Well glucas! That was a dissertation with MANY points and experiences I can relate to. I so appreciate your taking the time to write the thesis, then re-write it, and include the very helpful screen capture for the Roger settings. FABULOUS!
I can probably relate to at least one experience in each section, lol! Our experiences are indeed quite similar, too. I had the Oticon Alta Pro followed by the OPN, and only jumped camp when Oticon delayed the ConnectClip - no way to stream with those new OPNs at the time! Since then, I’ve been a happy Phonak camper (Audeo B-Direct, Marvel, Lumity Life). I could possibly have juiced more out of these Lumity Life aids IF I had the myPhonak app. But I refuse to get it cuz it only works with ONE pair of Lumity Life aids. Since I swap my TWO (redundant) pairs of Life aids out every other day, I’d be forever “forgetting”, de-installing, re-installing, naming and yada yada every other day. I don’t have time for that. At least my Samsung phone lets me connect both sets of aids in BT; myRoger lets me use 2 mics with different names.
It’s the SHORT rechargeable battery life AND difficulty understanding speech in loud places that inspired me to try out the Oticons. It’s just my bad luck that I got a FREE trial, so with no skin in the game, the audi is not inspired to spend any quality time with me.
Your comments about boosting the mids is VERY interesting! My whole life I’ve wanted more bass; and I know that I need the higher freqs for speech comprehension, but I’ve actually tinkered with the Companion app to boost mids in the General and Speech in Noise programs. I’ll see how that goes! I wore these Oticons to the gym today, and even over the clatter and clunking of comic book characters pumping iron, I could pick up fragments of conversation from a couple standing about 12’ away, who weren’t even facing me. What I like about the Oticons (even with poor setup) is that they have REMOVED a lot of non-essential sound for me.
Streaming music with them sounds phenomenal and better than the Phonaks - it’s crisp, clear and lacks no frequencies. Phonak is a bit muddied by comparison, but I can’t compare live music until/unless I get a dedicated music program, cuz live music or hifi sounds excellent with the Phonak Lumity Life.
Music and loud places are just 2 of the LONG list of things - as you say - we want optimized for sound. I do better sitting anywhere in the car now than with my Marvels, and at home - with high ceilings and reverb! - I’m somehow able to lean in to what I’m hearing and make MUCH better sense of what’s being said with the Phonaks. I honestly think they helped boost my word recognition score the other day by about 15% over 2 years ago.
I totally get what you’re saying about BTEs. YES, I’ve tried them on 2 occasions years apart, but was so allergic to the custom mold I had to give up. My right ear started to sting just from wearing the Oticon clear (and sticky!) double domes. I finally decided to swap those yesterday for the smoke gray ones I use on my Phonaks. My ears are doing better, but right ear still stings a bit. The Oticon speakers are CHUNKIER than the Phonak’s, so it HURT jamming that into my right ear each morning. I noticed that after swapping the domes, the sound is a smidge less CRISP, but that clarity didn’t seem to help me comprehend what was being said in many situations. More than the Phonaks.
In sum, here are my comparison thoughts on Oticon vs Phonak
Oticon PROS
- BATTERY LIFE - IS KING! I can go way longer with these than the Phonaks. Probably pushing 24 hrs!
- PHONE APP - Companion app actually helps, and gives me power to adjust things on the fly along with many other actions I can take using it.
- LOOKS - Cosmetically, the ear wire is superior and fits fabulous - no baggy loop sticking out.
- MUSIC - streaming to my phone sounded VERY good - better than Phonak
Oticon CONS
- TRIAL - is a bust unless/until I can get quality time to modify settings and set up programs. Audi seems uninterested in making this work for me, even saying the goal of Remote settings is for patients to NEVER come in to the clinic again. This impacts the most basic issues: sound quality, speech comprehension.
- BT STABILITY - it simply isn’t here for whatever reason! It’s a total cludge to pair + connect to my laptop, and every day I go through a yada yada to get it connected to my phone - I have to do that upon rising or the first call will come in NOT streaming. OBTW, hubs just called and not only did aids NOT stream, neither of us had any audio. He kept calling 3 times, till I finally replaced these with my Phonaks and … call came thru streaming beautifully. Go figure.
- FIT - the chunky speaker and gummy tip on it are PAINFUL to put in; ears are stinging after a few days
- NO STEREOPHONICS WITH PHONES - no program to enable stereophonic sound in both ears even when not using BT on phones.
EDIT: 5. CHARGING BASE - it has NO cover (so dust can get in there) and it’s not a portable charger that can last 2-3 full charges in between being plugged into a wall.
Phonak PROS
- SOUND - Rich, full sound with programs set up for noisy places, music and stereophonic use of phone.
- BT - ROCK SOLID stability! Calls sound FABULOUS and I can easily and reliably pair + connect to my Android phone or MacBook Pro laptop.
- ACCESSORIES - Roger mics are totally transportable, I just have to tinker with the settings.
- SUPPORT - dedicated audi who goes the extra mile for me and has made the Phonak Lumity Life aids the best ones for me.
EDIT: CHARGING BASE - I like that it’s sleek and has a full cover so no annoying night-lights as it sits on the nightstand. Also, it can be unplugged and used to charge aids up to 3 times.
Phonak CONS:
- SPEECH IN NOISE - Ironically, normal speech in person or on a phone is excellent! But use the aids with or without the Roger mic, and speech in noisy places is still MY HOLY GRAIL.
- BATTERY LIFE - pathetic at just 17 hrs max per day use. I don’t feel comfortable traveling with these on long int’l trips at all.
- EXPENSE - I forked out a LOT of dough for the 2 redundant pairs of aids and the 2 redundant Roger mics. If I want the new 312-battery version, MORE DOUGH has to go!
Sorry for my own long reply … but you raised so many good points, and I owe it to the Forum here to sum this comparison experiment up. I will likely return the Oticons, wait for the Costco release and try my luck at a future date.
EVER hopeful for sound perfection!