Phonak Lumity Naida 90 UP BTE Review

Hearing Aids
366

@Neville

I’m so happy I had a hearing test. (6 months after I joined HWM because I had a hearing study 6 months before with CVA.
A follow up a month later was a step back.
Another follow up (short hearing test) was a leap ahead. But in this hearing test I couldn’t hear anything for the longest time. That produced the low frequency loss that’s worse than ever reported before Is my hearing that bad? Don’t know.

It’s the settings in the hearing aids that I think are causing me grief. He doesn’t adjust Noise Reduction much. He never adjusts “Dynamic” at all, and I don’t know what that is. He seldom adjusts “Noise Reduction”

I have trouble hearing at home inside (quiet), outside (very very noisy) and in my Jeep. Riding shotgun. Riding back seat. Driving too. That gets me in trouble at home. So does watching tv where “I don’t communicate”

If I use the APP and modify the program pushing the CLARITY program there’s immediate benefit.

So…these fancy hearing aids have these features to help.
Volume. I crank it.
Directional microphones. Don’t think these help.
Frequency Substitution. ???

But I swear the hearing aids aren’t helping.

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367

Yeah @DaveL it’s good to laugh… For many, many years, I worked in construction, worked my way up through the Ranks, General Labourer, Charge-hand/Gangerman, Forman, General Foreman, than Contract Manager, and almost everything else in between, I could turn my hand, to most jobs, Joinery/Carpentry, Bricklaying, Concrete Finishing, Pipe-laying, Scaffolding, Civil Engineer (Setting out/Profiling a new build) I was a good hand, at all these jobs, but master of none…As we say in Scotland, “I was very nacky” … Meaning, I had the abilities, to turn my hand to most construction work, but I was very inquisitive, keen as mustard to learn new skills, with a good set of hands, capable of undertaking most skill sets, once I knew the basics, it was then a case of practice makes better… Then the bombshell hit, SSNHL, I went Deaf, literally overnight, viral flu, and no one would employ me in the construction industry, and all those skills where of little use… The old analogue aids, amplified everything, it was impossible for me to hear on the phone, or on a hostile construction site, with severe noise levels, I couldn’t communicate, I couldn’t hear the danger of a loader or forklift approaching, it was all just noise!!! In desperation, I took a job in a new Pelagic Fish Factory (The largest in Europe, at the time) packing fish, inside a year, I became the nightshift supervisor, producing 50% more output, with half the staff…Unfortunately, I fell out with the managing director, telling him to shove his job, where the sun doesn’t shine :joy: :upside_down_face: :rofl: I don’t suffer fools gladly, and I told him what I thought of him, which wasn’t very flattering, but it was nice to get it off my chest, he was a complete imbecile, he hadn’t a clue, with absolutely no man-management skills… On a different note, we all know how frustrating poorly fitted hearing aids are, that are an absolute pita, and then some! The different hearing aid levels, drives me scatty/insane, it’s nothing but a manufacturer’s scam, to drive up the price, and relieve the end user of their hard earned cash… In my book, actively removing features from hearing aids, to the detriment of someone’s disability, is criminal, these hearing aid manufacturers are meant to be helping us all, to hear better, not switching off features, and making our hearing experience worse!!! Perhaps, my experience with the NHS Audiology Departments severe lack of appointment time, drove me to buy my own aids, they issue decent aids, usually 1 tier below the best, but there is no point in issuing decent aids, if they are poorly fitted, if you have complex hearing needs, a single 1x 20 minutes fitting time is never going to cut it, for the vast majority of end users, so we end up with a situation of millions of hearing aid users Pan UK, whom are mostly frustrated with their aids, simply because of a poor fit… About, approximately 10 years ago, I thought to myself, this is probably as good as it gets, we either live with the perpetual disappointment & frustration of poorly fitted aids, or take the bull by the horns, and buy our own! So, I chose the latter, almost ever since, but, I still occasionally go to the NHS, to see what was on offer… On a very rare occasion, I will get out the Noahlink Wireless, and do some DIY’ing, but it is indeed rare, I started DIY, around 2013, but nowadays, I don’t really bother, my Boots A.uD has the Phonak Naida 90 UP BTE’s set up, like I want them, so I am content, and I have no real need to tweak them…In a couple of years time, I will buy the next iteration of Naida, I just save the cash monthly, so it’s no hardship, I keep ahead of the technology curve, and my hearing aid frustration is minimal, I will happily pay for the best that I can afford, there is a lot to said for contentment, my ability to hear is important to me, it’s a priority, and anything that alleviates that sheer frustration, is a bonus, we are a long time dead… Cheers Kev :upside_down_face:

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368

If the hearing aids aren’t helping you, book an appointment and communicate this with your provider. Take your wife with you.

Per your audiogram being worse than ever–I don’t know if it’s accurate or not. Presumably this guy is experienced, you say you like him, you think testing went okay? If in doubt, go get a hearing test somewhere else and compare. But additionally, what is your WRS at what level? What are your speech-in-noise scores? That might give some insight into whether the hearing aids are the problem or whether your ears are the limitation.

Given that you notice an immediate improvement when you shift the app to clarity, it sounds like there are things in the programming that can be done to improve things for you. But I also suspect from the way you discribe things that your wife may have some unrealistic expectations. Here are some very common misconceptions loved ones have about how hearing aids work for people with significant hearing loss:

  • They should be able to hear me across the house (no, hearing aids function optimally within about 2 metres)
  • They should be able to hear me when I’m not looking at them (not if speech clarity is poor)
  • They should be able to hear me while driving (an increased need for lipreading and negative impact from road noise can mean that this is still challenging)
  • They should be able to hear people in the back seat of the car (many normal hearing people cannot do this)
  • They should be able to hear my incidental comments, without cueing, to their back while they are focussed on watching television at a volume that is comfortable to them (probably not)

Part of the job of the clinician is to explain the functional expectations of a particular hearing loss and the benefits and limitations of hearing aids to both the user and their loved ones. You can ask him to do this.

There are limitations to what a clinician can bill to WSIB, and you’re right that he can only bill a hearing test twice a year. But you’re eligible for other things. He can bill an office visit twice a year. Programming 5 times a year. He can bill custom tips one a year. Don’t be shy about calling in for an appointment if you are struggling.

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369

Thanks Neville.
I appreciate your answer.

When things get rough I start thinking about getting a Harley and going where it’s warm. Got my license in 1966/

I hear better now than with CVA. I hear better after the hearing test.

DAveL
Thinking.

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370

@Neville
Do you think Powerdomes will be restricting clarity (over slimtips/c.shells/molds)? I only tried them once while experimenting in Target, and the occlusion put me off. I didn’t notice how they compared with other domes and molds, regarding increased headroom in Target.

Peter

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@kevels55

I work in construction too. Usually have about 10 jobs on the go. Review. On time. Budget. build Schools.

Hearing damage was in industry. 3M in London Ontario. About '80? Was there 15 years. sandpaper/tape/adhesives

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372

Absolutely, and the price Phonak charge for a “Roger License”, which can now be only a piece of computer code (as the Roger receiver is now built in to the HAs), is daylight robbery.

I went private because “I just knew” it was poor programming, but was getting nowhere, with repeat appointment. I genuinly think I understand “Target” more than some of their staff. It’s such a shame.

I think it was you that gave me the phrase “own your hearing loss”, and that’s what I’ve done. No-one else will really do it. My Audiologist is great, but I’ve just done a fresh NAL-NL2 on my P90s, and now off to the pub to test them (someone has to do it).

This forum is the best
Peter

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Indeed Peter, by owning your loss, you can move on… It’s way too easy, to feel sorry for yourself, you grieve for what you once had, and what you lost! It took me many years to realize, the only person that could help me, was yours truly, wallowing in self pity, only leeds to one place… Depression, I know this, because I have been there! As for your experimental visits to the pub :rofl: :upside_down_face: :joy: (BTW, a man after my own heart :heart_eyes:) one must get our priorities right, it is the ideal place to test your new fitting rationale NAL NL2, and whilst you are in the vicinity, it would be rude to not partake in a few aperitif with friends, it will help you relax, tis all about the science, and as you say, someone has to do it :rofl: You know Peter, the more I read your posts on Target, the more I realize you are becoming such an adept with Target, I am aware, needs must, and there is nothing more motivating, than self help… Kudos to you Sir :wink: Cheers Kev :grin:

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374

Depends on your ear, but it’s commonly the case that you get better feedback control and headroom with custom tips. It’s also commonly the case that custom tips with controlled venting are less occluding than power domes, not more, although they have to be reprogrammed you can’t just switch. But not always. Some people fit power domes very well.

But if the feedback measure is significantly intersecting the gain in the software, it’s worth a try with the custom tips. They can take a bit to get right though. Some people do better with the jaw in one position for the impression and some in another, some clinicians like a bite block and some don’t.

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375

My Audiologist had me use a bite block. I think it works well for me. Certainly seems a better fit than the Custom Moulds I had made, which didn’t.

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@Neville

Today I swapped out 2 Power Domes. 4.0 L. Put in 2 Power Domes. 4.0L and turned down volume 2 notches to solve feedback issues.

L checked feedback. Horrible left ear.
Put back Left Power Dome 4.0 L

So Large in Left ear. Medium in Right Ear

Put volume at default.

Volume seems normal now. I could hear every one of my footsteps for some time now. That’s gone!

Change the right dome to one size smaller and my major issues are gone!
Dave

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But what else are you missing if you can’t hear your footsteps?

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Steps were extremely noisy. Low planes overhead were awful. They’re better now. Lived here for20 years. I thought the planes on final were really low

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379

Bit of a late reply here. I was “a little tender” on Thursday, but did note a few things (it was a pool match). I’ll persist with NAL-NL2 on my M70s, but have since reverted to my Audiologists Phonak Digital on the P90s. I found the cracking noise of the pool balls extremely loud, and speech recognition wasn’t as good as I’d hoped.

Sadly, I’m not very patient, so I tend to adjust too many things at a time, before a testing session in the pub. I’m glad I’ve got my Audiologist’s fitting to return to. However, I know there’s some subtle adjustment needed as: “s, f, th, sh” etc are getting more difficult to identify. He’s an understanding guy, so maybe I should book a visit.

All good fun
Peter

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Yeah Peter, at first I found NAL NL2, very harsh on my hearing, almost “jarring” might be a better word? But, I persisted with it, because I was aware, it also sounded slightly clearer & crisper, I would say, approximately 4 weeks, before I acclimatised? Eventually, I got used to it, and subsequently, I will not use anything other… Cheers Kev :wink:

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381

Sounds like your hearing is changing.

That was what my new hearing aid practitioner said when he did the first hearing test with me. My hearing was 10-20 dB worse than the dispensing Audi had tested.

I taught students in college. I told them they needed sufficient skill to get reproducible results when they worked. Told them more. Had fun.

DaveL

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@DaveL
Yes, I think it has deteriated some. I’ll probably set up a clone account with these settings, then try another Audiogram Direct (You can use Target to do hearing tests). Then I’ll see how it affects the fitting.

Peter

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I’m currently trialing a set of Audeo L90’s with UP RIC’s. Generally these are an improvement over the NHS Signia UP BTE aids but the sound quality using the iPhone or the laptop (Teams conference calls) is not as good and we don’t know why. Could someone look at my Audiogram and guide me if I would be better off trying a set of the Naida 90 UP BTE’s instead as per this post? BTW I do have the Roger ON and that is a fantastic bit of kit and really helps in a conference room and noisy environment such as a restaurant. Set upon the aids was done using REM and first fit did not work, sounds tones were way to base and not enough high frequency.

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Hello @deanvowden, I would be inclined to agree, you are borderline profound… The Naida Lumity 90 BTE UP might be more suitable for your needs, plenty headroom as well… I might add, to try the NAL NL2 fitting formula, this might or might not improve overall clarity, it took me a month or so with my previous Naida Pardise 90 UP BTE’s to acclimatise to NAL NL2, but now it sounds perfect to me, especially with the Naida Lumity 90 BTE UP’s… One other thing, the sound scope from a BTE, IMO will always sound much better than any RIC aids, it will be richer, and fuller, plus you get 10 to 12 days, on a 675 battery, always a bonus :grin: I would at the very least, trial the Naida 90 UP BTE’s, only you can actually know what sounds best… Good Luck, cheers Kev :wink:

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Hello @Baltazard, The Signia aid I have is the Stretta UP-R and yes the Audeo L90 is from a private Audiologist. The aid itself works well under normal use and I rarely change programs, in fact I’m pretty much on Autosense 5.0 all the time. But for some strange reason the sound quality and clarity through my iPhone 11 is not great using BlueTooth and when using BT or the Roger On with the company laptop and then attending Microsoft Teams calls and meetings etc, then again the Sound quality/clarity is not great.

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