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

I have had nothing but problems with Oticon. I recently purchased hearing aides and the first two pairs both had faulty wires. I tried Vigo Pro and Agil these had the faulty wires (both right and left). My Audi then ordered the new Acto Pro (the newest replacement for the Vigo Pros because I didn’t think I heard any better with the Agils) and the noise from these was unbearable. I felt like I was inside a furnace with all the racket. They picked up all kinds of electronic sounds. (I think maybe since these were new she didn’t know how to program them correctly.) I had these replaced with the Agil (again) and have “new” wires. I wear the power aides with custom molds with a speaker. My issue now is that the serial numbers on these “new” aids are much order than the other ones I had and the battery door in my left aide is loose and wobbles. The battery falls out when I open it. I called my audi and told her that I needed either a new aide or new battery door and that it looks like it’s used. How it passed quality control is beyond me. These Agils cost $2600 per aid + $450 for the streamer w/accessories (our TV will not work with the streamer no matter which way I connect the wires). I like the streamer for my cell phone and plan to return the rest of the package and hope this will save me some $$$.
Do companies like Oticon sell people older hearing aides that people have used for a while? I can understand reselling ones that were used for under 30 days but the ones I have appear to be older. Thanks.

@cherylc said:

I have had nothing but problems with Oticon. I recently purchased hearing aides and the first two pairs both had faulty wires. I tried Vigo Pro and Agil these had the faulty wires (both right and left). My Audi then ordered the new Acto Pro (the newest replacement for the Vigo Pros because I didn’t think I heard any better with the Agils) and the noise from these was unbearable. I felt like I was inside a furnace with all the racket. They picked up all kinds of electronic sounds. (I think maybe since these were new she didn’t know how to program them correctly.) I had these replaced with the Agil (again) and have “new” wires. I wear the power aides with custom molds with a speaker. My issue now is that the serial numbers on these “new” aids are much order than the other ones I had and the battery door in my left aide is loose and wobbles. The battery falls out when I open it. I called my audi and told her that I needed either a new aide or new battery door and that it looks like it’s used. How it passed quality control is beyond me. These Agils cost $2600 per aid + $450 for the streamer w/accessories (our TV will not work with the streamer no matter which way I connect the wires). I like the streamer for my cell phone and plan to return the rest of the package and hope this will save me some $$$.
Do companies like Oticon sell people older hearing aides that people have used for a while? I can understand reselling ones that were used for under 30 days but the ones I have appear to be older. Thanks.

by law u cantn sell old HI

Hi Mike.
I have never had HA’s before. I just purchased Siemens Motion CIC 501’s. I’m not really sure what I should be expecting from them though.
I don’t really find that they are that loud, even when I put the volume up to it’s limit. Is that because they aren’t programmed correctly?

Thanks,
Andie

0250.HzL-25 R-20
0500.HzL-30 R-30
1000.HzL-45 R-45
2000.HzL-65 R-60
4000.HzL-60 R-60
8000.HzL-60 R-63

@sushikid said:

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

If you had walked into my office, I would most likely recommend the same thing your current Audiologist recommended. There are power RIC’s out there, but for losses as severe as yours in the High Frequencies, I prefer standard BTE’s for the flexibility and performance and they are the best for those losses. That said, there ARE RIC’s that can accommodate that amount of loss (I am not familiar enough with Starkey to say anything regarding them specifically) and I know that some of the Phonak RIC’s have power and XPower receivers available (their new Smart/S lines have XP receivers that can fit your loss). You might want to look into those for options.

Some Audiologists will fit what the patient wants as long as they are aware of the limitations or in-appropriateness of the aid selected, some won’t. Not sure what position your audiologist has on that matter. If I were you, I wouldn’t consider anything smaller than a BTE (RIC or Standard) for your loss.

Hope that helps!

I am having excellent results with the Oticon Hit Pro RITE, 10mm Open Dome.

I see, though, that your hearing loss is more severe than mine.
I can say, though that I like the Oticons - although this being my very first pair, I have nothing to compare to!

@DocAudio said:

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!

Doc,

Thanks for your response…I really had given up on anyone responding.

I have been using digital HAs for several years now. In fact, I helped test one of the very first before it was marketed, although it wasn’t a true digital instrument…just digitally programmed (3M). At any rate, former audiologists have ended up just letting me program my HAs, since their expertise was pretty much limited to the default settings.

Also, I am very familiar with audio processing (analog and digital). The audio does not sound like it’s underwater-muddy…it sounds like the stereotypical bubbly underwater effect, mimicked by going “mmmmmmm” and moving your forefinger up and down across the lips. It is not only with music, but any prolonged sound. I’m thinking that it may be an attack/release time issue, but that is just a guess.

Since my loss is so severe, I think I may be in territory that is uncharted for my audiologist. So, if you have any knowledge to share, I would appreciate it!

Jim

@Renovator said:

I am having excellent results with the Oticon Hit Pro RITE, 10mm Open Dome.

I see, though, that your hearing loss is more severe than mine.
I can say, though that I like the Oticons - although this being my very first pair, I have nothing to compare to!

hit is Oticon basic or entry level instrument. Top instrument like Agil perform significantly better

Hello there,
I have a few questions:

1. I understand the difference between BTE and new BTEs (they are smaller and have mini wire going to the ear. I think they are called RITE/RIC)…
   But then what is open fit, over the ear/ OTE?
   Can anyone explain the difference?

2. I tested Oticon hit rite. It had a mini something in the ear which did not give the feeling of a plug. I think I’ll buy them… The only thing is that I wear sunglasses a lot - and sometimes glasses. I also talk on the phone. My loss is not a big deal/ is not severe - around 80-90 db… Do you think I can use rite model comfortably? (by the way I’ll buy aids for both ears)…

3. And what is the difference between RITE AND RITE P? P stands for power or something?

4. I know it’s all a matter of preference. But what color aid should I choose: the skin color or the hair color? (My hair is dark brown by the way? and yes I am female. I want them to look stylish, less noticable and cool :-)))

Thank you in advance

OTE/Open fit if it is not a Receiver-in-the-Ear/-in-the-canal (RITE/RIC) is more like a standard BTE in that the receiver/electronic unit is still contained within the hearing aid itself and only a very narrow slim tube comes off the hearing aid and enters the ear canal, often using almost an identical tip as the RIC/RITE. The reason a RITE/RIC is smaller is because the receiver has been removed from the BTE and placed in the canal instead allowing for a much smaller BTE unit while allowing an open canal.

I was confused, are you saying that your loss is around 80-90 dB or is NOT around 80-90 dB?

The ‘P’ Stands for Power and designates a more powerful hearing aid.

Color? If I was picking a hearing aid out for myself I’d get something totally cool looking, like lime green with a design or something…lol. I have very short hair and I’d want it to look really cool. But that’s me…if you want them to be less noticable I’d go with hair color especially if your hair is long. Maybe they have one that has a complimentary color on it along with the hair color? I’m not familiar with the Oticon Hit color choices…

Good Luck!

I am trying to narrow down which brand has the highest quality and most flexability. I have looked at the Oticon Agile, the ReSound Dot30 so far. I keep hearing the brand Starkey but the impression I am getting is that they are mid range hearing aids, not necessarly top of the line. I need the hearing aid only for my right ear. I would like you opinion on each of the brands for a behind the ear aid. I have not decided if I want the reciever in the canal or not. So I would like your opinion on that as well.

My test results are as follows:
250 R 50 L 15
500 R 55 L 25
1K R 55 L 25
2K R 50 L 20
3K R 60 L 30
4K R 55 L 25
5K R 50 L 25
6K R 45 L 25

Thanks
Lori

@jclyde said:

Please advise which hearing aid suitable for my audiogram.

I would ask that you be a little more specific in your question. The amount of hearing loss you have I would say is appropriate for just about any hearing aid, except for a RIC/OTE with an open dome. Some would be better than others, but nearly all would be usable. What are you looking for in a hearing aid? What is your lifestyle? There are numerous questions that need to be answered about you and your particular needs before any kind of HA recommendation could be made.

Have you met with an Audiologist to discuss hearing aids? If so, what were their recommendations?

Mike,

Thanks for your offer of help. It looks like I will be getting my first set of hearing aids soon. My left ear is worse than my right. I am looking at the Verite and Versa HA’s at Costco. What’s your recommendation? Thank you.

I have moderate high frequency ski slope loss, and can only spend about $2600’s for aids. I’m on a very tight fixed income budget, and spending this much money is scary for me, but I want to be able to hear as well as I can. I’m on the City Council, so hearing in meetings in large rooms is important, as well as talking on the telephone.

Are Siemens an OK brand? I ordered the Pure 301’s thinking that having the RIC would improve my ability to hear. I’m willing to spring for the 501’s if spending the extra $600 is going to make an appreciable difference. If the Motions work better because they have better amplification capabilities, I’d like to know about that, too.

Thanks for your help. This really is rocket science!

Mike J.

Thank-you for the tremendous service you are giving to everyone.

I am getting my first hearing aids, and I wish that I had known about this forum first. I have posted my audiogram below. I actually think my hearing is much worse than my audiogram indicates. I have a friend who has a similar audiogram, and she hears much better than I do. I have pretty severe tinnitus, so that complicates things.

I just ordered a Siemens Pure 301 online. Would a 501 be significantly better for me? I was told that there really isn’t much difference. Money is a big issue for me, but I want to be able to hear well. Also, would I be better off with a Motion if my ears can’t tolerate the receiver? Or should I be looking at another brand entirely?

Also, can you give me some advice as to how I might get my aids adjusted once I receive them? They will come pre-programmed, and I can send them back for adjustment a few times, but I’m hearing that it’s best to have them adjusted while they are in your ears.

I got my audiogram done through the hospital. I actually got two audiograms done because I couldn’t get myself to pay the money for hearing aids the first year, so I had to be tested again the next year. So far, the hospital has received $500 from me for testing. The audiologist told me that she doesn’t make any money on the hearing aids, but she wasn’t happy when I told her I was buying them online- the aids were about $1500 cheaper online. It seems like she should be willing to at least do a couple of adjustments, since she did the testing, don’t you think? Or is that unrealistic to expect? I may end up just getting the self- programmer.

Here is my audiogram. Thank-you for your kindness. I can see that you are giving people experienced advice, and I think I’ve learned some from your advice to others already.

125 Hz R-10, L-5
500 Hz R-10, L-10
1000 Hz, R-30, L-35
2000 Hz- R-45, L-50
3000 Hz- R-45, L-55
4000 Hz- R-50, L-50
5000 Hz- R-60, L-45
6000 Hz- R-50, L-50