I am a first time HA user and was just fit with the Resound LiNX Quattro. The audiologist says she did REM using Bluetooth. Is that something that can truly be done? Everything I see about REM involves placing a probe into the ear which was not done.
I am with you every time I have had REM they put small mics in my ears, then put my hearing aids in my ears
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This study found 20-to 40% that REM is being done. I can find no bluetooth method…
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Since REM measures the actual sound produced by the reciver in the ear canal and since the receiver has no microphone, I can’t see how some bluetooth measurement could be accurate. As stated, REM uses tiny microphones placed in the earl canal and then the reciever is inserted. The microphones then pick up what the receivers are actually transmitting based on the acoustics of the ear canal. At best the so called “bluetooth” method can only be a guess.
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I think more and more audiologists are getting asked about REM and many try to BS their way out of doing it.
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cough Horsehockey! cough
Ask her to humor you and do it again, a different “funny” way this time, you know, as you said, the way other audis do… Not gonna call her a lazy liar, because maybe she’s just ahead of the curve, but for now, let’s go with best practice to see if it makes a difference.
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I’ve had really ear measurements done where they put something in your and then put on the hearing aids and play a serious of sounds through them but the last time when i was set up with my current cros aids I don’t know if it was real ear measurements they hung something around my neck and then put the hearing aids in my ears and played a series of sounds through the hearing aids and then he did something on the computer and then played the sounds again and made some adjustments on the computer before finalising my programs.
If they don’t put microphones in your ear canal between the receiver and eardrum, then it is not REM. That said, I believe based on the many REM’s I’ve had, that they are wirelessly connected to your hearing aids, and adjust them while they are in your ears during the test. The basic process is to play the REM audio, measure it, and then adjust. Rinse and repeat until the measured curve matches the target curve.
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My audiologist did “in situ testing” through my aids which was a separate tab on the software to REM. It may have been that. (Although you’d think they’d know it’s different and not call it REM?)
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REM has been described as “real ear mapping” also. Maybe a better description for the added microphone placed in the ear to test aid outputs at different sound levels.
In Phonak software there is “Audiogram Direct” . By using the actual aids the patient will be wearing the audiogram is performed. I suspect some practitioners call this REM, not sure.
Just a note about MY experience. Got first time aids, insisted on REM. My audi said I’d be begging him to reverse my decision. He was right. The high end was WAY to loud. Everything was beyond crispy. He reprogrammed the HAs to what the Phonak app suggested. Much better. M90Rs.
I think you may be mixing the fitting process with a fitting formula or prescription. The fitting formula or prescription is the correction gain that is considered necessary by the formula to give you a best fit. Kind of like an eyeglass prescription. Unlike eyeglass prescriptions, there are a number of standard prescription formulas used, and as well each manufacturer has their own flavour of one. See the examples below. SmartFit is Rexton’s proprietory formula. The others are standards. These examples are ones I simulated for my loss to try and evaluate which one may be most suitable. There are quite large differences between the fitting philosophy of each one.
REM is just the process of measuring the delivered gain in the ear canal. It can be used to verify any of the prescription formulas. REM is just the tool to check to see if the gain was as promised. REM should not change the prescription, just check that it is correct.
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As my Audi puts it REM should only verify the out put matches what the fitting is set to.
After reading Sierra talking about 3 levels of REM a while ago I scheduled an appointment with my local Costco. Just got out.
New hearing test. Not bone. REM with probes in front of aids. Sit still and centered in front of the Aurical speaker. 3 levels. Nice. Some differences from 2-odd years ago. Although I didn’t valsalva moments before.
She didn’t kick me out after mentioning DIY.
I have no recollection of the different levels of gibberish speaking and the quick rising tone from the original fitting.
She overwrote what I had in there from my DIY efforts but kept the programs.
It’s a rather louder world now.
Thanks Sierra.
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Thanks for all your input. I’m new at this and am trying to figure things out in the HA world which is actually quite a frustrating process.
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3 levels of REM? Can you link to previous post? Thanks!
I remember it being discussed, but not in what specific post. The issue was whether a REM test was done at one sound level or three. I had reported that the fitter I go to at Costco does the REM at 50 dB, 65 dB, and 80 dB. This matches how fitting prescriptions are done to get compression.
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What the audiologist did was place the ReSound HA in my ears, which were linked to a computer program, then go to a specific decibel, and play a beep. She would ask if I heard the beep and I would say yes if I did and it appeared to me that she would set the decibel at some particular level. Sometimes the sound would be almost too soft to hear so l would tell her that and she would make it a little louder, but I could still hear the beep softly and then she would set it at some particular decibel. She did that to each ear individually at what seemed to be about 5 or so times. She did say it was specific to my ear canals and that it was REM.