Starkey Otolens - my review

Hearing Aids
,
#21

Hey folks,
I’m happy to report that there has been a pretty good improvement every since my slightly negative review I posted a few days ago.

For one, people have told me that my hearing “has improved”. A big positive has been the ability for me to hear and converse with people easily while driving. Speech has been clear in the car (and my car is loud). In the past, I have avoided transporting friends/coworkers/etc in my own car due to my hearing issue. However, this may change…

Background noise is still too loud at restaurants, I can hear the waiter better this time around.

#22

Wow, those pics are amazing. I currently wear a Starkey S series CIC but they are still visible. The complaints you had earlier were basically the same complaints I had when I first started wearing hearing aids - they go away after you get used to them.

I’m going to call my audi tomorrow to check these out. Thanks for your review!!

#23

For my part they are worth the money. I’ve actually had a good experience insofar as cutting down on background noise but I have yet to try them in a real crowded room with a lot of people talking.

I would ask the audi if he’s fit any before. I would not want to be his/her first since it is so deep.

I think they are all required to go to Starkey training to fit the Otolens but I’ll let the audis here address that.

Went in today for my second fitting and was told he had a new software update to install. He also tweaked the gain.

#24

I don’t know. What does your audi say?

#25

Today I went back to my audi for the first time since the initial fitting and got to meet a Starkey/Otolens rep at the same time. He specifically worked with me (my audi shadowed) and tweaked the settings. He also determined that the left piece was not working properly and arranged to have it shipped back to the factory for repair. However, the changes he made on the right piece worked GREAT. I could hear my own speech better. Someone in the office made a comment that I “corrected the way I talked”.

So far so good! Looking forward to getting the other one back. I guess this may work for me after all!

P.S> The starkey rep also activated some hidden features in the software that are unknown to most audis unless they call in. Whatever it was, it seemed to help.

#26

That’s great news Skunker, thanks for sharing your news. Does that mean you’ll be wearing only one hearing aid for a while? I remember when I had to send one back for repair and it was pretty weird having only one aid in, really lop-sided. I hope you get things straightened out soon and can report back when you get the left aid back.

Dave

#27

Hi Skunker
I am at the stage of selecting HAs, and until your review I was unaware of the Otolens but now very interested. I see someone commented that they are $3450 each, which I presume is the US$ cost? How did you arrive at the decision to select these, particularly given their high cost?
If they are head and shoulders better than anything else around, then perhaps I could extend the mortgage for a few years and get them, but if they are only a marginal improvement, then I would go for a standard CIC.

I’m keen to see how it all goes once you have the second aid back and bedded down. Are you finding them comforatable now, even though you have to push them in so deep? I’m wondering how the hell the battery fits that far in?
cheers
John

#28

I just got the oto lens 2 weeks ago and have really been struggling with them. I am a first time wearer of HAs. I went with the otolens because of it being an ICI and until I read your post I was not pleased with them. I felt like I was living in a tin can. after reading that I may not have them in far enough, I went and grabbed them and put them in nice and tight and the difference is amazing! I’m curious to see how they are at work tomorrow. I was taking them out all the time because I was so uncomfortable in them - itching, felt like everything was really echoing. I hope it is that I just wasn’t pushing them in far enough.

Thanks again!

#29

It’s gotta be very very close to the eardrum for it to be effective.

#30

Shocking that your audi let you leave the office without sufficient training or without them realizing that you were not inserting them correctly.

#31

I just picked up my new Otolens hearing aids on Thursday. Today is Sunday. The audiologist believes that the Otolens needs to be remade to go deeper into the canal. There is some occlusion noted, but not too worrisome. I need to use these with a stethoscope and they do work with my Littmann Cardiology III, but I wonder if a stheth-o-mate ear tip attached to the stethoscope may be a better solution. My current ear tips do touch the Otolens. This limits the seal that I can make with the stethoscope ear tips. The Otolens is superior to the Oticon Dual loaner that I was using with regard to wind noise in my convertible, irritating hearing aid movement associated with frequent taking off of my glasses during the day, and much better speech discrimination in a restaurant after church today, as well as better sound quality in church today. I have no itching but I do have some discomfort deep in the left ear. This is the ear that the audiologist thought was the one that needed most to have the ear mold impression redone. It may not be fitting correctly. To new Otolens wearers, make sure that the ear mold is correct when you are having the initial fitting. My audiologist is very helpful and is excited about the possibilities of these devices. Also, they absolutely cannot be seen by my wife, even when she is trying to detect them.

#32

Thanks for your review, morgagni.

I also may send my right ear piece back for some modification on the size as my right ear still hurts when using it. I think it may be too big or not conforming to my ear canal as good as it should.

About the stethoscope…why don’t you just get an amplified scope? My doctor (specializing in cardiac) uses one and he let me listen to my own heart–we found a very faint heart murmur that can’t be picked up with regular scopes. With my hearing as bad as it is, I still had no problem hearing the murmur.

#33

I plan to purchase a Thinklabs electronic stethoscope. The older model, ds32a Digital Electronic Stethoscope, is sold out everywhere and I believe that the Thinklabs new model will be best for me. However, I can hear heart sounds, blood pressure sounds, bowel sounds and breath sounds using the Littmann Cardiology III stethoscope without hearing aids. The problem is using the hearing aids with a stethoscope. The stethoscope ear tip has to fit well into the ear canal to achieve a proper seal and I need an attachement such as the steth-o-mate to cover the hearing aid in the ear canal. Even the Otolens is not far enough in the canal to allow the Littmann Cardiology III stethoscope ear tips to allow a good seal without touching the Otolens. The same problem is likely to occur with the Thinklabs electronic stethoscope. I will need a good seal to optimize the sound.

#34

I got my remade otolens’ today… they are a HUGE improvement! As an audiologist I only recommend what I’d wear myself - and I must admit I was a bit nervous after having comfort issues initially… Starkey have been great and made them again - they’re smaller and not so bendy… and comfortable!!! I tend to like a bit more compression than what starkey initially recommends (i.e loud sounds overwhelm me a bit so I like them compressed).
So my advice is if you have comfort issues - be patient and get them remade - you’ll be glad when they work!
Also - while I’m over the whole need for hearing aids to be invisible (I have a pair of red BTEs :))… you cannot see the otolens’ at all - and I know how important this is for some people…

#35

Hi Burra
Now that you have the Otolens fitting comfy, what do you think of their performance? I’ve never worn any HA before, yet, so I’m interested in what you think being in a situation to compare agains other CICs and even BTEs
John

#36

All in all I am really impressed with the otolens’… I must admit - I have been something of an “open fit” bte fan over the past few years and have probably even been a bit blinkered - However, trying not to be too biased I have recently been trying out the Starkeys (first series 11 cics and now otolens’)…

Firstly - it is absolutely amazing how they make them that small - remembering that the battery takes up half the room inside!

As far as comparisons are concerned, I’m mindful that I am a sample of 1 so you won’t see any of my opinions (and they are only opinions) in any scientific journal :slight_smile:

There are pros and cons with all hearing aids. The pros of the otolens’ are that they are invisible, they are reasonably comfortable (not as comfortable as an open fit bte though in my opinion - although I must admit not having anything behind my ear is nice), no wind noise, have no feedback, great for normal phone use… and sound pretty good…

As for the sound there are a few issues… firstly - they don’t have directional microphones - so while I can hear fairly well in noise, I can hear better with my BTEs… Also the nature of custom hearing aids mean that they don’t amplify as high along the frequency spectrum as other hearing aids.

Also, depending on your own priorities you might like wireless/bluetooth compatability… the otolens doesn’t have this (and if they did would have to be made a lot bigger - hence defeating the purpose of what they were designed for). They also don’t have some features that are available in other hearing aids.

The only other thing about the otolens’ is that because of where they sit in the canal it is virtually impossible to adequately verify the fitting (i.e do real ear measurements or ‘speech mapping’) - so as a clinician you need to really rely on the client giving you honest feedback (which is hard! ever been asked “how does that sound?” - my response to that question in a clinic office would be “buggered if I know - it just sounds different!” :slight_smile:

Having said that - if you’re after an invisible hearing aid, are brave enough to get a deep impression taken, are willing to be patient and communicate issues with your audiologist, and be aware that they mightn’t be right first go - then I’d highly recommend at least trying the otolens… I’ve had some clients who have loved them, some who didn’t want to pay the price for them, some who found them uncomfortable, and some who (like me) initially found them uncomfortable, but after a remake are very happy.

#37

It’d be great if you could trial both - personally I prefer BTEs but I’'ve been really impressed and amazed by the otolens… as for comparing with other cics - I don’t have first hand experience but I have fitted a few veras (mainly itcs with directional mics and a few cics) and people have liked them… siemens makes cics that have bluetooth capability if that’s a priority for you

#38

Sorry - this is wrong - I have managed to use probe tubes and the verification process works well! I’m getting more used to the otolens’ as well now and am really happy with them!

#40

Aprsl: Shocking? No - Shameful, yes…

Mantoine: Where’d ya go!? New ears and you’re history already. Man - Talk about invisible!! :eek:

#41

For those with the Otolens/iSync …do you guys feel like you have something stuffed in your ear when you wear them?

My left ear is fine…no “plugged” sensation there, but my right ear canal feels like it’s plugged. I had my audi trim down the aid, but it’s still feeling quite stuffed in there.