I have had my Costco signature 10 (modified Phonak Paradise 90) for a couple of years and found that my word recognition had gotten far worse. I went to my audiologist and she suggested that I try the Phonak audeo lumity 90, which has advertised itself for better word recognition and better in noisy environments. I got my upgrade 3 days ago and found that the new Phonak 90 really was better at word recognition and a bit better at noise reduction. My Costco hearing aids was unable to use some of the accessories that Phonak offered, specifically the Roger Select microphone to our family weekly dinner I brought along a new Roger Select and placed it in the middle of the dining room table. What a surprise! There was music playing in the house but that was in the softer background while five other people ate together and I could hear everything around the table. The Roger Select picked up comments made between a couple of people and could bring the words to me clearly from everyone at the table. Quite a change for me. What I did not like about the Select was that the conversations were louder than I had wished and sounded what I will describe as “tinny.” What I mean is that it had a mechanical sound, the type of sound earlier radio and tv stations used. It wasn’t the actual tone of the talk but that all talk, including my own, went through a mechanical microphone.
Still, it was better. A few years ago my son was with us at a very noisy restaurant and I could not hear much. When my deafness came up in the table conversation, my son asked me if I really could not hear the general talk around our table. I told him that I could only understand a small amount, but would follow the general reactions of the people at our table. In other words, when everyone laughed, I also laughed. But the truth was that I could understand only part of the conversation. My new Phonak lumity 90 hearing aids paired with a Phonak select could hear all of tonight’s conversations.
Is the Phonak lumity 90 is better than the Phonak 90? My answer is “yes.” Is it worth the $6,000 it would likely cost? That depends on each person’s own needs and budget.
Thanks. For reading,
Ed