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Widex clear

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Apparently the widex clear hearing aid has just been released in the US and now should be available here.

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My Audiologist just sent me a brochure on the Widex Clear 440 (in Canada). They look interesting. My first aids were Widex Cameos (about 15 years) and were very good at the time.

Hi,
I had a pair of Widex Senso Divas from 2005. Hearing deteriorated and the Sensos’ could not be adjusted to give me good hearing. I started the process of looking at upgrades in Dec. of last year.
I am trialing a pair of Widex Clear 440 Fusion’s (5 days now). I had a set of Mind 440s and am doing the comparison.
Fusions have custom hard tip earmolds, .
I like them and really like the wireless sync to cell phone. haven’y set up the landline yet but expect similar great results. I always struggled with the cellphone so this is a real plus.
I liked the Comfort program for listening to radio while driving.

I am having some problem with charging M-Dex battery (emote is dead) and TV -dex not yet working (no connection) but expect these growing pains to be rectified with next visit.

I did not try any other brand of .
Good luck to you.

Lynn

In reply to @Rick_H

I just started a trial of the Widex Clear 330. It includes the Zen program for masking tinnitus and also does connect with the DEX wireless devices. This is my fourth hearing aid and by far the BEST. Even after one day I can tell that it is wonderful. BEST natural sounding speech of any I have ever worn. Hooray to Widex!!

Edited

Hello. I will find my in the next while and do that. I have a moderate reverse slope hearing loss as well as high and low freq tinnitus (primarily tinnitus in the left ear).

Edited

Hi Trevor,

Some of the websites (not all) will pass your details to a dispenser in their network and they may not dispense Widex therefore switch sell you to something else. After care at that price may not be what you expect but not all of the websites operate like that. Why not contact Widex UK to see if they can give you a list of independents in your area that dispense Clear.

I am now in a pair of Clear 440’s () with M-Dex Remote, with about 3 weeks use. Love-em, but some problems.
pros- great clarity , automatic adjustments work as advertised, directional programs (focus front, rear, left, right) work very well. Noise compensation works very well. Bluetooth feature works very well while on a call. Can turn off the microphones if in a noisy area, allowing only the phone to come through. Music transfers to the ’s via Bluetooth from phone with exceptional sound quality.
cons- Bluetooth () function lacks some fine tuning. To explain; when coupled to the phone (HTC Incredible 2) with BT paired, every time the phone changes anything (on, off, change screen, etc,) the Aids reset to the Master Program and sound the chime, which is very annoying. The only solution identified so far is to turn off BT, or turn off the M-Dex, except when talking on the cell.

Overall, a really nice setup with great sound, compared to my previous Widex Passions, which are a really, really good set of HA’s.

Can you tell me any more about the Clear’s 440 and how you decided, I’m torn between the Orticon Agil Pro’s and the Clear . How do they really work with the bluetooth? Is it worth the money? What about an ordinary corded phone? I work in an very quite office environment and interested in anything you have to say. Thanks

Also what the technology age of the Clears compared to the Agil. Since I buy every 3-4 years would like to have the latest technology

I chose the Clear 440’s based on 1) research of lots of makes and models for features, and as much reliability data (fewer complaints) as I could mine.
2) recommedation of my Audiologist. These have features that best meet my lifestyle, including the remote control, Bluetooth, and micro size.
Now these work exceptionally well with the Bluetooth, not so well with regular phone receiver, in my opinion. The prescribed method for using a regular phone is to hold the receiver over the ear () at a slight angle, so that the phone is audibly linked to the HA.
For continuous use with a regular, corded (desk) phone, I would suggest getting a desk set with a Bluetooth transmitter, or one with an external speaker jack that connects to the M-Dex (remote). The wired set would not drain the M-Dex battery so quickly, but it limits your range, and the cord could be an obstruction to activities.

One other drawback is that the range from the remote to the HA’s is very limited, about 10" +/-, so you have to use the neck lanyard to keep it in range. I would expect an improvement in this with the next generation.

Best Regards,
Olemax

In reply to @Trevor

@Trevor said:

Hi
Has anyone had any experience of buying HAs through HearingAid.org.uk ?

My Audiologist offered to supply a pair for £6,000.

But having checked I see that they are widely available on the Internet through HearingAid.org.uk for a little more than HALF that - £1595 each.

I’m looking for the catch !

£6,000 is a high price to pay for these aids. I got mine from a very good audiologist in central London for £4,000 for the pair and that included the remote, TV-DEX and M-DEX.

In reply to @Olemax

@Olemax said:

cons- Bluetooth (BT) function lacks some fine tuning. To explain; when coupled to the phone (HTC Incredible 2) with BT paired, every time the phone changes anything (on, off, change screen, etc,) the Aids reset to the Master Program and sound the chime, which is very annoying. The only solution identified so far is to turn off BT, or turn off the M-Dex, except when talking on the cell.

I have received an MDEX today and noticed a similar issue with my phone - a Blackberry Bold. I have been using the MDEX for streaming music from the phone. Every time the phone reaches the end of a track the hearing aids beep. Looking at the M-DEX it appears that the bluetooth is disconnecting and re-connecting between tracks. Googling around it appears that this is a “feature” of some phones.

Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be a way to switch the beeping off in the M-DEX every time bluetooth connects or disconnects - its settings options are very limited.

Personally I feel that the wireless connectivity of these aids is a great feature but is really restricted by the incredibly short range from the M-DEX/TV-DEX receiver to the aids themselves. Even wearing the receiver high up on my chest I can lose connectivity on one or both ears when I turn my head away. (Maybe the connection is being blocked by my head.) I found that it helps to wear the receiver behind my head rather than in-front but that isn’t always practical or comfortable.

If the range from receiver to aids was just a little longer/more reliable then the wireless features on these aids would be fantastic.

@GadgetMan said:

I have received an MDEX today and noticed a similar issue with my phone - a Blackberry Bold. I have been using the MDEX for streaming music from the phone. Every time the phone reaches the end of a track the hearing aids beep. Looking at the M-DEX it appears that the bluetooth is disconnecting and re-connecting between tracks. Googling around it appears that this is a “feature” of some phones.

Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be a way to switch the beeping off in the M-DEX every time bluetooth connects or disconnects - its settings options are very limited.

Personally I feel that the wireless connectivity of these aids is a great feature but is really restricted by the incredibly short range from the M-DEX/TV-DEX receiver to the aids themselves. Even wearing the receiver high up on my chest I can lose connectivity on one or both ears when I turn my head away. (Maybe the connection is being blocked by my head.) I found that it helps to wear the receiver behind my head rather than in-front but that isn’t always practical or comfortable.

If the range from receiver to aids was just a little longer/more reliable then the wireless features on these aids would be fantastic.

I started trialing the c4-m clear band model a few days ago. Regarding using a regular, corded phone, if you put the MDEX into the mode, you can put the headset receiver directly onto the MDEX remote, and it pipes the phone into both aids. I believe the microphone in the remote then picks up your voice. It seemed a little weird to use at first, but I actually find it’s much easier to talk on a landline phone this way, as opposed to putting the phone to my ear. It’s disappointing that I can’t hear as well holding the phone to my ear. I am replacing a set of Passion 115’s, and I could hear well on a landline (but not a mobile phone) with them.

I’m finding that after a few days, I’m adjusting well to the difference in sound processing. I’m still feeling like background noise can overwhelm closer sounds, and in loud environments, I am losing speech as it sounds like it’s “clipping” or cutting off. I have a follow up next week, so hopefully this can be adjusted. I’m using custom ear shells with these thin-tube models, as I’ve never had much success with the generic domes.

I’m curious to hear what others’ feedback is on these!

I am trying a pair of clear 440s and it seems like loud noises bother the aids like motorcycles and buses and even the door closing chime on the subway cause distortion even if I turn down the volume to low levels I hear it. It almost sounds like a speaker is broken but it’s not since I changed speakers and aids. I have tried these and spend a really short time with agile pros both offer better hearing results then my Oticon delta but I think it has to do with volume more then processing.

Using both Bluetooth and headphone cable connections to the MDEX I get sound in both ears. I cannot confirm though if it is stereo though - could be the same mono sent to each ear.

@jake45 said:

do you not know - bluetooth is NOT stereo-voice, only mono
but Widex Clear 440 use not bluetooth, it have WidexLink and it is stereo… but M-dex I don’t nothing - sorry …my ‘english’ too

There is definitely a Bluetooth stereo profile (A2DP) - Advanced Audio Distribution Profile. You need to check if your Bluetooth devices support A2DP in order to get stereo.

I know the Phonak iCom does stereo, but I do not know about your hardware. Their site indicates that M-DEX is for mobile phones. They also say that TV-DEX is stereo.

@prodigyplace said:

There is definitely a Bluetooth stereo profile (A2DP) - Advanced Audio Distribution Profile. You need to check if your Bluetooth devices support A2DP in order to get stereo.

I know the Phonak iCom does stereo, but I do not know about your hardware. Their site indicates that M-DEX is for mobile phones. They also say that TV-DEX is stereo.

TV-Dex is definitely stereo - the Widex rep had me listening to Fatboy-Slim ‘Praise You’ on it and you can spatially split the signal to tell which side the drums are etc.

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