Soundlens Questions

[TRB]

I’m a first time HA user who will be trialing the Soundlens 11’s. I have some questions and would appreciate it if current Otolens/Soundlens users and Audis would be kind enough to post their “Real World” experience with these aids.

Do you find that you use the programs or do you pretty much leave the aids on Normal. I realize that diffenent types of loss might require more or less different settings, but in general, do you use the programs?

Is T2 the only way to change programs and volume? Or are there other options? My cell phone only sends DTMF to a phone that has been dialed. Then it will only send a pre-programed string so no real time dial pad tone.

What is your average battery life?

Have you experienced much downtime (repairs, etc. when your aids were not available to you)?

For those of you that have had issues; how was your experience with Starkey’s customer service?

How do you find the sound quality? Is it natural or mechanical? How has your experience been with Movies, Music, Crowds, etc.

Are you glad you went with the IIC or have you experienced a case of buyers remorse? These are expensive aids and I’m wondering if you still feel as positive after having used them awhile as you were when you first purchased them.

Thanks for taking the time to post.

[JeffNNJ]

I’m a first time HA user who will be trialing the Soundlens 11’s. I have some questions and would appreciate it if current Otolens/Soundlens users and Audis would be kind enough to post their “Real World” experience with these aids.

Do you find that you use the programs or do you pretty much leave the aids on Normal. I realize that diffenent types of loss might might require more or less different settings, but in general, do you use the programs?

*I use the programs quite often, mostly because music sounds so bad on my normal program. It’s kind of like an AM radio. I have 1 set to normal, 2 is restaurant, 3 music and 4 is TV. I have only had them for a couple of months but the 4 seem to accommodate me fairly well during most activities. I use my BlackBerry to change programs and volume.

Is T2 the only way to change programs and volume? Or are there other options? My cell phone only sends DTMF to a phone that has been dialed. Then it will only send a pre-programed string so no real time dial pad tone.

*Are you sure that there is no way around this? I thought the same with my BlackBerry and even called technical support at T-Mobile who were unable to help me. Finally figured it out by myself. I would have changed phones if it still didn’t work.

What is your average battery life?

*4 to 5 days.
I keep a pack in my coat, office drawer and a few in my car.

Have you experienced much downtime (repairs, etc. when your aids were not available to you)?

*The first pair migrated out of my ear canals and I felt quite plugged. Without a remold, they remade them and now they fit deeper and barely move throughout the day. The left does feel a bit plugged at times so I am going to see if they can make the port a tad bit larger. It took about a week all together to get them back but it was around the Holidays so I suspect it took a bit longer.

For those of you that have had issues; how was your experience with Starkey’s customer service?

*Excellent.

How do you find the sound quality? Is it natural or mechanical? How has your experience been with Movies, Music, Crowds, etc.

*Sound quality is great BUT and this is a huge BUT, I think over time we adapt to whatever sound we are fed. Sounds a bit unnatural every time I put them in for a few minutes and then I think my brain adjusts and all is normal. I am only reminded that I have them in when I hear something loud, annoying or running water.

Are you glad you went with the IIC or have you experienced a case of buyers remorse? These are expensive aids and I’m wondering if you still feel as positive after having used them awhile as you were when you first purchased them.

*Hell no. I am single and shave my head so I wanted them to be completely undetectable and they truly are. If they weren’t available I would probably wouldn’t use anything else. They have truly changed my life. I don’t think I ever realized how bad my hearing was until I got them. My friends and family also tell me that there is a huge difference. Love them.

Thanks for taking the time to post.

Let me know if you have further questions.

[prodigyplace]

I have a different model of Starkey aids and have my own hearing professional challenges, so I can not be of much help about changing programs for different situations. With my old Widex ITC aids. I generally left them on the mail program and only occasionally needed to switch.

Perhaps your phone is not on Starkey’s T2 compatible list available here [PDF].

As far as I know, T2 is the only way to program these aids. ZCT or one of the other Starkey professionals here would know for sure.

If the Soundlens have the size 10 battery, I think you can expect about 4 days life. That is my experience with my current CIC aids.

[burra]

I’m a first time HA user who will be trialing the Soundlens 11’s. I have some questions and would appreciate it if current Otolens/Soundlens users and Audis would be kind enough to post their “Real World” experience with these aids.

I’ve got a set of soundlens s series 11, phonak nanos, and have had lots of experience both as an audiologist and wearer of various options - I’ll share my thoughts.

Do you find that you use the programs or do you pretty much leave the aids on Normal. I realize that diffenent types of loss might might require more or less different settings, but in general, do you use the programs?

The benefit of the smaller aids is that once they’re tuned and comfortable (be prepared for a few audiological visits though) they are pretty much ‘set and forget’ - If you want programs and bluetooth etc than I would consider a different option. Many people, myself included, like to keep it simple.

Is T2 the only way to change programs and volume? Or are there other options? My cell phone only sends DTMF to a phone that has been dialed. Then it will only send a pre-programed string so no real time dial pad tone.

The T2 works but it has some issues - again if having control of your hearing aids is important, i’d consider a different option

What is your average battery life?

4-5 days

Have you experienced much downtime (repairs, etc. when your aids were not available to you)?

If you look after them, keep them dry, clean them regularly etc you should have minimal problems. Statistically, custom made devices tend to require more repairs in general

For those of you that have had issues; how was your experience with Starkey’s customer service?

I’ve always found Starkey’s customer service first class

How do you find the sound quality? Is it natural or mechanical? How has your experience been with Movies, Music, Crowds, etc.

[To be honest I found them tricky to get used to - this is purely my personal experience. Clients of mine have various reactions. Background noise is a bit of an issue, however I think the new x series soundlens (with spectral IQ) may help by accentuating the high frequency information needed to hear in noise (mine are the earlier model that doesn’t have this feature). A huge practical benefit with these aids is that you can wear them in wind (i.e riding a bike) where other aids with more exposed microphones can cause annoyance. Music and movies sound good!

Are you glad you went with the IIC or have you experienced a case of buyers remorse? These are expensive aids and I’m wondering if you still feel as positive after having used them awhile as you were when you first purchased them.

There will always be an element of that - technology changes quickly and given the huge amount of options its hard not to question whether you should have gone for something else. I guess you have to consider what your priorities and lifestyle are. If cosmetics aren’t an issue you could get them made so they don’t fit quite as deep - having experimented a bit I prefer the comfort of small cics that aren’t quite so deep…You’ll get good back up service from Starkey so that’s a plus

Thanks for taking the time to post.

[ZCT]

Thanks for taking the time to post.

I think I agree with everything you’ve said.

For me the IIC is best suited for insert and forget. If you want to constantly change programs, interface with other devices, control the volume etc. I’d strongly recommend a regular CIC. Yes it is a bit more visible, but you have better access to a programmable memory button and/or wireless technology.

The IIC will take some work to get right, there are millions of settings possible, and of course the fit has to be perfect to make you happy. A patient should be aware of thing going in and expect the possibility of one or two remakes, multiple adjustments. And this isn’t a reflection on the technology, it is doing something fairly unique in the industry, it is being fitted to a fiddly part of the ear, and it is utilizing some of the most impressive hearing aid technology in the world today. All this is reflected in the price of course, but the pay off is one of the most invisible removable solutions possible.

[JeffNNJ]

I think I agree with everything you’ve said.

For me the IIC is best suited for insert and forget. If you want to constantly change programs, interface with other devices, control the volume etc. I’d strongly recommend a regular CIC. Yes it is a bit more visible, but you have better access to a programmable memory button and/or wireless technology.

The IIC will take some work to get right, there are millions of settings possible, and of course the fit has to be perfect to make you happy. A patient should be aware of thing going in and expect the possibility of one or two remakes, multiple adjustments. And this isn’t a reflection on the technology, it is doing something fairly unique in the industry, it is being fitted to a fiddly part of the ear, and it is utilizing some of the most impressive hearing aid technology in the world today. All this is reflected in the price of course, but the pay off is one of the most invisible removable solutions possible.

I don’t know. I find it really easy to change programs with my BlackBerry. It’s a tad bit of a pain because you have to do each ear seperately but it’s really no big deal. I usually go to my music program when I get in the car and then reset it to either normal or restaurant before getting out. I do recommend having a different voice in each ear because it can be confusing otherwise.

[TRB]

Thanks everyone for your response.

My cell phone is not on the list of phones that is compatable with Starkey’s T2 system. The contract is about up so guess I’ll be looking for another phone if the Soundlens work out.

burra, the Phonak Nano’s were also suggested as a possibility. In your experience, how do they compare to the Soundlens? I understand they don’t fit as deep, but are still pretty discrete. How about performance?

Yes, I’m more interested in appearance and performance then I am in bells, whistles and programs. I would ideally just like to pop them in and forget them. That is why I was curious as to how much those of you that use them daily rely on the programs to get the intended results.

Thanks again, this is a great site.

[ZCT]

Thanks everyone for your response.

My cell phone is not on the list of phones that is compatable with Starkey’s T2 system. The contract is about up so guess I’ll be looking for another phone if the Soundlens work out.

burra, the Phonak Nano’s were also suggested as a possibility. In your experience, how do they compare to the Soundlens? I understand they don’t fit as deep, but are still pretty discrete. How about performance?

Yes, I’m more interested in appearance and performance then I am in bells, whistles and programs. I would ideally just like to pop them in and forget them. That is way I was curious as to how much those of you that use them daily rely on the programs to get the intended results.

Thanks again, this is a great site.

Remember that most smart phones have free apps available that can make those DTFM sounds. So as long as you get a half decent smart phone you should be able to find it. If you get an Android or Apple iPhone there are dedicated apps.

[burra]

burra, the Phonak Nano’s were also suggested as a possibility. In your experience, how do they compare to the Soundlens? I understand they don’t fit as deep, but are still pretty discrete. How about performance?

That’s a tricky question TRB and I’m afraid I can’t give you a straight answer. Personally I like the way the nanos sound (but that’s just me - and I’m comparing with the original otolens) - having said that, I had a client today who we switched from nanos to soundlens for cosmetic reasons (she had tiny ear canals) and she commented that she much preferred the sound of the soundlens. Starkey have also had more time perfecting the IIC style so they’re in front from that perspective also.

[JeffNNJ]

Wish I could help but these are my first pair.

[JeffNNJ]

Needed something to put my Soundlens in if I need to take them out when I’m not at home and discovered that a contact lens case works great.

[TRB]

Great idea. I’ll make a note of that. Thanks

[Bogey]

Wish I could help but these are my first pair.

Jeff,
Your responses have been very helpful, thanks. I’m getting mine next week. Any other Items a first time wearer , should be aware of, need to know, etc., to make this process work out?

[JeffNNJ]

Just be really patient with them. I dove right in and started wearing them all day and really had very little problems. They were remade once because they were migrating out of my ears a bit. They fit much more securely now but my ears do feel a tad bit plugged so I am going to talk to my audi about having the port made a tad bit wider. They have been reprogrammed a few times and I think they’re fairly close to working perfectly. Just don’t think that all of a sudden they’re going to be absolutely perfect right out of the box. I would carry a contact lens case with me and scatter batteries throughout my world. I have packs in both cars, my office and in most of my coats. You only get about 5 minutes warning when they’re about to die so you want them to be handy. I would also recommend keeping them in some sort of dryer at night. If you have further questions, email me @ jeffnnj@aol.com and I’ll send you my number. Just remember to talk REALLY loud (kidding).

[Mick_Shu]

I know there is no love for Siemens around here… but, you might want to check out their iMini.

http://hearing.siemens.com/en/04-products/28-imini/iMini.jsp

[malbert]

I’ve had mine for almost 2 years now.

I never changed the settings on them, it’s too much of a pain, for me. I have the iPhone app, but the environment has to be pretty quiet, or my aids don’t pick up the tones. I did try it out several times, but just too much of a hassle.

My average battery life is 3.5 days, that’s on average, wearing them 15 hours a day.I get the batteries crazy cheap on Amazon and have spares stashed all over the place. And by the way, I get that kind of run time regardless of the brand of battery, I’ve tried 5 or 6 different brands and they’re all the same for me.

Just today they had to send my left one in for repairs.The speaker is only working at about 50% all of a sudden. In the course of two years, I’ve had both aids replaced completely at different times, the right side repaired once, and this is the third time for the left. Usually I’m out of the aid for around a week. Yes it’s annoying, but (leading to your next question…) Starkey’s customer service has been top-notch. I have a pretty good audi as well, but from Day 1, anything at all I wasn’t happy with, Starkey fixed.

The sound is very natural to me. I still have problems with discrimination in echo-y environments.

Am I glad I went with them? 100,000%, yes. You are correct, they are expensive, and that is the part that makes me so mad I guess, is how much I had to pay for them. But that being said, I’d do it all over again without hesitation.

I was never that concerned with having visible hearing aids, but no one and I mean NO ONE knows I have them unless I tell them. At 38 years old, most people are shocked to find out I do.

Like the bald guy said earlier on, they have completely changed my life.

-Michael

[TRB]

Michael, thanks for taking the time to reply. I go in tomorrow to have the deep impressions taken.

I hope my Audi can dial the Soundlens in a bit better then the Xino’s I’ve had on demo for the last couple of weeks. They’re not bad, but just not quite there (TV just doesn’t seem to have the volume I’d like, even with the different memories.)

I’ll post back to this thread once I start trialing the Soundlens with my first impressions.

[TRB]

Went to have the deep impressions done yesterday. Turns out my canals are to narrow and a bit to short for the Soundlens. I’m not sure what path I’ll take at this point. I’ve been wearing some Xino 110 demo’s and while they’re ok, I’ve had my issues with them. I’m wondering if the Phonak Nano’s would work or if they have the same 4mm canal width requirment that the Soundlens has?

The journey continues …

[Bogey]

Just be really patient with them. I dove right in and started wearing them all day and really had very little problems. They were remade once because they were migrating out of my ears a bit. They fit much more securely now but my ears do feel a tad bit plugged so I am going to talk to my audi about having the port made a tad bit wider. They have been reprogrammed a few times and I think they’re fairly close to working perfectly. Just don’t think that all of a sudden they’re going to be absolutely perfect right out of the box. I would carry a contact lens case with me and scatter batteries throughout my world. I have packs in both cars, my office and in most of my coats. You only get about 5 minutes warning when they’re about to die so you want them to be handy. I would also recommend keeping them in some sort of dryer at night. If you have further questions, email me @ jeffnnj@aol.com and I’ll send you my number. Just remember to talk REALLY loud (kidding).

I thought I was to receive mine last week, but just got them Monday night. The first thing I noticed is how much I was hearing, ( or not hearing before), kinda weird. Also, cool to be able to want the TV at a lower volume than my wife!
While I really like them, I have had a little issue in getting them in deep enough and them migrating out, so when I go back next week, and I’m not sure if it’s me doing something wrong or the fitting, so hopefully, the audi can help with that. especially the right one. It has been amazing how well they have worked. I haven’t really messed with the settings as I have been able to hear everything on the initial setting. Although I am getting some type of feedback or noise in my right one, which I’m trying to get a specific handle on what it is, (happens when people speak), so I can let her know.
Now I’m just hoping that Aetna will reimburse what they claim they will, and much of the cost will then be covered. (Got them through Hear PO). Even if they don’t, thus far, it would’ve been worth it.
Thanks for all the tips, I did look at the contact lens cases, but they acutally fit even better in a small pill box I got at Walgreens.