Does anyone else have a problem with the size of the 9040s? Is it just me or are these things way too big compared with the competition? The fitter told me that’s due to the telecoil which is mandated by California. I call BS. Anyway, plenty of other aids have telecoil and don’t have such a large form factor. As I mentioned in another post I returned them based upon this alone, however I was having another issue with the hear-in-noise program not doing what it advertised.
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It’s not really the T-coil, it’s mainly because they were built with a battery drawer for the larger battery and inductive charging coil (which might be dual purpose). The older (pre-rechargeable) 312 version were smaller.
On the newer Oticon, they’ve gone back to connecting pins a fatter battery, but shortened the case. I expect that will migrate onto the 9050 once it’s decided to manufacture the Phillips version.
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They are noticeably bigger. They also seem to have a longer battery life. I can stream videos for several hours in the evening and still have plenty of capacity left when I put them in the charger. I ended up having to go with a longer receiver wire so that they would sit further back on my ear. Otherwise the receiver wire was cutting into me.
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I have something I feel needed to be said; when we humans need to or have to fo something or wear something we really don’t want to we all find an excuse or reason not to. Twenty years ago i finally made up my mind to get hearing aids and to wear them regardless of what they looked like. My only complaint ever wad when an ear mold wasn’t comfortable enough to wear and it cause a sore spot in my ear. You see I knew one thing I had to have hearing aids to continue working as my livelihood depended on understanding what my customers so i could fix their problems. It was all technical terms and they can be difficult even for individuals with excellent hearing. Most accept what they want to, I chose to accept what i had to.
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For the hearing impaired functionality takes precedence over appearance and comfort. But that’s not to say the latter two are not considerations, especially when modern hearing aids can deliver all three in most cases. For me the 9040 are a step backwards. Had they been a significant step up in terms of the main issue of hearing in noise then, then I might have kept them being disinclined to want to trial hearing aids repeatedly, especially since my current ones are on the blink. That said, this sizing is no small matter for my little ears.
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For my purposes there’s no benefit in having even more than somewhat extra residual battery power after a full day’s use if the latter is sufficient. So if the difference means a larger battery and therefore a larger aid, I’d take the lesser power and smaller aid.
Maybe that is your take mine is and has always been function over looks. I guess that is because my uncle wore a body hearing aid, that was in a pouch around his neck and hung on the front of his chest. I am this way people know imwear aids and that is the way i want it. I want to hear and comfort of the ear molds in my ears. But after seeing people have to wear huge sound processors behind their ears connected to their CI implants I am very happy with my aids and i have the color so they are visible and recognizable.
To be honest i am hoping that by some miracle that my VA audiologist allows me to have the Oticon INTEND which is basically the same set of aids that you are rejecting and if I do i plan on getting the blue ones.
I think your point, if I’m not mistaken, is that you are not concerned with any vanity issues resulting from prominent hearing aids. The sizing issue in my case is not about vanity, but comfort.
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My point is simple if I had to wear a backpack or fanny pack to carry my aids so i could hear i would do it without complaining. And in the early days of having connectivity between my phone and my aids i had a 4 or 5 ounce device around my neck that was a loop that worked with the t-coilsin my aids. I am an old farm boy at heart, weight, size or vanity isn’t something i even think about. I wear jeans, western shirts or tee shirts, i wear boots, and hats at times. All i care about is being able to hear period.
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If you are not happy with the 9040 aids return them, get something else.
Life is too short to be miserable.
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I did return them and they were the first aids I ever took back.
The Oticon Intent may be the tech in the 9050. But currently, the latest, the 9040, are not the Intent technology, or so I’ve gathered from those more knowledgeable than me on this forum.
I understand clearly what you are saying and you’ve said it several times that you couldn’t care less what HAs look like. That is a response to a different person than me because my gripe with the size is not looks but comfort.
Well the INTEND is a larger than the Real aids so the 9050 if they are off the INTEND aids will be even larger that what you have tried. I hope you never need an implant. And i expect to need one or two in my future.
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My aids end up sitting on top of my glasses.
I wear glasses and sometimes over my glasses sunglasses as well as my aids, it did take some getting use to. I started wearing aids in 2004, and until 2020 i mostly wore full shell in the ear aids. As they use to sound better than BTE aids. But RITE aids changed all of that.
Well, I don’t know how to do an image, so the file below may not show the picture of my KS10 (Phonak) next to my Philips 9040 (removable battery version). The sizes are virtually identical. I never thought of the KS10 as being overly large, nor do I think of the 9040 that way.
Having rechargeable HA with replaceable battery is a great feature. I suspect that a large number of HA that can’t have battery changed, even by factory (at least Jabra) will not have a five-year life, assuming that they do not have smart charging. I have yet to meet someone, in person, interested in taking steps to greatly increase battery durability of any portable product. A sealed system increases reliability and possibly longevity.
To me, reasonable comfort is more important than life of HA due to battery issues. Not saying that any HA is more comfortable than another to many people.