Hello, today I am trialing Widex aids for 2 weeks. I don’t know which model they are; I didn’t think to ask. Is there anyway to find out just by looking at the aids? I really don’t know what to expect. Any information or hints or tips would really be appreciated.
They are most likely Moment, SmartRIC, or Allure, and they all have distinctive looks:
Left is Moment sRIC, middle is SmartRIC, right is Allure
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Widex work best at connecting to iPhones for the app to control the hearing aids. Android smartphones - connectivity varies a lot by brand and model.
Thank you very much. They are Allure. The name of the app is Allure but I had no idea that was also the name of the model. Can you tell me which of the 3 models you mentioned is most current with best features?
Allure is the latest model. It was just released last month. I just got it this week and it seems like a clear step up compared to the SmartRIC based on my experience so far.
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Hi. I’m inteerested in the allure, what differences are you hearing with it?
I’ve only had them a couple days, but a few things I’ve noticed compared to my memory of the SmartRICs I demoed a couple months ago:
- Puresound seems to be better fitted to my hearing. I’m guessing the fitting range is better/more expansive than the previous generation’s, at least for my cookie-bite hearing
- The overall sound quality is extremely “clear” or “natural”. The SmartRICs were great with this, but Allures seem even better. No artifacts or weirdness in sound at all, at any moment, since I started wearing them.
- The wind reduction is great. I ride my bike downhill on a daily basis, and every hearing aid I’ve tried including the Phonak Spheres and SmartRICs created some amount of wind noise, but the Allures create none.
- Live music (at venues or on my audio system) sounds great even in Universal mode. SmartRICs needed to be put in Puresound or Music programs or else the feedback reduction, compression, etc. would mess up the sound.
- I did this word-in-noise test and got a higher score than any other hearing aids I’ve tried. 59% with SmartRICs, 74% with Allure.
- Streaming sound quality is better than the SmartRICs, but not as good as Phonak Spheres
I haven’t done more extensive speech-in-noise testing (where I simulate a restaurant environment) yet, but I’ve worn them in a couple noisy situations and they seem better than the SmartRICs at filtering out noise.
I liked the SmartRIC form factor and case better, but it’s not all that important to me.
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Thanks that’s really helpful to know. What kinds of tips are you using for these and how have you found feedback management? BTW does it still speak when it changes programs with the button? does Universal sound better than it did in the previous generations? you could always hear a little bit of delay with Universal, is that still there? oh and do you feel Pure has the front and back sensation the slightly less sharp comfort feeling that universal has, or is it still omni and you get blasted by sound from everywhere?
Feedback hasn’t been too much of an issue with hearing aids I’ve used, so not sure how the Allures compare. I’m using open tips even though the audiologist prescribed vented tulips, and they do squeak if I cup my ears but otherwise no feedback.
They don’t speak when changing programs like the SmartRICs; just 1, 2, or 3 beeps.
Universal sounds better to me than I remember it sounding with SmartRICs, but still a bit of delay is noticeable compared to Puresound with sounds like drums or quiet voices.
I haven’t used Puresound too much in busy situations, so not sure about the omni/sound blasting…
Yeah I recall pure sound being better if you were in a fixed location and universal doing a much better job of picking up sound in an every day situation. Usually I like to stick with 1 program all the time but this seemed not to be a good idea.
The way you describe squeaking when you cup your ear I would definitely class as feedback. What I notice is that if I get near a wall or hear reflections from nearby objects I can detect a very very very slight feedback sound in the hearing aids. Widex were traditionally really bad for this even with vented sleaves.
Do you mind commenting on their size, particularly their width compared to the SmartRIC? I have small ears with little space between my head and ear so most aids I’ve tried tend to be uncomfortable and push my ear out too much, causing fatigue and soreness after a while.