Receiver quality

@1Bluejay said:

You mentioned that CostCo fitted you with the aids - and that they replaced the receivers at no cost. If your audiologist there is reputable, ask them about compatibility between HA models and receivers. I have found that for my relatively small ear canal, I simply can not fit a larger, power receiver. But you can typically make some cross-model adjustments. Right now, I am in trial with Oticon’s Opn miniRITE BTEs. I have an Oticon size 85 receiver that has a Widex power dome on it. I will likely have the ear wire trimmed a bit, cuz it’s so long right now that it buckles away from my ear/head - not a perfect fit.

Each time you swap out a receiver or even a dome, you need to re-calibrate the aids! Every component from ear to ear canal is part of the total picture, with comfort, compatibility and performance key. I have even found that I can end up with a different sized earmold depending on what time of day that impression was taken, and what the humidity was - seriously - because the size and shape of my ear canals change throughout the day. It’s a bit of rocket science. But also keep in mind that a low-budget aid fit with a power-performing receiver may be akin to customizing your old Porsche 914 body with a 2017 Porsche 911 Turbo engine, leading to other problems down the road …

My understanding is that receivers are manufacturer-specific. Which is not necessarily the same as brand-specific. Rexton, Siemens, and Signia (and one or two other brands, I believe) are all made by Siemens, and use Siemens receivers and domes AFAIK. Costco KS7 aids are Rexton, and use Siemens miniReceivers. https://www.bestsound-technology.ca/pro/siemens-hearing-product-portfolio/accessories/minireceiver20/receiver-models/4

As for Widex domes fitting Oticon receivers, well I guess there is some cross-compatibility.

I didn’t know the receiver wires could be shortened. I had thought the wires were bonded to both the receiver, and to the plug at the aid end.

As for the dimensions of a receiver making a fit anatomically impossible, yes I understand that happens. I’m right at the edge of that limit with the (Siemens) power receivers on my Costco aids. I believe this may be one rationale for using BTE aids, where the “receiver” is inside the body of the aid itself, and very small domes or molds can be used.

This is a point, about having to recalculate the fitting when receivers and/or domes are reconfigured. I think we just have to assume that competent HCPs take that into account, and when it comes to the receivers, I believe the aids communicate this to the software so it can’t be ignored. I know this is what happens with my Costco/Siemens aids.

As for “low-budget” aids with “power-performing” receivers, again, I believe this is not a question of sound quality. The receiver has gain, and different power levels have different amounts of gain. But it’s not about “performance” in the sense of sound quality, and won’t lead to “other problems down the road.” For example, I think it might well be the case that the cheapest current-model RIC aid in the Siemens family (of whichever brand-name that is) would now be using the same receivers as a top-of-the-line Signia. It’s about gain, and thus output level, and not sound quality or performance.