(While I’m evaluating 2 different HAs) - one more aspect to consider is coulour.
I can’t really tell what a colour looks like from the website, so I was hoping someone could help, sharing photos of “real” HAs in different colours. Specifically if possible, I’m interested in:
Phonak (colour range) - Nadia or other series if the colour doesn’t change
I have seen irl “argent”.
Starkey
I have seen irl “Brown-Bronze” and “Champagne”
Regarding BTE, being a bit more visible, I’m wondering if would be a good idea to pick up black (just like any Sony product) or if hair colour is a good reference. Side note. I have brown hair. I’m in my mid20s
Any consideration about colours picking is welcomed.
I’ve not noticed this myself, the colours I see are pretty good likeness to models I’ve owed, one thing to consider is the quality of the screen you are using on your PC, if it’s low end then that would be a problem.
Has your local clinic got
“Demo” models for you to choose from? I think this would be a better way then trying to get photos on the web.
That’s a colour? it’s a rock band I think…but seriously thats silver colour your talking about right?
It’s a good idea to try to match the colour of your hair as most people do this.
Regarding Phonak, My mistake. I wrote “argent” meaning “silver”, mixed up words.
I got told that there are no other “demo” or “trial” colouring at the store… I do think someone online (YouTube) wore the clear-beige ones from Phonak. I was looking for seeing irl darker colour.
Also, the colouring effects-pattern is a bit different, meaning “phonak” are the same tone over the whole piece. Meanwhile looking at the Starkey I have, there some darker parts near the microphone, then shifting to a slightly clearer tone.
These photos show the colour from Starkey I’ve used for years, and I don’t know 1) what it would looks like on a bigger piece (BTE Starkey) 2) if there is a similar colour from Phonak
This is a smart thread, because Phonak’s website colors are wildly, hilariously inaccurate. This is what Phonak says its chestnut Audeo Lumity looks like:
I’ve never seen any others in person, but many of the other colors I’ve seen in ebay listings are also very different from the computer-generated images on the website. If you use google images to search for [Phonak/Starkey] [color name], you’ll get a lot of non-professional images for each color, and those are probably the best guide here.
For color choices, I bought the darkest brown to match my hair (I knew it was darker than on the website when I chose it). The Lumity is smaller than the Naida, but I think I’d have made the same choice with a larger device. Though I sometimes wish I’d gotten Caribbean Pirate (teal), because I could put a dark brown skin over it for the maybe 5% of the time this matters professionally, and enjoy the fun color the rest of the time! Of course, I’ve only ever seen that color on the website, so God only knows what it looks like in real life…
When it comes to color, you can’t really trust any screen, computer, phone. This applies to manufacturers websites and pictures sent to you.
Your HCP should have color switches and the idea is to match hair or skin color, or fashion colors.
A study I read of OTC HAs on how they’re were perceived by others threw up an interesting point. Something that looks like a device, black or white, was far better perceived by others than a mismatch of skin toned devices.
Per my VA AuD… while picking a color for my new aids (pure 312 ax) last week she mentioned that a lot of the young folks were picking white she said a guy told that he thought folks would think he had an Apple device.
thank you, i’ve scrolled thru few posts but haven’t stumbled upon how-to, i’ll ask directly.
my hair is black and my trials are silver so it’s a big contrast, i’d like to color my naidas black!
I plug these every time this comes up. I’m not affiliated with them, but I’ve ordered a lot, and I love them! Looks like they’ll ship to Croatia, though it’s kind of expensive.
For a number of years I wore red behind-the-ear Widex aids. In those days (and probably still, in Denmark) Widex offered a whole rainbow of colors! I was a new advocate for hearing-help and wanted to talk about it, and I figured red aids would stimulate conversation. But over 10 years almost no one asked me about my aids, or commented on them! Nor did they avoid me, like a crazy person. Then I moved, switched to Costco as a provider, and red was no longer an option. So, suit yourself. There are other options than “matching your hair”, although now I wear black ones with my salt-and-pepper hair (technician and I agreed). (My hair mostly covers the back of the ear.)
Not exactly what you asked, but why is color an issue?
I wore BRIGHT RED hearing aids for about 5 years with VERY short hair and was always having people look shocked when I started talking about hearing aids and they would say, “but you don’t wear aids!” DUH!!!
I really am unhappy that I can no longer buy bright colors because IF/when you happen to take and aid out and set it down somewhere - - it is SO MUCH EASIER to FIND them if they are a bright color and do not blend into to the background!!
When I first ordered my bright red aids, many years ago, the audiologist was surprised and said people only bought them for kids, so they could find them more easily on the school playground!
Signia Styletto AX7. Initially I wanted them all gray, to make them more visible, but they didn’t have such variant. Even the silver/gray stripe doesn’t help as most people won’t notice them (I have short hair). From the back it looks like I’m wearing eyeglasses.
Like I said in an earlier post, if it were just about my own preferences, I’d go for bright teal! But for those of us who are younger and still working, in certain conservative professions, that’s just not going to fly. For me, I work at a large law firm, and while fun colors are fine in the office, they’re not really acceptable in court. The judge may or may not care, but my boss definitely would. If I wouldn’t/couldn’t wear bright red nails, shoes, glasses, dangly earrings, etc., then I’m not going to wear bright red hearing aids in that setting so long as I have other options. It’s just inviting unnecessary problems, and to the extent that I have a choice, choosing bright red would be no less unprofessional than any of the other accessories on that list. So I got dark brown to match my hair for the 2% of the time where this actually matters, and I have fun with skins and tube twists when it suits me the rest of the time.
Plus, there are posters here from all over the world, which is wonderful! But different cultures have different norms and stigmas, and just because there’s no major negative social consequences to having visible hearing aids in the US or UK doesn’t mean that’s true everywhere. I’ve lived in other countries where this would definitely have been more of an issue if I’d been using aids at that time.
I wanted skin-tone aids for my first pair, to blend in. They are a pain to find on the floor or ground when dropped.
My current pair, I wanted the most obvious, to make them easier to find when dropped, and easier to be seen by others, which meant for ReSound: cherry red. And just like @mystuart and @lsmith77025 said, almost no one notices I wear hearing aids anyway, no matter what color.
Thanks for elaborating on that with such detail. Surely this apply to Italy, or at least my experience of it. This is exactly the reason why I may chose a more “blend in” color, like similar to my hair. Unfortunately there is an expected (boring) standard in most situations. Professionalism is all about other things, still everyone feels entitled to keep a “look standard”. I get the “I’ve seen an alien” stare by just wearing HA, given the absolute ignorance regarding general public. Just like you said I may prefer navigate social situation without much “what is in you ear?” problems. I’m sure HAs are visible in any case, if someone know what the generic form is. On the other side, I don’t despise the option BTE (being more visible) may give me – like a good “opening” for asking to speak clear or repeat and stuff.
