Oticon More Sound Booster Vs Speech in Noise

Hearing Aids
#42

Sorry to resuscitate this stale thread, but I can’t come to any clear understanding of what MSB does or doesn’t do, so that I can incorporate the features into my HA usage patterns. (In other words, I want to understand better so I can rationally decide when to switch it on, other than on a trial and error basis.)

I’ve repeated Mago’s brilliant test with my bathroom turbofan, with the same results, however my results in the more open areas of the house are ambiguous and variable.

Has anyone had any further epiphanies regarding the behaviour of the mysterious Oticon MoreSound Booster?

#43

The best I can explain MoreSoundBoost is that when enabled by my ON app on my iPhone then I am better able to focus on a single conversation in a room where a number of individuals are talking among themselves. I also find it helps when I am wanting to hear the TV or a video and the TV adapter isn’t an option.

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#44

Thanks for your reply, @cvkemp, Chuck. I’m standing at the sink right now, and it’s doing a great job taking the edge off the running water, which is off at 70° to my left side…

#45

I’ve boiled it down to turning MSB on in noisy restaurants when I’m trying to focus on one person speaking (as @cvkemp pointed out) and in the car when i want to have a conversation and the road/engine noise is getting in the way, particularly at highway speeds.

More generally, I turn it on in noisy places and when there is unwanted mechanical true noise… fans, engines, etc. that I want to ignore in that particular situation

To me, MSB does two things:

  1. Put noise suppression on high and this only applies when there is enough noise to suppress….This is also the reason why people don’t always notice the effect (when there is not enough noise). I find this to be forward beam-forming as noted elsewhere
  2. When there are newfound sounds that the More is able to bring out (fans, etc) but in that particular situation get in the way. This seems to be a wider noise filtering mode and to me appears to be omnidirectional. It also does not need the noise to be particularly loud.

I am not claiming inside or scientific knowledge… just enough usage to generalize based on my own experience.

YMMV

#46

@Luga: Yes! I think you’ve put your finger on it, exactly! I believe this is why my perceptions of what MSB does have been inconsistent - I have not been taking into account the level of ambient noise, but I have noticed that there seems to be a “trigger point”, at which the MSB kicks in over the interval of about 2 seconds to reach full power.

I’ve noticed exactly the same things that you’ve described in your post, but could not find the words to describe. Thank you for sharing these insights: these things help me to get the most out of my Mores.

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#47

It’s funny, though, @Luga, this seems to fly in the face of what @mingus has just posted in the

Is it worthwhile to upgrade to Oticon More level 1 instead of 2?

thread.

#48

I wonder if people tried Speech In Noise with Full Directional combined with MSB turned on via the app and noticed any differences

#49

I heard from @SpudGunner that the MoreSound Booster can only be enabled in the P1 default program and nothing else. So you cannot enable MSB via the ON app when you’re using the built-in Speech in Noise anyway.

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#50

That’s correct @Volusiano - it’s only available in my VAC+ (P1) default program. The button is absent in Speech in Noise and MyMusic.

#51

Yes I used it all today with my More1 aids and it works better. I could tell a difference between having the MoreSoundBoost off and on. But I wasn’t having issues hearing in the noisy restaurant without the MoreSoundBoost but with it it was even better.

#52

@cvkemp: Can you be a bit more specific, Chuck? What was different or better?

#53

Not sure what you want as always it is my perception of what I hear. The conversation i.was in just sounded clearer and the noise was farther in the background. I am not saying everyone will get the same results it is just my results. It will depend on each person’s hearing loss the use of domes or ear molds. I fully believe my ear mold setup is a huge difference in my hearing improvement. Plus i.believe it has to.do with over a year of monthly adjustments back with my OPN1 aids that was carried forward through the OPNS1 aids to the More1 aids.

#54

That description of the noise seeming farther in the background is what I was looking for, and that fits with my general experience, too, although I don’t go to many restaurants.

When I do notice MSB working, however, my perception matches yours pretty closely.

Thanks for the comeback, Chuck @cvkemp.

#55

Some of the explanations given in that thread are consistent with my experience, particularly the reduction of what I call “fan” noise noise in less noisy situations.

In any event, the MSB function is far more noticeable with their Mores than it ever was with the OPN S.

I have to say that based on that explanation in the other thread the MSB function could be described in very simple terms as just a “4db noise suppression override in simple situations”. Maybe the marketing team turned that down as “too simplistic” :slightly_smiling_face:

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#56

@Luga: I agree with your analysis of Otocon’s description! :joy: [They turned down my suggestion for a rebrand: MoreSound Bullster®️]

#57

Interesting, as I have found the sounds that the Sound Booster reduces don’t do much for me. I can hear the difference, but it is so minor as to not be worth the trouble. Normally, I just put the aid into the Speech in Noise setting, drop the volume by one click, so there is less chance of distortion with loud voices and I am set. I do that prior to entering those environments.

A note: it is odd that they named a sound reducer as a Sound Booster; Noise Reducer or Less Noise would be more appropriate!

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#58

I will add this, I only hear fans, AC, clocks, etc. if I want to hear them. They are always present but not distributing. That hasn’t always been true when I first started wearing aids, that type of sounds would run me nuts. I am not sure if I have just gotten use to them or if hearing aids have gotten that much better. Road noise doesn’t bother me either. Most of this did start improving with the OPN1 aids.

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#59

@JeremyDC: FWIW, I have found that exactly the same settings and implementation method works for me. And I also concur with your and @Volusiano’s conclusion that the actual effect of MSB is not worth the effort of turning it on (EDIT: … except out of curiosity, in a louder environment. It has to be at least as loud as my bathroom fan. My main default program is called VAC+, BTW, not P1.)

(Again, these are my opinions only, FWIW.)

#60

If only they made MSB program agnostic and more available via Apple watch and device buttons

2 Likes
#61

I have 2 General programs located in P1 & P4 - each has MSB.
Therefore, I believe (and I am not a DIYer) the MSB is available in the named General Program regardless of it’s location, not necessarily only in default P1 program.
I do find MSB helpful, and use it, esp when I am tired. MSB takes the edge off the noise, barely noticeable.

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