I don’t think that the self-calibrating receivers used by the Intent necessarily gives significantly better clarity compared to the normal passive receivers used by the Real and previous models. I think the main advantage of the new type of receivers is just what it’s called → “self calibrating”. The advantage there is that as the receivers age/get worn out from repeated use, the self calibration feature will continue to keep them performing with the same quality as on day one.
So comparing the older passive receiver type with the newer self calibrating receiver, their performance shouldn’t be significantly different from day one of use. But maybe 6 months to a year or more later, the older passive receiver may start to gradually reduce its performance level due to wear and tear, while the newer self calibrating receiver may continue to maintain the same performance standard as on day 1.
As for reliability, it’s hard to say which one lasts longer, but the money is on the simpler passive design. However, even if it lasts longer, but if it degrades in performance gradually, the user may not notice a difference to know to replace it sooner rather than later.
Price wise and availability wise, I’m pretty sure the older passive receiver type wins hands down, because right now it’s a universal type that is used by most hearing aid brands, except for the Active Vent receiver type promoted by Phonak.
So I have mixed feelings about the new self calibrating receivers that Oticon released on the Intent. During the 3 year warranty, it’s great to have it. But after the warranty is over, it’s probably cheaper to have the old passive style so that its maintenance replacement can be more easily found as well as can be much cheaper. You can probably just replace a passive receiver twice a year (to avoid degradation issue) and still probably come out ahead of having to buy a self calibrating receiver money-wise. Not to consider that you can buy passive receivers from eBay and replace it yourself when out of warranty. With the self-calibrating receivers, their only source might be from the HCP network only, prompting possible excess service charge on top of replacement cost charge from the HCP.