I’m wanting to go from battery hearing aids to rechargeable. Currently I have the Widex Evoke 440’s with the 312 battery. They’re excellent in every way. And I also own the Widex TV Play which is use everyday for many hours. However, I’d love to switch to a rechargeable But I don’t want to spend thousands of dollars to accomplish this. I went to Costco and am not very impressed with the selection, Hearlink, Jabra, and Reach. That said, my insurance plan is offering the Sennheiser All Day Clear at a super inexpensive price On Soundly they compare it to a very expensive Phonak, and say it’s their number one OTC aid. But not for severe loss. Two thirds of my chart is moderate and one third, the higher frequencies are in the severe loss level You can return these Sennheisers within a 45 day trial period. I’m asking if anyone has experience with severe loss like mine and success with the All day clears, or other OTC aids. I’ve been told they might not have enough volume since the government limits the dbl range to 110 max. Would appreciate any insight into this idea. Thanks.
Welcome to the forum. You will find a wealth of information here and many willing helpers.
Are you aware that Hearlink is make by the company that Makes Oticon, that Jabra is similar or the same as the premium Resound aids and that Rexton Reach is the same as the premium Signa aids. These are rebranded for Costco. The Sennheiser aid offered by Costco is similar or the same as the Phonak Lumity 90. In the US, Costco offers a 180 day, no questions asked, return period. Costco also provides very through free hearing tests and service for the life of the hearing aid. Since you have severe hearing loss in part of the hearing spectrum I would discourage you from the OTC route.
Thanks for that input. i’ve tried all three Costco current offerings and was not that impressed. I really wanted to Rexton Reach as I had heard so many good things, but when I tried them, it felt like I didn’t have any improvement and I even asked if they were turned on. I just made another appointment and the regional Costco rep called me and told me that the audiologist would do a full programming on the Reaches so I could get a more complete idea if they were working for me. I’m still however, very compelled to try the OTC Sennheiser All Day Clear offered by my insurance plan for 1/3 the cost of the Costco choices. My understanding is I would have 45 days to return them for a full refund. And I keep asking myself. What if they do a great job for me and I never tried them?
Well of course you’ll never know unless you tried them, but what makes you think they would be any better then the other 3 well known and popular models from Costco? It’s all in the programming, so it’s not just put them on and instantly first time your hearing again, for some people it’s a work in progress with time and effort from your clinic to get right, so I’d give the Costco rep a fair go before dumping for the Phonak rebranded models from your insurance company offering.
In the secretive world of hearing aids it’s almost impossible to get any reliable information from the manufacturers or their retailers, but I did a fair bit of research when the Sennheisers were first released and it seems that they might in fact be rebranded Unitrons (same family as Phonak) using a platform that is now over 5 years old.
Still, no harm giving them a try.
I am unaware of any OTC hearing aids that are designed for severe hearing loss… only mild-to-moderate loss. And if you think about it, this makes sense, because there would be folks who had mild-to-moderate loss who were cranking the amplification on aids designed to treat severe loss patients so high that it caused more damage to their hearing.
If you want to try so you can be sure that less expensive OTC aids won’t be good enough for you, I like how you think, and sure, go for it. It would help to try fully returnable aids and then pay careful attention to your deadlines for returning them. My prediction is that you will find them very underpowered with low talkers, because you’re expecting something OTC aids aren’t designed to do.
Opinions on rechargeable vs disposable battery aids vary widely here. I’ve had both. I currently have rechargeable aids but am thinking that next time around, though I am not positive, I’m leaning towards returning to disposable battery aids.
Here are some downsides of rechargeable aids that audiologists won’t tell you.
Many factors go into the lifespan of aids. But a very big limitation on rechargeable aids is that their batteries, like all rechargeable lithium ion batteries, have decreasing ability to take and hold a charge anywhere between three to five years. If you can get your aids in just under the deadline of what is commonly a three-year warranty and get them replaced, you can get six-to-eight years out of your rechargeable aids before you will most likely need to replace the battery again, out of warranty, and at that point, if it’s even possible, it may be cost ineffective. Many, maybe most, rechargeable aids these days do not come with easily replaced rechargeable batteries; rather the entire aid guts must be replaced, because the “battery” consists of integrated circuitry, not a discrete battery unit anyone can pluck out and replace. If you’re the kind of patient who doesn’t mind paying for new aids every five years, this doesn’t really matter, but if you’re the kind of person who buys a car and wants to run it into the ground, my view is that you get significantly less lifespan out of rechargeable aids, very often. At some point, likely in the 5-10 year range after an aid model is released, the manufacturer will say: sorry, we no longer have the major part you need, if they have to replace the guts of the aid, to get back up and running. Disposable-battery-powered aids can last longer with easily replaced components.
People fret about the cost of disposable batteries. Honestly in the grand scheme of things, it’s very low over the potential lifespan of the aids including all replaceable and serviceable costs. However I do acknowledge that there’s an environmental cost to all those disposable lithium ion batteries. In some cases they can be recycled, but still.
Woe be unto the patient who loses (when traveling) or breaks his rechargeable-aids charger. They can cost hundreds of dollars to replace, and without a working charger, you are very quickly dead in the water, compared to the disposable-battery aid wearer who can buy new batteries and get back up and running if they’re near a drugstore or supermarket. Right now, on my five-year old Resound charger, the tab the charging cable connects to is getting very wobbly and loose and losing its grip on the cable. How long will it hold up? Will that be the factor that forces me to buy new aids before I would otherwise need to?
If you buy OTC , try to find a pair with a good warranty. I have a pair actually
Update. Because my insurance had the Sennheiser All Day Clear at an amazingly low price, I ordered them and so far find them to be extremely helpful to my hearing loss. They are comfortable. Super easy to program. And I find the amplification to be sufficient for my hearing loss. As a footnote, a few days after I ordered them, I noticed my insurance program not only raised the price of the All Day Clears they more than doubled the price. So I feel very fortunate to have ordered them before the massive price increase. Like any new technology, I’m still a little unsure if I’m getting the maximum benefit, but I should be able to make a definite keep em or return them decision within the next two to three weeks. The sound is very crisp and because I’m mainly home just interacting with my wife, or watching tv, I’m very much enjoying the Sennheiser All Day Clears. And I’ve even ordered the tv connector, as this is one of my main daily activities. Note: I’ve been using my Roku on my downstairs tv to get a feel for how the tv connector will work and the dialogue is extremely intelligible. (for those of you who are not aware, the Roku players can be used as a tv connector. They’re not quite as full sounding as a genuine tv connector, but if you have a Roku player, you might find it almost as good. Difference being with a tv connector you can listen and set your own volume and your spouse or guests can also hear the volume on the tv independently. With the Roku, if you listen with your hearing aids, the tv volume is completely silent. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-2p5nqutug
Disposable hearing aid batteries use zinc-air technology. Relatively low toxicity and no lithium.
WH
If you really are severe in the upper frequencies of the speech range, OTC aids will leave you significantly under amplified in that range. You may think it sounds normal, but you’ll also probably wonder why people are mumbling. We depend on that section for distinguishing parts of speech. No harm in trying as long as they really do take them back without difficulty. I’ve read a lot of stories of folks having a lot of trouble trying to return OTC aids.
Best wishes however you decide to go!
WH
I have a flat severe loss. Sony OTC aids work well for me. But, that doesn’t mean that they would work well for you. Only way to know is to try and see.