For the last six years I have been using Resound Enzo 9, initially the original version, then the 3D version. I switched audiologist two years ago to Amplifon, who took me on free, and have given good support even though I didn’t buy the HAs from them.
My audio has just given me some Amplifon B5 XQ 675 aids to trial. These are Amplifon branded Enzo Quattro 998. So far they seem to be a noticeable step up from the Enzo 3D, but they use the Amplifon phone app which can’t be installed on the Apple Watch (at least yet). This and the fact that I am presumably tied to Amplifon are causing some misgivings, although quite happy with Amplifon so far.
It seems unusual that something that the manufacturer would brand as a 9 series instrument would get a brand designation of B5 by Amplifon but there you go.
If it’s the Quattro equivalent then great. Part of the strength of the Quattro product IS the App and connectivity, so I’m guessing that’s the downside, buy I assume you’re taking that into consideration in the price.
If it’s definitely working for you, it’s a cost/benefit choice to go with the White Label version.
Thanks for that. In some ways the iPhone Amplifon app is better than the Smart 3D. It certainly does some things the Smart 3D doesn’t and speed and readiness of connectivity is better than than my Enzo 3Ds were with Smart 3D, presumably because they are the fourth generation of Enzo.
The only negative is the lack of the watch app. I am in two minds about the importance of this because the Smart 3D watch app was not great at connecting, and so I didn’t use it as much as I would have liked to. I am hoping that the fourth generation watch app would be a step up such that it would be more useful. I have emailed Amplifon asking about their plans for a watch version.
I have no way of knowing about price. I am not sure the Amplifon branded are any cheaper. There don’t seem to be any standard official prices: as far as I can see it is very much a case of what the selling audio decides on the day. If I get these Amplifons they will the same price as I paid for the third generation ReSound Enzo 9 3D three years ago, from a different audio.
The faster connectivity is based on a couple of things, but there’s a higher gain aerial in theQuattro Enzo which makes a huge difference to programming speed as well as the multiple core processors which help with the speech processing and feedback manager.
The call you have to make is basically about the iWatch. It depends how critical that function is to you. One of my customers thinks it’s fantastic, others aren’t that bothered by the functionality.
Happy outcome here. Amplifon have come back to me (impressively quickly) to say that the ReSound BeMore iPhone app is compatible with the Amplifon branded Enzo Quattros and works on the Apple Watch. So all is working and working well. The combo BeMore app with Quattro aids is much more responsive than the combo of SMART 3D app with Enzo 9 3D aids.
The BeMore app seems extremely similar in all respects to the SMART 3D app except colour scheme which is blue rather than red.
This didn’t work out. I found that the Amplifon aids were applying full noise reduction when used with the ReSound BeMore phone app. With the Amplifon phone app the noise reduction is auto. This highlighted that there are three components which all need to be compatible:
-The hearing aids themselves
-The software used by the audiologist to set up the aids
-The Phone app.
All three need to be either ReSound or Amplifon. Although combinations work there are issues.
My audiologist has now ordered ReSound branded Enzo Quattros, and will set them up with the ReSound software, and I will use the ReSound Smart 3D app, which also installs on the Apple Watch. Price is the same as the Amplifon branded ones.