Oticon Sumo

Hearing Aids
,
#1

I’m trying out the Oticon Sumo and I’m experiencing compression in speech (sounds like my voice and others’ have a very bad cold LOL) and other sounds like driving (can’t hear cars from inside) Also, some high frequency sounds would trigger noise reduction (even speech!)

With the telecoil, I hear a sound similiar to machines that masks noises. a buzzy, windy sound? it makes it slightly difficult to hear on the phone or listen to music via headphones. Can my audiologist fix that problem?

I love the OS for its power, but I do wish there’s better sound quality…just about every digital hearing aids I’ve tried over the years sounds ‘muffled’ and yet I just don’t understand why audiologists raved about ‘great’ sound quality when they never bothered to listen to the hearing aids. That’s adding insult to an injury IMO (small rant)

well, enough ranting… I need to know what I can tell my audi when I go in Monday (4/7) for more tweaking of the OS. Oh yeah…I’ve severe/profound loss in both ears but I wear HA in my left ear (my ‘better’ ear) I don’t have my audiogram at hand. And my old HA is Phonak Supero PPCL4 and if the OS don’t work out my audi will have me go back to a better Phonak Supero.

#2

I would perhaps try a different identity
or DSL adult

#3

Oticon super power needs an a much needed upgrade…

#4

Oticon super power needs an a much needed upgrade…

elaborate, please?

#5

Sumo has different algorithm as to how you could program the instrument.
If your audi has not set up anything, you will be probl be program as general…

Phonak has always been following DSL, therefore Im guessing your supero is
program using DSL 5 adult.

So i would suggest your audi to change the fitting algorithm to DSl 5.0 adult in the sumo dm, this should do the trick

#6

Sumo Dm is a good instrument, but there are missing features for example
datalogging. its been almost 3-4 yrs so I would say- hopefully next year we would get something from them. It is my wild guess, they are experimenting
with frequency transposition (i could be wrong)…

I have not heard much complains about phonak frequency compresion (transposition or freq. lowering)- so it probl means they have nail it…

Widex had not really pull it off… From the reviews of the naidias, I think
Phonak got it right… Those swiss guys know what they are doing

#7

As xbulder suggested, switch algorithm to DSL v5.0 or the linear DSL. I’m not familiar with the Phonak you’ve had but I guess it’s analog? Another suggestion is switching off the noice management. Then maybe it will sound more what you are used to. Also think that it is a learning process where it will take time for the brain to adjust to something new. The sound quality is in the ear of the beholder so to speak :slight_smile: Some do learn to appreciate the digital sound over the analog, others never will.

#8

my old Phonak Superfront is analog, I believe…but it does allow programming by a very tiny screwdriver (not by computer).

Noise compression is the biggest problem…because with speech, it really messes up the discrimination. My only complaint with the sound quality is that it sounds like everyone, including me, have congestion from a very bad head cold LOL. Or another way to describe it is is like someone stuck a wet cotton ball in the microphone. Yeah…that’s it…some sounds, sounds wet. LOL

I just wished audiologists could listen in…because sometimes, it’s quite hard to really articulate what it really sounds like to the hearing impaired customers.

I found this to be interesting about the OS programming and it looks similar to the my audi was using:

http://www.oticon.com/com/OurProducts/ConsumerProducts/SumoDM/Downloads/91055410sumoDM_ds.pdf

oh yeah…could it be possible to turn off the compression completely, or would that cause the aid to have feedback? I’m at power level 3.5, almost a 4. and what are the Hertz range of OS?

#9

i believe no more than 5
most super power users have that cochlear region dead anyway…
so having an extendend bandiwth when the cochlear region
is dead or most likely not to be present… doesnt seem to make sense…

most of the audis would concur, that aftyer 80dbhl it is suspected to have
cochlear dead region… thus more gain doesnt imply more speech unders

#10

well…more gain doesn’t always have to create speech issues, but it does. which is why I’m wondering why digital HA’s aren’t programmed like analog ones… maybe because of the power/gain/feedback issues? there’s got to be a happy compromise somehow for analog folks to get used to wearing digital.

I know I’m prolly at the very basic digital level (no bells and whistles)…as I feel that taking baby steps to get used to wearing digital is the way to go. just that muffling/compressing speech/noise is what screws up the sound quality.