Oticon More adds disposable battery model and MyMusic program

Hearing Aids
#229

@cvkemp: Chuck, that would explain the funny equalization and "room effect ", but why would they release something with a lot of distortion?

I know you didn’t grow up around a lot of music, and perhaps you think that musicians hear things differently. To a certain extent, maybe we do. I can’t speak for the classical crowd, but if you’ve ever gone to a loud concert or played on stage with a loudish band, you’ll know that you can literally feel the air moving around you, in time with the music. It’s almost like being in a jacuzzi, only much subtler.

And perhaps musicians or music lovers can pick up on subtler harmonies or effects or sour notes than non-musicians. But, when it comes to the sound of the music - pure versus distorted - I don’t think even inexperienced listeners would fail to detect distorted sound reproduction.

That’s the aspect of your explanation that I’m finding it difficult to buy into, Chuck.

#230

I can say anything to that seeing I haven’t gotten my aids updated, there are two at my church that have More aids and they say the MyMusic program helps them a lot.

#231

I think you’re being too kind to Oticon for just saying that “they’ve made a significant error”. The reason I chose the word arrogant is because in the whitepaper, they stressed the point of putting a lot of work into MyMusic and even likened their work on MyMusic to creating a rationale for speech (see the excerpt below from their whitepaper). They boasted how big of a difference they made to MyMusic for the better that 72% of people in their internal tests preferred MyMusic over the legacy music program.

I guess they forgot to ask the other 28% why they didn’t like MyMusic as much, and whether those 28% would have preferred to keep the legacy music program around or not. I bet those 28% would have said yes, only if Oticon had asked. Even if Oticon did ask, then chose to get rid of the legacy music program anyway, neither scenario looks good for Oticon.

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#232

@Volusiano: Okay, V. It’s hard to argue against the evidence. I’ll concede this point to you, then! :joy:

#233

I would say that they need to develop an uncolored music program that reproduces music as linearly as possible and then perhaps add a tool (app) that will give the user the ability to mix the sound as they want with built-in presets that will give users add’l bass, etc, that they can select to suit their taste. Perhaps, by music type!

I would be interested in knowing who they tested the program on; what their backgrounds were, etc. It would tell you who they perceive to be their target market for the aids and specifically, the MyMusic program. My feeling is that they want to dumb down control of the aids as much as possible to insure that that they fit the most people with the least possible hassle.

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#234

This is in line with what @cvkemp Chuck said, then. I can scarcely believe that you guys may be onto something this bizarre - it seems like such a copout on the part of a company whose corporate mission is to allow people to hear “more”.

Good hearing aids for audio/sound professionals/engineers?
#235

Quite right V, they state in that white paper:
The testing was done using participants who had different types of hearing loss and
different relations to music – some were music lovers
and amateur musicians

I like the use of the term “SOME WERE MUSIC LOVERS”

They don’t quantify the number of total participants, nor the number of music lovers, or musicians, and as @SpudGunner points out there is no reference to the standards used.

Did they use live musicians in a studio environment?
What type of speakers, and amplification were used for recorded music?

@JeremyDC brings up these issues, and I concur.

@cvkemp states the people in his church group are happy with the program, but what are their music backgrounds?

Bottom line, it’s much like "Pop"music, compress the hell out of it to make it sound loud, bloat the bass so people will think they’re listening to "Beats"headphones, oh, and distort the mids, while we’re at it for good measure!

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#236

Just what I am saying the program was designed for the ones of us without a music background. But if you want to know they are in the choir.

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#237

I dunno - I just don’t like this thought - do you really think that whether somebody’s guitar sounds good or bad depends in whether the person has had musical training? That’s what you’re suggesting, and I’m not buying.

There’s a lot of truth to what @flashb1024 is suggesting, because there’s a certain “sonic formula” for popular music. There’s formulas for country, too, and every other genre.

But I don’t think they work because of the audience’s musical training.

#238

Sorry buy what you will, I am saying what my audiologist says, due the the seminar he had over a zoom meeting with his Oticon rep.

#239

That is very interesting, Chuck.
Even the Oticon rep admits this is not an optimal program for serious music aficionados, or in @SpudGunner Jim’s case, musicians.

But still nothing explains that horrible muffled sound in the midrange.
Even the general program sounds better than MyMusic for vocals, and instruments within that frequency range.

#240

Every time I get new aids I have a couple of music tests. I listen to Loggins and Messina’s Motherlode album and CSNY’s Love the One You’re With.

I listen in both the all around and the music program. If the mandolin pieces don’t cause feedback while listening to the album and I can hear the xylophone while listening to the song, I’m usually a happy camper.

Things have improved greatly since my first Widex Senso Diva ITC aids almost two decades ago.

I’ve never experienced the Oticon music programs old or new, but I’m enjoying reading this thread.

And while I know they aren’t ultimately the same aids, I have read where the Philips Hearlink had a new music program that was introduced about the time Oticon’s MyMusic was released.

#241

Yup, :zap: Flash :zap:, and this is what I’m trying to explain to Chuck @cvkemp - that sound has nothing to do with training. What causes it, and why didn’t Oticon pick up on it? Or - if they did pick up on it - how come they let it stay?

#242

But are you really thinking about the fact that our hearing is shot in the first place. And mine is even worse in the mid range anyway. So many of us would not even recognize a pure tone if it hit us over the head.

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#243

Yes, Chuck. I have thought about it, and it’s an excellent point. I still don’t know whether what I’m hearing can be attributed to my loss.

#244

I hope you don’t mind but I have brought up your feelings as well as others about not having the music program that can be adjusted as needed and he says he will check but believes it should be still possible.

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#245

Brought it up to whom?

#246

To my audiologist, I don’t know of any of the Veterans that I have contact with at the Clinic that has ever said anything about a music program. My Oticon Alta Pros had a music program that I used mostly when out hiking, I didn’t find it helpful for music listening. I had it I believe at first on the OPN1 aids but didn’t keep it once I found that the default program worked on the trails, and again music sounds better with the default program for me.

#247

Same here - my default program sounds better - that’s why I don’t think it’s my loss making the MyMusic program sound distorted.

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#248

Trouble is, this isn’t what I said I wanted! I just want a program that does NOT artificially colour the music. I don’t need to make any adjustments other than volume, bass, mid and treble when streaming.