Hi! Im new to this forum. I have a lot of experience fitting hearing aids

@dr.amy said:

So when the IRIS wireless streaming is released this fall, you guys will have to pick on Starkey for something else

I’ve listened and played with both the Alera from Resound and IRIS from Starkey - Starkey wins hands down. And less time delay than Phonak and Oticon products…

dr. amy

Hope it really works well and raise the bar for others to follow. Lets hope it does not work like the T remote control.

It will be more reliable because it does not depend on the frisky DTMF tones - completely different operating concept

dr. amy

@dr.amy said:

It will be more reliable because it does not depend on the frisky DTMF tones - completely different operating concept

dr. amy

lets hope they raise the bar… they are about the last company who is going to introduce
a wireless product- they better do something amazing

Hello.

I am brand new to this forum so please excuse me if I am posting in the wrong location.

I am still in the stunned mode of being told I need hearing aids. The hearing aids I was expecting, I was not expecting to give up my first born and several squillion dollars to pay for them.

I have been told I have mild hearing loss in my left ear and moderate hearing loss in my right ear. My right also suffers from otosclerosis. The hearing aid specialist who saw me has recommended Siemens Pure 701s for both ears at a total cost of $6500. Having read this forum I am wondering why I could possibly want or need top of the line hearing aids.

I was considering Costco hearing aids from a purely monetary perspective, many of those here with more experience a greater need have recommended them. I have to say I don’t think the person who adivsed me saw me as anything other than a cheque book on legs.

Could anyone please advice a newbie of what lines to consider please. I don’t need too fancy I would just like to be able to hear the tv, friends and family. Costco carried brands and other brands are very welcome.

Thank you very much !!

My audiogram results

Frequency In Hertz
–Freq ---------L-----------R
–250----------35---------55
–500----------40---------55
-1000----------35---------45
-2000----------25---------35
-4000----------30---------40
-8000----------25---------25

B/C Masked
-----------------------------R
–250----------------------25
–1000---------------------30
–2000---------------------25
–4000---------------------20

PTA
-------------L---------------R
------------30--------------45

ed121

Thanks for responding so quickly to my enquiry. I will conduct some research on what Costco has to offer as well as the Nernafon and Siemens lines.

thanks again Ed

Eammon

@mikejfl said:

Hi! Im new to this forum. I have a lot of experience fitting hearing aids from virtually all the major manufacturers.

I’d be happy to answer questions of help with hearing aid ideas or fittings.

Look forward to being part of this forum.

Hi Mike,
It’s kind of you to offer your help to those of us in this forum. As a newbie on the brink of selecting my first hearing aids I have two questions.

1. I haven’t made a choice between BTE (with thin tube) styles I have been shown vs. receiver in the ear models. Two different audiologists I have talked to have said that RITE models are more of a commitment to maintain and that they may be more expensive to own over time because of the speaker being in the ear in moist conditions. They say that the BTE with thin tube will have the same sound quality (no significant resonances in the tube) and be simpler and cheaper to maintain. What’s your take on the trade-offs between BTE (with thin tube) and RITEs?

2. I have also worn a dummy Unitron Fuse for a few minutes in an audiologist’s office and had it suggested that it would be a good choice. I like the fit and design, but when I look at the fitting range in the technical specs for the Fuse, it looks like it wouldn’t quite cover the 65db loss I have at 6000Hz in both ears. I like many of the features of the Fuse 16 or the Fuse Passport but wonder if it might not be an unwise choice if I continue to lose hearing at 6000Hz. What do you think? Might it be a good idea to look at the same technology in a BTE Unitron like the Moda or the Moxi?

Finally just a bit of background. I am 74, someone who does a lot of birding and misses hearing birds that have most of their song up in the 8kHz+ range. (I am basically okay only up to about 4500 kHz for bird song.) I live a moderately active life, but haven’t noticed any particular problems hearing at noisy restaurants and parties. I also facilitate book groups at the library in large seminar rooms with 15 to 25 people sitting around a big square of tables and haven’t noticed any difficulties hearing in that situation.

In short, I haven’t noticed my hearing getting in the way of doing what I want to do. My wife sometimes feels I am missing more than I should in one-on-one speech, but we both often forget not to try to talk when the other is in the next room or the water in the sink is running or the radio is on next to one of us.

Many thanks for any help you can offer on any of this. I have gone on at some length, but I have tried to ask questions that I hope will be interesting to others besides myself (fitting ranges and BTE vs. RITE tradeoffs).

–kittiwake-ii

Hi Mike,

I am new to the forms but have been using HA since i was 12 and am 35 now. I have gone form anologe to the widex senso diva that I had for the past 9 years. I am now am trying the agil and am finding it very difficult to cary a conversation the background noise is killing me. I am wondering if the agil pro would help or perhaps the smart from ponak would be better or if you could think of something else that might help. My old audiologist went out of bisness and i am starting with someone new off recommendations.

Since the Siemens 701 aids sound management system allows music to turn off the system on all programs, the aids are not as good as they used to be, but I do need the 16 frequencies for adjustment. I use BTE with a standard earmold. What is in your opinion the best BTE aid out there with power for a severe loss? Thanks.

I don’t think the OP is gonna be getting back to yous guys anytime soon, last activity was July:eek:

@bonovox said:

Hello Mike,
I’d appreciate if you guide me to the right aid. I’m a 40 year old female. I’ve had this since the age of 12. I used aids for a few months at the age of 33 until my aids were stolen. I’m an English teacher, english being a foreign language for me. I have difficulty understanding what my students say in the lesson even if I hear their voice. Let me try to translate what is written on the doctor report here:

RIGHT EAR: moderate level sensori-neural hearing loss. Immitansmetri. Type A timpanogram is seen. right ipsilateral and right contralateral acoustic reflexes were observed. TEOAE: No emissions observed.
LEFT EAR: low level sensori-neural hearing loss. Immitansmetri. Type A timpanogram is seen. left ipsilaterak acoustic reflexes were observed. Left contralateral acoustic reflexes not observed. TEOAE: No emissions observed.

my adıo results seem:

Hz- L - R
250 25 25
500- 40 45
1000 45 50
2000 55 50
4000 45 55
6000 70 75
8000 55 55

pure sound
L R
air- 47db 48 db
bone- 47db 45db

SRT
L- 50db
R- 50 db

speech discrimination
L- 84%
R- 80 %

MCL
L- 90db
R- 90 db

I want to understand speech clearly both in class or on TV. I don’t want to miss words. I dont like BTE models because of aesthetic reasons.
I’m biased to Phonak or Siemens, I don’t know why.

Between these two, what would you advise and if possible why?
Thank you in advance

BONOVOX

I have a preference for Phonak hearing aids, especially because of their sound recover circuitry which helps with cochlear dead regions and improves clarity of speech. they have just released a completely new circuit (ambra?) in the US that is supposed to be excellent in noisy situations and offer near elimination of background noise. Now, I am a little dubious of this claim, but I have yet to hear it from myself.

You mentioned not liking BTE models…have you seen the newer receiver-in-the-canal models? They are basically invisible if fit correctly and offer a lot of flexibility in the fitting. Your hearing loss would be an excellent fit with these style of hearing aids. I am partial to BTE’s because of their flexibility and durability, but I realize that they aren’t for everyone.

Are you working with an Audiologist to help you decide which is best for you? They should be able to guide you in the right direction…

Mike,
I’m planning to get my first set of hearing aids early next year. I’d appreciate your thoughts and recommendations.

Do you have any experience with Starkey e Series 3?

@jimwms said:

Doc,

I have been trying Phonak instruments for years, and presently have a pair of Naidas with the “sound recover” feature. After many adjustments, I’m now trying to get used to listening to music that sounds like it is under water. Have you or anyone else had experience with this strange effect? I’m a veteran HA user and it’s new to me.

Have you recently switched to a digital hearing aid from analog? Naida’s have a bass boost feature that activates when the hearing loss configuration warrants it, it could be that there is too much or not enough bass and that is why you feel as if you are “under water”. If you recently swtiched from analog-power to digital-power it could just be an adjustment to the different type of sound quality. I will say that switching a long-term analog power BTE user over to a digital power BTE is one of, if not, the hardest type of patient to manage.

I would suggest that you look into enabling a music setting. Music is often interpreted by the hearing aid as noise because it has a similar spectral shape and if the hearing aid is processing it as noise, that could explain the odd quality of music. A music program eliminates/reduces the noise reduction/cancellation features and often results in a significant improvement in sound quality.

Hope that helps a little!

Hi Doc, I need your help about RITE or RIC hearing aids for severe to profound hearing loss.
I have been diagnosis with a severe to profound hearing loss on both ears, and ENT doctor wrote “slight conductive component at 250 & 500 Hz AU” (I don’t know what does it mean).
FYI I’ve been wearing Oticon BTE Tego Pro and I think they are just ok to accommodate my hearing loss. I still have some difficulty of hearing high frequency and soft sounds. Also I am not really comfortable with the earmold type and the thick cable (because doctor say I can’t wear open fitting type of mold as I need tight covering as to prevent any loss of the sounds). I am 30 years old and my work most of the times involves meeting client or people so appearance to give good first impression is important.
So that’s why I am thinking of getting a new hearing aids.
I just talked to my audiologist and he said that for severe to profound loss, BTE model is the best because it has more power and can accomodate my hearing loss. But recently I read an article on the internet about Starkey’s RIC Absolute Power hearing aids which have good power to accommodate severe to profound hearing loss. (full article here: http://www.hearingreview.com/issues/articles/2009-09_05.asp)
But I saw the article dated 2009 so as new technology keep updating, maybe there is a newer model which is better than that one. I have been trying to look up another RIC style of hearing aid which for severe to profound hearing loss in the internet but cannot find any information beside that Starkey’s Absolute Power.
So, given my hearing loss level, and my preferences and desire of longing to be able to wear RIC type of hearing aids, does any of you please kindly give me opinion/advice/suggestion for RIC or any smaller type of hearing aids (other than BTE type) which will fit me and accommodate my hearing loss? It will help me a lot in making this important decision of my new hearing aids that would last for long time and I really appreciate your help.

My audiogram:
---------------L-----R
250--------- 40----40
500--------- 50-----50
1000--------60------60
1500---------90------75
2000--------95------90
3000--------95------110
4000--------95------110

Speech Audiometry:

-----------------Left------Right----SF
SRT(dBHL)-----65--------65
WRS(%)-------32%-----36%
dBHL-----------85--------85----- MCL

Tympanogram:

Compliance-----------Air Pressure (L/R side is equally same)
0----------------------- (-200)
1----------------------- (-100)
2----------------------- (- 30)
2.5----------------------- ( 0)
1----------------------- (+50)
0------------------------ (+100)

8000