Soliciting opinions/experiences on BTE aids vs ITC

Hearing Aids
#1

Will try and be brief but I would really appreciate opinions here, especially from experienced users. I started wearing aids 7 years ago and my very first pair were Resound BTE aids. I had a really hard time getting the right domes open/closed/sizes…. It was a real year of struggles. I was 59 at the time so I am still fairly active and in addition to the dome issues every slight drop of sweat while exercising, playing basketball, or working in the yard would short the batteries. Also I had to constantly adjust the domes pushing them back in my ear all day.

So after a year or that I went to my first pair of ITC aids using custom molds and I have never looked back. Now today, I have Oticon One ITC, and a pair of Phonak Virto ITCs. Through self programming I have these both adjusted pretty well BUT…. It seems like the technology is always behind in this style, sometimes by years.

Now I just retired last year and my wife and I are going on several extended trips next year including Jamaica. We both love the water for pool swimming and snorkeling and also want to stay pretty active so right now the aids I have are a bit of an issue since every time I have to go swimming I have to basically be deaf.

Now the Lumity Life has been on my mind and done a bunch of research and user reviews and these seem like a pretty decent solution for me BUT…. I am a bit gunshy on BTEs right now. I am not looking for discussions on features/brands/ power levels, I am simply focusing on the physical style differences.

So my long winded questions here for users are How are people who have used both ITC and BTE most happy physically with which solution?

Will the domes stay in the ears on the newer BTE aids or do most folks end up with custom molds?

Do those with custom molds still need ear locks?

Is the wire from the aids to the receiver lose and flexible or is it stiff enough to keep things from moving around?

I do wear glasses so I am concerned on that…thoughts there?

I honestly would not mind just staying with ITC but it does not appear that there is going to be anything waterproof in that regard even down the road that I can find. Appreciate the comments.

#2

My understanding on water resistant hearing aids is that they meet a technical standard that protects them from being desroyed if dropped BRIEFLY (< 30 minutes I think) into water up to 3 feet deep ONLY. They are NOT rated to be used for longer periods of time in water, and NEVER rated for depths greater than 3 feet. I’m pretty sure you’d still be told that by an HA provider.

#3

thanks Jim and you are correct on most aids out there with an IP rating for water resistance. The Lumity Life are being sold as able to be submerged completely and I watched three different actual user videos (not the manufacturer or some you tube star) on these. One lady put them in the washing machine and ran a cycle. One guy put them in a mesh bag, dropped them in his pool totally submerged for an hour. In all cases they all said they worked fine after that.

#4

I think you need to check out the posts from @1Bluejay about swimming with the Lumity Life. She tried them and there wasn’t a happy conclusion.

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#5

Wow. Maybe I got a LEMON pair? I wore my Lumity Life aids for 2 short swims in the pool of 20 min. I wear a snorkel mask, so I never go below 6 INCHES in the water. About 5 min after submerging the aids on the first swim, they “lost contact” with each other NON-STOP! So I’d get the 5-tone beeps throughout the entire swim. I put them in a high-end Redux HA dryer after the swim, and they “worked”.

Second time I swam, one of the aids just plain fried in the water. I got out and only heard a very loud electronic HUM/BUZZ in the aid. Dried them in the Redux to no avail. They were DEAD.

Not sure what dome the testers had on their RIC aids? I have soft silicone double domes. That was the weakest link, cuz it lets water right into the speaker - no getting around that! Perhaps folks who wear BTE or have a solid, custom mold on the speaker fare better, but what I learned is that I should NEVER EVER subject my “waterproof” Phonak Lumity Life aids to ANY water anywhere. Not in the shower, the pool or ocean. Treat them like the old Marvel aids - completely NON-waterproof. :no_mouth:

#6

Just for the record, I wear RIC - not BTE with tube and custom mold. And again, go cautiously with that stated Phonak claim of “waterproof”. You do NOT want to be on an extended vacation saddled with DEAD aids. I also love water sports and totally relate to your being tired of being DEAF in the water while everyone else is having a jolly time. That’s why I tested my Lumity Life aids in a swimming pool first. They failed real fast, and I’m back to being DEAF in the water. :slightly_frowning_face:

#7

Thanks much for the info. I’m beginning to wonder if the receiver and whats in the ear actually makes a difference. I guess I am down to more digging but it sure seems weird that there is such a dramatic difference in reults.

#8

If it was just domes that were the issue, you can get custom tips put on the RICs.

That said, in regards to ITCs being “years” behind, unless you are buying new hearing aids every year to try to be on the cutting edge you are being bamboozled by marketting. The lumity and paradise lines aren’t THAT different. If you can wait another year, the lumity customs should be out be the end of 2024. But you’re just not on the RIC release cycle, you’re on the ITE release cycle, and from that perspective the distance between releases is the same.

Waterproof is. . . eh. But being deaf while swimming sucks too. If you are considering the Life, consider trying to get solid silicone custom tips and having them teach you how to swap out the receiver if need be. Maybe get two sets of the custom tips + receivers and a drier. And then surface swim.

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#9

Hello J! Here are my opinions:

How are people who have used both ITC and BTE most happy physically with which solution?
–I prefer the BTE style mainly because I sweat so much. I use the EarGear covers which solves the sweating problem. They are not for swimming however. I have to remove them and keep them in a little zip lock bag when I go swimming and yes, I am then deaf!

Will the domes stay in the ears on the newer BTE aids or do most folks end up with custom molds?
–I have had custom molds since I changed from ITC to BTE. I have only used the standard domes once with a pair of loaners and I hated them. Custom molds all the way for me!

Do those with custom molds still need ear locks?
– Yes, my custom molds still have ear locks.

Is the wire from the aids to the receiver lose and flexible or is it stiff enough to keep things from moving around?
– The wire is fairly stiff but you need to get the correct fit. If it is too long, things do flop around. With the correct length, movement is minimal.

I do wear glasses so I am concerned on that…thoughts there?
– I also wear glasses. No problems at all!

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#10

many thanks for those comments… Im still debating this with myself

#11

@jsemberger I am in a similar situation to you, I prefer ITC to RIC’s, have been wearing ITC’s for most of my life, 35 years or so and felt in my recent trials if I wanted the latest Tech aids I had to go for RIC’s but I am just not as comfortable with them, due to the two piece nature of the beast.

It would appear that the only HA company that bring out new Tech for both ITC and RIC’s at the same time is Starkey.

The new Genesis AI models also claim to be completely waterproof (only the rechargeable models), this is really not a big deal for me as I can get by without aids in the pool, and I prefer the old disposable battery route anyway (which are only rated IP68 rather than IP68 Plus for the rechargeable models), as I prefer the 4 to 6 day battery life and not have to carry another charger with me when I travel.

So I am going to be trialling a pair of these in the new year ITC/Half Shell (UK).