Thank you very much. I try to pass along, or remind, about things that have made or are making an impression on me. I figure if it happens to me it is probably happening to at least a few others also.
For the record, I have have exchanged posts in private message with this individual, and I believe my first piece of advice was that he should probably not bother with hearing aids given his loss.
However, when pressed, I suggested Starkey as they have the lowest circuit noise among the current line of RIC aids out there.
In addition you have to remember Ed that a hearing loss and its effects are subjective. The zero line on an audiogram is an average taken of ‘normal’ adult hearing. It is not like an objective scale like dB SPL et al. If this particular person had -15dBHL hearing at one time, his +20dB loss may be a huge shift for him personally. Just because on paper his loss seems insignificant doesn’t mean that it is, or that you should pour scorn on him for looking for answers.
In my career I’ve met people with a 20dB loss who think the world is ending, and I’ve met people with a 50dB loss who swear blind that their hearing is nearly normal and they hear ‘what they want to hear.’ So maybe it would be nice for you not to attack people with a hearing loss and hearing professionals answering their questions.
In addition you have to remember Ed that a hearing loss and its effects are subjective. The zero line on an audiogram is an average taken of ‘normal’ adult hearing. It is not like an objective scale like dB SPL et al. If this particular person had -15dBHL hearing at one time, his +20dB loss may be a huge shift for him personally. Just because on paper his loss seems insignificant doesn’t mean that it is, or that you should pour scorn on him for looking for answers.
In my career I’ve met people with a 20dB loss who think the world is ending, and I’ve met people with a 50dB loss who swear blind that their hearing is nearly normal and they hear ‘what they want to hear.’ So maybe it would be nice for you not to attack people with a hearing loss and hearing professionals answering their questions.
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ZCT,
That is very good explanation. It all depends on your reference. If you start with someone the has hearing at +20, you add a loss of -50, you come out with a net loss of -30 from absolute normal. That is still a -50 loss from what he is used to. A 50db difference is quite noticeable.
Thank you for your input.
Dipshitt,
You should demo the new Unitron Quantum open fit Moxi and the Bernafon Chronos. The Quantum is very new and the most “natural” sounding aid I’ve ever listened to. The Chronos uses channel free technology and has a very pleasing sound. You should not be able to hear any circuit noise with the Quantum. The Starkey can be a excellent choice as well but you need a competent fitter.
ZCT; Thanks, I have such a profound loss that as a layman, I lose a feel for just 10-20db losses. Ed
I’m guilty of that too. I see severe losses all the time. So when someone comes in with 25dB, it seems like nothing to me. That’s when you get into a chat about how the hearing loss affects their situation, and how they used to hear.
Since most people don’t have a series of tests dating back over their entire life, you have to take an educated guess at it.
It is also worth considering that aiding a loss early on can often have a positive effect on long term speech recognition. So with modern open fit aids offering the ability to add sound to the ear without blocking the ear and robbing a patient of their natural remaining hearing, it is easier to help them than it was 10 years ago.
I’ve had my Starkey Wi’s for about 24 hours. I hear no constant noise, but background noise from the air conditioner and a small table fan are extremely noticeable. I had no idea that there were so many sound pitches in the things in my home.
Dippers: these are working so much better than I had ever expected. You definitely need to get your money back and to run fast!
I’m another newcomer to hearing aids. Got my Audeo Smart V’s a week ago. My loss is mostly high frequencies (don’t have my audiogram handy). The big problem I’m noticing is that I get what I think is feedback and echoing, especially when I’m moving around, but mostly when I’m around the big screen TV and some other electronic equipment. Sitting upstairs, working on the computer - no problem (but gee, I didn’t realize how much the attic fan runs. Never really heard it before.). I have a full session with my audiologist next week, so we’ll see how things go until then.
Have the professional you’re working with try setting your Starkey Wi’s to directional mode (the default setting is dynamic) and see if this reduces the circuit noise to an acceptable level. I couldn’t tell you why this reduces circuit noise in Starkey RICs, but this is one of several tricks that can help.
Also, in a perfect world the professional you’re working with would know every trick to settings up your hearing aids just right, but if you find this isn’t the case you should suggest that he or she get help through Audiology On Demand (a service Starkey provides where they connect to the professional’s computer and take over the fitting for them).
At this time, my professional has set 2 memories on my Wi’s. One of them lets in so many sounds that it’s unbearable. Is that the the dynamic setting?
Your best bet is to ask him or her how the two memories differ from each other in setup. I wouldn’t expect the directional setting on its own to have as dramatic an effect as what you’re describing.
That tells me quite simply that the hearing aids are not adjusted properly. There is no correct setting where this should be happening PERIOD!
I can put Wis in my ears and not have that trouble, even with normal hearing. I have demonstrated my current set of Wis to over 200 people, and not had issues with background noise; in fact it’s one of the things I check for.
The Wi top of the line even has four different settings for how much mechanical noise it reduces.
To me there are only three options:
- The aids you have are faulty; which I very much doubt.
- The test your hearing professional did was not accurate, therefore the algorithm used by the fitting software has miscalculated your prescription.
- The hearing professional has not made the correct adjustments or followed the proper set up protocol.
I have fitted hearing aids for well over a decade, and I can tell you now, I have never ever fitted an aid that has less background noise amplification and/or circuit noise. That is in fact the main characteristic that blew me away with this product. So something weird is happening here.
Thank you for the information that you’ve offered in this thread and another. I think that Monday, things will get better. I received these last Monday and that night I realized that the left aid wasn’t working at all, even with a battery change. Tuesday, back at the center, the specialist took it back to another room and returned with what I thought was a repaired aid. But, today, the center called to tell me that my new aid was in. I hadn’t realized that the replacement was temporary. So when I see the specialist on the coming Monday, things should get better. I won’t leave until there are 2 or 3 well adjusted memories.
With all the negative experiences and difficulties that people have, these Wi’s seem like a miracle product. But, I have much to learn. Again, I thank you for teaching me.
It’s my pleasure. Glad I helped in some way.
If it is any consolation the danger zone for most hearing aids from most companies are the first few weeks. No matter how well they are tested in the lab, there is a world of difference between a lab and the real world. So if they are going to break it should happen early. But once you have a good system working well, you can easily get many years good service out of them. I’ve seen Starkey aids over 12 years old and working fine.
As a personal preference I suggest that you start with a maximum of two programs, and just learn to use them, and only add another one if it is essential. The thing about these modern aids is that it is becoming less and less necessary to have multiple programs and a lot of user input, which is pretty cool if you think about it. I remember when remotes were all the rage, and on the face of it that seems like a nice idea, but wouldn’t it be even better if the aids just worked without you messing with them?
ZCT and MinnesotaHIS, you both are quite learned in are of the Starkey HA’s. Would one or both of you explain the programs? Is that a pick and choose your preferences option? The company rep said that is a setting for something such as church services. What else is available? My HIS will probably recommend that I stay with the 2 for now, but it would be nice to be able to speak intelligently about these devices when I go in. (Believe me, I have no idea what is going except that my husband isn’t screaming at me any more.)
Basically the hearing aids you have have four memory settings. The forth memory is usually reserved for use on the telephone. The hearing aids can detect a hearing aid compatible phone and automatically switch to memory four to provide better hearing on the telephone.
The other three programs can be configured at will by the hearing professional. Program one is typically your normal every day program, but if there are specific situations that you are still having difficulty with they can create a program specifically for that environment or situation.
The programming software has a couple of dozen or more different programs designed to be a starting point for the hearing professional. He or she can select one (for example ‘restaurant’) and load that into memory slot two. Then when you go to a restaurant, you can switch it to that memory when you go in. Perhaps you love jazz, well memory three could be set specifically for listening to jazz music. Since hearing aids are primarily designed for understanding and accepting voice input, the challenges of making music sound good are different. Starkey is one of only a few companies who don’t just offer a music program option; they have different genres of music for optimum performance. One of my patients plays violin in a symphony orchestra, and I programmed his classical music program while he played his violin, until he could hear the notes perfectly.
Multi memories are kind of like having different hearing aids for different occasions, because the memories are independent of one another, so if (in this example) you reported that in a restaurant, while using memory 2, you found the background noise to be too loud, they could change the settings on that memory, without affecting the other three programs (normal, jazz, and telephone).
Classical music? Really? That’s mighty fine. I’ll ask for that eventually. This is helpful information. I’ll be ready for the next appointment. Beethoven could certainly have used a set of Wi’s!