Oticon Intent user review

[Volusiano]

@vincenthuard

I had to use speech in noise program today in my networking event with my Intent 1. It made quite a difference to focus on the person in front of me.

I feel there’s still adjustments that needs to be done to my general program as I didn,t have to do this with my OPN S1.

The general program, if left at its default value, might not have used as aggressive settings as the SiN program to begin with in the Neural Noise reduction max value settings. On top of that, its gain curve is not slightly boosted like the SiN program is.

Below is an example of my default settings for General and SiN on the Intent 1 in simulation:

The first screenshot below is the General program MoreSound Intelligence screen:

The next screenshot below is the SiN program’s MoreSound Intelligence screen:

You can see that the General program, for my personal hearing loss, defaults with 0 dB NNS for Easy and 8 dB NNS for Difficult. But the SiN program defaults to 2 dB NNS for Easy and 10 dB NNS for Difficult. Also note that it’s not even the max available of 6 dB NNS for Easy and 12 dB NNS for Difficult for the Intent tier 1. So there’s even more room for Neural Noise Suppression improvement left on the table and is not used in my scenario. So in this case, if I allow Genie 2 pick out these default values, my Intent 1 is only performing at the Intent 2 level and I could have saved money buying the Intent 2 instead if I want. But of course I can just change my default settings to the max Neural Noise Suppression value to get the most out of what I pay the Intent 1 for.

Also note that in the General Program, the Easy Classification is Very Simple, Simple and Moderate, while its Difficult Classification is Complex and Very Complex. On the other hand, in the SiN program, the Moderate scenario gets moved to the Difficult Classification, signifying that you need more help in SiN than in General.

So if you want your General program to perform as well the SiN program, you should mirror the parameter settings in the SiN program to make the Neural Noise Suppression as well as the Environmental Classification more aggressive like how the SiN program has it.

Beside these settings, the other difference is in the gain curves in the Fine Tuning section. The SiN program has its gain curves slightly boosted compared to the General gain curves, to help you hear everything a little bit louder to begin with. So let’s say that you match the parameters of the SiN program in your General program, if you can just leave the General program gain curves alone but when you’re in noisy difficult environments, you can just increase the volume 1 click up (2 dB gain) if you feel the need to hear louder, and it should roughly match the SiN gain curve slight boost anyway.

[1Bluejay]

@vincenthuard

I feel there’s still adjustments that needs to be done to my general program as I didn,t have to do this with my OPN S1.

Perhaps the feature set for Intent is an order of magnitude more complicted due to the 4D sensor, SNR and DNN? I also anticipate a very invovled and difficult setup for me cuz I absolutely never go with the REM results for my optimum hearing setup. Audiologists are always stupefied at how much I push back and work with them to adjust the settings till I can actually comprehend speech and enjoy music. It’s significantly different than all the parameters from hearing test and REM would end up with.

[Volusiano]

@1Bluejay

Do you know if the Intent 1 has AutoPhone? That would be like the Acoustic Phone I have on my Phonaks. If I put my aids into that program, I can hear any phone call on any kind of phone stereophonically - it’s almost as good as streaming.

The Oticon OPN has an AutoPhone feature that allows you to use the coil used for NFMI (near field magnetic induction) communication between the 2 hearing aids as a pseudo tcoil. But since the OPN, the More and Real and Intent all have Tcoil built into them already, so this AutoPhone feature in the OPN is no longer needed.

But I suspect this is probably different than the Phonak AutoPhone feature you’re asking about. I don’t know enough about this Phonak AutoPhone feature, but I would guess probably not for the Oticon aids.

[Neville]

What do you tend to change? And louder or softer?

[Lostdeaf]

Of course I know about it. But Auracast network management must appear somewhere in smartphone or app settings, even with empty network list?

[1Bluejay]

@Volusiano

But since the OPN, the More and Real and Intent all have Tcoil built into them already, so this AutoPhone feature in the OPN is no longer needed.

Hm. I don’t have T-coil in my Phonaks cuz I didn’t want that limiting my options for a phone. I thought T-coil required magnetics in the phone’s receiver. I’m no engineer, but that seems like a technology from the '70s? Do even cell phones of today have some kind of T-coil electronics built in?

There was a discussion on Phonak’s Acoustic Phone vs Duo Phone here, but don’t quiz me on it!

[1Bluejay]

@Neville

What do you tend to change? And louder or softer?

I typically add more bass to my settings, and take the higher frequencies down just a JOT. I can’t stand the harsh, almost physically painful high frequencies that REM says I should have.

I also tend to have my default volume (gain) boosted up a couple notches, cuz the initial default leaves me straining a bit to hear. But I can’t have gain up too much, cuz with my hearing loss, I’d run into the MPO vs gain WALL. Not a lot of wiggle room for me. That alone is exacerbated by my using the softer, double-dome tips on my speakers.

I really should dig out the firm silicone custom mold made for my Lumity Lifes and maybe trying wearing them for a night. I tried using them for just a few days when I first got my Lifes … but my ear canals had like RED, painful, burning sensation from that material. I wish there was a material that would be non-reactive to my ears. I haven’t found anything that works other than the looser-fitting double domes.

[ToriNi]

@Lostdeaf

Of course I know about it. But Auracast network management must appear somewhere in smartphone or app settings, even with empty network list?

Maybe but not on my iPhone 15 Pro so far… maybe check out the other posts on this forum that go into more detail with regards to Auracast.

[ToriNi]

Look into hard acrylic. Oticon use hard acrylic material for their custom moulds and so far, I have had no issues with them.

[1Bluejay]

I’ve tried both the clear and pink-tinted hard acrylic … and ended up with raging otitis within a week.

Maybe I could ask about titanium? That’s about the only material left … EXCEPT for the flesh-colored plastic. If they still do custom molds with that, it’s an option I’m thinking. For a good 25 yrs that’s all I wore - either ITE or CIE custom molds made of that material. It’s ugly as a bandaid tho.

[x475aws]

@1Bluejay

the firm silicone custom mold made for my Lumity Lifes

You might try super-soft silicone. It made a big difference in comfort for me. Irritation could be from pressure, not material. I got clear, not the colors and glitter that they feature.

https://microsonic-inc.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Microsonic_M25-PLATINUM_2022.pdf

[1Bluejay]

Thanks for that lead x475aws! I added a link to Microsonic to my list of things to ask the audi next week. I would SO LOVE a custom, snug-fit mold that gives me maximum sound quality. As it is, if I push in my gooshy double-domes IN a hundred times a day, I find that when pushed IN they give me a BIG boost in volume. Dang things just work their way out of my ear canals non-stop all day long.

[Volusiano]

@1Bluejay

Hm. I don’t have T-coil in my Phonaks cuz I didn’t want that limiting my options for a phone. I thought T-coil required magnetics in the phone’s receiver. I’m no engineer, but that seems like a technology from the '70s? Do even cell phones of today have some kind of T-coil electronics built in?

The phones don’t have Tcoil built into them. The old land line based phones have magnetic-based speakers on their handsets, and these speakers generates a magnetic field to drive the paper-based speakers to generate sound. It’s this magnetic field that gets induced into the tcoil from the hearing aids to convert it into electrical sound signal.

The modern smart phones’ speaker for phone conversation is too small and may not generate a magnetic field that can be used for the tcoil in the hearing aids anymore. But the tcoil is still useful if the user wants to use a pair of headphones, and in some churches or theater venues, they may still have induction loop audio available as well. But I think the main remaining use for tcoil nowadays is mostly for use with over the ear headphones.

[1Bluejay]

@Volusiano

But I think the main remaining use for tcoil nowadays is mostly for use with over the ear headphones.

Talk about the GNAT on the dog’s tail waggin’ the DOG! I guess some folks would use OTE headphones when flying on noisy planes for long trips? Ack. I’d rather read a book and then stream music with no headphones when I get to my destination.

[cvkemp]

I set my aids to phone t-coils with microphones for using our home phone or if i have to use a phoneline at times. Granted it isn’t very often nowadays but untii can finally talk my wife our of the need for a dedicated home phone i do have to take calls at home at times. I also use t-coils with microphones at church services. And yes at times i use the t-coils with my Bose headphones.

[Volusiano]

The use of headphones nowadays for hearing challenged folks is not just for noise cancellation on the airplane. Many folks have decent hearing in the low frequencies and only hearing loss in the mid to high frequency range. This is what is called precipitous loss or ski slop loss.

The hearing aids cannot provide a low frequency bass response like a good big pair of headphones can, due to the tiny size hearing aid receivers. So when listening to music, many ski slope loss hearing aids wearer still use headphones to get that great bass response naturally from the headphones, and on top of that, get the compensated amplification for the high frequency hearing loss from the hearing aids.

[Angry]

That would be me. I listened to “Deep Tracks” on SiriusXM yesterday for three hours while doing yard cleanup with OTE headphones. Loved It!

[RSW]

@Lostdeaf

Of course I know about it. But Auracast network management must appear somewhere in smartphone or app settings, even with empty network list?

I believe you will find the Auracast option on Samsung Galaxy S23/S24 phones with UI 6.1. They support LE Audio and Auracast.

“Listen to Auracast Broadcast” shows up in the Bluetooth HA settings for my Jabra Enhance Pro 20s which supports the same.

[Angry]

I can’t find the “Listen to Auracast Broadcast” on my 15 Pro Max anywhere. Where do you see this?

[cvkemp]

It isn’t available for the iPhones, Apple hasn’t seen fit to offer it as of yet.