Hearing aid brands : Any thoughts on brands other than Phonak?

I’ve always had Siemens/Signia. Since my aids (and accessories) are provided by the VA I could have any of top of the line brands. Currently have Pure Charge&Go 7 T IX and couldn’t be happier.

The aids connect directly with my old Pixel 3 or through the StreamLineMic.

The StreamLineTV is a no brainer.

My older Fire Tablet connects via the StreamLineMic but my understanding is the new Fire will take the aids directly.

Will most audiologists let one try so many aids or do you have a particularly cooperative one?

If Widex stuck with the earlier fitting software Allure would probably be doing better as many liked SmartRIC but for the limitations you mentioned.

I am in the process of replacing my 6-7 year old Phonak Brio 3 (from Costco). It was not an emergency until 2 months ago when I lost the left HA. Since Kaiser-Permanente and my health plan now fully covers a top-of-the-line pair of HAs, I am going through them although this has been a very arduous journey for me, the patient.

I started with Phonak BATTERY HAs but rejected them as soon as I found that the batteries only lasted 3 days. I RESISTED rechargeable because of bad experience with virtually everything else rechargeable. I replaced them with the Phonak Sphere model. The sound quality was excellent, but I had to return them because upon pairing with my Phonak brand TV Connector, all sounds (TV and ambient) became muffled. Worse, I was unable to hear my wife sitting 4-5 feet to my left while paired with the TV Connector. After one try, my Audiologist told me that further adjustment was not possible. If not for this problem with the TV Connector OR if the Phonak Sphere was auracast compatible, it is not … yet, I would have kept them!

I then tried Oticon Intent HAs solely on the basis of “people” opining that they sound more natural than Resound HAs. In order to hear my TV without deafening my wife, I bought an auracast transmitter (Avantree Audikast 41 - relatively inexpensive. Both Bluetooth AND auracast). Worked beautifully with the Oticon HAs except that the LEFT HA disconnected frequently and both disconnected occasionally. But I was not pleased with the sound quality plus the size and shape was not comfortable. Kaiser’s offerings leave me with two choices: Resound Vivia [Auracast compatible] and something by Widex that Kaiser does not prefer.

HOW are any of us supposed to choose when “side by side” comparison is not possible? Kaiser does NOT have demo models of each brand, at least the top models. I am positive that my Kaiser now hates me for returning three different pairs of HAs. I am wondering what I will do if I am unhappy with the Resound that I MAY have in 6 weeks or more due to limited appointment scheduling.

@Neville said:

I am actually in love with the Zeal and I am pretty sad that it’s an uncomfortable fit in my ear

It would have been great if they’d considered a slimmer/smaller form factor using the 60/65dB receiver, especially given its intended recipients. Lots of people would potentially have accepted a bit more concha visibility for a better fit - I wonder if there’s going to be more than one. I’m sure there’s potential for the battery to be rotated 90degrees (/vert) so it sits flat over the canal entrance but slightly offset to the rear of the concha.

I purchased Oticon Real 3 HA in July 2023. I wear them all day every day and often forget I’m wearing them. They perform well in quiet or in mildly noisy environments. They are very poor, close to useless, in speech understanding in noisy restaurants or meeting rooms.

My insurance kicks in $2,500 every five years. So unless I buy over the counters or HA at Costco, I’ll wear these until 2028. Although I will be purchasing Apple Air Pods 3 soon. Plan to use them watching tv, and as hearing aids in a pinch.

The Phonak Infinio Sphere i90 is the best in our practice in London, UK. The streaming and music sound is way better than all the ones I have tried myself (I am an audiologist with mild to moderate cookie-bite SNHL). So you are on the right track already.

I’ve been following this discussion with interest. At Jabees, we’ve developed the HearLink Essential Kit11, which uses a small wireless microphone streaming to bone-conduction headphones. Some people find it helpful in specific situations, like noisy restaurants or group settings, as a complement to their hearing aids, not a replacement.

If you have not read my commnents - I had the Spheres, but the moment they synced with the Phonak TV Connector, ALL frequencies were muted - both from my TV and ambient sound around me (my wife). My Audiologist said that she was unable to remedy this. Your brief comments do NOT mention the TV Connector. How do you recommend your patient’s listen to the telly? I find that, unless I crank HA volume up to max, I cannot clearly hear the TV at my wife’s normal hearing volume.

My take is that your audiologist is incorrect.

Edit: Thinking about this you should be able to increase the volume of the TV Connect by using the arrow on it.

I fear you are correct. I have since switched to another.

Am very curious about your bone conduction units. Please do a comparison between your brand device and the Sholz Open Ear Pro 2.0. Am considering they might help with speech recognition loss when listening from microphone speakers in church. With hearing aids, we can raise or lower the volume, change the focus direction but understanding what people are saying is a huge issue.

I like my signia pure 7ix+cros. Perform well in quiet environment, but not good when in noisy situation.

a bit pity but I still like it.

That’s a great question - and yes, I believe you’re referring to Shokz OpenRun Pro 2.

Both Shokz and our 7Seven are bone-conduction headphones, so by themselves they don’t actually improve speech clarity, they simply deliver whatever audio signal they receive. The key difference is really in intended use:

Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 – designed mainly for sports (running, sweat-resistant), with longer battery life (around 10 hours).
Jabees 7Seven – fully waterproof (IPX8, suitable even for swimming), with about 6 hours of battery life.

Where it becomes relevant for speech recognition - like in church - is when the headphones are paired with a remote microphone. Our Jabees HearLink Essential Kit1 includes a wireless microphone that you can place near the speaker or podium. The sound is streamed directly to the bone-conduction headphones, which often helps by reducing the distance and room noise factor.

So the headphones themselves aren’t the “hearing solution”, it’s the microphone + direct streaming setup that can make a difference in challenging environments.

If your main difficulty is understanding speech from a distance, a dedicated remote microphone system can sometimes make a meaningful difference. The Jabees HearLink Essential Kit is pre-paired and ready to use out of the box, designed specifically for streaming a nearby speaker’s voice directly to the headphones. It’s not a replacement for hearing aids, but in certain situations - such as church, lectures, or group settings - it can serve as a practical complement to your existing setup.

We shared a story from one user, Evalynn, who uses HearLink daily in real life, you can see how she sets it up and how it helps here:

HearLink Kit Review: How Evalynn Found a Clearer Way to Hear | Jabees2

Discover how the HearLink Kit helps young users like Evalynn hear conversations more clearly, with no feedback and less background noise. Read her family’s real-life testimonial and see why HearLink is a practical alternative to traditional hearing...

Thank you very much for your detailed response to my inquiry on your Jabees bone conduction headset. I have and use the Shokz OpenRun 2.0 headset, not for running nor other fitness/sports activities. For me, they’re an additional, though tiny, help while wearing my outdated 3 year old bluetooth hearing aids until this coming May when I’m eligible to buy new ones. By the way, I use the mini version of my Shokz because of my petite size. Does your Jabees have a mini version? Even with my new hearing aids late Spring, I’ll continue using a bone conduction assisting device in some situations,