Starkey Otolens - my review

Hearing Aids
,
#88

I used to work for a couple of those chains back in the day. Hidden Hearing and Amplivox/Ultratone/Sietech (couldn’t seem to pick one name!).

On the one hand the chains have enormous buying power and command amazing wholesale prices from the manufacturers as a result. But their overheads are incredible, a national infrastructure, local and national marketing campaigns, support staff, company cars, free home visits (at least when I was there), etc. Not to mention the high rolling board of directors, and in some cases shareholders.

Trust me, I completely understand your desire to shop and evaluate. I’m a consumer too. Actually what amazes me is how often I see people make a decision for as much as $8,000 without shopping around, researching online, visiting different professionals etc. My whole career I have really been amazed at how many people will meet me for the first time and a couple of hours later, having done no other research, hand over a check or credit card for thousands of dollars.

Even now in the age of the Internet, I see people, even younger people, who just come in, have a test, and drop thousands of dollars. I would never dream of doing such a thing myself, but hey, it makes my job easier!

In recent times I am beginning to see a few more savvy consumers, and I’m sure the Internet will create more in the future. But I pride myself in being an expert in my field, and of the hearing instruments I dispense, so I am not afraid of an informed patient.

Thank you for that lovely offer. I think Bournemouth is a great place. As a trainee my mentor lived and worked there, and I spent many fun times learning my trade working with someone I have enormous respect for back in the early 90s. I dare say I still have some patients living in Portsmouth, as I volunteered to cover that area for a while when a dispenser went on leave. But I lived and dispensed in the Bristol / Gloucestershire area mainly.

Anyway, while I would love to stay in Bournemouth, enjoying the nice weather, and avoiding the over priced British hotels, when my wife and I travel back to the UK we have to spend most of our time visiting my parents who sadly retired to Yorkshire which let’s face it, is no Bournemouth! :rolleyes:

#89

I have only had the Soundlens for a few days, but I am quickly getting used to them. In some ways I feel as though I could have used more help from the audi. This is my first time wearing HA, and I was given just real basic instructions on how to insert them. I am learning a lot on my own basically. As they start to fit better, I am really impressed by the invisibility of them and the performance. WOW! I was at an outdoor party today and I was really able to follow all the conversation going on. I am really impressed with the Soundlens.

For your question, yes and no. I think it is really about fit. At first, the left was pretty good, but the right felt stuffed. I think I have figured out (on my own) how to really get a great fit. This works for me, and maybe, just maybe, it will help you as well. Try taking the opposite hand (left hand for your right ear, and vice versa) and try pulling the skin (gently of course :slight_smile: ) near your eye/forehead/cheek, etc. towards your nose (which seems to widen and open up the ear canal). While you do this with your head turned towards your left side, use your index finger on your right hand (to the right ear) and insert the Soundlens. It goes in easily for me, and basically locks it into place. I have found that this method works really well for me. It allows me to easily and tightly insert the aid deep within my canal. It doesn’t move, hurt, and it is definitely deeper than it previously was. I also noticed that as the aid gets near the ear drum, the sound is clearer and has less feedback. Hopefully this helps.

#90

I also have the Soundlens. They do a great job and virtually invisible. Once they are put in, I barely notice them. Took a bit to get used to them, but I once I did, it’s been mostly great! Good luck.

#91

I was in a similar boat with my audi. She first told me that I might not be happy with the fit (they weren’t anywhere near as far as they could or should go). Didn’t really go over how to get them in. The first couple of days it was uncomfortable. But I was determined and figured it out on my own how to put them in properly. They are now virtually invisible (someone would have to look very hard to see them and also have the perfect lighting). The sound is good, my speech comprehension is close to normal I would say, and they have made a huge improvement! Very happy. Can’t put a price on being able to hear and feeling good about the hearing aids.

#92

Hello everyone.

These hearing aids had a horrific death. My dog just ate them BOTH over the weekend. Now, I’m scrambling trying to find out how to get a new pair without breaking the bank…my insurance company does not pay for them and my actual hearing aid warranty has expired (2 months ago).

A loss at what to do…

#93

Malatesta,
I know your post was long ago but was curious if you ended up getting these and what the results were. I have a similar hearing loss in the low end and I’m not sure whether these might work for me or not. So far, I’ve tried 2 different HAs using 2 different audiologists with very poor results. Neither helped me hear better. I’ve done some research on reverse slope loss but neither of these audiologists were knowledgeable about programming for that kind of loss. If any of the professionals here would comment on whether they think this might be workable for me, please let me know.

Thanks!

#94

First - Shoot the dog.
Second - Get new hearing aids.

#95

An interesting update…

I paid over 7k for these HAs back when they were released in early 2010. Luckily, insurance paid about 2k of that…but still…the price tag stung for years.

After a bit of research, I’ve been able to find local audiologists that will sell brand new ones for 1,999/ear! That also includes services, repair, and 3 year warranty. Not bad, imho. Still a bit high, but this is a bit more workable.

#96

Can you please give me the audi phone/email who sells soundlens 11 for 1999?

#97

Here’s how I did it:

1.) Go to truhearing.com and you will see pricing for the 3 versions of Soundlens: 7, 9, and 11. http://www.truhearing.com/hearing_aid_products/starkey/soundlens_9 . The version9 is for 2195/ear!

Or,

2.) Call or email various audiologists around your area and ask them for their best price. I was able to find one that gave me a better deal (about $200 less per ear) than truhearing.com!

After you do all that, contact Starkey headquarters and have them personally fit you these things because most of the audiologists I have talked to do not have much experience. I figured if i"m going to pay top dollar for these devices AND they are such an important aspect to my social life, I might as well get the best engineers/audiologists to work with—GO STRAIGHT TO THE SOURCE. Starkey will fit you a new impression, give you a brand new audiogram, etc. for FREE, as long as your Soundlens is under warranty. They will even pick you up at the airport AND give you a discount at a nice local hotel to stay at. The only thing you have to do is pay for your own airfare there. After all that is done, you can transport the tweaked files to your audiologist so they can keep them on file. Also, you can do follow up visits with your own local audiologist (unless you want to fly to Starkey HQ again, lol).

#98

It looks like hearsd.com soundlens 11 for 2046 is a good price…

#99

In all honesty, going with the cheapest price on a product with a big potential for fit issues and failures as discussed further up in the thread is unlikely to yield the best customer experience. Of all the products I have fitted in the last few years the one with the most RTM (Return To Manufacturer) issues is the the Soundlens.

Given that you are going to be spending a fair amount of time in their office, I reckon it’s fairly sensible to strike up a good relationship with a dispenser/Audiologist who is nearby and has experience of fitting them.

#100

Can you please share your experience with Resound Verso iic?

#101

Never fitted one, I used to run in lots of issues with their ITE product; primarily because they used to hand finish them blindfolded or so we thought. Their product reliability on the modular Be series was appalling and the Live series seems to require more repairs than other similar ITE.

Given the specific difficulties of the IIC format: I’m not going to risk my customers’ patience.

#102

My audiologist is energgetic guy who has 20+ years of experience but mostly with Resound,
Do you think that fitting Soundlens requires som special learning curve with Soundlens or being just
experienced audiologist would be enough.

#103

Fitting IIC requires a bit of skill to produce a past the 2nd bend impression. The programming should be straightforward, but whether you will find the aid comfortable and whether it sounds ok is another issue.

#104

Thank you.

#105

Just got back from my trip to Starkey headquarters in Minneapolis. It was definitely an experience and I am glad I went. I spent a whole day there at their office and got to meet and talk to some of the Soundlens experts. What was interesting was that some of the engineers and audiologists on staff were also Soundlens users, so we were able to communicate on the same level on some aspects of my concerns. Again, the main reason why I made the trip there to Starkey was because I couldn’t get the fit just right with my previous audiologists. I do not blame them–this is a complex hearing aid to fit since every ear is different. As I sat at the table with other patients waiting on their appointments, I found out they were also Soundlens wearers and we all again had something in common to talk about. The issues they had were also fit-related(!). The neat thing about Starkey (I admit I was a little embarrassed when it was my turn) was that the work was all open-- you actually get to watch other patients have their ears clean via video, as well as a live view of the fitting/molding process. The staff was friendly, but they sure were busy with orders coming and going. I was there a whole day for everything from a new hearing test, ear cleaning, one-on-one discussion with an audiologist, impressions, fit testing, and software tweaking. This was the kind of care I needed if I was going to pay top dollar for these things AND have them be such a huge part of my social life. Might as well go to the source and get it done by experts. I believe I got a good fit and I think the software has been tweaked to make it more comfortable for me to wear them (I had issues with my voice sounding “tinny” when talking–this required Starkey to bring down my low frequencies [no problem since I have good lows] , they also made the vent hole larger).

Unfortunatley, there was a huge setback: I seem to have gotten a congestion/sinus issue with my ears and they have been plugged up the entire day I was at starkey. This may have affected the ability for me to get a great fit. I tried to pop my ears and drink hot tea, take a hot shower, etc but nothing worked. The “plugged up” sensation seemed to have been exacerbated by the impression process and they are STILL plugged up as I write this. The impression process was a little painful as the ear pressure was altered during the removal of the mold (I think, not 100% sure yet). It may be due to the fact I also flew in an hour earlier and my equilibirum was not yet back to normal? I expect this to clear any day now.

To the audiologists reading this post: There were some audiologists that brought some of their patients along with them. ONe had 2 customers he flew with to Starkey. I thought that was nice. I’m sure it’s not practical for all audiologists to do this, but I can tell you that these patients are customers for life for this audiologist.

The other thing I liked about the Starkey visit was the free breakfast and lunch for patients in the cafeteria, as well as the free transportation from the airport to Starkey (though some Starkey reps also dropped off the patients at the airport, but since I didn’t request it, I took a $20 shuttle ride to the airport). There’s also the nice discount from Starkey at the local 4 star Marriot ($90/night) which also provides free shuttle transportation to Starkey! All in all, it was a very cheap trip for me (cheap southwest tickets at $50, not including points I had from a credit card), especially considering the importance of getting the aids fit just right and to my level of satisfaction. The trip also put me in direct contact with a rep that will personally expedite all my future deliveries and needs.

I admit, the jury is still out on the Soundlens, but part of that is due to the fact my hearing loss is so severe and I am right on the borderline. What I do know is that I’m happier now than I was with them prior to the trip.

#106

Sorry Skunker,
I don’t get it completely, you went to local HA dispenser, negotiate price, he/she made a cast and submitted trial to Starkey, you received HA from the suspender and fly to Starkey HQ. Is it correct?
Cheers

#107

Sorry, I see how you are confused!

I asked (via email) several audiologists to submit me their best price. I found one that I liked, met with them, and had them order me a new pair of Soundlens. I had an older pair of Soundlens that were eaten by my dog, so this new audiologist was able to get the serial numbers from that old pair and have Starkey rebuild new pair for me. When I got them, they did not fit too well and so I called Starkey asking if they could make new ear molds for me so I could get a better fit. They said yes, so I then flew up to see them. Hope that makes sense!