^^^LOL!! And I’ll add my own “hear! hear!” to that one.
Yes Mike, there are SCADS of posts on the Oticon Opn just from November to today even. I had been a long-time wearer of Oticon Agil Pro ITE aids (custom mold, hard case). I trialed the Widex Unique (GONG! Horrible public-address-like sound quality for speech & music) and finally settled on the Opn back in December.
Yes: LOTSA marketing hype went into these aids. But even so, for my listening preferences, I chose them, because they delivered the richest, fullest sound for BEHIND THE EAR MICS. I have to say that this being my first pair of BTE aids (albeit the receiver is IN the ear), the sound quality simply will never compare to aids where the natural cup of the ear improves overall accoustics. Think about it: if Nature thought we all heard better without our ear cups, we’d have evolved into heads with two HOLES on the sides, and good luck picking up the sound of nearby tigers. The Opn mics definitely give a flat but crisp characteristic to sound. For music, my old ITEs are better.
However, my old ITEs never had a working TV streamer. The Opn does, and it is SUPERB - no kidding! However, the Opn has NO standalone (as in clip-on or necklace) streamer. HUGE downside! So I’ve been forced to keep my old Agil Pros with size 13 batts, the Streamer Pro that works fabulously with that, and then my new Opn RIEs with most excellent TV streamer.
I am simply not interested in any appliance (be it coffee pot, baby monitor, home heating controller, or HEARING AIDS) that runs on the Internet of Things. That is the only way one can get a phone streamer compatible with the Opn today. NOT INTERESTED.
On top of which, the Opn marketing literature gasses away about being able to hear ALL sounds in MOBS of CHAOS! Well. Um. Er. Not everyone. I guess I’m just a blockhead whose brain refuses after 3 mos to make sense out of an overload of NONSENSE.
So there you have it. A real mixed bag. Among all the aids I’ve ever bought, these Opns have the most HIGH points and LOW points. It’s maddening, cuz they cost me $6K, and yet the package is not complete. It’s like I bought a Range Rover Evoque with no wheels, but boy is it sweet to look at!
Hope you study the other threads, and the trial them, as that is the ONLY way to figure out what works for your individual hearing preferences.
Be sure to come back and post/share your thoughts!