Like this!!!
Thanks MDB and kevin6 for that info 
Iāve run in to my first problem with the lyric. At the start of allergy season I woke up Thursday with my left ear being clogged (or feeling that way). Unfortunately for me, the audiologistās office was closed for the rest of the week for renovations.
I soon discovered that by tilting my ear one way or another I could regain a normal feeling or reblock it. The left ear is fine again but yesterday the same thing happened on the other side. I wasnāt able to clear it, and I removed the aid for awhile. I did find I can pretty easily reinsert them myself, and did so. Yes, by morning it was blocked again.
Itās been out ask day and I think itās done ā¦ I might have hurt it. Doesnāt want to turn back on.
I see the audiologist first thing Monday (previously scheduled appointment) so will see where it goes from there. I wonāt be signing up for a year long subscription without knowing this is resolved in one way or another.
Possibly my last update here (unless problems happen again). Just got back from the audiologist. Found no reasons to discontinue the Lyrics ā¦ my problem was, as thought, probably allergy season related. She suggested if it happens again that I try Flonase (etc) to help unblock the Eustachian tubes.
I am VERY happy with the Lyrics. For me, the impact on tinnitus reduction is at least as positive as the ability to understand words. It took some time for that to happen, and in fact I really didnāt notice it āgetting betterā. When I had the above allergy issue and removed one which then failed, I went the weekend without a hearing aid in my right ear. I certainly DID notice the tinnitus INCREASE.
I also lucked in to an excellent provider. We did do REM tests today, and the results actually suggested no changes were needed. That matches my subjective experiences as well.
So, am I happy to trade bluetooth capabilities, digital processing, etc, to get this benefit. Handily. I already have bluetooth earpods that work great with the Lyric (any earphone/headset/whatever device works good with it), and I donāt have to deal with the ever-present bluetooth issues I keep reading about. Digital processing isnāt really needed for me ā¦ my hearing loss does not preclude the directional control my brain has when hearing amplification exists, so I have no need to ātuneā the experience to my environment.
And the sound is EXCELLENT.
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I am so happy to hear this! I have the same issue with allergies. My allergies are so severe that congestion is causing fluid to leak out of my ears and kill the lyrics in just 1 day. Iām so worried that this problem might not be fixable because of how severe my allergies are, I basically have permanent hay fever year round. I was just prescribed 2 nasal sprays and Singulair for my alletgies and itās helping a lot so hopefully I can get lyrics put back in next week with no issues. I absolutely hate the sound of digital hearing aids. Everything is so robotic and annoying. I just want to hear normally again. Thanks for sharing your story!
Hi @cbowers173,
There is indeed hope. Too early to say for sure, but the early results for me are promising!
Best of luck!
Hi @Zebras!
Short story time! I went for ACDF surgery Tuesday. They all of you have any valuables including specifically listed items, one of which is hearing aids. Theyād never seen these (actually they still hadnāt at this point) but after a short conversation they want them out, so they give me a container and I pulled them out. (I had the foresight to bring the removal tool.)
Later I come to in recovery and they hand them back to me. Without much thought I place each in an ear and deploy the pinky insertion tool. This is the second time Iāve pulled that off. Apparently I was quite entertaining in doing this.
Also, very nice to have the ability to mute the hospital noises!
For whatever reason, the tinnitus has returned rather loudly since the hospital. Hoping that calms back down.
I had since minor occlusion effect in the right ear. 2 weeks ago my audi switched one size smaller on that side. Either being able to insert it further or it being a little more open has solved that problem.
So far I have not had a third return of the wetness that killed 2 pair (1 and a half ā¦ one came back to life). Knock wood!
Thanks for asking!
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It will, just takes more time than youād usually prefer. Any sort of physical stress will often increase tinnitus, definitely surgery. In my case, a couple weeks after Iām feeling better it will start to calm down again.
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Hello dear, any information about the subscription? I want to subscribe.
Sorry, Iām not a provider. You would need to locate a provider near you that offers the Lyricā¦
I have the latest iteration of Lyric. Superb audiologist. Prior experience with Lyric 2 that also worked very well; not so much with the 3ās. Advised that because of all the many high intensity noise secondary to USMC service and Aviation training before ANC devices from Clark and Bose I had profound left sided impairment. Got Signa bi-cross. Sucked. No localization possible. Got Lyric 4ās, latest iteration. Profound improvement despite my left sided ādeafness.ā E.g., I can now localize musicians on Live recording stage, L to R, Front to rear, in acoustically correct stage positions. Noise in restaurants has my non-aided colleagues up in arms. I concur with them, but even so I can hear the person next to me on my lefty-sided impaired ear. I have found extremely valuable the new Apple AirPro Max head set. I can Bluetooth connect music to my Lyrics, as well as the audio of Apple TV+ audio and video. AMAZING. I cried the first time I heard music as I remembered it from days ago. The only downside so far is occasional irritation secondary to increased humidity, or alterations in my auditory canal for who knows what reasons. Application of finger pressure, especially to TMJ area removes the discomfort. I do not like that I cannot replace them, but, Iām unwilling to do it myself, so I carry a spare of el cheapo phonak cheapies. YMMV. anthony
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Iām certainly not saying my experience will equate to yours, but when I had some discomfort in the ear canals it was because the Lyric wasnāt in far enough.
If your audiologist supports it, I encourage you to mention self insertion. You may fear youāll cause damage, like from going too far. I would need a hammer and nail to force them any further (sorry for the mental image). Once they get to the bony part of the canal they stay.
But if you have, for instance arthritis, I can see how self insertion canāt happen.
Another lyric 4 update. Iām now over six months in the use of Lyra 4ās latest iteration. I thought the following pieces of data might be useful to know for those who are looking for more info.
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For doggone sure, make certain that you have a back-up pair of aids. I have a pair of Rextonās I got from COSTCo before subscribing to Lyric. Why? Because one or the other of my aids, for reasons about which only speculation can provide info, has suddenly ādropped dead.ā I routinely have carried my Rextonās as backup for trips out of town or for when my AuD has been unavailable, e.g., over Turkey Day when I was out of town for 5 days running. Digital in one ear and Lyric in the other. Done. Hearing again.
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As Kevin 6 has accurately said, positioning of the Lyric 4 is critical. After several trials, we now have it down accurately, and since she discovered that placing it deeper into the canal worked far better, thatās what weāve done and there is no movement of it, no occlusive effect.
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Sound quality remains for me to be the single biggest plus. Despite no digital correction, I can hear my colleagues in meetings, friends at dinner in packed restaurants. And having some binaural capability has been absolutely remarkably good, especially when Iām in training contexts in which I MUST know who is to my left, rear and right positions. So much for the prior rotten COSTCO advice that I HAD TO HAVE Cross-aids. Left ear for me is severely to profoundly impaired in critical speech range, but, Iāll tell ya what, I sure as hell wonāt change out my Lyric 4 to get Cross-aids.
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Lyrics are in deep enough so that I can use air pods but they are clunky enough as to deeper insert that I choose instead to use my AirPods ProMax headset. They are for me a perfect combination with the Lyric. One potential downside, however, is that they MAY reduce Lyric battery life because of the sound level of input from the headset. I had one Lyric "go deadā after a long listening session (Chris Botti on Trumpet at his Boston Concert). My AuD told me Phonak had no data on any causality.
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One really good recommendation from my AuD was this; in anticipation of the need for a replacement aid because the battery just died, use the digital backup for 4-5 days to let my ear canal ārestā from the aidās continuous presence. Works wonderfully as to mitigating the āitchingā phenomenon.
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XS wax production has not been a continuing issue beyond the initial insertion. Convenience is 10/10. I have begun to do rock wall climbing and it is enormously reassuring to know before going up the wall that I do not have to worry about an aid dropping off and falling 50meters. AND I can hear my belayer below me, even when ambient noise level in the gym rising, no matter where he places himself below me.
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As to all the above: YMMV
Iāve got six more months or so to go. Itāll be a cold day in hell before I spend 7k to improve upon what the Lyric 4ās give me, even in the presence of the too often āgoing deadā events. (If memory serves, probably x3 in six months). And my CPA indicates Iām in line for a $3600 tax deduction as itās a medically necessary intervention given my work. YMMV on this as wel.
HTH, Anthony
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Hey
Iām four days in, a year behind you.
How is lyric working out ?
Read my profile - I think we have similar hearing loss + tinnitus experiences. And I thought I was looking at my own hearing test results when I saw yours! Mine falls off at a slightly steeper rate on the right side.
The tinnitus reduction really weighs heavily in favor. You too ?
Any advice for concert/going ? First test two nights ago in a small club was meh. I resorted to low volume + my AirPods.
Would really appreciate your insights.
Doug
Not interested in the Lyric, but very interested in the cataract surgery. How was it? Did you get the multifocal lenses, or just distance, or one of each?
Hi Doug,
You caught me at the worst time of the year for wearing lyrics. Aka allergy season. Iāve had no hearing aid on the right side because the ear canal is mostly blocked. āLuckyā for me my audiologist is out for medical reasons.
Pros:
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it really reduces tinnitus for me (and this week is a stark reminder).
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no daily chores taking care of aids (convenient)
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no battery replacement or charging (also a con)
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works with airpods,etc
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for me they are very comfortable, like I donāt feel them. That took maybe a week or two
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they take advantage of your ear shape so you preserve the natural direction sensing
Cons:
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no bass. This is another thing Iām noticing this week. Without an aid in my right ear i may not hear as well but suddenly i can hear the bass in my car, and i miss it!
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no replaceable batteries means when they are done you need to visit the audiologist. Usually they will try to schedule you before they flat out fail. My audiologist also letās me self change, but thatās rare from what i āhearā
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no Bluetooth at all, no phone app, no pairing (but see the pro about airpods)
Most of the year i love them. I am tempted to have something as a backup but havenāt made that call yet.
Also I have no experience with any other style yet so my bass issue may extend to other styles, but (a) with my loss i can probably use open domes, and (b) i think Iāve read others well go down to at least 150hz, while lyrics have trouble below 300.
- Kevin
Hi Anthony, itās been awhile so Iām not sure youāll see this, but regarding:
"Why? Because one or the other of my aids, for reasons about which only speculation can provide info, has suddenly ādropped dead.ā "
Assuming your providers stock hasnāt aged out (check the expiration date on a box), i have two thoughts:
Most likely, and especially if it seems to come and go before failing completely, this is a wax/moisture issue. If you see them come out with the yellow foam looking bleached, think moisture. And Iām not saying you got too much water in your ear ā¦ Iām saying your ear canal caused the issue. Allergies do this for me sometimes.
The other thing to be careful about is magnets, like your lyric wand. I thought i killed one once ā¦ i had put it on top of a tray and forgotten that tray was magnetic. It shuts off on that environment.
Good luck!
Thanks Kevin. All very helpful and sorry about your allergy issues. Iām happy to have found this thread and I see I have some catching up to do reading the rest.
Regarding bass and low frequencies with Lyrics, my concerns as well! Lyric 4 Trial disappointment! Suggestions?