Would new phonak m70 be better than 4yr old phonak v90?

Hearing Aids
#1

I bought phonak v90 non-wireless hearing aids 3-4 years ago. My insurance provides me with $4000 in coverage every 3 years, so I now have $4000 to purchase new hearing aids if I want. can buy new hearing aids now if I want. For vanity reasons (i have lost my hearing young), at this point in my life I am sticking with cic version. My new audiologist has advised that Phonak technology had advanced enough in the past 3-4 years that Phonak m70s NW would be a substantial improvement over my current Phonak v90 nw.

Can anyone verify that? Rather than spend my insurance money now, should I wait for further technological advances? any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

#2

I have owned Venture, Belong and Marvel aids. The Marvel aids were a nice step better in my opinion. The Bluetooth wireless is nothing short of amazing with phone calls in my experience.

Hopefully you can trial the Marvel aids without be obligated to buy them if you are not satisfied.

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#3

Thank you for your reply. In my case, my Audi is recommending the now wireless version as a starting point, I think because they are smaller, so I will not have the Bluetooth benefits.

So my question more pertains to whether the Marvel non-wireless technology is that much better than the V90 such that a new hearing aid with M-70 technology would be better than a 3-4 yr old V-90 hearing aid

#4

This is a very difficult question to answer because I think most people on here wear the RIC form factor.

I went from a Virto SP ITC to a KS9 RIC (Phonak white label Marvel) and noticed a big difference - not least in the bluetooth quality. However, it’s hard to make a judgement because I decided to go for the RIC.

I think you need to trial it and make a decision. I think there will be an improvement. However, it is up to you to decide if your money justifies that improvement. You could decide to wait for a CIC Phonak Paradise or other manufacturer CIC (Oticon More or Widex) - which could be out within the next year - this would mean you are getting something that is 2 generations apart.

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#5

Thank you very much for your advice. Basically, my issue is that I only get one $4000 insurance stipend every 3 (maybe 4?) years, so I am debating whether I should use it now for what I assume is modest improvement, or wait a year or so for better technology in cic, or maybe in a year or two I will not feel as self conscious about RIC model.

There is also the possibility that my employer’s insurance benefit is removed while I wait.

#6

Hearing aid technology is always changing like models of computers and phones. About the time you buy new hearing aids something else has came out that’s newer, fancier whatever. These changes are usually very subtle in reality.

#7

I have Phonak B90 and Phonak M50. The AutoSense on the M50 out performs the B90 in terms of changing in the right environments.

Even tho the B90 is top end, I still think the M50 is better. I can’t answer about other programs tho as I just don’t use them.

#8

Thank you, that was helpful

#9

Thank you. The reason this is important to me is because even with my insurance paying $4000, I am still going to have to pay $1200 - $1500 out of pocket for the hearing aids through my audio.

#10

If you are anywhere near a Costco that might be worth looking into.
Some members have talked about filling out the proper documentation and were reimbursed by their insurance company. This led to little or no out of pocket costs for their aids.