anecdotal reports and recommendations from Audiologists sometimes differ from that claim.
I would personally be delighted if RIC UP delivers as one gets the latest tech. It’s a win win.
1 Like
If the concern with BTEs is that they’re more noticeable than ITC aids, in my experience that concern fades after one or two hours or days of use. Especially if one has hair that comes down to their ears. No one notices or cares or ever comments about my BTEs. And anyway, I don’t care. I need a power receiver in my right ear and custom domes. Love that combo. And the BTEs are easy to handle and can be adjusted on the body in a pinch.
2 Likes
“Your audiologist should discuss all these options with you and give you the opportunity to trial the latest technology. It is important to remember that hearing is not like vision. Everyone perceives sound differently and therefore has different preferences. The only way to tell is to try them for yourself.”
2 Likes
Yeah @jeffrey, in truth, I see mostly everyone’s hearing aids, apart from BAHA’s, Lyrics & IIC’s… I purposely look for them, I don’t say when I notice them, I just make a mental note to try too enunciate my words, keep my face in the light, and use a lot of hand gestures, in my conversations with them… I tell anyone interested, I have a severe/profound loss, in most instances, I would say that has a positive effect, as most folks tend to make an extra effort, to help you understand… So obviously, I don’t care whom see’s my aids, any vanity I once had, disappeared 30 odd years ago 
In fact, I am more inclined to point to my aids, to emphasize I am struggling to hear them! I have worn RIC’s, I still have a set, Marvel 90’s with 105db receivers, and replaceable batteries, they are still excellent aids, I got them for streaming phone conversations, at the time there wasn’t a BTE Bluetooth option, I just wanted that tech, and it was a massive improvement on cell phone conversations… But, I kept blowing receivers, so much so, I had a full set of new standby custom molds, and receivers, made up in anticipation of them blowing. I also have a set of Naida M70 SP BTE’s & Naida P90 UP BTE’s, all 3 sets have Rogers X receiver licenses installed in each aid. I am most fortunate to have various Roger ALD’s, I shopped around on eBay to acquire most of the Roger devices, and Roger X receivers, otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to afford them all…And yes, you will get bye with RIC’s as opposed to UP BTE’s, but it is a compromise, a BTE will sound better, and perform better, they have the oomph… Cheers Kev 
1 Like
I don’t want to sound nasty but looking at your Audiogram you should be wearing CI not BTE. Again my point being, “Your audiologist should discuss all these options with you and give you the opportunity to trial the latest technology. It is important to remember that hearing is not like vision. Everyone perceives sound differently and therefore has different preferences. The only way to tell is to try them for yourself.”
Probably should have asked him for an opinion rather than ask here, on the Widex. I most definitely will next appointment.
No offence taken or given @Markem …You are on the C.I. Threshold yourself, but we all have choices to make, sometimes our health, lifestyle, and work commitments decide for us… 2 years ago, I was offered to go for C.I. Assessment, I was given 3 months to decide, if it had been 5 or 10 years before, I may have bitten his hand off, but I was close to retiring, I had a heart condition, I didn’t really fancy all the rehab, so I declined my NHS A’uD’s kind offer… I have 3 good sets of aids, and lots of Roger ALD’s (7 ALD’s, I believe?) I am fairly proficient at self programming, I use Target, I have Noahlink Wireless, I have Roger Installer, suffice to say, I don’t really need an A.uD, but I have 2, an NHS one, and my private A.uD… I can sign in BSL (British Sign Language) I am trained in Lipreading, I also trained as a Deaf Communication Tutor, and as a Deaf Support Worker, so I am familiar with Deaf issues, and Big D culture, I also worked with duel sensory loss, the Deaf/Blind, and signed with them via Deaf/Blind Manual (my favourite job). I am very much interested in new hearing aid tech, and pride myself on trying to be ahead of the curve, occasionally I get the heads up, if a new BTE from Phonak is on the go, via a friend in Phonak Management, I will hopefully try out the new Naida Lumity 90 UP BTE next week? My apologies for the long winded reply, good luck in your trials, hopefully you will get a set of aids that meet your requirements… Cheers Kev
4 Likes
Again if you didn’t read it the first couple of times. To be fair and straight to the point I started the topic not about what’s right for me…If you would have read the below paragraph that is where I stand.
“Your audiologist should discuss all these options with you and give you the opportunity to trial the latest technology. It is important to remember that hearing is not like vision. Everyone perceives sound differently and therefore has different preferences. The only way to tell is to try them for yourself.”
I agree with some of your sentiments @Markem, and you are 100% correct, we do all indeed hear differently… I ofttimes compare an audiogram to a fingerprint, totally unique to the individual, and when you throw personal preferences into the mix, likes & dislikes, tinnitus or perhaps recruitment, music maybe, then it gets complicated, to say the least. Personally, my private A.uD will turn the screen towards me, so I can follow what they are doing, they are acutely aware that I self-program, but, and its a big but, I am better qualified as the end user, to know what is working, and ultimately what does not work, and if need be, I will alter accordingly, at some point later…People with our levels of loss, are quite rare, perhaps as little as 2% of hearing aid users, I know this, because I have discussed this at some length, with other Audiologists, perhaps if they are really busy, they might see someone like me or you, maybe once a year? Now when I go into my private A.uD’s office, I politely give them a list of my requirements, the aids I want, the custom moulds I want, the spares I require, like ear hooks, and twin walled tubing, there isn’t any real requirement to have a discussion on aids, I will have done all the research on the latest & greatest UP aids beforehand… Now, my Audioligist is absolutely brilliant at their job, but they rarely if ever, deal with folks like me, namely folks that DIY, and with a severe/profound loss, essentially I am a bit of an enigma, I politely go through the motions, let them test, program my aids, and take new ear mould impressions, then later, I will sort them out with my own settings, in a sense, I adapt to the aids, and not the other way round. And yes, I will leave the aids, for perhaps a couple of weeks, evaluate my A.uD’s settings, then save those settings in Target, then export all my settings from my Naida P90 UP’s, and import them into the Naida Lumity 90 UP’s, job done in about 20 minutes, it is that simple, once you know your way around the software, I could tweak, and sometimes do, but if they sound good, I will leave them well alone, and just adapt to those settings… Unless there is a catastrophic failure in any of new Naida’s, then I have no need to visit my A.uD until the next iteration of the Naida’s appears, unless I require new moulds? Anyway, I have rattled on long enough… The very best of luck to you, in your choice for hopefully a better hearing experience, cheers Kev
1 Like
I own both Oticon Mores and Widex Moment sheers.
They are both good, but I prefer the Widex product. It sounds better, but more importantly it has EQ adjustments for the presets. The Oticon EQ does not work on the presets, only when streaming from TV, or at least I can’t figure it out.
Additionally, the built in AI processor in the widex is quite useful in creating new settings without the aid of an audiologist.
One last comment - I also have the new Sound Assist from Widex. It is so convenient and small and effective when you are in group situations or restaurants.
4 Likes
Thank you for your valuable insight. Much appreciated.
I use starkey recharger they can be used with cell phones via wireless USB and nobody can hear it but you