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Realistic lifespan of hearing aids

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My hearing is stable and has been stable for >5 years. I bought Oticon Real miniBTE 2 1/2 years ago and so far, they have been trouble free except for one bad receiver, which was replaced under warranty. They are very helpful for my moderate hearing loss. I haven’t seen a situation where a better hearing aid would benefit me.

I know that we can’t predict the future. Some people replace when insurance pays for a new one. Some replace when the old one requires expensive repair. Others want new features. All are valid reasons. I’m looking for a best guess when to plan for replacements.

Question: For you long-term aid wearers on this list, how long have you gone between replacements? Perhaps an average of your responses will give me a fair estimate, or at least something concrete to use in planning.

Thank you.

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Average replacement time is 5.2 years, variability is +/- 3 years. There are individual factors such that people tend to see similar lifespans in their devices–so if with your first set you managed 7 years there’s a good chance you’ll get 7 years on your next set (excluding rechargeable battery limits) but if you only managed 3 years your next set will probably also die early. Some of those individual factors are care and cleaning, but some are the ear environment (moisture, wax, acids in the oils of the skin). Where I am, Oticon guarantees repair is available out to five years but after that they may or may not have the parts and it may become more cost prohibitive.

My guess, with modern digital aids, may be more dependent on what powers them, than the aids themselves. Like cellphones, these no longer have removable rechargeable batteries. From what I’ve read on here, the rechargeable battery capacities may start to drop around 5 years. This certainly started happening earlier with my Samsung S21. That has now become a brick.

I’m avoiding rechargeable hearing aids, for that very reason, as hearing aids are massively expensive. Yes, improvements happen, but I have 4 pairs of 2019 aids that still work like brand new, when I replace their ZincAir batteries. I have more recent models, that I use daily, but there’s nothing wrong with the older ones.

I had my Starkey Muses (disposable batteries) for 11 years, recently replacing them with rechargeable Rexton Reaches. (Rechargeables only last as long as the battery, which is a real negative IMHO. If I get the battery replaced free by Costco, before the warranty ends, I anticipate getting a total of about 6 years out of the RRs.)

I was lucky with my Starkey Muses: other than a couple of times of needing my audiologist to do some cleaning and fine-tuning that I could not do, they never broke and never got lost. Of course, in all fairness, when COVID hit and we got locked down where I live, I did not wear my Starkeys 12+ hours a day, as I did when I was working. There were days I did not wear them at all, but just left them in their PerfectDry Luxe device, where they were safe from being broken or lost. :slight_smile:

Five years is short. I had Starkeys for well over 10 years, was pleasantly surprised for the company to support their older model with (affordable) repairs. Now on Phonaks, maintenance-free for yearly four years. I hope to replace their rechargeble batteries soon, just before the warranty runs out.

Indeed, proper maintenance is essential. I always take my off before getting into a sweat. And also true, decay of the batteries is an issue. But the Spheres (my next model) come with very high capacity (when new)- it will take an eternity before they won’t make me last a day.

When I was consulting, I ran into a pair of Electone (no longer in business) full shell instruments that were 17 years old and still working. Routinely, I would expect 5-7 years and maybe more. With the time limit some manufacturers are putting on doing repairs, it may become time to replace when you can no longer get them repaired. Moving to more recent features can be a motivator too. I was really happy with my old Phonaks but when I went to the new with Blue tooth, it was great on the phone and worth the change.

i know someone wearing NHS oticons from 15 years ago, still going strong. i feel like hearing aids are becoming less and less durable. are the mechanics becoming more fragile with advances in tech??

Basically no,but the manufacturers and clinic’s just like people to update at every opportunity ; )

In reply to @choccybiccy69

Some of the old Phonak, Siemens and Oticon analogue were almost invincible and you can still see them in the wild. The 5.2 year average replacement time includes both device failures and patients choosing to upgrade. Device failure is certainly more driven by rechargeable batteries than it was when. . . there were no rechargeable batteries. Aside from that devices die because of moisture and because of goo in the speakers and microphones. Some users really are more. . . moist and gooey than others. Some people work in much more dusty or humid environments. Also, some users are fastidious about cleaning their devices while others come in with, like, dead ants squished into their chargers. It can apparently be harder to get a good charge on your device through the carcass of an ant.

Real is a very good hearing aid, I had upgraded customers from Real 1 to Intent 1 they do notice an improvement. However, If your hearing aids still do perform well, I would wait till the next platform which would be somewhere end 2027- if you stay within the Oticon signal processing

In reply to @Neville

@Neville said:

others come in with, like, dead ants squished into their chargers

“And why beholdest thou the ant that is in thy brother’s eare, but considerest not the elephant that is in thine own eare?” (KJV, Matthew 7:3, slightly rephrased) :blush:

I have Phonak P90s approaching 5 years. Both have been returned to Phonak for repair, one under warranty and one I paid for at $250. I’d be more concerned about technology improvements in the rather than life cycle, especially with the advancements in tuning and loud noise reduction. I plan on upgrading in the next 12 months.

In New Zealand the average is likely to be 6 to 7 years. Why? Because the government hearing aid subsidy mandates a minimum of 6 years between paying for new hearing aids. A little cynical, apologies.

Technology changes fast now days. I usually change every 5 years. When I do change, I immediately notice the improvements. I’ve been wearing hearing aids for 30 years. Current model is the Starkey edge 2400 ai.

I am on my 5th pair in 20 years, so the first four averaged 5 years each pair. The 4th pair were replaced because the integrated battery stopped holding a charge. The previous ones needed disposable batteries. I have had Phonak, Starkey, Otocon, Kirkland (by Phonak) and now Jabra. The Phonaks were by far the most reliable and easiest to use. Phonak is now owned by Sonova but they still (I believe) sell the Phonak brand.

My situation is different form many here. My first set of Oticons (forget the model) were an out of pocket purchase. I went to a local Audiologist on Long Island (NY) that I had experience with from other needs. After they were about 3-4 years old I had relocated to the Berkshires in Massachusetts. I visited a local audiologist and he determined that one of the aids was dead. His recommendation was rather than gamble a repair on the existing units I replace them with the newer ones available. I took his advice and got a newer set (always with replaceable batteries). After a few years I felt the need for a hearing test, but decided to go to the , having a 70% disability and being eligible for 100% coverage. I got a newer set of Oticon units and was happy with them. I had also gotten the TV audio adapter which improved my TV viewing. After about 2 1/2 years I returned to the VA for reasons I cannot recall. It was advised that since the aids were closing in on the 3 year period I get new ones as they were covered. I got another set of Oticons but had problems with them and the audio feed from both the TV adapter and the Bluetooth on the phone. After a few trips to the VA it was decided that I replace them with my current Starkey’s. Again I wanted replacement battery style and they seemed to be the only option offered by the VA. After several fits and starts we finally managed to find settings that were comfortable for my applications. I’m not sure how I would have handled things if it was all on my dime though.

“8” years between my first pair of Oticon & my current Phonak Marvel (which are now approaching 6yr). The good thing about that first gap was the advancement to me seemed astounding. The Phonaks were/are stellar in music repro compared to the Otis & bluetooth without a dongle etc … it was all just “WOW”.. I am looking at replacing the Marvels very very soon 1. as I expect the batteries to start going South (they don’t appear to yet but don’t want to wait for them to fail) 2. although my loss doesn’t really justify it I am very interested in Sphere ANC tech# - as well as power improvements & smart assist (Google assistant) integration… #the one time I still struggle as with most is hearing in noise eg restaurant

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