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Starkey S Series IQ

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I have started a trial of Starkey Series 11 IQ’s () after doing a 60 day trial of Oticon Agil Pro RIC’s. My impressions so far:

Voices sound slightly less tinny than they did with the Agil’s - this seems to make comprehension a bit easier, but I have not yet been in a speech in noise environment to fully evaluate this. Otherwise, they seem to be equivalent to the Agil’s.

The Starkey’s hold up very well to moisture. I perspire heavily, and with the Agil’s, once moisture entered the battery compartment, they would shut down - I would have to dry off the batteries before everything worked again. Not so with the Starkeys - I have yet to see any moisture get into the battery area.

The Starkey’s are not connected wirelessly. This means when you change a program (by pressing on a button on top of the aid), you have to do so with each aid. Also, the RIC’s do not have a volume control per se. They do have what is called T2, which lets you change volume and program settings with a cell phone - this feature works pretty well.

I will decide between the Starkey’s and the Agils. Both are excellent aids. Right now I am leaning toward the Starkey’s. Something about them “feels” right, and of course, their moisture resistance is a major plus!

John

0500 R-40 L-35
1000 R-55 L-40
2000 R-65 L-60
4000 R-85 L-75
8000 R-95 L-70

20 people in this conversation37 min readJump to latest

Thanks for your feedback. The Otolens have this technology. I also noticed my hearing loss range is nearly identical to you, so I appreciate you giving us the review of the S Series Q.

@jkzimm said:

i have started a trial of starkey series 11 iq’s (ric) after doing a 60 day trial of oticon agil pro ric’s. My impressions so far:

Voices sound slightly less tinny than they did with the agil’s - this seems to make comprehension a bit easier, but i have not yet been in a speech in noise environment to fully evaluate this. Otherwise, they seem to be equivalent to the agil’s.

The starkey’s hold up very well to moisture. I perspire heavily, and with the agil’s, once moisture entered the battery compartment, they would shut down - i would have to dry off the batteries before everything worked again. Not so with the starkeys - i have yet to see any moisture get into the battery area.

The starkey’s are not connected wirelessly. This means when you change a program (by pressing on a button on top of the aid), you have to do so with each aid. Also, the ric’s do not have a volume control per se. They do have what is called t2, which lets you change volume and program settings with a cell phone - this feature works pretty well.

I will decide between the starkey’s and the agils. Both are excellent aids. Right now i am leaning toward the starkey’s. Something about them “feels” right, and of course, their moisture resistance is a major plus!

John

0500 r-40 l-35
1000 r-55 l-40
2000 r-65 l-60
4000 r-85 l-75
8000 r-95 l-70

you are real lucky- t2 doesnt work well for a lot of people…

In reply to @xbulder

One of my s series has been repaired by Starkey with firmware updated.

T2 on the new firmware is much more responsive now, I can get the to response in the street.

Week two of my trial of the Starkey’s - I continue to be very impressed with them. Bulletproof where moisture is concerned. They seem to be equivalent to the Agil’s in speech in noise. I perform music as a one man band (guitar, vocal, and backing), and these seem to be superior to the Agil’s in that environment.

My only concern is that I am the only patient my Audi has fitted with these, so her experience is limited and I can tell she is going through a learning curve. She uses Inspire software, and apparently they just changed it, so that adds to the learning issue. I have a feeling these aids have tremendous potential that has not been tapped yet.

One thing I question, and I would love to hear the opinions of the professionals here, is v Starkeys. My Audio tends to favor RIC’s. The problem is, you cannot change the volume on the RIC’s unless you use T2, which is not the most efficient thing going. The BTE’s have the sweep technology that lets you change programs AND volume. With the Oticon Agil’s I tried, my Audi said she favored RIC’s because if my hearing deteriorates, she could attach a more powerful RIC. With the Starkey RIC, it looks like an ear mold is the only other option. I wonder if a BTE version would handle increased hearing loss?

I will be asking her these questions this week, but value the opinions of others.

Thanks -

John

0500 R-40 L-35
1000 R-55 L-40
2000 R-65 L-60
4000 R-85 L-75
8000 R-95 L-70

The Starkey receivers come in different sizes (power levels). With the SWEEP , because an earmold or thin tube is attached, the power that is in the hearing aid cannot really be increased, but that hearing aid is capable of plenty of power anyway.

dr. amy

In reply to @jkzimm

@jkzimm said:

Week two of my trial of the Starkey’s - I continue to be very impressed with them. Bulletproof where moisture is concerned. They seem to be equivalent to the Agil’s in speech in noise. I perform music as a one man band (guitar, vocal, and backing), and these seem to be superior to the Agil’s in that environment.

My only concern is that I am the only patient my Audi has fitted with these, so her experience is limited and I can tell she is going through a learning curve. She uses Inspire software, and apparently they just changed it, so that adds to the learning issue. I have a feeling these aids have tremendous potential that has not been tapped yet.

One thing I question, and I would love to hear the opinions of the professionals here, is BTE v RIC Starkeys. My Audio tends to favor RIC’s. The problem is, you cannot change the volume on the RIC’s unless you use T2, which is not the most efficient thing going. The BTE’s have the sweep technology that lets you change programs AND volume. With the Oticon Agil’s I tried, my Audi said she favored RIC’s because if my hearing deteriorates, she could attach a more powerful RIC. With the Starkey RIC, it looks like an ear mold is the only other option. I wonder if a BTE version would handle increased hearing loss?

I will be asking her these questions this week, but value the opinions of others.

Thanks -

John

0500 R-40 L-35
1000 R-55 L-40
2000 R-65 L-60
4000 R-85 L-75
8000 R-95 L-70

As Amy stated, the Starkey Rics can change also. There are more options with Starkey also. They are 40, 50, 60, and 71 gain. They can all be swapped out on the Rics. You have to have an earmold with the 60 and 71 gains.

With the Starkey Mini Bte it has 60 gain. You are limited with gain if you use a slim tube. An earmold will help a little bit to get low tones though. You could possibly be fit with just a on the thin tube and you may get the gain that you need with a thin tube. A standard 13 tube will let you get all the gain. I would also run the Real Ear Measurment built into the hearing aid to make sure that you’re getting the gain that you need.

What level of receiver did they fit you with? Are they using an open or closed dome? Did your audi run Real Ear?

Thank you Hearagain and Dr Amy for the responses. I visited my Audi today. Forgot to ask what receiver I have, but my Audi assured me there is room in case my hearing deteriorates. She definitely favors Ric’s, and I respect her judgement. I am wearing a .

I am very happy with these aids. What I realized is they actually do very well in speech in noise. I have not been consciously aware of that, but as I think back to situations where there were lots of people or background noise, I realized I was able to understand what was being said without having to focus of concentrate intently. In other words, these aids are almost “transparent” - I forget I am wearing them, and am able to return to normal functioning in social settings.

Just some trivia: I use the speech indicator to tell me what program I am on, and I prefer the UK-English Female setting (Even though I am in US - LOL). It is nice to be able to have the volume level of the prompts adjusted (they were too loud initially). I am trying 4 different programs - the default normal program is very good. For playing music, I use the “Crowd” program - it uses only two of the microphones, and controls changes in noise much better. Program 3 is set for theater. And 4 is set for Traffic for riding in a car. It is cool being able to have different pre-set programs plugged in, and I may try others just to see what happens.

Interestingly, my Audi has always recommended using fresh batteries - the implication being do not wait until you get the warning. And today she told me to use Rayovac brand because they contain slightly more mercury and do a better job with high end aids.

Anyway, it looks like these are the ones I will buy. Going to trial them for an additional 3 weeks. In the end, my Audi will have allowed me 3 months worth of trialling. Talk about building customer loyalty! I had purchased aids online a few years ago. But my current experience has made me a believer in the local Audiologist!

John

0500 R-40 L-35
1000 R-55 L-40
2000 R-65 L-60
4000 R-85 L-75
8000 R-95 L-70

I’m glad to hear that you’re doing well. I have confidence in the Starkey aids. It’s primarily what I fit. The IQ noise management system, the ability to dish out all the highs we need for speech understanding, make Starkey my favorite for most losses.

Maybe the other manufacturers will figure out how to knock out feedback someday. Any that I’ve seen, including the Starkey Destiny aids are far from what the S Series can manage.

@hearagain said:

I’m glad to hear that you’re doing well. I have confidence in the Starkey aids. It’s primarily what I fit. The IQ noise management system, the ability to dish out all the highs we need for speech understanding, make Starkey my favorite for most losses.

Maybe the other manufacturers will figure out how to knock out feedback someday. Any that I’ve seen, including the Starkey Destiny aids are far from what the S Series can manage.

They did license it to siemens right? Still Starkey have a very very long road before they catch up. No multiband direct. No large bandwith, no wireless and the list goes on and on

I just finished a several month period in which I tried Agils, Phonak Exelia Art, and a similar Unitron aid, and I ended up buying the Starkey IQ. So far I am totally happy and think I have made the right choice.

Today my Starkey’s passed the “Acid Test”. I have a son-in-law and daughter-in-law who are the world’s worst mumblers! I swear, they could become master puppeteers - never move their mouths when talking, and always talk low and soft. I have NEVER been able to carry on a conversation with them. Last night they dropped by unexpectedly. I cranked my Starkey’s up to max volume, and OMG! I could actually carry on a conversation with them. Not only in my house, but in a crowded restaurant as well. I have tried other aids with them, and none worked as well as these. Normally full volume should not be necessary, but with these folks, desperate times called for desperate measures.:stuck_out_tongue:

John

0500 R-40 L-35
1000 R-55 L-40
2000 R-65 L-60
4000 R-85 L-75
8000 R-95 L-70

In reply to @xbulder

@xbulder said:

They did license it to siemens right? Still Starkey have a very very long road before they catch up. No multiband direct. No large bandwith, no wireless and the list goes on and on

And users report doing better with multiband directionality? None that I’ve fit. Goes the same for a wide bandwidth. Wireless comes out soon.

You must admit that Starkey is far more advanced in circuit speed, noise management, and feedback.

They’re up to par, just with different things. Read what some of the Starkey users have to say on this forum. There’s good and bad with all manufacturers. In my own practice I’ve had a lot more success with Starkey than with Resound, Siemens, Unitron, and Phonak.

It wouldn’t matter if Starkey hearing aids cured hearing loss forever, xbulder would still find a reason to rip them…! He’d say “well, they don’t have multi-band adaptive directional cure for hearing loss, they don’t have wide bandwidth cure for hearing loss…” which is essentially what he is saying every time he says Starkey is behind in technology and clearly indicates a total lack of technological understanding.

Either the market speaks for itself with Starkey having 25% market share in the U.S., or they’ve tricked millions of people and thousand of hearing professionals in to thinking their technology works really, really well!

In reply to @hearagain

@hearagain said:

And users report doing better with multiband directionality? None that I’ve fit. Goes the same for a wide bandwidth. Wireless comes out soon.

You must admit that Starkey is far more advanced in circuit speed, noise management, and feedback.

They’re up to par, just with different things. Read what some of the Starkey users have to say on this forum. There’s good and bad with all manufacturers. In my own practice I’ve had a lot more success with Starkey than with Resound, Siemens, Unitron, and Phonak.

I can not count the times people say T2 DOES NOT work-here. You need to talk to Dr Fabry who happens to be affilated with Starkey (audiosinc). He had publish a paper on how Multiband directional microphone DO WORK. Perhaps Dr Fabry now has changed his mind. He is a very well respected audiologist, I think he was even involve with HIAFF, cochlear implants, etc.

There are tons of papers on large bandwith sound quality and speech perception, some are really really old dated before the digital era.

In reply to @golfsalot

@golfsalot said:

It wouldn’t matter if Starkey hearing aids cured hearing loss forever, xbulder would still find a reason to rip them…! He’d say “well, they don’t have multi-band adaptive directional cure for hearing loss, they don’t have wide bandwidth cure for hearing loss…” which is essentially what he is saying every time he says Starkey is behind in technology and clearly indicates a total lack of technological understanding.

Either the market speaks for itself with Starkey having 25% market share in the U.S., or they’ve tricked millions of people and thousand of hearing professionals in to thinking their technology works really, really well!

The only markey where Starkey is #1 is colombia, other than that they have not even among the top 3. This is a fact- you know this.

In reply to @hearagain

@hearagain said:

And users report doing better with multiband directionality? None that I’ve fit. Goes the same for a wide bandwidth. Wireless comes out soon.

You must admit that Starkey is far more advanced in circuit speed, noise management, and feedback.

They’re up to par, just with different things. Read what some of the Starkey users have to say on this forum. There’s good and bad with all manufacturers. In my own practice I’ve had a lot more success with Starkey than with Resound, Siemens, Unitron, and Phonak.

I agree there is good and bad with all manufacturers

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