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12 year user, advice about new-release models

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COSTCO will allow you to TRY different brands/different models out in the noisy store. Unfortunately, Kaiser is not equipped to do so but - as was pointed out by another wonderful person here - I’ve prepaid for my “free” hearing aids via my high premiums, so I was not about to go to Costco and pay. Do NOT rely on opinions and “reviews.” Every patient is different; has different preferences. Plus, Costco has a wonderful trial and return period!

In reply to @aky13rx

@aky13rx said:

sounds more natural

Clear, sharp sounds are always unpleasant for people with long-term hearing loss, so they more accept devices giving softer, more pleasant sounds, which is perceived as “sounds more natural.”

devices with sounds perceived as sharp:

  • risk discouraging the client and preventing them not to buy them,
  • risk causing larger artifacts (e.g., buzzing, a slightly metallic sound) and may require frequent visits to an audiologist to eliminate them, although the end result is a sound that is as close to real life as possible, crystalline,
  • require approximately 3 months to be accustomed,
  • They MUST come from a reputable manufacturer and be expensive, because only this guarantees that the fast processor that processes the high tones and the algorithms will be refined, and possible artifacts can be eliminated with careful tuning.

I have the impression that some reputable manufacturers cut corners by offering the customer a “more natural sound” from the very beginning, easy to process and with minimal artifacts even with basic settings.

In reply to @Janeo

@Janeo said:

If you want to configure it your way, add the $1,000 ConnexxAir for communication between the hearing aid and your computer, and get the Connexx software.

What an unbelievable ripoff. manufacturers should do everything they can to allow users to optimize their devices themselves- the interweb has eliminated the middlemen decades ago. I would have sent my misconfigured Phonaks right back to their maker if it wasn’t for my additional investment in an affordable Noah device- a godsend.

@RobHooft said:

optimize their devices themselves- the interweb

Yeah, I bought my Signia Silk online at a relatively low price, from a virtual hearing clinic. However, they sell hearing aids that can only be adjusted by an audiologist online, what isn’t convenient for everyone.

In reply to @Janeo

That is an extremely interesting observation. Thank you. I would imagine part of the problem is a brain adjustment lag for modulating what are perceived at first as startling, screeching clatter with very abrupt peaks, where the auditory processing parts of the brain haven’t been integrating that kind of a jagged sound profile. So a gradual move in adjusting toward sharpness might help. (I speculate.)

@RobHooft said:

…optimize their devices themselves….

When I look at the fitting s/w for prescription , I see an immense number of controls. Since a change in one control may affect performance in another area, I’ll leave adjustments to my audi, who has years f experience with the s/w.

The more controls, the more opportunity to mess up the device, and the more opportunity to optimize the device - a little learning can be dangerous. Before I retired, I was an IT guy. Unless you’ve dealt with PC users, you can’t imagine how people can foul up a Windows installation.

I believe some laypeople can learn the ins and outs of their HA fitting s/w, but I also believe that would take more work than most of us really want to do.

Not an IT professional here, but I have also seen them- people who desperately search for the “any” key on their keyboard. I also agree that the number of controls in Target is overwhelming. And it is not the most user-friendly interface I have seen.
Having said all that- the software is straightforward to install, and saves all sessions (including the initial configuration), and it is easy to revert to those, so the risks for “irreparable” damage is really limited. Sure, many people prefer not to be bothered with self-adjustments, and lack the curiosity and will to understand how try to overcome their impairment (or they don’t know where else to spend their money). But I still think that companies should encourage users to give this a try, and make the required software widely available. It simply is no longer the case that all the elderly (the major population of HA users) are total IT dummies.

Edited
@RobHooft said:

Having said all that- the software is straightforward to install, and saves all sessions (including the initial configuration), and it is easy to revert to those, so the risks for “irreparable” damage is really limited.

That’s the point: even if a complete novice uses trial and error, if the new settings prove unsatisfactory, they should always return to previous sessions (saved in a file) and try again. The software guides the user; everything is automated, and at this stage (you and the audiologist do the same thing) the work can be completed and ready to use.
Then the user can begin their own individual experiments to improve the sound if not satisfactory. And at this stage, in my opinion, collaboration with an audiologist, compared to individual experiments, is incomparably less effective.

ps: for me limited “irreparable damage” is rather IMPOSSIBLE :slight_smile:

So for follow-up, I just got a new Phillips set after all, from Costco. I was influenced by the description of “sharp” and crystalline sound as a contrast to warm or “more natural” sound, and by the suggestion of the tech. It’s been five days. I said, no automatic programs, no streaming; give me music and Speech-in-Noise. And so far, so good. I think I’m picking up a lot of subtlety that had been passing me by. I’m still in the assimilation phase, I think I’d call it, and waiting for the next tuning visit. Thanks everybody!

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