Phonak Audeo Q90

Hearing Aids
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#21

Hey johnlucas,

It can take 5-10 visits to the audiologist to get these things setup properly. They are very sophisticated hearing aids that have a very wide range of settings. Don’t be afraid to push your audiologist when you don’t like the adjustments. In your case, I would go back and ask the audiologist to reset the hearing aids back to how they were at the beginning of your last session and then start again with small adjustments. The other thing is that your ears and brain will take a while to get used to hearing differently through the hearing aids. Its almost like when you get bifocals and your brain has to get used to the magnified portion on the lenses. It takes time and it doesn’t surprise me that things sounded tinny or different. Just be patient. The Q90s are really sophisticated hearing aids and I’m of the opinion that many of the problems people have with then are caused by audiologist who aren’t completely comfortable with the software. Also…you have to learn how to properly describe the problems you are having. Take lots of notes during the first week or so and then read back the notes to the audiologist during your next visit.

Anyways…good luck!

Jordan.

#22

I called the VA to get a followup appointment. In general, things are going well except for the situation where I cannot hear the music well at dances because (I believe) the aids are interpreting the music as noise and trying to dampen it. The music sounds muffled. In my car, in a fairly quiet environment the music sounds good. With most other situations I am quite pleased. I also want to see about getting a Compilot as someone suggested. I accepted the first available appointment…six weeks…the downside of getting hearing aids from the VA.

#23

a tip on getting an appt at the VA… make your next one as you are leaving from your current one. if you don’t need it you can always cancel and someone else will get lucky.

#24

Thanks for your support Jordan. I am quite relaxed actually. I have been here before :). At least I can feel the potential of the Q90s and I am confident we will get it right eventually. I am just surprised the adjustment process is not more sophisticated that’s all. I think that a more rigorous testing process would help audiologists as well as patients.

You’re definitely right about taking notes and becoming better at describing the problems I am experiencing. Today I’ve realised that the background music in bars is probably activating the stereozoom for some reason. Hence the “in my head” feeling. I will do some more tests but I am 80% sure of that. Anyone had a similar problem before?

Re appointment, yes I have an appointment for Monday mainly because I am going to be out of town for the rest of this week. But I have booked it before the end of my last session ;). Little tricks I have learned in the past 10 years of HA user :D.

#25

The Auto StereoZoom feature is very cool but its a bit disconcerting when it kicks in automatically and you aren’t sure whats going on. It basically gets triggered by a certain threshold of noise. I find it always kicks in a soon as I go to a shopping mall or restaurant. When it kicks in, its a bit of a weird sensation because of what it is doing. Front microphones zoom forward and block out everything outside of speech range (basically applies heavy noise reduction). Back microphones go into omni mode and focus on background sounds to give you some environmental awareness. I think it all feels kinda weird because everything suddenly goes really quiet and it feels like someone just stopped up your ears. Truth is…if someone was speaking to you, you would hear their voice without all the background noise. It only feels weird because it tends to happen when nobody is talking and your brain thinks that maybe the hearing aids (or your ears) just went wonky. Once you get used to it happening, everything is okay. I kinda like it.

Jordan

#26

I’m on my second set of HA from the VA, the first were Phonak Exelias with the thin tube and dome. This time I got the Phonak Bolero Q90-P with hook and molded earpieces… I asked for the ComPilot but was informed that since I had the iCom, myPilot, Smart Link and FM on both aids all I could get was the FM for my iCom. I checked around and found local Auriologist charged as much as $600 for the ComPilot so I ordered from Canada for $265 which included shipping. They came in about 4 days. I went to a audiologist where my wife had had a demo and they activated the ComPilot to my HAs for no charge. She had not done it before so we both had a learning experience. I have the ComPilot paired with my phone, Samsung tablet, iPhoneTouch and laptop computer.
I would still like to get the Target 3.3 software and an iCube.

#27

Hi, I have Oticon Alta and it is a fantastic hearing aid and worth trying. Kendi

#28

Hi everyone, here is another update about my Q90s setup.

After five weeks and 8 sessions with the audi we haven’t got it quite right yet. There are just too many problems:

  1. speech is not clear even in quite situations, my voice sounds tinny and “vibrates” on mid-high frequency such as when I whistle. I can hear the same vibrations/echoes from others which I believe makes the speech hard to understand.
  2. noise reduction seems generally good but we haven’t found the ideal setup yet
  3. stereozoom: binaural kicks in with music and voices that are not in the close range therefore makes it hard to understand the person in front of me
  4. compilot: after switching on and off repeatedly from macbook it starts crashing and I need to remove the device from the settings and pair it again. Bluetooth plays with a delay very often, especially youtube videos
  5. compilot as a device:
    • it is a little too big to be worn all day everyday, it’s got buttons on the sides - like the home button - that I press accidentally when holding the device. e.g. you want to switch it off and press home resetting the program
    • the big button is too loud, people around me can hear it. While I don’t care they know I am wearing a remote control, it’s just distracting
    • why does it have to blink all the time?! People think I am Ironman with all these lights under my shirt at night (hahaha). Come on Phonak! This is beginner mistake. Lights on for feedback only please. See how TV remotes work…
    • when speaking with comPilot from my iPhone people I talk to say they hear me very poorly, like if they were on speaker, but a very poor one. I can hear them well but it’s a shame they can’t hear me properly.
  6. automatic program switch: the audi and I have yet to understand how the software detects different situations, at the moment I am switching them manually until we find the right setup for each situation

All this said, my audi seems knowledgeable and is putting a lot of effort into trying to get my setup right, I think he sees me as a challenge :). I have a very active social life and am generally not put off by the challenges of being hearing impaired so I am basically putting these aids to the test.

To give you an example, we have been adjusting aids in coffees in order to get the ‘speech in noise’ situation right. We got quite close for cafes with background music and some noise but we have still work to do for very loud restaurants, bars, clubs and live music venues. In those situations, I can still hear better with my old America Hears aids I programmed myself.

I think that this whole process would be easier if the manufacturer gave better tools to the audiologist and to the patient, for example, it would be useful to have a mobile app that recorded different situations as a soundwave snapshot plus ha settings. All we can see in the software is a log (max 2 days) with the situations I’ve used the most, with no timestamps or over a timeline.

Also, with some effort, I would be able to use the software myself. It’s not rocket science if one is willing to learn.

I’ve just downloaded and installed the software from Phonak’s website but it seems like an older version than the one used by my audi. I am having troubles pairing my aids - driver related - but I will keep trying. The version I am using is iPFG 2.6b. It assumes I have an iCube but I have a comPilot, I am assuming it should work anyway. Anyone has done this before?

Anyone knows how to get this feedback to Phonak? It must be worth something…

Also, they really need to release an SDK to let developers connect to these aids, I could create an app myself that controls the aids, since there is nothing decent in the App store.

#29

I forgot to say that the high frequencies are generally much better than what I used to hear. I could hear a mouse in the house the other day that was eating some crisps. I was disgusted but impressed! :slight_smile:

#30

Oh dear, you don’t seem to understand the software etc. To program your Quest hearing aids, you need the Target Software. The iPFG software is for Core hearing aids, ie old technology. Also you would need the iCube. The ComPilpt is a Bluetooth streamer and that’s it! The iCube is the interface between the software and your hearing aids.

#32

johnlucas,
Hi. I’m brand new to HAs and have yet to decide on one set. An AuD I’m working with now at the local university in Orlando (UCF) has suggested these Audeo 90s. So, your shared experiences are interesting to me. I’m scared to make the wrong decision, because opinions vary greatly. So, my question is, since your last post in August, how are things and your impressions a few months later? Thank you for any input.

#34

Hi,
I am very interested to see your opinion about audeo s smart ix vs q90.

#35

As am I. My audi is pushing me toward them, but the q70, saying the q90 is too elevated for my mild/moderate hearing loss.

#36

Thx! I appreciate your input.

#37

I just trialed Audeo Q90s and ReSound Verso 9s. I had the Q90s first for about a month, then the resounds for about 3 weeks. I ended that trial early because I wanted the phonaks back! I did go in a couple of times with each HA, but the Resounds just had a few things that I really didn’t like. The “sound relax” feature of the Phonaks seems to really help a lot with certain sounds. Specifically, the ReSounds were very uncomfortable for “peaking” types of sounds. Like a key clacking against a key fob. Dishes clanking together, etc. Also, bluetooth sound quality is much better on the ReSounds, hands down IMO.

Regarding someone’s comment about “vibrating” sound. Yes, I know exactly what you mean. Almost sounds like spit in a woodwind moutpiece. I think this is due to the frequency compression (sound recovery i think is the term Phonak uses). It takes a little while to get used to, but IMO, it definitely helps speech recognition, not hurt it. I am totally used to wearing the compilot and don’t even notice it any more. They are RIEs and I have an open dome with them… and my loss is pretty considerable (see audiogram in signature). With the resounds, I had to use a “tulip” dome because they had feedback with an open dome. Loud noises are much more comfortable as well, even though the maximum levels were set very similarly on the resounds and phonaks. For example, my 4 and/or 5 year old yelling…

One complaint, which isn’t a big deal at all, is that I can hear some things that are ultrasonic. I’m guessing I can have the audi adjust for this, but it isn’t a big deal so I probably will not have him mess with anything for that reason. What I’m referring to is these ultrasonic motion detectors that my work has to turn on lights in different areas. Whenever I walk underneath one, I can hear it… It’s evidently compressing/shifting the upper frequencies down to an audible range.

The resounds were neat with regards to using an iphone to control them, but it was really more trouble than it was worth… The Phonak aids seem to be better designed with regards to wireless response. This is not really a hard measure or benchamrk of quality, but being an electrical engineer, I recognized it as a sign of a good design. For example, on the resounds, if I adjusted volume, changed programs, etc, the two aids were not really in sync. First one would beep, then the other about 0.5s to 1.0s later. The Q90s pretty much change instantly together.

I have the main large button on the compilot set to answer and place calls (or messages, or just about anything since it’s through Siri on my iphone). I am going to have the audi assign one of the other buttons to change programs, and I believe I will even be able to manually set the zoom direction using the compilot, but not 100% certain on that yet.

As a data point, I think the Audeo Q90s were around $5700 USD for the pair.

I am also considering an iCube to do my own programming… they look to be about $400 on ebay.

#38

I just got home with my new Q90’s! My audiologist explained all of the functions and features quite well, but now that Im home there are two things that I cannot figure out. I hope someone here can help me:

  1. My audiologist told me I could change programs with the button on the actual HA and reading the manual, this seems to be the case. However, the instructions for doing so are identical to the instructions for adjusting volume. So far, I can only adjust the volume. I have tried pressing and holding the button, pressing the button on both HA’s simultaneously, but they dont work. Im sure its super obvious but Im not getting it…lol.

  2. I was told I would be able to adjust the volume of the white noise (tinnitus masking) but the manual makes no mention of doing this. Obviously the main volume control does this, but it also changes the volume of the HA’s. Maybe I misunderstood my audiologist, but is there a way to change the volume of the masking noise without affecting the “master” HA volume?

Thanks in advance for any help!

#39

Palmfish, I think the audi has to set up the buttons for you. I think the button(s) can be set up for either volume changes or program changes, but not both. I am considering asking to have mine set up for program changes. I don’t know about the tinnitus matching.I get the feeling that Phonak has designed the Q90’s to have limited functionality on the HA itself in order to encourage users to buy the ComPilot remote.

#40

That makes sense. I did order the ComPilot while I was there.

Thanks for the reply!

#41

If the buttons are set to program change and QuickSync is on, then pushing either button changes programs in both aids. If QuickSync is off, then only the side you pushed is changed.

If the buttons are set to volume control, then the right button is louder and the left button is softer.

If the buttons are set to program change + volume, then the right button is louder and the left button is program change (or you can choose right button is program change and left button is softer).

For each program that has the tinnitus feature enabled, the volume control can be set to adjust either the gain or the noise, but not both.

#42

If the buttons are set to program change + volume, then the right button is louder and the left button is program change (or you can choose right button is program change and left button is softer).

Rasmus, am I correct that one program in the Q90’s is the program that automatically switches among various programs based on what the HA perceives as the environment? If so, it seems like I could ask my audi to program the left button so that the default program upon boot-up is the automatically-switching program (Is it called Soundflow?), and then I could use the left button if I wanted to tell the HA to stay in a certain fixed program (without automatic switching). The only functionality I would lose is the ability to decrease the volume below the default level set by the audi using the HA buttons. Is that correct?