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Old school vs modern hearing aids

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I have been a hearing aid user for about 25 years now. From the age of 5 to the age of 13/14 (2001-2009) I wore phonak (yes, I had them for almost 9 years). Then in 2009 I got Phonak Certena . I still have them to this day (2025). My audiologist calls my hearing aids “old school” since technology has advanced so much since 2009. I have tried new hearing aids and I just don’t like how they sound at all. My audiologist explained that my “old school” hearing aids sound “boomy”. Whereas I like to describe the new hearing aids sounds very thin and honestly just doesn’t sound natural at all. I like to think that my old hearing aids sounds more fuller, livelier and more natural sounding to me. I never ever use the buttons on my hearing aids for the different modes. I know that newer hearing aids have the automatic switch depending on the environment, which I absolutely hate the idea of that. I don’t care for Bluetooth nor do I even use Bluetooth products near my head. I’m the type of person that only use wired headphones to listen to music.

Based on further research, I’ve learned that these “old school” hearing aids have a more linear sound, which I have found it is more natural and close to what a human hears. Whereas the modern hearing aids are more non-linear which is considered unnatural.

I know everyone has their own preference and some may get more overwhelmed with a linear sound. I, however, do not. I’ve been to concerts, movies, and other loud places and have done just perfectly fine without changing the modes or taking out. I personally don’t want any special treatment or programs when it comes to hearing. I want to hear how everyone hears. I want to hear everything and everyone around me like how a normal person hears. I want to hear the water running or the fridge humming in the background.

Unfortunately my hearing has gotten worse and need new hearing aids. Which means that it will have the modern new technology. I want to stick with phonak since that’s what I’ve had my entire life basically. I’m looking into the Virto P ITE or . I will be telling my audiologist to make some tweaks such as minimizing compression, linear sound, turning off noise reduction, turning off program switching.

Basically I’m looking and asking if anyone has/had similar experience as I am, where they just didn’t like the new technology hearing aids. Or maybe you do have the new modern hearing aids and you have adjust the settings to sound like your old hearing aids. What has it been like for you?

Also- I’m pretty stubborn and for me to just “get use to it” is not the solution for me. I will not be forced into having hearing aids that I don’t like just because there are new technology.

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Hi. Welcome to the Forum. You can check out this thread too, where discussions on a similar topic are going on:

Analogs vs Digitals
Believe it or not I still wear Phonak Analog BTE hearing aids, I have done for 30 years, I had gradual loss of hearing, now have around 70% hearing loss, but these hearing aids have been the best, they work fine. But I know I’m nearing time that they’ll break, just to be prepared. I am going to see my audiologist soon, I have avoided the topic of “digital hearing aids” for over 12 years, I was excited when I first went to try them, but came out of the appointment heartbroken and disappointed whe…

I have been wearing hearing aids for about 30 years and I have stayed up to date with the new technology. But everyone to his own. The Phonak can be set up with linear amplification. I would think other models should also have those settings but you would need to check with your audiologist to be sure,

I have always worn digital aids. I don’t know about analog aids accept for the ones my uncle wore that was a body aid with ear phones like so many phones use to have. That was back in the 1960s and 1970s.

Edited

I have been wearing for nearly five decades now. The early analogs were ruthlessly amplifying everything- I spent the day wheeling the volume up and down, and things were awfully painful with unexpected sounds. I was tempted to kill my poor little sister for whistling when I was around.

Today’s digital models are a technological marvel- but, yes, they require careful programming. At its root, things are fairly simple. Understand that they are set to amplify sound but cap output dbs, per frequency bracket. The software (eg Phonak’s Target) will show you TWO (freq-db) graphs for each HA: one for the db gain, and one for the cap (then there are separate graphs for each profile, but the one in quiet situations is the most relevant). The graphs can be forced into almost any shape (limits are feedback and amplification power).

Do continue to harass your audiologist to program your HAs to your liking or, if you are up to it, go . Either way, try to learn how the shape of those graphs affects your hearing, esp speech. If you can hear mechanical clocks ticking a few meters away in your room but are not bothered by heavy traffic outside you are on the right track. Finally, understand that your brain needs to adapt to the new sound with every new setting, so the adjustment cycles are slow.

I think we could be twins haha, I am VERY similar to you, I’m 36 and worn only Phonak analog hearing aids, again these work for me as the sounds are more natural, maybe helps because I did have some hearing before I wore hearing aids when I was 6, so I recognise sounds and what they sound like already, it’s easier said then done when everyone advises how amazing digital hearing aids, but that is because some have never worn analogue hearing aids to compare, therefore won’t know the difference.
I have heard that apparently digital hearing aids can be changed into an analogue setting, whether this actually sounds like analogue hearing aid is another matter.
But yeah I don’t see the need myself all this fancy stuff it does like Bluetooth or pressing other buttons for different setting, I just put my hearing in, switch is on and that’s me sorted.

So trust me I know exactly how you feel, I agree with everything you said.

Edited

I know exactly how you feel about the new fangled Hearing Aids. I am still driving the '48 plymouth I got when I was in high school . Who would ever want automatic transmission or power brake and stearing … you just loose the feel of the road (every bump ) .
Aircondition who need it … just open the windows and cowl vent and you get lots of Fresh Air.
And the automatic wipers and headlights coming on when the first drop of rain hits the windshield … who need that .
But I do have the latest Hearing Aids and I LOVE them :joy: And when I do open the windows my aids AUTOMATICALLY adjust so I can still hear my wife.

In reply to @RobHooft

I hear some people have great experience with digital hearing aids, but again I think it depends in the individual hearing issues they have and what they’ve always been used to hearing with previous hearing aids. For me because I have hearing when I was younger, I only need them for amplifying, I don’t need sounds manipulation etc, but glad it works for others.

In reply to @RobHooft

I wear the Oticon INTENT1 aids. I have been wearing Oticon aids for 15 years. I have had the same the same audiologist for over 6 years. I put my aids on when I get up and literally forget about them until bedtime. I only have and want but the default program. I don’t have to worry about volume adjustments and since I don’t have anything but the default program i don’t even think about my aids. But it took a lot of effort and a number of fine adjustments and appointments to get to this point. But it has been worth it. And by staying with Oticon aids all my audiologist has to do is copy my program from one set of aids to the new aids than fine tune in the new aids to take in the advantages of the upgrades.

Edited

Our experiences have a fair amount in common. I’ve been wearing hearing aids since I was two years old. I’ve gone through the following hearing aids:
Siemens Signia () - 2000-2008/9
Phonak Eleva (BTE) - 2008/2009 - 2014
Oticon () - trialed two pairs and was not satisfied with either
Phonak Bolero Q (BTE) - 2014 - 2022
Widex Moment (RIC) - 2022-2025
Phonak Infinio Sphere - currently trialing (last audiologist was very reluctant with phonak and pushed me to Widex, but that audiologist wasn’t the best at fitting hearing aids either)

Audiologists tend to find that I have old fashioned preferences. I have found that if I have the right audiologist (listens to me, willing to entertain my ideas, good at explaining concepts) then we can take any pair of hearing aids as far as possible regardless of brand or features - especially because I have tended to like more simply programmed hearing aids. Only once the hearing aids have been fitted with good molds and programming and I have confidence in my audiologist do I know how to judge the brand. If you feel like you are being pressure sold hearing aids, I would urge caution. You know your audiologist better than I do. My most recent audiologist, for my hearing aid trail, was very clear with me that I would not get as much out of the trial if I did not order new earmolds to go with the hearing aids. Given my experiences with non-molded hearing aids (eartips, domes, etc), I believe she was correct with that.

Compression speed and band coupling tends to be pretty proprietary to the manufacturer, I find that phonak has been fairly continuous in its approach to compression (faster compression, bands operating independently) to what I had even back in 2008/2009.

I have found that my supposedly “old fashioned” hearing aids were not as old fashioned as one of my old audiologists had been saying. Look at old marketing brochures and a lot of the same jargon and overhype language is used. For a while I enjoyed settings that had very very little processing, but found after a while that having programs with at least a mild amount of processing was helping me feel less tired at the end of the day and giving me more security. Custom programs have always been and will continue to be key. But it is good to be open minded especially for speech in noise advancements.

Regarding the old “boomy” hearing aid sound, I think the audiologist is referring to the use of reciever in the canal with more open fittings. This means more of the low frequences enter your ear naturally instead of through amplification. I will admit that a plus of the reciever in the canal approach has been the ability to get higher frequencies than I was able to on the old BTE hearing aids. The ’s you like could have recieved similar upgrades. But the open fittings have a downside which is that I cannot stand the sound of most digital feedback attenuation algorithms (especially as someone who plays music), and the compression situation (especially for slow release time hearing aids like Widex, not so much phonak) can leave a hearing aid patient vulnerable with long release times where there is little to no amplification. For reference, I have mild to moderate sloping hearing loss in both ears and prefer the fitting algorithm. It was interesting to try and I found some neat benefits to the open approach, but at the end of the day did not prefer it to the old approach, so I do RIC with a mold. Part of your situation is that your hearing loss has changed. I don’t know if that is because your old hearing aids cannot be reprogrammed due to computer compatibility issues or if that is because you need a more powerful receiver. If it is because you need a more powerful receiver or power hearing aid then the new open fittings are less likely to apply to you.

Usually audiologists think it is kind of silly to want to do real ear measures on old hearing aids, but in your case you are going to get a much better trial experience if your new hearing aids are programmed to match your old ones as closely as possible. It will be more “apples to apples”. I would add that it is important to test some louder than speech sounds as part of your fitting because it will affect ambient sounds and music and other loud situations.

Good luck!

My audi made several adjustments to the music program on my aids. One was to establish a more linear setting for sound (I think I ahve this right.) The others were to turn off compression and many other features for that dedicated program alone. All of this makes for a more. natural and expansive sound. Anologue light, if you wish, except that the aids still match up with my hearing loss and amplify sound where my loss is, rather than all sounds, like the old analogue aids. All of this is easy to do if your audi/provider knows how. 20 minutes in the office will do it.

In reply to @Heyjoe

Sorry- the reason why I made a new forum is because I don’t think my hearing aids are technically analog. They are digital but maybe are programmed to sound more analog? Not sure, that’s what I’m trying to figure out.

I remember the hearing aid my grandmother received as a 75th birthday gift from her ‘children’–it was a box the size of a deck of cards that hung around her neck and was attached by a very visible wire to a largish earpiece. Absolutely nothing subtle about it, but, yes, it did enable her to hear–after a fashion–in some situations. I imagine that in a crowd of family at her birthday, which this was, the volume just resulted in a big noise, but who knows? I’m just glad that–having inherited her tendency to hearing loss–I live in an updated age when the ‘helping equipment’ is a lot better!

I want to hear human voices. I wouldn’t care if it sounds like Donald Duck if I can understand it. I have several high frequency dead regions so I have my Phonak Lumity set for maximum , and full compression. I want all the features I can get in order to understand speech and I have no idea what natural sounding is.

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