So I’ve been talking about new aids for months. Based on my audogram below I’d like to ask some opinions.
I have concerns about open fit due to background noise. I currently wear CIC (Startkey Destiny 1200) which are 4+ years old.
I am looking at the Phonak Ambra and Oticon Agile Pro as my two top choices. BTE models. I am used to my current aids occlusion effect and that sometimes helps while on the phone (I open the battery compartment on the other aid to shut down the background noise).
With the new aids I don’t think that’ll be needed with new technologies.
If you are an audiologist - What would you recommend for my loss? Domes, ear molds, etc? Which model of the Phonak Ambra or the Oticon Agile would you think fit best for my loss?
One concern I have is the frequency range of the Phonak line. The Ambra has 3 models. The standard and power models have a frequency range up to 6400 hz. The MicroP (the one that I think best fits my loss) only has a range up to 5400 hz. Should I be concered about this? The Oticon frequency range is up to 10k hz. WIll sound quality be better on the Oticons? Easier to distinguishes sounds based on frequency range?
Oticon’s true range is 9K not 10 even though they advertise otherwise. Oticon is also only able to deliver about `10dB gain above 7K, which is insufficient for you loss, so very little benefit. If you compare to the SMART S IX, which has a 7900Hz range, there is very little difference in range. It is more a marketing ploy than anything else IMHO.
Thanks… So, based on my audiogram - What would you suggest?
Talked to the Audi today - She pushes Starkey and wants me to look at the new Wi (why) for WIreless.
Looks okay - but I don’t have any data on them. No user experience to speak of… The Agile’s and Phonak line are tried and tested…
Looking for thoughts - suggestions. I go this Friday. Seems silly This is a sit down session - She should’ve ordered something for me to try…
Unless YOU really want the wireless, that loss would be fine on either a CIC or a RIC instrument. Your choice really. Just had one very similar on a Soundlens and he loves it - depends on canadidacy for that though.
Given your hearing loss, Im not sure if sound recover would work for you. Given your loss you probably do not have any cochlear dead region and therefore will benefit from an instrument that has a large bandwith. I think agil would work well for you
When comparing frequency ranges, I suggest you keep in mind a few physics details.
Like sound perception works in octaves and though an aid may have a range 1Khz higher than another in the upper ovtave, it should be viewed as only a small increase. And the comprehension benefit in increased bandwidth in the highest octave is small. There isn’t a lot of speech information up there.
I would rather see the manufacturers put more effort in reducing internally generated distortion…particularly intermodulation products which mess up comprehension. WDRC aids, I suspect, in compressing, generate a bucket full…never see this mentioned on the mfg’s spec sheets. Ed
All of the manufacturers take these distortions and others into consideration during the design process.
Regarding the effective audibility of modern hearing aids. Most manufacturers use similar receivers. It’s unrealistic to expect that any hearing aid will provide sufficient amplification to restore average speech audibility beyond 7 kHz–for anything beyond a mild flat hearing loss. For the vast majority of fittings restoring audibility to 6 kHz will be a challenge.
I bought one Starkey Destiny (left ear) in April 2009 and just rolled with that one aid until August 2010. I wanted to get another Destiny but the cost was so much I could get a Rexton Insite CIC for less than half the Destiny price. I tried that for a couple of months but the Insite was not powerful enough so I returned it and bought two Rexton Cobalt 16 at Costco, still several hundred dollars less than buying one Destiny.
I’m doing well with the Cobalts and they have a lot of the newer features that the Destiny does not, but sometimes I wish I had just bought the second Destiny. Neither of the new ones I’ve tried have the great sound that the Destiny has (especially the highs). The new ones are not bad and I can hear everything I need to hear and I’m thankful to have them, but, the Destiny is not bad either.
So I guess what I’m saying is that if you already have 2 Destiny and you get new aids, the actual sound quality may not be better. The new ones may have new features like directionality and background noise suppression and those new features may be worth the price of admission.
I changed from the Destiny CIC to the BTE style and one observation is that phone usage stinks with the BTE. If I hold the phone in the normal spot I’m getting sound in the ear with my natural hearing only, not through the aid. I have not been able to slide the phone up and get sound into the mics of the aid. So with the new, small RIC style of BTE, with no t-coil, the additional bluetooth device is almost a necessity for phone use. I don’t have one yet (waiting for the mini-blu).
I just learned I have something called 'rollover" at 90 db. Basically, my word recognition heads downward fast once I am in 90 db range. Does this mean hearing aids will never help me?
