Upgrading my dependable Oticon opn1 needing advice

Hearing Aids
#1

Due to hearing aids out of warranty and already met my deductible, I am now looking to upgrade my hearing to a same quality or better hearing aid.

My previous audiology retired last year and sold the business to a corporate hearing dispensary and price on the new Oticon S1 is just to high for me. This made me shop around and see where I can get the Oticon S1 cheaper. Luckily I did found one that is $1300 cheaper and I can choose to get the S1, new Oticon model coming out next week and the phonak P90 all for the same price. I am currently leaning toward the Oticon brand as this work for me now but wanting to try out the phonak Paradise.

I am currently testing the phonak paradise and I have to say I’m really disappointed on the way audio programed this hearing aid and not to mention the double dome no vent that she wants me to try out. They have too much pressure compare to the 2 vent dome I’m wearing now. I cant even last 2 hours wearing this.

My question to all hearing aid user who recently upgrade, did you guys experience any improvement upgrading to the newer technology specially the premium one? I’m worried I will not get the same setup the way the Oticon opn1 works for me now. Any advice is appreciated.

Oticon introduces Oticon More
#2

My take is that you’ll likely be happy with Oticon. Might as well get the new Oticon More model if it will be out soon. With your loss, I’d highly encourage a custom mold rather than domes.

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#3

Not sure what you mean by “the new Oticon model coming out next week”. Are you referring to the new Oticon More? If it’s going to be the same price as the OPN S1 where the price is $1300 cheaper than the original place you bought your OPN 1 from, I’d definitely wait to try out the Oticon More, if you’re not happy with the Paradise trial and also want to stick with the Oticon brand.

Another thing to consider is that once the Oticon More becomes available, most likely the OPN S1’s price will go down as they will try to get rid of the S inventory to switch over to the More. So if you try out the More and it doesn’t impress you as much compared to your original OPN, you may be able to find a new pair of OPN S1 for a lower price by then.

#4

Thank you for the quick reply. I never had a custom mold, I want to be able to pick up a desk phone answer it normally. Is the custom mold vented and still let me answer the phone without putting it higher on my ear and

My audiologist didn’t tell me the model of the new hearing aid, she just said they will be coming out next week and Oticon is having a big announcement. I’m thinking prices would be the same even if they lower the price opnS1, they can only charge $5000 on my insurance, unlike other places if the cost of hearing aid is $6300 I will have to pay the $1300 on top of whatever coinsurance I have to pay.

I will try to diy too if I could and try to understand my hearing loss a lot better because I’m not sure if I can afford them next time.
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#5

It sounds like you are dealing with occlusion. Your audiogram shows you need to be in a mold or at least power domes as your audiologist set you up with. I suspect the Oticon aids will also have similar pressure problems you have mentioned with the Phonak aids. This is probably because your hearing loss has gotten worse since you were fitted with the aids you have been wearing. This is an assumption on my part.

Hearing loss is a strange thing that we have to evolve through. As your hearing loss gets worse you have to adapt. Your comments about picking up the phone and just using it will change. Thankfully there is Bluetooth now that will make phone calls very possible.

This forum is a great place to learn about hearing loss and hearing aids. Lots of experience and help here.

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#6

I’m really glad I found this forum, will read through a lot of the post and hopefully one day I can help others. I see a lot of people using the Phonak Paradise here that’s why I wanted to try them. The other thing I’m worried is my Audiologist is being a new graduate from school. I really want to give her a chance and not jump ship to a more experience one, so not sure if I’m making mistake here. My previous Audiologist wears hearing aid and good at what she does, I didn’t have to tell her much, she just know what I need.

#7

When I bought my OPN 1, I happened to have met my deductible like you, but my audi originally wanted $6200 for the pair. She’s not in network though, so I told her if I went to an in-network, it’d be only 5% cost for me. She told me to pay her the $310 (5%) and she’ll just take whatever she can get from my insurance later. She ended up getting only $3400 from my insurance. So if you have $5K of insurance payment to shop around, you should be able to get what you want if they really want your business.

I would highly recommend you wait to try out the Oticon More if you’ve been fairly happy with the Oticon More. It’d have the latest Deep Neural Network technology, plus it’s built on top of many of the other technologies that already exist on the OPN and the OPN S, so you may find the Oticon More to be more compatible / at home for you since you already are used to the OPN 1.

I no longer have the great health insurance I used to have with hearing aids benefit, so I took it upon myself to learn and take the DIY now so my next HA purchase options can be more affordable. I would highly recommend the DIY route if you’re so inclined to try it out. Even if you still have great insurance and don’t need to know DIY to find cheaper HA options, it’d still be a very helpful thing to learn so you can self program more to your own satisfaction and especially convenience, especially if your audi is an inexperienced new grad who doesn’t wear hearing aids and therefore as skilled as your previous audi.

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#8

I am definitely going DIY for sure, I will have 3 years of support from my audi while learning DIY. I am currently reading what equipment I would need, where to buy and making sure I’m not buying equipment that won’t work (fake). I’m leaning toward wired setup right now, just so I’m not limited on what I can do.

I am definitely trying out the Oticon More if that’s the newer model coming after the S1, hoping it would be an improvement or at least comparable to the Opn1. I have to admit the bluetooth on the Phonak Paradise is awesome, it connects to whatever I connect on it, even my dish receiver connects on it without TV adapter.

#9

Rain man, I am in a situation similar to yours. I have been wearing Opn1 since 2016 and will be buying new HAs soon. I tried the most recent Widex and didn’t like them. I am now trialing the Phonak Paradise. I like them better than the Widex but, subjectively, my speech comprehension seems no better than with the Opn1.
Other members have suggested that once you get used to the Oticon sound it’s hard to switch to a different brand. My audi said he has never had a patient try a newer model HA from the same brand and prefer the older model. That suggested to me that I will probably end up with the new Oticon More.
Other members here have said they didn’t notice that much difference between the Opn1 and Opn S1. That’s my two cents worth. Good luck.

#10

Right now I would be very happy if I can get the Oticon more, have the same setup and works the same way. Occlusion is just too much with the power dome I’m trying now, compare to the close dome with 2 small vent I’m wearing with the opn1. If you don’t mind me asking, I know we have different type of hearing loss, what type of dome your wearing on the opn1 and what do you have on the Phonak Paradise?

Another thing is that my insurance reset end of February, I will have choose an hearing aid then and hopefully the Oticon more do come out next week and give me some time to try them.

#11

That’s true, because the heart of both the OPN and OPN S is the same OpenSound Navigator technology. The main improvement in the OPN S is the OpenSound Optimizer, which is the new proactive feedback prevention (different than the traditional reactive feedback control/management). But for folks who don’t have an issue with feedback on their OPN, the new OpenSound Optimizer is not useful for them, so it would still sound the same through the same OpenSound Navigator anyway. There’s an extra OpenSound Navigator setting in the OPN S (very high transition help setting, the old one just has low/medium/high), but that’s just a minor incremental improvement that may not be utilized anyway.

The Oticon More, on the other hand, does away with the OpenSound Navigator, and replaces it with the MoreSound Intelligence (the deep neural network stuff), and replaces the old Speech Guard LX (in the OPN and OPN S) with the MoreSound Amplifier. So the difference between the More versus the OPN S should be more noticeable when compared to the difference between the OPN S and the original OPN, hopefully.

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#12

kel19, I’ve been using closed domes on the Opn1.

image
image2448Ă—3264 1.1 MB
That’s the dome on the Paradise (I’ve never uploaded a photo before. Hope this comes out ok). I don’t know what the Phonak dome is called.

#13

We tried this too in the clinic but she said I’m better off with the power dome (double dome) or a custom mold. I did ask her if she can give me a pair of this dome to try at home and every time I switch to this dome the hearing aid would just give me a non stop feedback. Other thing I notice is that the hearing aid don’t have a wax guard, not sure if she accidentally not put them or Paradise just don’t have them.

#14

I have been wearing the Paradise for two months now and am very happy with them. I have a power dome in my right ear and a smaller closed dome in my small left ear. The Paradise box comes with wax filters so your Audi, must have left them out accidentally? ,

#15

Are you dealing with any occlusion problem on the power dome side? Did your audi set them up properly so you don’t have to deal with it. I guest my audi was so excited for me to try them and forgot to put them. Little things sometimes makes a big difference.

#16

You describe your OPN 1 as “dependable.” There’s a saying in my neck of the woods “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

#17

looking forward for your opinion !!!

#18

With my situation right now, I would rather pay $1800 than pay the whole price of the hearing aid if the Opn1 go bad on me. At least right now, I would get a chance to upgrade, have an Audi support the next 3 years and leard DIY in the process. I’m still wearing the Opn1 now because the Paradise still not where I want it (just having so much problem). Crossing my finger hoping the Oticon More do come out this week.

#19

I think you’re taking the right approach. If you already met your deductible and have $5K insurance coverage that expires in February, it makes complete sense to take advantage of your about-to-expire insurance money to go for a new pair of aids, especially if your current ones already have expired warranty or will be soon.

You’re not fixing anything that’s not broken. Your OPN 1 is still dependable as a back up pair, you’re getting the latest model without any out-of-pocket expense since you already met your deductible, you’re going to explore DIY. I would do exactly the same things if I were in your situation.

Please report back to share your experience after you get the Oticon More. I’m really optimistic that the More will work out well for you.

#20

Have you tried the Grip Tips with/without vent? I find them much more comfortable that the power domes, and there is no occlusion with the vented version. I am still using OPN1.