Will soon seek hearing aids, may need phone upgrade (M3, T3)?

Hearing Aids
#1

I have hearing loss due to age (70), high side of moderate, from my reading of a 2018 audiogram.
So, am shopping for HA solution, across all options, but do not need fancy music streaming and such, but a very good phone app/hearing aids interaction - comfortable with tweaking stuff.

I may need a phone upgrade (now cheap Moto G6, low usage) related to the use of HAs. Studying up, I discovered the M and T ratings, as in M3, T3, and M4,T4, which rates, I believe the phone compatibility with HAs.
Should I be concerned about these ratings?

More questions to come, of course, but itā€™s a startā€¦!

#2

Yeah I wouldnā€™t bother with those unless a t-coil in important, but really the lists can be found on the HA manufacturers website as well as the Phone manufacturers, this is for Bluetooth, now you may well say you donā€™t need any " fancy" streaming, but once set up correctly your steaming can be fantastic for phone calls and your TV ( with an optional tv connector)
Do you have a Costco nearby, this is by far a cost effective solution.
You need to post your audiogram so others can offer advice.

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#3

Thanks tenkan.

Yes, I am aware and am considering Costco, non-member but nearest is 1hr and 20 minutes away, no problem.

I am attaching an audiogram done in 2018 as suggested, which I may be reading wrong in thinking I am on high side of ā€œmoderateā€?

Audio_2018
Audio_20181920Ɨ1320 195 KB

#4

Ok thanks for sharing your audiogram, looking at it shows moderate to profound loss,but pretty easy enough to sort with any of the HAs available from Costco, see if you can get custom molds, a small vent should help as well.

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#5

Unless you donā€™t use your phone for making/receiving phone calls, or do so sporadically, the Bluetooth connectivity is a must have. I switched to BT HAs in 2014 (Starkey Halo) and am on the phone a lot for work. Having the phone go straight to my HAs is a real blessing. Streaming is just icing on the cake and is ā€œfreeā€ with the BT capability.

Not sure how well your phone will work with HAs, but modern iPhones or ā€˜droids will get it done. If I were essentially starting from scratch, I would go with the iPhone. YMMV.

#6

Thanks WhatDidyouSay,

Indeed, I do not use my phone much - have been times when phone stayed in the truck a whole day! I would use headphones for very important stuff like medical tele-visits, or when I know the caller line will be weak or bad.

Android user by default, I am aware that the Apple phones have quite a bit more compatibility with ( most) HAs.

My goal is to cover one-to-one conversation, conversations around calm group dinner table or outside on a walk, lectures, and movie theater experience.
A tv add-on would be nice, maybe.

The take of the day is I am somewhere the profound zone, which will direct the device choice and setup.

#7

First you need a current audiogramā€¦

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#8

OK, Morgan 1946 stole the words right off my fingertips. Six years is a LOOOOONG time. My own audiogram plunged from 2016 to 2022 so much that I wondered why no one suggested a CI? But oddly I do very well with Phonakā€™s Lumity Life aids. Think about them, altho, if you go to Costco, they wonā€™t be sold there. Equally important (at least for me, with cinderblock ears) is the total package: BT streaming with cell phone, separate program so I can use landline phones really well, TV streaming thatā€™s also useful for laptops or other devices.

Again, I need TOTAL solution, and you may find youā€™d be happy with new aids and perhaps Bluetooth streaming to Android. I LOVE how these Phonaks stream effortlessly and reliably with my Samsung Flip-4 phone. I also have a Roger ON iN device to stream with the TV. That accessory is small enough to be carried around and used at restaurants or even pointed at a phone if itā€™s a speakerphone call.

Finally, I have a dedicated program, ā€œAcoustic Phoneā€ on my aids so I can switch to that and take a call from any landline or phone Iā€™m NOT paired + connected to.

This board is a GOLD MINE of users, data, experiences, suggestions, DIYers and almost instant answers to just about any question. So come back once you get on the road to your hearing solution.

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