[quote=“Levo, post:554, topic:71341”]
What I am trying to get to is that unless you set two devices to the same output target curve, you are unlikely to get a comparable sound experience from any two devices and it may be that it is not the physical device capabilities or the audiologist’s competence that people dislike but the manufacturers interpretation of the target sound curve.[/quote] I agree.
I’m not surprised to read comments that range from,
‘This is a step backwards’, to
‘The new HA is an incremental step not worth the price of entry’ to
‘The new HA is revolutionary’.
I’m not surprised to read comments like, ‘Brand A is much better than Brand B/C/D…,’ though I much prefer ‘Brand A is better for me than Brand B has been.’
There are a couple of ways to deal with the apparent fact that the biggest differences in HAs may lie in the manufacturer’s curves. One way is to test lots of aids, but set all the aids under consideration to the same curve. and try to discern which differences matter most to the shopper. The other is to do some trials with the manufacturer’s setting as modified by the HCP and choose what seems best without letting some mythical ‘best’ be the enemy of ‘Hey, this is good!’.
The best, after all, is a moving target.
I got Jabra Pro 10s 3-4 weeks ago. Cost was a big factor. An audiologist at Costco who helped me in the past was part of my reason for going with Costco. The warranty was a factor. Convenience was a factor. M&RIE was a big factor
I’m really happy with them, primarily because of the accessories. I like TV, and I like the TV streamer. I don’t need the Closed Captions much! That’s a much bigger deal than I imagined it would be. I attribute my happiness to ReSound, even though I know all the other manufacturers offer a TV streamer.
I also thought the Multi-Mic would be helpful, and it looks to me as if ReSound is the only vendor of something that would allow me to pick up multiple voices simultaneously. (I guess the Roger can do it, at 4-6 times the cost.)
Starngely, though I had high hopes for the M&RIE receivers, I find sound to be clearer and more natural with the normal receivers.
And the audi left for a better-paying job.
All in all, though, I like my Jabras because they do a much better job than any previous HA I’ve used. And liking the Jabras predisposes me to like ReSound. They’re good enough.
From my history as an audiophile, I know that short-term trials do not always predict long-term satisfaction. I also know that often it’s very difficultt o decide between 2 items, because they seem to be equally good but different. But even the ‘best’ is far from perfect. We have no way of avoiding compromises. We can only make a choice and hope we picked the better options.
It took me a long time to realize there was no ‘best’ hi-fi equipment. I took the suggestion of the guys at a local hi-fi shop to monitor my listening. Their reco was to answer this question: If I really listened to what I was hearing, did I want to listen more, or did I get nervous? I learned to buy what gave me sound at home that I liked. I still read the mags (Stereophile and the short-lived but great Listener, for example), but stopped worrying about what the reviewers said.
I’ve approached HAs the same same way. I buy HAs every 3 years because that’s my insurance coverage. I think the Jabras are a big enough improvement over my Philips 9010s for me to be satisfied for the 3 years. I don’t know what I’ll do in 3 years, but I’m confident that HAs will be better in 2026 than they are in 2023. OTOH, I would wager that there won’t be universal agreement in the industry about which HA is best.
I do hope the industry cuts out the marketing drivel and provides prospective buyer real info on their offerings.