I have a pair of Resound LINX Quatro aids with RIE. This is the first time I’ve had this type, having had only conventional BTE NHS aids previously. I am having ongoing problems with moulds. The problem seems to be that the mould, whatever type I have, will not stay in my ear and I am constantly pushing them back in. When they slip out, the sound distorts resulting in a harsh almost reverberating sound. My audiologist has tried endless things to try and fix the moulds and sound distortion but nothing seems to work. Is it possible that my ear anatomy is not suitable for RIE, that they are too big? I’ve never had this problem with the BTE aids before.
do you have the hard molds or silicone ones? I hated the hard molds and switched to silicone and they seem to stay in place… also there are different types of mold sizes that can be made from your impressions… my audi showed me paperwork with pics of them to choose from… I picked the smallest in overall size
I’ve heard that a skeleton lock–I think sometimes called a canal lock can help resolve this situation. If I understand correctly, it’s an extension of the hearing aid mold that fits into the outer part of your ear and keeps it in place…
They are made of a hard, clear plastic material.
Looking at similar ear moulds, I would say they are skeletal lock, as they have a central portion removed from the outer part. I have tried solid ones but that was uncomfortable. The small ones would move around all the time.
The molds are not made correctly for you then. I have similar ear molds and don’t have any issues from the beginning with them
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I don’t see why BTE vs RIE would matter. It’s the mold that keeps it in place and both have custom molds. Perhaps you’re sensitive to having the receiver in the ear as opposed to having the sound come from the hearing aids? (I’m grasping at straws)
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Did ReSound make your molds? (you use English spelling so perhaps you are from the UK). I had silicone molds made by ReSound. They stay in place VERY well. I even have to tug a bit gently up and out on the back part of my upper ear lobe to help open the ear canals when I go to remove them.
Here’s a picture and a discussion of mine for someone who was having a problem with Widex ear molds quite a while ago. All molds are not the same. From your impression, someone decides how to make one and they are supposed to consider in planning the mold to be made from your imprecision how they can use your ear anatomy in the shape of the mold to help it stay in place. Some people are apparently more skilled about that than others and as MDB indicated, sometimes it takes a little bit of extra anchor added to the mold to help out. (I was lazy about thoroughly cleaning my mold before I took the picture!). You can also see the Select-A-Vent plug protruding from the lower left of the mold.
Thanks for the detail. I have attached an image of my right mould. This is the worse. It seems to rock in my ear. I can push it in and the sound is OK but it rocks back to its own comfortable position. I’m just thinking my ears are too small for the receiver. They are not uncomfortable moulds. I just don’t know if the distortion in sound I am getting is due to the movement.
wow that thing is huge…my 1st set of molds looked like that and I cut off all the extra outer mold and made it a nice fitting silicone mold… this is what my 2nd set look like… they were also trimmed a little
All the outer stuff is just to keep it in place. If your ear canal is such that it isn’t needed, lucky you!
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yes, i understand … but with the silicone molds they practically stick inside your ear
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This my ear molds and they fit great
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