Question regarding Oticon vs Widex for specs comprehension

Hearing Aids
#1

I am trialing a new pair of Widex dream 440s right now and have worn the same kind for 7 years and asked my audiologist which she thought was best for speech comprehension because of course that is the most important need with hearing aids and she said there are about the same. She said because I am used to Widex that I should probably just stay with that brand but I don’t care to change brands. I just want to be able to understand my 6 year old granddaughter. And that was becoming more difficult with the older Widex I had.
Last week I had to have an adjustment and saw a different audiologist and asked her the same question and she said hands down the Oticon is better for speech comprehension so now I think I should trial them even though they are quite a bit more expensive and I’m not sure which Oticons they are.
I would like options from you all because you all know so much more about these things than me and I would appreciate any advice you could give me.

Sorry this is so long and thank you.

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#2

Why not trial a pair of Oticons. What have you got to lose?

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#3

If you have access to a Costco, I suggest you try the Rexton Reach (Signia) which should be in the stores next week or the Phillips 9050 (Oticon) which is expected sometime in the next month or so. These are premium hearing aids made by the same companies that make the higher priced brands. They are much cheaper at around $1499 ie $1599 per pair and Cosco gives you a no hassle six month period to return them if you don’t like them.

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#4

This is what I am thinking too. Thank you.

#5

I do not have a Costco anywhere near me or I would definitely go there. The prices at the Audiologist office are extremely high but I do want whatever hearing aid will allow me to hear the best I can so I am willing to go in debt for them.
They told me the Oticon will be about $5500 and my insurance will pay $2000 of that.

#6

I have been wearing Oticon aids for 14 years, and my audiologist says the same to me, he will not change me because i am so use to tje Oticon sound. But i say try the Oticon INTENT aids for at least a couple of weeks to see for yourself. I still try different brands at times but continue to prefer the Oticon sound.

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#7

Thank you and that’s what I’ve decided to do. I feel like I should at least try them.

#8

Why not get the Intent 2 and drop the price a little bit. In my case it was a $700 difference. Unless your life style puts you regularly in very noisy situations, you may not need the Intent 1.

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#9

I am in noisy places a lot and am around little kids a lot and those are the two things I struggle with the most. I’m not even sure which Oticon she was talking about but I’m going to call tomorrow and find out.
So you would suggest the Oticon intent 1 if I am in noisy situations a lot?
Also, that’s for your advice. I really appreciate it. I have worn hearing aids for 17 years but I still feel like I’m still learning about them all the time.

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#10

Even if your audi didn’t mean the Oticon Intent but was referring to the older model like the Real, I would still push your audi to get the Intent over the Real if I were you, because the Intent has a number of very major upgrades over the Real and many people have reported a significant enough difference between them to make it worth pushing for the Intent, unless you can get a super killer deal on the Real, which I highly doubt you can at this point because Oticon would rather sell you an expensive Intent rather than a very cheap Real anyway, because their production cost of goods for the hardware is peanut compared to their retail price for it.

It’s hard to recommend a tier level of the Intent to an individual because there’s no telling how that individual can handle noisy places, and everybody is different. For example, even if you’re in noisy places very often, but you’re good at being able to handle the noise, the tier 2 might suffice. The problem is that you don’t know unless you try it. One option is to ask your audi if they’re willing to let you try the 2 and upgrade to the 1 if you don’t find the 2 good enough for you. Otherwise, if the price difference is not a big issue for you financially, I’d just get the 1 and be done with it.

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#11

The Widex Dream chip was released in 2014 so that is pretty old technology now. Are you sure that is what you are trialling?

#12

I really appreciate your insight about this because I know nothing about this brand but I agree if I am going to get the Oticon I should push for the best I can get even if they are more expensive.

It’s not that I can easily afford them but being able to hear as well as it is possible for me to do is a priority for me so I’m willing to sacrifice in order for that to happen and if they really do help me then I plan to keep them a few years. I kept my last pair 7 years before this trial.

Again, thank you.

#13

The Oticons are definitely worth a free trial! With that said, don’t expect miracles. Little children usually speak very softly and usually do not enunciate well. Background noise can be a killer, too. New HAs might be a big help or a small help, or perhaps little to no help, depending on numerous factors in your particular situation.

#14

Yes, I understand all that but I do think they are worth a try. I’ll never know if I don’t at least trial them and then I’ll always wander.

Thank you.

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#15

I thought maybe I misunderstood so I called and asked and she said they were moments 440s so hopefully that makes more sense.

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#16

I don’t believe the Widex product you were using is close to the current Widex product.

#17

Why do you think that?