I have a pair of Phonak Naida hearing aids. They are now about four years old. A little over a year ago, the wires that connect the receivers (in the ear speakers) to the behind the ear aid broke off right at the receiver connection on the portion in the ear. At that time they were inside the three year warranty and were replaced by the audiologist at no cost.
The left one has now done the same thing again. I found replacements on the internet for around $80. Not too bad compared to the $200 cost from the audiologist outside of warranty.
I wear them every day for 12 to 18 hours. I rarely remove them during the day. Anyone else have this problem? I am just curious, I don’t mind replacing them every couple of years or so until the aids wear out and I have to replace the units.
I’m surprised your audiologist is charging you for the receiver. Very cheapskate. I’m been told the receivers last two to three years before they have to be replaced. They are a very thin wire, not surprising they wear out with time.
I only had to replace mine because in the hospital the nurses pulled them on the wire to get them out and measure my temperature while I was sleeping. Make sure not to pull them and don’t squeeze them with headphones or a cap.
Phonak has very well-known problems with the driver wire breaking. They are junk - and I can find no other way to describe it. My audiologist keeps trying different instructions for insertion/removal of the driver to the ear canal - originally it was to grasp/use the little tab - then when the wires were failing far-too regularly, they changed instructions to grasping the wire itself near the driver. That didn’t change the failure rate.
I am anal about caring for my aids - I cannot afford to replace them any time soon, nor to constantly pay the $75 per wire/driver my audiologist charges to replace it. I will not return to Phonak aids when I do eventually have to buy new.
I am a first time user. I have had ReSound Quattros for about 4 weeks. My audiologist instructed me to pull the receiver out of the ear by pulling on the wire. Is that not the preferred way?
Of course you will replace fewer receivers if you remove them by pulling on the concha lock, sport lock or whatever else you wish to call it. After all you were taught early in life not to pull a plug out of the wall by the cord. Why pull the receiver out by its’ cord.
I still have the Phonak Naida Q . The wires still break. They are beyond the warranty period. I order new receivers on Amazon. No matter how careful and gentle, I get six months to a year per receiver. It would be easy for Phonak to reinforce the wire connection into the receiver. My audiologist is well aware of the problem and says Phonak has said for years that they are addressing the problem. Smoke and mirrors.
At this point, I just consider the receivers maintenance and replace them when they break. I keep a spare so I don’t go without.
I like the “hearing quality” of Phonak. For me they are the best.
I just broke one of mine trying to swap molds. After hearing all this I’m going to be more careful to use the little pull thing and not pull on the wire itself to take them out of my ears.
I find client’s who insert the earpiece before placing the hearing aid behind their ear end up breaking receiver wires more often. Those with large fingers struggle more to get the hearing aid properly situated in the ear. I’m still waiting for a viable option to help those with this type of difficulty. There’s a company that sells “Gruv buttons” that is tackling this problem. Slim tubes are more rigid and can be sometimes inserted by simply pushing on the tube. Plus, replacement costs are minimal.
Thank you for the info. I will check into Gruv Buttons. How does the sound quality of tubes compare to the ? My first hearing aids had tubes. They did not have the sound quality of the Phonaks but they were much less expensive. The quality of the aid technology was probably much less.
I found the Gruv buttons at Each Ear, LLC. They are only available as retrofit kits to providers. They list them through Warner Tech Care. I don’t see a listing for available providers.
I can probably achieve much the same effect by strategically placing a short length of heat shrink tubing much the same way on the . That would also be a simple and inexpensive solution for Phonak. I have a couple of used backup RICs in the closet.
I will give it a try and post back here after I have completed my experiment and the results.
I seem able to remove my Phonak Audeo B-Direct receivers from the ear canal by grasping the actual matchstick-shaped receiver by the end JUST ABOVE where the wire connects to it. Granted, I’ve only had these 13 mos, but that means I’ve pulled them out well over 365 times so far with no issues. I’m hoping the wire doesn’t break off, but at least I keep backup aids on hand at all times to use if need be.
I also have Phonaks (audeo) - and have the same issue. When I got my first set of ’s - I was told to pull them from my ear by the little tab - NOT the wire itself. Had several break - when I got my new ones a few years ago - was told the same thing - until they replaced multiple drivers… then was told they now suggest pulling by the wire. This makes ZERO sense… the tab should not put any stress on the wire -
I’ve had to pay for replacement driver twice now (being well out of warranty - at $75 each) - and I try to grip both the tab and the wire and pull. Seems in the effort to make them thin/light/nearly invisible, they have created a revenue stream as well… frustrating.
Here’s what the ReSound Quattro manual says on inserting and removing ’s with domes (bolding my emphasis):
Insertion:
Hang the hearing aid over the top of the ear.
Hold the receiver wire, close to the receiver housing and gently place/push the dome into the ear canal.
Push the dome far enough into the ear canal so that the wire lies flush with the head (check with
a mirror).
Removal:
Hold the receiver wire, close to the receiver with your thumb and index finger.
Gently pull to remove the receiver.
With molds, the manual advises against using the wire to remove and says to use the mold or its tab. And for insertion to solely press on the mold itself.
Also, on cleaning and deterioration over time:
CAUTION: DO NOT USE ALCOHOL OR OTHER SOLVENTS TO CLEAN YOUR HEARING AIDS;
THE PROTECTIVE COATING WILL BE DAMAGED.
10.1 Cleaning earmolds
Use a soft, dry cloth to wipe the earmold clean.
10.2 Cleaning the receiver wires and domes
The receiver wire and the receiver dome should be cleaned regularly.
Use a damp cloth to wipe down the receiver wire and dome.
i
NOTE: Do not use water when you are cleaning the receiver wires or the receiver domes.
i
NOTE: Receiver wires may become stiff, brittle, or discolored over time. Contact your hearing
care professional regarding receiver changes.
I vaguely recall that in questioning my audi about possibly stressing the wires, e.g., pulling on the wire to remove, she said something like, “Yes, over time they may break. It’s not a big deal relative to the cost of the HA to replace them. It’s easily done.”
So it seems basically if the wires don’t break, they may be so stiff or ugly that you want to have them changed anyway. Since I’m only 2.5 months into my first HA’s, I’ve got a lot to learn firsthand!
The manual also mentions on insertion of receivers with domes that if you don’t position the dome & wire correctly, that may be a cause of whistling.
I have Phonaks that are now 7 years old. I replaced the right ear wire last November and the left just last week. I think 7 years is pretty darn good! I’m hoping the last another few years as replacement is really expensive. Anyway I go to the Western Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (WIDHH). As I didn’t purchase the HAs from them, they charged me $50 for each replacement including installation. Seemed reasonable to me.
Models are discreet as compared to Models but as the receiver is inside the body of BTE Hearing Aids there is no tension of receiver wire breaking down or receiver failure . You just have to change the tube after every 3-4 months . I am using Phonak Naida S IX since October 2014 and i have not encountered a single problem maintenance wise. They are reliable and resilent.
Well, here it is 2025 and the Phonak Audeo L90 (purchased in Dec. 2023) receiver wire on my right earmold has broken again (2nd time). What happens is that the plastic sleeve covering the copper wire which actually transmits the sound pulls out of the earmold and then eventually the wire breaks. I am very (especially after the first break) very careful about how I remove the earmold. Which my audiologist and Phonak would have be believe was the cause of the breakage. I am convinced however that this is a serious design flaw on Phonak’s part. There is no reinforcement of the sleeve going into the earmold, so it must just be held in by friction. If you look at the other end of the receiver wire, where it fits into the main aid body, there is reinforcement around the wire and cover. It would seem to be a very small improvement to put such a reinforcement at the earmold, since anything held by friction alone is problematic. My audiologist (and perhaps Phonak) specifically exempts the earmold from the 3 year guarantee, so I’ve paid nearly $500 to replace the two. Again, I am convinced that, unlike my audiologist and Phonak who blame the victim, this is a design flaw that has been identified for years, at least on this blog, that should have been resolved by Phonak. I will say that after years of using domes, I believe that the earmold (coupled with the new Phonak) has improved my hearing. But what happens if this breaks again when I am away from home and my audiologist?
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