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Question about aids, particularly Audibel

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I have several options on getting hearing aids, one of which is not getting them as I don’t have a major hearing loss problem, I don’t think. I do have tinnitus but have never tested for it.

The first option is to get Audibel aids. It’s my understanding Audibel is made by Starkey? Don’t know yet what model I would look at, but it would be one of the better (more expensive?) ones. I could get these at no expense to me :-D. I personally have not talked to anyone there, yet (couple of weeks before I do). After the initial fitting, every thing would be done via computer/internet. The major pro on this is cost (free to me).

The second/third options are to buy from Sam’s Club for cost to me of $1500+. But, they would be local to me for extra fittings, etc.

Buy locally from other audiologists. This would probably entail even higher costs but other manufacturers including Phonak and the one that starts with a “W” (I think-anyway a well known manufacturer).

Sorry for the long post. I really don’t want the Audibel but, at the cost to me, I can’t hardly justify not getting them. The dispenser has said (don’t know if he’s an audiologist or not) that he can do all of the adjustments on line as I said earlier.

Your insight would be greatly appreciated.
Thx, Frank
Edit, the readings in my Sig should line up from the right side. The 125 Hz should be blank (no reading listed).

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I believe the rule of thumb for new users is to go to a discount store (costco or sams) or online places like america hears that have a refund policy that allows you to try the aids for a limited amount of time for no cost. Make sure you confirm the return policy and return the aids during the stated time period. If you are not sure if you should return the aid then return the aid. The point of this is to get a baseline for which you can judge all aids from.

all other options will most likely entail a penalty (hundred of dollars) for not purchasing an aid.

For non-online stores, I would never recommend getting an aid from an establishment that sells only one brand of hearing aids. An audi that supports multiple brands will give you the option to comparison shop.

If you can get the Audibel A2 Platinum at no cost, you’d be getting top-of-the-line technology that’s way beyond anything Sam’s Club has to offer. There’s also a tinnitus treatment model available. It’s true that they can be programmed over the phone using touch-tone beeps, but only basic changes can be made this way.

Thx, rasmus. I started looking into hearing aids back in June, reading mostly on this sight. I’ve learned quite a bit about h.a’s since then. I had not originally planned on going this route (Audibel), but, I’ve learned that it’s almost always about the money. I have quite a few options that others don’t necessarily have, and right now zero vs 4 or 5 g’s is speaking quite loudly, especially with my wife :-).

And, like I said, my hearing isn’t so bad that I have to have them to hear. I don’t have a meeting scheduled and won’t be able to meet, until mid October.

I will know a lot more by then which way I will go. I have googled and read until I can’t absorb anymore, I don’t think :-). But, I will continue to read and hopefully learn more. Thx, I will definitely read up more on the A2’s.

Frank

Update on my hearing aids. These are an out of state purchase, but at no cost to me; therefore, l am somewhat limited on fittings, etc.:-). I cannot just drive back to him for readjustment, etc. The fitter () used my from this summer from Sam’s Club to program them.

I think he did a pretty good job. This is my first pair of h.a.'s. I went back to him this morning and talked to him about them. He did no adjusting on them.

They are the A2 platinum 312 from Audibel. They have four programs installed, normal, “restaurant” mode, a distance mode and a music mode. I haven’t had a chance to really check out the different modes, but, I’m finding that normal mode does a pretty good job. The tv is turned down quite a bit (not un comfortable to others) and I have quit saying, "huh, or what"every ten minutes. :-).

The distance or loud mode does produce a lot of hiss and a different sound to it, so it is not one that I will listen a lot to. The HIS said that was somewhat to be expected? The other two modes were not a whole lot of difference in sound from the normal mode, but, again not much time at experimenting. Every once in a while, I’ll hear a tick or something in one of the aids, like a hair or something maybe hitting/rubbing the microphones?

They are not uncomfortable at all, with the biggest problem being in the way of my glass frames over the ear.

Again, I think I will be quite happy with these.

It’s been two weeks now with these aids. My only complaint is that when I close a car door with the windows rolled up, both aids “crackle” or kind of pop. Is this something to be expected and can it easily be rectified?

Thx

I spoke to the NBC/ (his title on his card) today via telephone (500 miles apart) and told him of my concern with the aids crackling/popping with vehicle doors closing. His solution to me was for me to turn the volume down or change programs. I can then change it back to the proper program.

I don’t especially care for his answer or consider it a solution. It doesn’t fix anything, I don’t think. Kind of a troublesome work around for me.

But, I’m kinda between a rock and a hard spot for me. Anyway, a quick question for the more knowledgeable. I’m assuming the noise is caused by a programming issue and not a hardware problem? Even though I didn’t hear or notice this problem until after two weeks or so of wearing the aids?

Any suggestions or actual reasons for that noise?
Thx, Frank

@gimpy said:

I spoke to the NBC/HIS (his title on his card) today via telephone (500 miles apart) and told him of my concern with the aids crackling/popping with vehicle doors closing. His solution to me was for me to turn the volume down or change programs. I can then change it back to the proper program.

I don’t especially care for his answer or consider it a solution. It doesn’t fix anything, I don’t think. Kind of a troublesome work around for me.

But, I’m kinda between a rock and a hard spot for me. Anyway, a quick question for the more knowledgeable. I’m assuming the noise is caused by a programming issue and not a hardware problem? Even though I didn’t hear or notice this problem until after two weeks or so of wearing the aids?

Any suggestions or actual reasons for that noise?
Thx, Frank

Are you talking about closing a car door once you are seated inside? If so, it could be the pressure change inside the car if your door seals very tightly. One of my cars does this (although it doesnt affect my ’s). Try opening a window and closing the door and see if it still does it.

That’s exactly right. Cracking a window an inch or two lessens the pop /crackling but doesn’t do away with it. I don’t remember to to roll the window down anyway, until after it happens.

Edited

Im only guessing, but I think it is probably a hardware issue. Either the microphones in your ’s dont filter (like the foam that covers camera mics to stop wind roar) the air enough to stop the blowback, or the peak loudness of the wave is powerful enough to distort the amplifier in the HA’s.

My HA’s dont do this, but as I mentioned, one of my cars seals very tightly and I do feel the pressure wave whenever I shut the door. Shutting the door lightly - just hard enough to “click” without the “thud!” - seems to prevent the pressure change.

Have you ever thought about driving a convertible? LOL…

Sounds like peak clipping of either the input stage or the receiver. It might just be that the aid cannot process input levels above XdB given the chip. 16-Bit input stages have a dynamic sampling range of 96dB (not necessarily from 0dB)and your level might be higher given the proximity of the closure sound.

If it’s at the receiver stage, it’s fixable by limiting the peak of the aid and should probably get done as a receiver regularly driven to distortion will break sooner than one that isn’t.

My only other thought is that the person who paired these devices might not have matched the correct receiver within the software and therefore the drive impedance characteristics of the output are not quite correct.

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