Phonak introduces Marvel platform and Audéo M hearing aids

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#854

You look to be in large vented domes (previously called large closed domes before the marvel stuff came out).

Looks like medium open dome on the left and medium (small?) power dome on the right.

Shatner went to Jastreboff for help.

Classical musicians are certainly at risk for job-related noise-induced hearing loss, and should be wearing hearing protection. They are also at risk for tinnitus and, perhaps worse for their job, diplocusis.
It can be tough to get an older musician into hearing protection because their music sounds different through hearing protection, but it is becoming more and more common with younger musicians who train their ear with hearing protection right from the beginning. For musicians using monitors, you also need an educated sound guy. First of all, two monitors should always be used, never one. Secondly, the mix going into the monitors should be the minimal amount of music required to cue the performer for their part. Monitors themselves can easily cause hearing loss if they are misused.

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#855

Here are some pictures of the plugs I use when I’m around loud noise. They work great in these silicon Phonak molds. Your Audiologist should have a big box of these things. With these plugs in I can effectively wear ear plugs during an event and then mute/un-mute the mics as needed.

No%20Plug
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Plug%20In
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Case
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#856

I’m a nerd, so I used a stopwatch webpage and a spreadsheet and did it 10 times for each test and recorded the average.

For the headphones, I figured that the on-the-ear would work better since my Bose are over-the-ear and squeal when my hearing aids are in/on. They worked okay, but they had to blast past my ear molds and of course didn’t give me any hearing loss specific amplification. I’m still tweaking these molds and the pressure of the headphones on my right ear was uncomfortable after a while, but that will get better eventually. Of course the ideal solution is to have the sound come in through my hearing aids, but the pairing is still a bit of a hassle.

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#857

Now I understand, thank you. My hearing is probably much worse than yours, so I won’t need it most likely.

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#858

I was told that flutists tend to have worse hearing in their right ears. I guess I’m not a very good flutist because my ears are pretty much equally bad. I think it was all those years of many hours a day sitting in a lab with a bunch of vacuum pumps clacking away.

#859

I didn’t mean to take the Marvel thread off topic by debating with warneral the wisdom of turning up streaming volume (while turning down HA mic input, it turns out). Don has started a thread on OSHA noise levels that I think would be a great place to continue discussion of how to deal with hearing-threatening noise while wearing HA’s - and the first thing that came up in that thread is there is a serious difference between OSHA workplace permissible exposure limits (PEL) and NIOSH “safe” recommended exposure limits (REL).

I still think the best approach to too much outside noise while streaming, if it doesn’t seem dangerous, just annoying, would be just to turn down the HA mic volume (not turn up streaming volume) and if that doesn’t work, plug one’s vents in molds as gr8dane604 has suggested, wear ear muffs or ear plugs over the HA’s, or as Neville suggests, if it’s really bad, just remove the HA’s entirely and don proper ear protection - the max of which is foam ear plugs combined with ear muffs - but I read somewhere that custom-made foam molds work best as ear plugs because of the irregular shapes in ear canals - I wonder how the foam “impressions” that are used to make molds would work?!)

Anyway, I suggest further remarks about combating noise go to Don’s OSHA limits thread or if there is a better, older thread, that thread could be revived to allow the Marvel thread to be more about what a great choice Marvels are as a very premium HA.

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#860

but I read somewhere that custom-made foam molds work best as ear plugs because of the irregular shapes in ear canals - I wonder how the foam “impressions” that are used to make molds would work?!)

I am a competitive pistol shooter. I had custom molded earplugs made by a specialty lab that was present at a competition. I wear those with ear muffs over them. Not easy to converse but ears are fully protected. Unfortunately while on active duty with the Army in my youth, I did not adequately protect my ears, especially my right ear and I’m relatively certain that is the primary reason for my hearing loss.

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#861

Great idea! I had thought about molds as potential earplugs but know that most of them are vented to some extent and didn’t know how that would work out. So plugging them is a great idea.

As I previously mentioned, though, for all the expense and technology, HA OEM’s, etc., could just as well rate the noise-attenuating potential of a dome or a mold if properly fitted and used. Just like a foam ear plug, it might not work as well as advertised and live up to its potential but at least if you knew the maximum potential, you know that you’re not going to get any better than that. Say at a Kiss concert then, you pull out your phone and it has a reliable sound meter app on it. The concert is 130 dBA average. Your molds or domes (even when plugged) are only officially rated by your HA OEM for 20 dBA avg reduction. So you know at best you’re still going to be getting 110 dBA exposure for x hours - and maybe if you use the NIOSH REL standard, you know you’re going to be suffering some hearing loss anyway. (Hearing loss is slowly cumulative and not reversible, as we all know, when you supposedly exceed the recommended limits and probably still happens to a lesser extent when you’re below the exposure limits, anyway. It just a matter of how your “bank” balance is going to grow over your lifetime. Higher exposure, you earn a higher “interest” rate and you get a bigger “payoff” in the end).

So I’d rather go with ear protection that’s officially rated and I’d be happy to rely in part on my HA equipment, the more so if it could be officially rated but perhaps HA OEM’s and providers don’t want to go there for liability issues, etc.

P.S. I would say the advantage of my noise-canceling over-the-ear MS Surface headphones versus plugging mold vents is that I can with two independent earcup dials dial up the exact amount of noise cancellation that I want and independently dial up the streaming volume - one is not coupled to the other. I can also switch to amplified environmental listening at the extreme noise cancelling limit - that’s not terribly good - Microsoft should improve the environmental listening. But it’s a lot of control along with very good CERTIFIED hearing protection. There is the bulkiness factor but then 1/2 the folks at Gold’s Gym seem to be wearing Apple AirPods (or whatever they’re called) or Beats Headphones. So if one could capture the Apple coolness factor in the right device, maybe everyone at a rock concert wouldn’t mind being seen wearing a device that certifies that they have Apple-like coolness but also certified hearing protection tuned to the level of the concert that they want to enjoy - and no ear pain, ringing, down payment on a hearing loss the next day.

Edit_Update: Discovered, though, that headphones are TERRIBLE to wear while running. Haven’t run in a long time due to a series of minor operations (cataract, gum graft surgery, etc) and took to stair-climbing and walking on treadmill on 7% incline @ 3.5 mph since then. Today went back to running and HA’s alone would definitely be better for that - headphones vibrate terribly and possibly add bad noise levels even when trying to run as smoothly and quietly as possible. Perhaps lighter weight gun muffs would be a suitable substitute just for blocking noise with streaming direct to HA’s or I’ll go with gr8dane604’s suggestion of getting molds & blocking vents.

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#862

Hello everyone is a new user and I write from Italy; a few days ago I’m trying phonak marvel m90 r black color (I use glasses with black temples and so 'you notice less) on my left ear; I actually need a bi cros device because my right ear is very weak and even the left has some problems; I could buy the model audeo b r with the cros bicros b r, but I would like to use the marvel; when you think that the marvel will become compatible with the bicros b r version; will it be possible to make a firmware on actual marvel or will I have to buy another marvel model??? if not i prefer to use only on my left ear or you suggest to try also a marvel on the right side?

thanks for the help and sorry for my spelling

#863

A question for those of you demoing or wearing the rechargeable Marvels:

I have not worn rechargeable hearing aids before, and am hesitant to try the rechargeable Marvels (had my audi put in an order for Marvel M-13T, to demo), for one reason. What happens when you run out of juice for whatever reason and you don’t have a charger on hand? I can’t really hear without my HAs so I feel like I would be pretty screwed in this situation, whereas with batteries I could just pop in a fresh one and continue on my way.

I understand such a scenario is not likely to happen often with nightly charging and portable charging cases, but what if I forget to bring it with me on a travel trip, or go camping and accidentally leave it at home, or the built-in-battery runs out while I’m far from home?

#864

That is exactly why some people, surely when they’ve got similar hearing losses, are hesitant to get rechargeable hearing aids, unless you’re sure that you have some spare chargers everywhere.

Fyi, I am interested in Marvel with a telecoil and battery (not out yet)

#865

I wear the rechargeable Marvel M90R aids. They are supposed to last up to 24 hours. I typically wear them 13-16 hours each day. My audiologist included in my package two of the larger Omni Charges, one Clamshell charger and the battery pack. The battery pack can be put onto the bottom of the Omni Charger and will provide 7 additional full charges without having to use a charging cable, so this would be the option for camping, etc. where you don’t have power available. Obviously if you forget to take a charger with you on a trip or while away from home overnight, you will most likely run out of battery. In my case, I take multiple chargers with me every time I travel (phone, watch, laptop computer, etc.) so one more small charger is no big deal for me. Also, my hearing is not incapacitating without aids but if you are concerned then the disposable battery option is a better choice for you.

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#866

My trial M90Rs have died before I made it to bed for the last 3 days in a row, which is also why I have the M-13T’s on order. Even if I could go a full day consistently, I like hauling batteries more than I like hauling a charger when I travel. I know the chargers aren’t heavy, but I don’t want to haul anything extra on a backpacking trip. Early into my Marvel trial I had the right hearing aid die 3 days in a row at around 1:00pm. It would not respond to any button presses, no lights, nothing. I’d take it home after work, drop it in the charger for 5 mins and it would fix itself and show at 95% charged. Stuff like that would drive me crazy compared to just being able to pull the battery cover. My AuD reset the right Marvel and it hasn’t had the issue since thank goodness.

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#867

Moreover, you’ll be able to find regular batteries at many shops, whereas phonak chargers are (obviously) not available everywhere.

#868

Please nobody can help me? i have to decide in few weeks

#869

I think best is to check with Phonak directly

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#870

Thank GSL for your answer but i already contact phonak facebook but nobody help to me; the audiologist where i try the marvel hearng aid cant help me; i thimk he just want sell to me a couple of marvel m90 r altough the right ear is very weak; infact at the moment i use only on the left ear; the marvel is not cheap but i want buy it if i’m sure that one day will became compatible with bi cros br phonak like the old audeo

#871

@gaiottorenzo I also had to attempt a few times until they finally replied. Facebook worked the best (in my case). Try the contacts through the website.

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#872

Sono un inglese abitando in Italia da 14 anni. Ho provato qualche apparecchi acustici di Amplifon. Vanno bene ma erano troppo costosi. In Inghilterra si può comprare lo stesso modello a meno metà costo. Quindi in marzo vado in Inghilterra a provare due Phonak Audeo Marvel 90 ricaricabile a prezzo di £2,650 (€3.045). Dopo l’iniziale visita l’audiologia può fare apportare modifiche usando l’app myPhonak in tal modo evitando visite seguenti attraverso la Manica.

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#873

Translation: I am an Englishman living in Italy for 14 years. I tried some hearing aids from Amplifon. They are fine but they were too expensive. In England you can buy the same model at less than half cost. So in March I go to England to try two Phonak Audeo Marvel 90 rechargeable at the price of £2.650 (€3,045). After the initial visit audiology can make changes using the Myphonak app thus avoiding following visits across the channel.