I love my Real1 aids with the smart charger, it is great for my travels. It also works with my More1 aids as when traveling i am never without my backup aids.
While i don’t expect to get the INTEND aids as my audiologist and I have finally found the best fitting combination for my speech understanding. I am at the will of the VA and my audiologist. I never expected to get the Real1 aids but my audiologist reasoning was that my OPNS1 aids weren’t able to be correctly adjusted to my needs for speech in noise and as such wasn’t good enough for my backup aids. And I was struggling with speech understanding compared to my More1 aids. But as I have found out this past year my 50% disability rating does open more opportunities for my needs. So I never know.
I expect that for some buyers an Intent deal-breaker issue is that owning them until their built-in rechargeable battery service life expires will require the sometimes weeks-long delay required to have their battery replaced by Oticon. By contrast, all the earlier generation Oticons with rechargeable batteries easily accept battery replacement either at your local professional support business or at home if you have a little push pin to release the hinged battery door retainer lock. For me, that would be a little future “time bomb” issue that I’d prefer not to have in my future.
It’s definitely an inconvenience, but it doesn’t have to be a showstopper if you can use your previous pair of hearing aids as your backup pair. Some people whose previous pair of HAs no longer work (hence the need to get a new pair) have bought a more affordable pair of HAs from Costco for use as a backup pair, which is not a bad idea at all.
You said, “It’s definitely an inconvenience, but it doesn’t have to be a showstopper,” with which I agree which is why I said “I expect that for some buyers.”
However, you also suggested “Some people whose previous pair of HAs no longer work (hence the need to get a new pair) have bought a more affordable pair of HAs from Costco for use as a backup pair, which is not a bad idea at all.”
I strongly disagree that dropping $1500 - $2000 at Costco to buy what a buyer expects to only consider a “backup pair” would not be a bad idea. Paying that much at Costco to buy a pair which are for budget reasons expected to be their best affordable hearing aid choice can make good sense, but to pay that much just to own them as “a backup pair” seems like a terrible high-cost/low-value budget choice. I can not agree that very high Cost’/Benefit ratio purchases compared to available alternatives are anything but a bad ideas. Perhaps I’m just too frugal for your resource allocation style.
I think it obviously goes without saying that the idea of paying $1500 for a backup pair from Costco doesn’t fit everybody’s financial situation. The suggestion came from the consideration that the Oticon HAs are not cheap to begin with, and the Intent might be even more expensive compared to the Real. So my point is that for people who can afford to buy the Oticon Intent which will eventually have to be sent in for a week or two to replace its rechargeable battery, if they don’t already have a backup pair, then the $1500 for a backup pair is still relatively cheaper than the $6K to almost $8K for a pair of Oticon Intent, depending on where you shop.
The whole point is that if it were me, I would never ever settle to buying the Real instead of the Intent simply because it might be more convenient to replace the rechargeable battery on the Real more quickly at the HCP’s office rather than having to send in the Intent for a week or two for rechargeable battery replacement. That’s only a week or two of inconvenience that might happen every 5 years, compared to all the advantages I can get out of the Intent’s newer technologies that I can enjoy day-in day-out 16 hours a day during all those 5 years. That’s only 1 week of inconvenience for 59 weeks of enjoyment, totally worth it for me and definitely not a deal-breaker issue to me. Of course I totally respect that you think it’d be a deal-breaker issue for you. We’re just sharing our own opinions here.
There are 4 significant new development for the Intent that is worth putting up with a little bit of battery replacement inconvenience every 5 years or so in order to enjoy over the Real → 1) The much improved DNN 2.0, 2) The future-proof BT LE Audio that will provide Auracast support among other things in the future via firmware updates, 3) The 4D Sensor to improve the accuracy and effectiveness of the speech contrast noise suppression further, and 4) the longer lasting battery capacity for a full day use, as well as the 5 year life as opposed to the 3 year life for the Real.
Finally, don’t forget that many other hearing aid brands require their HAs to be sent in to the factory for rechargeable battery replacement as well. So it’s really an industry norm to have to do this. I think only the Oticon OPN S/More/Real are the exception to this norm with a quick in-office battery replacement.
Interesting comments.
I’ve had two pair of Phonaks with replacement batteries.
I have one pair with rechargeable batteries. I’m still trying to get these setup right after over 2-1/2 years of use, and two firms trying. I’m getting there. The new Hearing Instrument Specialist has made plans to send them off for Phonak’s blessing before the warranty is up. I truly appreciate that.
I confess that getting this pair setup has been so stressful that unless something changes, I’ll look for another brand next time.
You should find a provider that will issue you a pair of loaners for any issue requiring factory repairs.
My audiologist said she has now a bank of loaners which may be used to cover me when my aids go in this summer for final warranty service before the contract expires. Sounds like they may be marvels as she warned me that it wouldn’t provide activent. But better than nothing.
WH
Indeed also because the one button is large and it would maybe have had enough space to put a rocker control on it. But I am happy that they can be used in 3 ways (not like Starkey Genesis in only 2 ways). 1. short tap, volume, 2. longer tap, programm and 3. long tap, off.
About the contact charging, there is no problem so far, you visually see very good if they are charging or not, and if it’s really the chase that you were to tired to check this, the aids are loaded in only 1h, so stand up in the morning check the aids, shit it’s not green, you can put them right in and go showering/eating and before leaving the house the aids will have power for at least a working day in my chase.