Trying Phonak Ambra nano's and new Virto Q - Need Advice!

Hearing Aids
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#21

They are small and very capable indeed! :slight_smile:

The Phonak ambra nano’s preformed well also , however one major issue i had with them is my inability to control the volume and programs. The new Phonak nano’s “Virto” will have both program and volume control using a small magnetic stick , just like the Lyric.

Controlling volume seems to play a major role in giving me a real natural sound experience , very close to my former hearing.

My general feeling is that Phonak’s Automatic mode is better than the Oticon’s , the Phonak’s were better able to adopt to different hearing situation without feeling any change. However dont take my opinion for granted now , i will recieve the Virto nano’s soon and i will test them side by side with the Oticon’s , as well as the Phonak’s best RIC . Only when i have them all and compare them side by side i will be able to tell you what’s the difference. It seems I’m in the same situation like you :slight_smile:

#22

thanks for the write up and pics.

my use of the word “natural” is done so sarcastically. after wearing a cic for 10 years you will have a hard time adjusting to using a regular bte aid which puts the speaker in the aid body itself. cic and rics places the speaker close to the ear drums. that is why long time cic users typically migrate to rics. the benefit of having the speaker in the bte unit is that the path the sound travels (from the speaker through a tube and into the ear vs out the speaker into the ear) is longer so feed back becomes less of an issue.

as for changing the oticon program in noise. We’ve written about this issue a while back.

http://www.hearingaidforums.com/showthread.php?t=8948

#23

Feedback is hardly an issue with these aid’s. If feedback ever occurs (Rare) the aid’s seem to block it almost instantly.

A quick update:

-I went to watch the new James Bond movie “Skyfall” at an IMAX theater , the aids preformed flawlessly again :slight_smile: i was able to follow speech the entire movie and even in quite scenes where characters speak softly. Gone are the days where i don’t understand speech at the movies :slight_smile:

-Directional speech in a car works very well , when i have multiple friends in my car (2 or three in the back) i can understand and hear everything they’re talking about , even with road and radio noise in the background.

-The streamer 1.4 works flawlessly and instantaneously with my Iphone 5. I answer all my calls through my aids now. I like the feature where u can block outside noise while you’re in a call to hear your phone conversation better.

  • Using the phone normally (Holding it up to the ear) seems to be no issue. Theres minimum feedback and its eliminated instantly if it happens to occur.

  • The Intiga 10’s seem to be hard wired to pick up speech in every situation! which is a good thing because this is the ultimate benefit of a hearing aid i guess.

Some weak points i found:

-The Auto mode is pretty annoying sometimes. I can feel it block out noise and find myself constantly shifting between programs to achieve better results. A good example is music in my car , the Auto mode seems to always identify this situation as noise and muffles the music. It sounds like someone turns down the treble when in Auto mode. It does seem to work well 70% of the time , especially in quite-average noise situations.

-When i finish phone calls (using Bluetooth) the aid always reverts back to a higher volume level than i previously set. This is very annoying because i find myself constantly changing volume after finishing phone calls. I called the Audi and told her about this and she’s supposed to fix this issue next week.

The other Audi called me and told me that she received my Phonak Virto Q(90)'s. I will be fitting them next week and report on their performance :slight_smile:

The reason i chose Phonak CIC’s over Oticon is because the new Virto’s offer volume/program control using a magnetic stick While Oticon CIC’s don’t. I don’t trust automatic programming and if Google and Apple still cant get them right , how on earth Hearing Aid manufacturers will do better!

#24

before you make your final decision I would suggest you also try the ACE or PURE from Siemens. A RIC will be less noticeable then a CIC.

#25

I have canceled on the Siemens Ace due to lack of wireless connectivity , so it doesn’t have the latest technologies such as binaural processing. The pure is too big for me , the smaller the better since i don’t have hair :slight_smile:

#26

So i received my Phonak Virto’s two days ago , My Audi said the magnetic stick for controlling the aids is on back order and might be coming next week.


After trying the Intiga 10’s open fit style for more than 2 weeks , i felt a huge difference when i put CIC’s in. While the Virto’s do a good job picking up sounds , the overall feeling is that you’re plugged up.

I went today to have a lunch with my girlfriend at a mall’s busy cafeteria. It was pretty crowded and there was a live pianist (electrical piano plugged to concert speakers).

The open fit Intiga’s immediately showed its huge benefits , i was able to hear people speaking around me even with all the noise so i just had to mentally choose who do i want to listen to. The virto’s were able to simulate the noisy place pretty well but it felt like a very manufactured and plugged up sound , a lot of sounds and noises were missing even with Sound-Recover is on. I went to a cafe counter (with the Virto’s) to order a cappuccino and i didn’t hear what the guy behind the cashier well , his voice felt blended-in with the noise and it was hard to tell what he was saying (I was about 5 feet from his face) .

I switched to the Intiga’s while he’s preparing my cappuccino and everything around me came alive and much louder! when he came back and talked to me i was astonished how his voice was sharp and clear even with all the extra sound and noise the Intiga’s picked up! i immediately understood everything clearly without any effort , felt very natural. This raised a lota red-flags for me and started testing the Virto’s speech in noise ability , I positioned my girlfriend around me in different directions with a minimum distance of 7 feet , I asked her to speak in different tones while i switched between the aids. The difference is earth shattering! her voice was very faint if not noticeable at all with the Virto’s while the Intiga’s picked up her voice very well in all positions. We moved to a table very close to those big piano speakers and i was still able to hold a conversation with her using the Intiga’s , I could not hear her well (if at all) with the Virto’s.

When it comes to visibility and looks , people on the board here are correct , the RIC style is almost the same if not less noticeable than micro-CIC style , my girlfriend says the Intigas are less noticable than the CIC’s. here’s how the Intiga (RIC) looks compared with the micro-CIC’s:


Intiga-top.JPG480×640 83 KB


The sound difference between the CIC and RIC styles is HUGE and i can never live with that plugged up feeling! , to be honest even if i was a candidate for (IIC) invisible aids i would still not compromise on the huge difference in sound quality and performance of the RIC’s.

So the Virto’s are certainly going back but im gona wait for the volume control stick and fiddle with it just out of curiosity. I wana thank everyone here for encouraging me to try a BTE aid and clarify the differences!

#27

Some more Updates about the Intiga’s:

I went to my Audi this week for a check up , i complained to her about the auto-mode’s poor performance in some situations. I explained how they seem to be cutting high-frequency sounds resulting in a muffled sound or music , for example in my universitty’s classroom theres some fan noise on top and the aid seems to be constantly changing its noise block and high frequincy setting’s , so the professors voice becomes muffled one minute and clear the other minute. Music in my car is also annoying using the Auto mode , the aid’s seem to cut the high-frequency and muffle the music. The audi seems to have fixed this issue by raising High-frequency gains (at my request) but she warned me about possible feedback. With the high-frequency gain raised the Auto mode improved vastly and the aid’s seem to sound even better now! :slight_smile:

She also added a fourth program at my request , Speech in calm situations auto-mode. She explained that she can control how fast the auto-program reacts to different environments , there are five settings for the auto-mode: Calm - SemiCalm - Active - Dynamic - Energetic

My standard auto mode is set at Dynamic while the new Auto Speech in calm mode is set at calm , meaning it would react very slowly to changes in sound environment’s. This should result in a more comfortable calm conversations but i haven’t tried yet in class.

So far im in love with these Intiga’s , i got used to using the streamer which functions without any glitches. I have it connected to my IMac , Ipad , and Iphone5 and it switches with ease between them , last night i was watching a YouTube video on my Ipad with the sound streaming through Bluetooth.I got a phone call and the streamer immediately switched to phone mode , i answered the call and when i finished it switched back to audio on my Ipad , all this while my Iphone was away from me in my bedroom :slight_smile:

I have looked at Phonak’s Icom and myPilot and to be honest its a horror show! I don’t see myself stuck with these clunky useless crap. One streamer is hassle enough to remember carrying it around , you’d think a global company like Phonak would have thought about taking a major technological (LEAP) to combine their two control devices by now! I don’t see how this would appeal to the younger more tech-inclined people.

The only problem i have now is vanity , due to lack of hair the Intiga’s are noticeable from the back :(. I might change their color to a softer shade may be:


#28

Do they have silver color?

#29

I wouldn’t have thought, that there were such significant differences in performance between a top BTE and top micro-cic aid.
I think, this comparison was very useful!

Intigas aren’t cospicuous in any way, don’t worry about it.

Your experiences convinced me, next time when buying aids I will trial RIC as well!

#30

By the way your GF is right: intigas are less noticeable, than the phonak micros.
Seen from the side intigas look similar as the soundlens, maybe soundlens are placed even a little bit deeper in the canal.

#31

Yes they do , but i think Im going to keep the black color. Many friends who saw my aid’s thought they were some-kind of a wireless high end music earplugs connected to my Iphone , or some kind of sophisticated Bluetooth unit. I guess the younger people have a different perception about hearing aids , they all think about the big brown aids they’re grandparents wear , I used have that perception about hearing aid’s before my hearing loss :slight_smile: , that’s one reason i really appreciate the nice small design of the Intiga’s.

My audi mentioned she installed a new type of domes Oticon introduced , called LiteTip that are invisible from the side and comfy to wear. I can attest that they’re very secure and comfortable , I don’t even feel Im wearing aids. They’re even comfier than Virto micro-CIC’s where i kinda feel them when i eat or move my jaw. I found a brochure for them on Oticon’s site and took a snapshot:



I read about a lot of people here complaining about their domes , may be they should check this new style it’s very comfortable and so far no issues with them.

#32

Silver Cat,

Thank you so much for your posts. I’m so confused right now as to what to do about my HA’s. Audi suggest Siemens Pure, but I"m interested in these Oticon Intigas now? Would you mind if I ask how much they cost for the pair?

#33

Hi Tisha

Im assuming you only want one because it wont fit your left ear , you have severe low frequency loss on the left so a power aid is more appropriate. If you want just one i suggest buying the cheaper Intiga 8 (you don’t need binural synchronization) since you can only fit one.

If i were you i would check if I can upgrade to a pair of Agil pro’s , they should be able to cover your loss on the left while enjoying the benefit of wireless synchronization technology ( as you’re fitting 2 same aids). May be some audi’s here can add more tips with regards to your loss

As for prices the intiga 10’s are very expensive , Im quoted 8,000$ for a pair but im pretty sure i can drive the price somewhere near low 7000’s , if not I might have to fly somewhere and get them fitted :slight_smile:

The Agil Pro’s are exactly the same as the Intiga’s (same spec and technology) and are cheaper than Intiga’s due to slightly larger size , Im not sure about their price but should be somewhere in 6000’s for a pair.

For the Intiga’s you’re only paying more because of smaller size , here is a size comparison i found on one of the brochures:


Hope this helps :slight_smile:

#34

So my trial is coming to an end and i really want to keep my Intiga’s. Can the audis’s here tell me how much are you charging for these puppies? (Intiga 10’s)

My audi wants to charge me 8300$ and thats a lot of money! I dont like being screwd over so if people are geting these for 6k i’d be really pissed! Im offered 3 years warranty and one year replacement warranty , no batteries nothing!

#35

Yeah, basically I wanted the Unitron quantum pro’s myself, and they were charging me 8000$ for them. Since then I’ve been hounded with trying other awful sounding and much lower quality aids such as Oticon Agil Pros, and Phonak Audeo’s and they want 5000$ for these. They sound horrible!

Pretty upset… it’s like they’ll only work with brands they are buddies with, but any other brand they’ll charge maximum pricing. Don’t really understand that… I’ll most likely wind up ordering Unitron online and paying for programming. Sigh.

#36

So i called Oticon and asked them which audiology clinics dispense their products the most in my area. They gave me a list and called two , went to one of them wearing my Intiga 10’s and explained to them how i love these and basically show me your best price and I’ll buy them from you. I got a 6k$ and 6.5k$ quotes , that’s a considerable difference given my Audi wants to charge me 8k$!

So i went to my audi today , brought my check book with me as someone on this board suggested and started negotiating. The Audi dropped the price to 6300$ and threw in an extra year warranty (Oticon only offers 2) , gave me 3 months worth of batteries! :D. So here you go folks , wave your check-book around and definitely do some negotiations before paying up anything above 6k$ :slight_smile:

I looked at the new Alta model from Oticon and there doesn’t seem to be major changes , only incremental ones like better feedback management etc etc. I was disappointed they did not offer anything with regards to smart-phone control possibility. Other than that my Intiga’s have far exceeded my expectations therefore im keeping them :cool:.

#37

Thank you Silver_cat so much for the most informative thread I have seen so far on any forum. I am going throught exactly the same issues as you, believing a CIC or IIC was the only alternative to live with. So I have been testing a pair of Oticon Alta Pro CIC’s for a week now and I am disappointed. The sound is great i think. My CDs now sounds as 15 years ago! However the comfort and visibilty of the CICs are very unsatisfactory to put it mildly. After two mouldings they are clumsy and still protrudes from the ear and I must constantly push them back.
Your conclusions makes me seriously think about the small Oticon Intiga 10 RIC instead. You are right , they seems to be less noticable. Except from the rear with little hair . Like me! Then it hit me … always using glasses they should be make the RIC even less visible. Great! I have to give them a try. :slight_smile:

Morton , Norway

#38

Thank you Silver Cat for your comments and feedback on this very informative thread. I too like you and Mortin chose vanity over functionality thinking IICs and CICs are the most logical and discrete choices in effort to conceal and provide a false impression of someone who is not impaired. Being an active 36 yr old where I interact in many different environments, I was selling myself short of accepting incompetent dispensers, frustrating fittings, device malfunctions, and concerning myself with other peoples opinions & judgements in effort to justify this type of aid. I have come to the realization it’s about what’s important to help me hear and understand the world around me. Thank you again.

Eric, Oregon

#39

Thanks for the time taken to write your findings I am in the same position , very frustrating especially the lack of clarity regarding the functionality of the Phonak Nano.

Regards.

Dan.

#40

Thanks for the time taken to write your findings I am in the same position , very frustrating especially the lack of clarity regarding the functionality of the Phonak Nano.

Regards.

Dan.