Phonak Ambra SP Guide Please?

Hearing Aids
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#1

Hi Folks, I’m looking for some info please without having to trawl through every thread on the spice platform, of which there are many! I have tried this, but to no avail!!!

Right, hear is my problems, pardon the pun :slight_smile: Just got a new trial of the Ambra SP, full shell custom molds. My new Audiologist has little or no knowledge of the Ambra’s or indeed Phonak (one visit to the Phonak rep), Audi is qualified in everything including, a specialist in tinnitus and is also a qualified hearing therapist, a Beta tester for NOAH, but the Audi is a self confessed nerd when it comes to computers, so I’m looking for an idiot proof guide on the Ambra fitting, if one exists? Lol :slight_smile: So far, I’m totally unimpressed with the Ambra’s, so much so that I hear far better with my Naida V UP’s even with a severe/ profound loss such as mine, I have an excellent word discrimination and reverted back to the V UP’s after a day! Basically, I think the Audi programmed them prior to me arriving to save time and only gave me 2 settings, Auto and Telecoil along with MyPilot, I asked for the works but I feel the Audi is so unsure of them and wants to learn about them first and I’m the Guinea Pig! I was hoping to be able to get some improvement over the V UP’s or is that too much to ask?

Any info you guys and girls could give me would be very much appreciated… Going elsewhere is not an option here in the Scottish Highlands!

Cheers Kev:D

#2

Well folks, having trawled through all 530 posts on the Phonak Spice thread, I have now gleaned enough info to get my Audi up and running with these Ambra’s (I Hope) Took me hour’s though…And my head is dirling lol:D

Cheers Kev:D

#3

So how did it go? I was thinking about a Ambra SP slim tube c-shell trial but the slim tube will knock a few db’s out of the gain.
My audiogram is as pathetic as yours lol
Currently i am testing the Oticon Agil power receivers for a few days with the power domes. With the power domes they are almost maxed out volume wise but out the door they are pretty good except for hearing in noise in automatic. The Oticon power receivers are somewhat equivalent to the Phonak SP xReceivers. May decide to get the custom molds made for these Agils, will give me a few db more and also go with the Agil Pros to test out the Spacial hearing in noise. May not work out.

Now that the Naida has a slim tube option in the target software, may try that. But again the slim tube cuts out aprox 10 db in gain according to the fitting charts.

I’ve trialed the Phonak Smart s 9’s Power receivers for 85 days, what a mess but the StereoZoom was outstanding IMO when it was set up properly. Out the door these Agils are almost perfect. No nagging artifacts, no excessive background noise, excellent setup in automatic. Just need more gain and maybe a program for speech in noise besides the spacial app in the Premium Agil Pro.

It is beyond me why no brand makes a more powerful BTE aid with canal receivers for discreet fittings.

#4

kevels55,

I had a failed trial with the Solana Micro P. As far as I can tell, these are very complex to program if the automated settings do not work. I ended up returning them and then trying Hearsource ones from online, but I think I need the more advanced features, so they were returned. (I am waiting on by refund.)

I am now waiting on some Micro Tech Axio ST 32 CIC (Starkey S Series iQ 11) aids.

People on this forum are great resources of information. My personal opinion would be to move to some high end aids that your audiologist is more experienced programming. Today’s technology is amazing when setup properly, but you need your audiologist’s skill to do that.

Some people have said their audiologist worked directly with a Phonak rep to get things programmed right. That may be another option.

#5

Hi prodigyplace, aye well if you want anything done right then do it yourself…Ended up programing them on my lonesome, I got Tar.get 1.2 from another audi pal of mine, he had a spare copy! Suffice to say 1.2 aint rocket science, tis one of the most simple programs I’ve ever used, managed to buy an i.cube via the net and toot sweet… Amb.ra’s are now set to optimum, they are an amazing piece of kit when placed in the hands of a complete amateur with time on their hands to fiddle, some audi’s should not be let near a PC, maybe not within at least a 100 mile radius:p:D These aids are really something special if programed correctly! For instance last week in the office canteen, I struggled really badly with around 12 people (all women) babbling away, trying to hold a convo was very difficult, this week was night and day, I could hear everyone clearly and any convo was no problem… Same people, same HA’s, but different programer!!! I nearly cried, I had a wee smile to myself, a warm glow and in the words of Frank Sanatra, I did it my way…But alas, these aids are not for me, I am going to go for the Pho.nak Nai.da Spi.ce IX Ult.ra Pow.ers as they have much more oomph! Logic tells me my hearing is going to get much worse and the Amb.ra’s S.P aint going to have enough in the can to cope! I have ordered a pair of Nai.da S via the net which should be here in a few days, I will sort them out myself:D

Good luck in your quest! Cheers Kev:D

#6

Hi mstrmac, sorry for the delayed reply! In the new Tar.get 1.2 your audi can by ticking the box “Allow gain to exceed feedback threshold by max, 5dB” this may or may not help if slim tubes are what you want? TBVH, in many respects, your loss is worse than mine! Appearance has never ever been an issue for me, I have often said I would wear 2 bananas round my lugs if it helped me hear better, I just don’t give a sh!t if folk can see my aids:D

Pho.nak Nai.da Spi.ce IX Ult.ra Pow.ers may be the answer for you? I’m getting a set this week sometime so I will let you know how they fare? The biggest problem for most folks with these Spi.ce aids is time and whomever is dispensing, their skill and patience is the answer and as the vast majority of audi’s do not have any actual hearing loss such as ours, then it’s a shot in the dark as to what works and what does’nt? I have an advantage over most Severe/Profound HA’s users, because time is on my side… I can now set up these HA’s exactly how I want them! I can tweak away to my heart’s content and every mistake I make can be undone via starting a new session and as long as you do not go overboard and keep things within certain parameters then I will not damage what residual hearing I have left and eventually I will have a set of HA’s exactly to my liking:D

Cheers Kev.

#7

Hi Kev and thanks for the feedback.

I understand what you say and i know you are right, but before i shell out $6000+ usd i am going to try and get what i want. Hearing aid dispensers and Audies have welcomed me and do get some benefit from my quest. Little by little Hearing aids are getting more powerful for profound users with BTE aids and canal receivers for discreet fittings as noted by the Naida slim tube. But the recommended fitting for the Naida is a full shell with the slim tube, so its not exactly discreet. The weight of the large BTE needs support i guess.

Thanks for posting.
Getting the manufacturers software and associated hardware to self program is so difficult, else i’d be doing it myself by now

Andy

#8

No Probs Andy:D Tar.get 1.2 is very difficult to find, I don’t think you will find it anywhere on the net, Pho.nak do not release it for download, period! I can usually get any software if I search hard enough…searched for T 1.1 for around 6 months and got ziltch! But, T 1.2 is protected, I believe it may have been stamped onto DVD as opposed to being burned, no write in or write out, so you can’t burn it, but where there is a will, there is a way…:smiley:

Best price I can get is around $5k usd for the pair of Nai.da Spi.ce IX’s, I’m sure if I tried a wee bit harder I could find them cheaper on other sites, but I’m happy with that price, that’s for the bare units only, although I do not require anything other than the HA’s as I have all the rest and I can fit them myself:D

Good luck, cheers Kev.

#9

A more powerful BTE aid with canal receiver is hard to do. The larger receiver requires a larger canal which for many people does not exist. Also, a large 70db receiver can vibrate within a traditional shell (causing all kinds of problems) and must be suspended within the shell using up more room that may not exist.

Starkey does make a very powerful receiver in canal option that should be able to fit your loss. It is called an absolute power RIC and can be ordered in different configurations / technology levels. They basically imbed a 70 db receiver in lucite and run the wire out of the shell up to the unit behind your ear. Here is a link for you to investigate : http://www.starkeycanada.ca/products/hearing-instruments/wi-series/styles

#10

Kev,

Did your shell from the ITE extend well past the second bend in your ear canals ? If you can decrease the amount of space in front of the TM (ear drum) you can get an increase in gain which you may appreciate.

#11

Thanks for that info HIP_Matt, I do have 2 new sets of full shell, one of them is quite long and should be well past the second bend, both are unvented ear molds (soft silicon) I guess I have got used to the occlusion effect, the only problem I have with this is I tend to speak very quietly, with everyone saying pardon or what did you say… Tis a bit of a pain for folk I’m talking to as I think I’m talking fairly loud lol:D I will have to doctor the longer molds, they were making my ears bleed, a slight rub down with some sandpaper should do the trick!

Cheers Kev:D

#12

Well as it turns out these Oticon Agil Power Receivers have aprox. 10-15 db more gain for future adjustment than i thought.
I was trying these just for a few days with the power domes, set up default, and i thought they were maxed volume wise. But went back in with questions and sure enough there is plenty of gain. Naturally one of my previous Audi’s noted that i did not require as much real ear gain as per audiogram. Note that i get basically no response in the upper frequencies, so blasting gain in those areas is worthless without Phonaks soundrecover.
So its worth it now to proceed to custom molds to trial them extensively. Stepped up to the Agil Pros. These are the best discreet RIC’s i’ve tried so far. They are the best IMO in clarity, automatic, and power. I just need to compare these Agils Pro’s to Phonaks StereoZoom app which i thought was a fantastic directional extreme speech in noise wonder. But if it does not compare, and if these are keepers, i can use the ConnectLine mic for extreme one to one speech in noise.