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Stick with specsavers advance elite or switch to premium Oticon or Phonak?

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Hi there, I’m looking for some advice on hearing aids please. I was diagnosed with moderate hearing loss about 5 years ago when I was in my late 30s. I ended up getting Oticon More 2 miniRITE hearing aids and got on really well with them until they packed up last year. This time round I’ve gone to specsavers and am currently trialling their advance elite hearing aids. A couple of weeks in I’m ok with them but they do feel like a step down from my previous Oticon ones. They’re not as good in noisy environments, the sound tends to get dampened when there’s a loud noise and the streaming sounds quite mono. Does anyone have experience of stepping up from the specsavers advance elite to the Oticon Intent or the Phonak Infinio Sphere 90? My precious Oticon ones felt much more natural but I don’t know if I’m biased! Any advice would be greatly received.

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I’d suggest going with the Intent or the Infinio Sphere. If you really like the sound of Oticon, stick with the Intent. If you feel more venturesome and would like something that might be better with speech in noise, try the Phonak. Both are great aids.

I trialled the specsavers advance elite 2 years ago. Honestly, they were terrible in noise, and I was hugely embarrassed on a couple of occasions. They told me that were the Phonak Lumitys, but actually they were the Unitron Vivante. I upgraded to the Phonak Lumity Nadia, and then ultimately, 6 months later to the Oticon Intents, which were way superior in noise. 15 months on from that point, I have now switched to the Phonak Infinio Sphere, because I am hoping they will be even better in noise (after seeing a lot of positive anecdotal reports). Bottom line, if the current Elite is not the Spheres, or Intents (which they won’t be - as Specsavers don’t sell Oticon), and hearing in noise was a priority, I would switch to the Spheres or Intents. Specsavers sell the Infinio Spheres at the standard price if it’s not the white label.

It depends on which Intent.

The main advantage of the Intent 1 and Sphere is their ability to handle speech in loud noise, with the Sphere performing better in these environments.

Phonak will sound different compared to the Oticon. Which one is better? Depends on the user preference. As @MDB said, if you used to Oticon, you may want to stick with the same brand.

Phonak offers universal Bluetooth connectivity, meaning they can connect to any device with Bluetooth. Oticon’s Bluetooth connectivity and streaming quality aren’t as strong unless you’re using an Android or other non-Apple device with , since Apple doesn’t support LE Audio.

You should try both and see which one you like better.

Hi,

I’m reading your post with interest. Now thinking it is not just me.

I’m new to and am on day 2 of using Spec-saver Advance Elite +. They were shocking in a noisy coffee shop this morning and I felt the sound quality when llistening to music on spotify was basic. They do fit my ears well and I am finding them ok in normal environments. These are suppose to be rebadged top of the line Resound HAs.

I trialled Phonak AI HAs last week. Loved them from the moment I put them in. Absolutely stunned by what I heard coming from my car stereo (my new car has sub woofer ect but I hadn’t really heard how good it was until then). Sound quality was so good.

I don’t recall any issues with noise within a coffee shop like I had today with the Specsaver ones. I was getting tired with using the Phonak at the end of day and I felt them in my ears more (but I think that is normal for a new user). The tips were larger. They were set up by a different Audiologist and within different provider so wondering if this is playing a part.

I am going to do a direct compare with each set in different environments tomorrow.

I am also wondering if the Specsaver auto HA setup is playing a part.

Thanks, Karen

Personally I would see if the other providers perform Real Ear Measurement () and appear knowledgeable about Phonak. If they do and are the $800 could be a worthwhile investment.

This is for 2 reasons. These are my views only and I don’t want fitters and audiologists to be upset. Firstly, with REM I have had more balanced and accurate fittings every time they have been performed. Secondly, I believe that it takes some experience to fit a Phonak well. I have been in situations where all an audiologist/fitter has done is provide a manufacturers first fit, which has been underfit, and they have boosted the volume across the board, which has made the situation worst. In addition I think that there are a lot of programs within Phonak and if the fitting is basic they won’t be optmised fully.

@kazkaz said: (unavailable)

Hi,

Thank you for posting. I am on Day 2 of trialling the Specsaver Elite with AI after trialling Phonak AI for a week. I loved the Phonak AI from the moment I put them in my ears.

These Specsaver ones are suppose to be rebadged Resound AI. They are dreadful in noise. Ithink I’m going to go with the Phonak AI.

Specsavers sell the Phonak AI at $800 cheaper than the other hearing aid outlet. Do you think they will be as well set up. Is that part of the issue I’m seeing?

Thanks

Thank you so much for your reply.

Do Specsavers do the Real Ear Measurement () ? The Audiometrist is well qualified but seemed to rely on a general machine set up for the aids. Put something over my head with sensors in my ears and connected this to a computer. Then let it play sounds and words in a different language. Then asked about left and right volume. She adjusted the right volume.

At Connect Hearing the Audiologist seemed more laid back when she fitted the Phonak trial pair. She did have a computer program. She did a hearing of word test with and without . I scored 27 with and 3 without. She also asked about L and R volume. She said she had another test she would do but was worried about the noise level in the temporary consult room so put it off until my return in 2 weeks. Connect Hearing owns or is owned by Phonak - this was disclosed during the signing of the HAs trial contract. Maybe this is why I had no issues with the sound on the HAs

Yes. That does sound like a fitting. It’s measuring that the amplification provided by your aids matches your prescriptive loss.

That being the case I think you should have some confidence it’s a reasonable fit; some audiologists say it’s a starting point for further adjustments, if necessary.

Thank you,

That has helped me illuminate the fit as the issue. I will contact the Audiologist and talk about the issues with not working in noise and the sound quality.

However, I’m thinking the Phonak might be the ones for me. I was just blown away by the sound quality I could hear when listening to my stereo. And they were great in noise.

The Phonak model will definitely be superior in noise. Even without . Sorry, I slightly misread your post. You will be paying less for the elite version at Specsavers, as that’s a white label; to give credit to Specsavers they are also doing REM. However, even with REM, I would say that in noise, the elite version will be no match for the Phonaks. If you are worried about the price difference, you should be able to get the Phonak AI model from specsavers, as they do sell it. Well - in the U.K anyway. If they do REM, then that’s a bonus too.

Hi all. After thinking about further and the very helpful guidance above I’m trying the Phonak tomorrow (still under my trail period) - will let you know how it goes!

Hi,

Thank you for posting. I am going through the same process as you. But these will be my first set of so I have no experience. Would you mind posting again after your trial with the Phonak HAs?

Can I please ask if you are going to trial the Phonak through Specsavers? And are you in Australia?

Thanks, Karen

@kazkaz said:

Can I please ask if you are going to trial the Phonak through Specsavers? And are you in Australia?

If you can please avoid Specsavers if at all possible, go straight to Costco to get a better deal than anything offered elsewhere, you’ll save thousands of your hard earned money alone! Service and warranty second to none, cheers

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