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GN Resound Vivia experiences

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Hi people, I’m wondering what experiences people have had with the GN Resound Vivia which I’ve been researching as an alternative.

I’ve been trialling Signia Stylettos but a couple of things aren’t working for me - I’ve realised I do need a HA with a rocker switch; I’m not very happy with the competency of the supplier and their locking of the aids; and I’m starting to wonder whether having an HA with makes sense. If I jump ship with my current supplier, the private audiologist I’m lining up as an alternative recommends the following brands: Phonak, GN Resound, Oticon, Starkey, Widex, Unitron.

The Vivia looks good on paper, but I hear some critique of their reliability?

I’m between a rock and a hard place as I need to jump ship from the current supplier soon to get my money back on the trial, but still have blocked eustachian tubes after an ordeal of an infection this last month, so tricky to get the ball-rolling with a new audi as tests won’t likely be accurate etc.. my hearing is worse than ever, it’s prohibitive of me effectively doing my job at the moment. With my current Stylettos on full volume I can follow 80% of a conversation. I don’t feel my brain is processing speech as it did. I have an urgent referral to Otology but ‘urgent’ with the NHS comes with a bucket of salt. But with all the medical stuff going on in the background, I do need some HAs in the meantime..

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I have Jabra Pro 30s - rebadged Vivia 9s, or close enough. I’ve had conversations using the Pro 30s that I’ve been unable to have for 20 years. I think the Pro 30s are great - but Phonak Spheres or the newest Starkeys may be better. The Spheres get better press.

Have you searched this forum? Lots of info on Vivias and Pro 30s.

Great to hear that about your Jabras - it’s a shame they’re not available in the UK. I’m not too keen on Phonak since they won’t have capacity, and Starkeys I think are pushing beyond my budget. (Already the Vivia are pushing my budget..)

If a UK Costo is close enough, I would check to see what they do have. Over here you can get three sets of the Jabra 30s for the price of one pair of Vivia 9s. Guessing it’s similar for the other major brands as well.

Unless you already know where public use of is implemented, I would not count on it being available any time soon. At least for streaming TV, there is no improvement over conventional Bluetooth. (Based on my older Resound streaming devices to the current Resound TV Streamer+.)

Since the Jabra Enhance Pro 30 is not discernibly different from the Vivia 9, you can get them in the UK. Costs a lot more with the Resound brand on them, of course.

The Vivia 9 and the Pro 30 are both made in Denmark by GN Hearing. They use the same fitting s/w with the same options. They use the same accessories.

But the only way to tell if they’ll work for you is to try them out.

There is one difference between the ReSound fitting software and the Costco Fitting software for the Jabra 30 that I encountered in the US. The Costco fitting software is somewhat tailored by Costco IT. The ReSound fitting software was updated worldwide to be able to use the new NAL-NL3 fitting targets more than a month ago. The Costco fitting software, to the best of my knowledge, has not yet been updated by Costco IT. I have no idea what other modifications Costco had made or is making to the ReSound fitting software, or what difference any changes might make for the wearer. The best way, as was suggested, is for you to go to Costco and try them out yourself.

In reply to @shootist

Jabra isn’t available in the UK from what I can see. And unfortunately Costco isn’t an option for me. Re , at the moment it looks like there are less than 20 venues in the UK with it! But from other posts on here I’m getting the impression it should go big at some point, and if that’s the case, I’d regret not being able to connect. Buying is a big outlay for me and what I get will need to serve me for at least the next 5-6 years, during which time if Auracast doesn’t sink, it should be flying. (And I’m only interested in Auracast for venues, as I’ve found amplified speech in venues really tricky with HAs. I don’t really watch the TV).

In reply to @Lour

@Lour said:

There is one difference between the ReSound fitting software and the Costco Fitting software for the Jabra 30 that I encountered in the US

Nope it’s the same.

@Lour said:

The Costco fitting software is somewhat tailored by Costco IT.

Nope it’s the same, different version doesn’t make it “tailored or custom” the Jabra can be fit to NAL 3.

@Lour said:

I have no idea what other modifications Costco had made or is making to the ReSound fitting software, or what difference any changes might make for the wearer.

None, they are the same, only tinnitus features are unavailable from Costco, this has no bearing on the and how they work.

I’m glad to hear that. I had asked my local Costco to let me know when their fitting software had be updated to used NAL-NL3, but haven’t heard from them yet.

If NAL-NL3 is important to you, then what matters is not whether the fitting software supports it, but rather whether the device that the clinic uses already supports it.

That is, of course, if the clinic does REM. And if they don’t do REM, you should probably avoid them anyways.

In reply to @Sallyinthesky

I blog about at aurahear.com5 and wear Vivias. Not had an issue and they really have helped me hear better.
The number of Auracast installations is growing quickly. Delfont Mackintosh theatres in London and the National Theatre are on board, and many smaller installations are springing up.

The pace will continue to pick up as more Auracast enabled devices enter the market. IMHO, going for an Auracast enabled aid today futureproofs yourself, so is well worth it.

Thank you, yes, that was my thinking. Once it’s more mainstreamed I’m also imagining that I’ll be lobbying/asking the venues that I use to consider upgrading.

Hello Sally in the Sky,

Unlike my usual unhappiness with most everything, I am VERY HAPPY with my now 4 month old ReSound Vivia 9 , that I obtained through my Kaiser HMO.

It is a lengthy story … my old HAs, Phonak Breo 3 from Costco, were starting to go bad after 6-7 years. I began by replacing them with a more recent Phonak battery model, but the batteries only lasted 3 days. I then tried Phonak rechargeable. I do own a Phonak TV Connector that works fine with my Breo 3; not so good with the newer models.

I discussed models with my new audiologist. Based on the same reviews (here and elsewhere) that I read, she suggested Oticon Intent OVER ReSound Vivia … mostly because people adversely comment about the ReSound sound quality. More about this below. I also bought an Avantree +Bluetooth transmitter and connected it to my LG TV via Toslink cable (fiber optic) to replace the Phonak TV Connector.

The Oticons are enormous, bulky and kinda squared off. NOT comfortable. The sound quality was wonderful. BUT, they also had trouble staying synced with the Auracast transmitter and the left one kept popping out of my ear.

I returned them within the trial period and opted for the last choice available to me: ReSound Vivia 9 hearing aids. Small, rounded, comfortable. Excellent sound quality that IS very different from Oticon but I am unable to describe the difference. BTW, may also have to do with frequency programming!

Best of all, in MY opinion, the ReSound APP is the best that I’ve seen. Intuitive, easy to use. A PIA to connect, though (TWICE you must place the HAs in the charger and remove them to connect initially). That is only initially or if you terminate the APP somehow.

Otherwise, in the AM, I take the HAs out of the charger. This turns them on. My nearby phone DINGS as each side awakes and the connection is done.

The other wonderful aspect of the ReSound Vivias is connection with the Avantree Auracast transmitter. The APP provides a volume control for this broadcast SEPARATE from a volume control for the HA microphones.

I am happy to answer questions, IF I know the answers.

Arthur

I have the Costco equivalent of the Viva hearing aids and saved a large amount of money. I am very impressed with their noise canceling ability in restaurants and other noisy venues. There’s only one negative, Ifmyou forget and leave the hearing aids in the, “Hear in Noise”, function, at lunch, by 10:30 that night the batteries will deplete. I haven’t found a location that has so I can’t comment on how that works.

I got the ReSound Nexia Bi- hearing aids 3 years ago and think they’re great. When I recently visited my hearing aid specialist, I asked her about the Vivia. She said that while the Nexia has 1 chip, the Vivia adds a second chip for even better sound quality, especially better sound adaptability in noisy environments.

I don’t like buying new technology in their first year (let the kinks be worked out), so I will wait another year or so before investing in new hearing aids.

I used Costco Jabra 30 for 6 months and was very happy with it. I then got workplace insurance coverage for hearing loss which does not cover Costco. I then tried a first time Resound installer & it was a disaster. I then went to a local Phonak supplier & was unable to get them to work well enough over several weeks. I bit the bullet & found an independant clinic that handled many brands & had years of experience with Resound & got initial setup yesterday & things are night & day to the Phonak.
I like the fact that the Resound app allows user adjustment that was lacking in the Phonak…
So my opinion is the Resound Vivia is the best around so go with it.

These are all very encouraging, thank you. I had a chance to see a demo pair today - they’re tiny! My (new (yay, I’ve found a better one!)) audiologist has ordered them. Excited to check them out..

I’ve been wearing Vivia 9’s for a year and have had no problems .. Resound has by far the best app to work with.. I wear my ’s about 15 hrs a day and stream TV daily and on weekends about 8 to 10 hrs watching sports and when I put HA’s in charger I have about 60% life left.. I’m retired and living in Florida and play sports several hours a day and the noise filter in prog. ALL AROUND and OUTDOORS works well and if I’m in an especially noisy enviroment I use the HEAR IN NOISE prog., I travel mainly by golf court so there is plenty of wind swirling around me and I very seldom have and static/crackling from the wind.. the 1 thing I don’t care for about streaming tv is that some programs sound a bit tinny.. I do have the sound enhancer on my app but never really can find the exact correct setting.. in the past with older Resound HA’s my Audi could make adjustments that Resounds has now taken away.. overall I’m very happy with them.. and before buying them I tried MANY different brands and REALLY like the overall tone of the Vivia’s the best..

Tried those as my first . Returned them after a month. For me, too much emphasis on background noise/sounds and unable to distinguish conversation in noisy environments. I did not like the auto processing. Switched to Widex Allure and they are very gentle on my ears and sound more natural. Just my personal experience. I’m sure there are people who love them, just not for me.

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