This whole topic is in need of strong and active moderation and has been for a long time. Thanks to the reviewers for continuing through all the negativity.
@d_Wooluf : … of which you are one of the greatest progenitors! To whit: what constructive purpose does this, your latest post, serve? NONE!
Probably none. However, if it leads to you and “Mister V” respecting those who are trying to contribute actual experiences to this topic, if it leads to you both respecting those people who are interested in the topic and not merely having “some good fun with it” (your words), if it negates your apparent agenda to saboutage the topic at every opportunity… well, we can only hope.
And if you’ve got a problem with my 2 line post after the pages and pages of dross and what you seem to think of as wit that you’ve subjected us all to, the mind boggles.
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As a general observation: I find that there is very little actual narrative being posted by Whisper subscribers that allows me to appreciate the differences between the Whisper’s actual performance as compared to the Phonak or Oticon devices. It’s all been general “better speech in noise” type of commentary.
Only one post that I remember describes “voices cutting through the background noise” or something to that effect.
I’d like to better understand what it’s like to carry the Brain around, how easy is it to manage powering the various devices, what does one lose, in terms if performance, if one is no longer connected to “the Brain”?
It’s all quite superficial commentary to me, and difficult to take as seriously as some posters do.
Perhaps the objective of making the brain smaller is related to the other objective of also making the aids rechargeable. I’m not an engineer, but I’m wondering if the overall goal is to design a brain that uses less electricity, which would then make it easier to be rechargeable. I was told that they want to make it smaller, which is what the layman would see, but I’m thinking that what they’re doing on the inside of the equipment is to simplify the electronics so that it uses less juice.
Just spitballing here.
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@billgem : Hi, Bill. What I am internet in seeing is hiw the undisputed processing power of the brain works to
Process sound better (meaning superior audibility and comprehension). Will they “train” it as Oticon has done? Does it have algorithms or are they going to try to give it on board AI?
It’s all very interesting, but still quite mysterious and arcane to outsiders like me.
First off, no one here owes you anything except basic respect, which frankly is difficult to maintain in the face of your antics and attention-seeking.
Second, no one can tell you how Whisper, or any hearing aid for that matter, would work for you. “Everyone’s hearing loss is different” is a truism on this site. I (and the other Whisper users, I’m sure) want everyone to know that it’s a real product that really helps us, and is worth trying, for those who might benefit from it and are in its current market area. The facts that Whisper isn’t yet available in Canada, and that your veterans’ benefits make Whisper’s differential cost especially high for you, isn’t our doing and isn’t our problem.
We’ve been open about Whisper’s shortcomings.
You want to know what it’s like to carry the Brain around? I believe I have mentioned that I wear L.L. Bean Pathfinder Pants, a kind of low-profile cargo pant, so the extra piece is less of an inconvenience than it might be. Do you want to know exactly which pocket I carry it in, and how I balance my other stuff among the other pockets so I can walk straight? I didn’t think so.
How easy is it to power the various devices? Well, the earpieces have big batteries that are very easy to handle. The Brain has a charging connector that plugs in one way and not the other. Sometimes I have to try for an hour or more before it goes in. Somebody ought to come up with something better. Seriously, it’s a Micro USB connector. On the other end of the wire is a rectangular plastic block with metal prongs that fit into these little slots I have in my walls. Should I post pictures?
As for performance with and without the Brain, that could vary depending on so many things, the wearer’s hearing as well as the exact environment, that any answer I might give would only be misleading.
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@x475aws: I suggest that you consider anger management to deal with your issues, rather than dumping your core on this site.
Seems to me, for some inexplicable reasons, everything associated with Whisper aids gets folks dander up… Could we have a little more civility, please… It doesn’t cost you anything. Cheers Kev 
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@kevels55: Cheers, Kev. I don’t (and won’t) have any skin in this game, am learning nothing, and am being both censored and censured for my comments (which are, admittedly, probably off-topic) about what I consider to be a bizarre and unprecedented launch strategy.
So I might as well retire from the topic, but not quietly, as I have tried to sabotage nothing, and resent that accusation . I do, however, apologize for impinging on your Serenity.
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Well, in my defense, I didn’t call the Whisper rental option a scam, precisely…I said that it reminded me of something “scammy”. Let me amend that–they used a non conventional payment option that I found odd, but others seem to like–pay a small amount monthly forever. Have they changed this? Otherwise I pointed out that the Brain is bulky and nothing like it is required with normal HAs. And I suggested that this wasn’t appealing to many. Changing to cargo pants 7 days a week isn’t a solution all will cotton (or polyester) to. You still have to carry the Brain. Finally, I said that reports that I’ve read listed some marginal improvements in sound over trad HAs, at best. Just as some report getting better results from one brand of trad HA’s over another. I’m not reading about a breakthrough, and the follow up these many months later hasn’t impressed me either–the vaunted constant improvements don’[t seem to be happening. This isn’t hating, it’s assessing what I’ve read from folks here. And I fully recognize that some have a higher opinion than I do. Good! I hope they work. But from what I can tell, teh HA world has not been set abuzz by the Brain. the response is muted, at best.
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Are you carefully reading all the posts here? I said that an up-front payment is possible. Also, one doesn’t “pay a small amount monthly forever,” but rather for 36 months.
No one said that Whisper is the perfect solution — there are some obvious and significant tradeoffs (namely, the separate Brain).
But as has been suggested here, you’d best try it yourself and see.
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Exactly, x475aws, exactly! 
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The Brain is already rechargeable but in the process of being downsized. It’s the earpieces that the engineers are trying to make rechargeable.
No need to apologise Jim, tis unnecessary… I like to think, there are strong undertone’s of ambient understanding for fellow hearing loss sufferers, and deliberately flaming doesn’t help our cause… Doesn’t matter whom starts it, but the end result, is a hostile environment, which helps no one! For me we are here to help each other, learn from each other’s mistakes, and hopefully point someone to a better hearing loss outcome… Having been Admin, and a Mod on other websites in the past, there were always going to be the odd keyboard warrior, probably borne out of their own frustration, and let’s face it, hearing loss comes high on the frustration ranks… Defusing a situation, was always my priority… Old habits don’t die 
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I’'m only using the info given by a Whisper user (@billgem) who said “No upgrade this time because Whisper is currently focusing all of their energy on developing their next generation.” to interpret what it means. So to me, the “no upgrade” part on the software is implied that it’s “being on hold”, to get the other thing, which is “the next generation”, done. It’s just very simple rewording of the “news”, no conjecture of any kind. So if you say that “I’m WRONG”, then I guess what you’re implying is that @billgem (and ultimately his Whisper HCP) gave the wrong info, too.
Let me ask you, what is the difference between “software updates per se” vs “software updates for the current hardware version of Whisper” ??? If the earlier (the “software updates per se”) is implied by you to mean software updates for the “next generation hardware of” Whisper per se, then if this next generation hardware hasn’t come out yet, why would there be “software updates per se” for it? And who cares to discuss “software updates per se” for a non-released version that’s still in the work in the first place?
The word “platform” as used by Whisper and other HA mfgs, and in general, in the Electrical Engineering field, is NOT “kind of like increments in software version numbers - subjective”. The word “PLATFORM” is used to imply a new “foundation” of a majorly new system, FAR FAR FAR from being “kind of like increments in software version numbers”. Do you have any engineering background of some sort? If not, then I suggest you not try to wing non-engineering interpretation of the nomenclatures used (such as the word “platform”). If yes (you do an an engineering background of some sort), then fffffst… I don’t really know what else to say…
Yes, I understand. I am a Whisper user. As I said I’m not an engineer, so I may well be wrong, but I’m assuming that the demands on the batteries are greater than normal hearing aids because of the fact that the ear pieces communicate back & forth with the brain put a greater draw on the ear pieces as well as on the brain. In that sense, it seems to me that they work as a unit, and as such modifying the brain might be part of the solution to developing an ability for the ear pieces to be rechargeable. When the Whisper hearing aids first came out, they said that they were working on a way to make them rechargeable. As recently as 15 months ago or thereabouts, they said that they had a system which seemed promising. Obviously that hasn’t materialized, so they continue to work on this challenge to come up with a solution. I’m sure I’m showing my ignorance here, but learning often involves exposing one’s lack of knowledge.
My apologies if I phrased my thought poorly or if my lack of engineering knowledge led me to an idea that is completely off base. As I said, I was just spitballing.
The software isn’t on hold, @Volusiano. The quote from someone at Whisper in post makes that clear. There are going to be specific improvements in the audio performance of the Whisper with respect to the Whisper 1. You’re the one who brought up the question of “platform” change.
Do the “acoustic improvements” and downsizing of certain components represent a “platform change?” I don’t know, nor do you, despite your engineering background. As I pointed out, you appear to be mainly interested in the topic of platform change so that you can punch holes in Whisper’s marketing:
If Whisper indeed has to already resort to developing a major and new hardware platform to support new major software updates, then there’s really no differentiation between them and what the other HA mfgs are already doing. I thought that this is THE OBSTACLE that Whisper claims their brain would be able to solve
Then there’s this:
If the earlier (the “software updates per se”) is implied by you to mean software updates for the “next generation hardware of” Whisper per se, then if this next generation hardware hasn’t come out yet, why would there be “software updates per se” for it?
You really have a way of muddying the waters, don’t you? The software (firmware), originally written for the Whisper 1, is being updated for new hardware, @Volusiano. Is that so hard to understand?
Your previous strategy consisted of trying to make me some sort of outcast who couldn’t have a representative opinion of Whisper, “outing” me (actually including my audiogram in your post, a despicable act) as someone whose hearing is good enough that they shouldn’t be using hearing aids. As if you could be the judge of that.
Despite @SpudGunner 's claims to the contrary, the tenor of your and his posts over the past few months do suggest that you have “skin in the game.” It’s not about “truth,” that’s for sure.
We Whisper users have done our best to suggest the advantages and disadvantages of the new device. Your “contributions” have consisted largely of theoretical (i.e. not based on any actual knowledge of Whisper’s implementation) considerations about “nodes” and “machine learning” and “platforms.” It’s tiresome for us. There’s a self-proclaimed know-it-all on every online forum, and that appears to be your role.
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I think it’s time I take the high road and stop engaging with @happymach here since the exchange has seemed to become too emotional and sensitive to be able to continue in a civil way anymore.
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