Kind of at a crossroads

If you don’t wish to disclose, I understand, but if you’re willing to share info I greatly appreciate it. Left vented, right unvented? May I ask what configuration of mold, retention type if any, and what material? I am giving serious consideration to getting custom molds. While my own hearing loss isn’t the same as yours in audiogram line shape and severity, I like to get info from a variety of HA users with molds so as to be well informed on the pros and cons, etc.

Clear silicone…I think!–with a tiny bit of shaping/sanding done in house on right mold by my very skilled audi who has the proper tools. Yes left is vented and right is closed. I have no issues with my voice sounding odd with this configuration. Again, I play acoustic instruments. Molds boosted bass in particular. The overall tone of my instruments is fuller and rounder and warmer with molds I would say. More presence. For me, there are no downsides to custom molds. They’re easier to maintain as well. Keep in mind that due to surgeries, my ear canals are not shaped normally at all. this may play into things. Everyone is individual.
for everyday use, when what I want is to hear speech, I lucked out and have the Cochlear Osia implant. My loss is primarily conductive, not due to damage of the cochlear nerve. The Osia is a minor miracle in terms of how well I hear the speech spectrum. I can hear conversations from a block away, etc. It’s far more effective than any traditional aid for the speech spectrum. But it sounds awful for music. If your loss is primarily conductive, you might look at BAHA aids. And hope your insurance covers it.

Thanks for the info. When it comes to occlusion, my ears feel stuffy without my hearing aids in! Weird, but as you said, everyone is individual.

Some things to keep in mind:

When fitted properly, hearing aids help, especially with the one thing they are most designed to do: improve speech comprehension. But even the “best” aids and audiologists can’t restore normal hearing. If that’s your must-have goal, you are sure to be disappointed. Look for improvement in speech comprehension.

Speech comprehension in noisy environments always has been and continues to be the greatest challenge for people with hearing impairment. Truth be told even normal-hearing folks struggle at loud parties and restaurants. Though aids have gotten better at this than a decade ago, they still have a long way to go, despite what over-promising marketing departments claim. Expect to continue to struggle with this, no matter what you do. Doesn’t mean some solutions aren’t better than others on this point, but expect it to still be a challenge at times.

Speaking of over-promising marketing departments, every year new aids come out and the marketing goes off the charts about how great the new aids are compared to last year’s model. EVERY YEAR. I know, I’m shouting. Honestly improvements are only incremental. Sure, new aids IF set optimally will outperform five-year old ones, because they’ve got five years of incremental improvements building up. But the improvement in next year’s model compared to this year’s model is probably very small. So don’t sweat FOMO. I say that, though, because that’s true for the industry overall. In some cases particular new models may have more significant improvements. Which calls to mind your Jabra Pro 20s. A lot of people here reported issues with the 20s. Apparently Jabra fixed some of those issues with the Pro 30s. Might be worth a try, because at least they offer a lot of bang for the buck. And if you’re replacing $1,700 aids at Costco, you can come out ahead with newer aids more often.

Speaking of that, spending twice as much ($6,000, vs $3,000 for a pair of aids) does not equate to twice as good in performance. It’s like stereo equipment, or cars. It takes more and more dollars for small improvements, when midrange or lower might do just as well. Your budget challenges are more in your mind than your wallet, so you don’t have to go OTC, though it might meet your needs just as well for less cost. Unlike many of us, you do not have an audiogram that calls for high-end prescription hearing aids.

@larry.feather said:

Try the rechargeables. You’ll never go back!

Unfortunately @larry.feather one size doesn’t fit all, there are many folks on this site, whom wouldn’t thank you for a free set of rechargeable aids, they just don’t fit in with their lifestyle… Personally, I dislike rechargeable aids, with some venom, but I do appreciate lots of folks love them… I have tried them, and absolutely hated them, but there was some valid reasoning behind that… That being said, apart from hearing aids, I have rechargeable everything, especially power tools, I am a walking advert for Dewalt Tools Cheers Kev

@kevels55 said:

I have tried them, and absolutely hated them, but there was some valid reasoning behind that

You situation when they stopped working, would that be all rechargeable hearing aids are at risk of the same situation or just Phonak rechargeable?

The new ReSound Enzo look good especially with Auracast etc but they are rechargeable.

Yeah Ruth, unfortunately in adversely cold weather, rechargeable aids have a BMS (Battery Management System) they can cut out anywhere below -1C, and they will not reboot until they are placed back into the charger dock, not very helpful in winter time, here in the Scottish Highlands, where these temperatures are common… That happened twice to me, in very challenging circumstances out in the sticks, with probably 5 of my worst clients, whom could be very aggressive, especially towards each other, whilst working as a supervisor at “Criminal Justice” with Community Payback… On both occasions, as a lone worker, stress levels went through the roof with no hearing whatsoever all day, I vowed to myself “Never Again” would I put myself in this situation with rechargeable aids! Cheers Kev

Lawbreakers with mental health issues are plentiful in the USA, too. Same thing, limited treatment facilities = criminal justice system instead. After release, many wind up homeless and still untreated. Some really bizarre events occur. I wouldn’t want to have to supervise a group of them without adequate hearing!

Kudos for the work that you do. Seriously difficult work that, at the same time, is very necessary. “the poor are always with us”, true; but we’re also asked to respond to the needs of each particular individual. Hard work! and especially in cold winter circumstances.

the industry trends towards the vast majority of users, who aren’t out in sub-freezing temps for long periods of time. And this is reasonable. I was highly skeptical of rechargeable aids until I owned a pair. Now I’m never going back to batteries. But I live in a year around moderate climate. Horses for courses, as they say! Pick a mudder for a muddy day, and a racer for hard pack track.

I don’t do any work these days - I’m medically retired due to disability. Before that, I was a radiologic technologist for 40 years “and change” and was routinely required to get medical imaging accomplished on both ordinary and extraordinary people. This included people whose apparent plane of existence was not planet Earth, and people whose usual residence was “The Graybar Hotel” but had gotten injured during an intermission between sentences. Most other people were interesting, though far less unusual. I was never in law enforcement or corrections.