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Anyone Have Experience with EARGO?

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I see that EARGO announced an improvement to their hearing aids recently (EARGO Plus?), and has a current promotion ($200 off during September). I know that they have been discussed before on this forum. However, I haven’t seen any discussion from anyone that has tried the technology.

I’m on my third set of hearing aids and reasonably satisfied with my Trac42s. Still, I try to keep track (pun intended) of what else is available.

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Seems like most of the bad reviews were for the original Eargos. Eargo Plus is the newest version and seems to be getting good reviews. Please post if you go ahead and try them.

Are you actually considering changing from a to a ?

You don’t have your loss entered. Are you using an dome? The eargo would probably work best with that type of loss/dome.

It would cost roughly the same as the Trax42. I doubt it could be considered a better choice.

re: Are you actually considering changing from a to a ?

No, but I have been following EARGO’s information periodically. I think their form factor is interesting, and a year or so ago I sent for a free sample they send out to allow folks to determine what their aid feels like when inserted, etc. I have shied away from in the canal devices, since I tend to have a lot of ear wax. EARGO’s device seems like it would help to clear out wax.

Also, when their device first came out I believe it was much more attractively priced. I assumed that the price would be coming down once their user base increased. And it looked like for a small fee they would customize the settings per the results of individual test results. I thought it could end up being an inexpensive aid that might have similar results to the aids I was wearing at the time.

A couple of things have moved me away from this. First, the EARGO cost has increased. Second, my hearing seems to be trending downward. Third, I’m fairly happy with my Trax42s.

Still, it seems to be an interesting device.

I just stumbled on an ad for Eargo a minute ago at one of the online newspapers I read. It was the first I’d seen the device, so natch, I surfed right over here to see if anyone else had info on it? And so - not for the first time! - I find info posted HERE before I’ve even heard of the device in the press or from my aud-guy.

I also shy away from canal devices - even with virtually zero ear wax as a problem. I just don’t think it’d be the best ear health to plug up the canal. Granted, these Eargos have the feathered domes … but with my loss I can imagine the leakage factor alone.

I do like the sleek look of the overall package tho! Altho I would not feel comfortable relying 100% on a rechargeable aid, for those who do, this seems like the right size. They’re selling for $2 grand a pair10 - about 1/3 what I paid for my Phonaks. But again, for my loss, I highly doubt this would be an optimal solution!

I’m curious as to what kind of profile would be best served here?

It is more a high end . Adequate for someone with a mild-moderate sky-slope loss.

I’m not saying it is overpriced but it is at the higher end of PSAP products. Persons with good and little problem with noise can get similar results at lower prices.

You paid full price for a quality, traditional hearing aid. With a good audiologist, you’'v made a very reasonable choice for a first aid by getting full support. Next time around you might consider a discounted aid of similar quality as you’ll have the initial experience behind you.

Is there any chance that I could persuade people to not use Acronyms? I have no idea what means and nowhere does anyone take the time to explain what it means. And there are plenty more uses of acronyms that seem to be freely used here and I don’t have a clue as to what they stand for either. It would only take a couple of extra seconds to type out the whole phrase. Or alternatively someone who is really literate in all these terms could take a lot more time and prepare a glossary of these acronyms for the benefit of everyone. Just a suggestion.

stands for Personal Sound Amplifier. Discussion here can resemble Washington speak with a variety of acronyms. Google is about as fast a way to get meaning.

PSAP are self fitted and the claim is they aren’t for hearing loss but that a somewhat spurious disclaimer based on licensed professionals being required to fit “real” aids.

Agreed that it would be difficult to wean people from acronyms. Google is what I use. Typically just googling the acronym does it–sometimes throwiing in “hearing” in the search sometimes helps.

In reply to @KenP

@KenP said:

It is more a high end PSAP. Adequate for someone with a mild-moderate sky-slope loss.

GOT IT! That’s what I figured, too. My loss is about as far from mild-moderate as the SUN from our MOON . LOL.

Just wanted to weigh in with my own acronym: 1DB (one DEAF bird!) :rofl:

I looked at @AbramBaileyAuD mention of the reviews on the main site. While some are for the earlier and less expensive model, quality issues seem to pepper the reviews. OTOH, a rep from them has been doing triage.

All my experience with , while limited, has shown poor reliability issues. Those thinking about one should definitely look at the sites reviews to get a picture of that for the model that interest them.

Edited

From our Eargo Plus reviews16 page. Here’s the info I have from Eargo:

  • Enhanced gain and frequency response characteristics to fit a wider range of hearing loss
  • Two layers of ear wax protection with removable Flexi Fibers and a removable HF4 filter
  • Numerous design modifications for increased product reliability
  • Extensive consumer support video library for greater user acceptance
  • Expanded Customer Operations center to provide immediate and personalized support
  • Each client receives a designated Personal Hearing Professional to guide them through the 45-day trial period and beyond
  • Eargo Plus is now available for purchase in all 50 states

Plus, some clarification I asked for:

  • What changes were made to gain and frequency response? We increased the gain specifically in the low to middle frequency region to help people mild low to mid frequency hearing loss. This not only allows Eargo to fit more people but helps current hearing aid users adapt to using our hearing devices.
  • How does the current wax protection system differ from the previous generation? The previous generation of Eargo only had Flexi Fibers that were glued on and could not be changed. By adding the dual layer of removable wax protection, the instances of Eargo Plus being affected by ear wax issues is minimal.
  • Anything specific you can say about design differences? Basically, the Eargo design was evaluated from every possible angle, and improvements were made with the rechargeable battery, the charger itself, the hearing aid jacket, the microphone, etc. The end result has been thousands of hearing aids and clients helped in 2017 with significantly increased reliability and very few RMAs.

I purchased a set of the 1st generation eargos with a custom program back in Dec 2015. I will say they are the most comfortable device I’ve ever tried. I have gone through 4sets in 14mos.

Now onto the the problems. The first set was fine for 3 weeks and then they both just quit working. Eargo replaced them very quickly with no hassles. The second set did nothing but warble incessantly. Volume adjustments made no difference. Eargo replaced them without hassle. The third set did nothing but warble incessantly. I spoke at length with one of their audiologists Randy Sager. We walked through the feedback problem but there was no way to stop it. Eargo replaced them with no hassle. The 4th set was sent without the custom programming, Randy thought that might be the cause. Nope: the excessive feedback persisted. If I set the volume down to the lowest setting, the feedback stopped. But at that setting there was no effective amplification.
For my 5th set I was promised the new Eargo ‘Plus’. They never arrived. Eargo stopped returning my emails. Unfortunately, my recharging case with the devices inside fell out of my carry-on luggage on a business trip and I was never able to recover them. $2500 down the drain. I will say the Eargo customer sevice was great, until it wasn’t.

I believe the Eargo design is inherently flawed: the ‘Open’ design allows any amplified sounds to feedback directly into the microphone through the Flex Fibers. It’s possible the shape of my ears exacerbated the issue, but the first set seemed to be OK, until they simply quit working.

Edited

I recently tried a pair of Eargo Max. I have mild to moderate hearing loss (which is what it was advertised for) and I thought they were too loud and too “bright” sounding (too much high frequency boost) even on the lowest of the 4 settings. Music sounded horrible on all settings, but not as bad on setting #1 (intended for phone use). My canals are also a bit narrow and I didn’t think they were comfortable, but I admit i didn’t wear them long enough to acclimate.

Customer service (in my experience) is superb, and the phone support I received was very professional. I spoke with US-based advisors with real names, individual email addresses and phone numbers (not an overseas call center, and I was treated as a person not a ticket number). They were great about communicating and follow-up. However, the lack of technical information and the saccharine-cute messaging in the documentation was more than a bit frustrating.

This is a one-size-fits-some product. It wasn’t right for me but I think it’s probably great for some people. No hassle about return. So my best advice is to try it if you want to, there is not much risk.

One other thing to note – they don’t tell you on the order page (because they don’t think you need to know?) but they ship UPS with signature REQUIRED. They also ship in a discrete box using a 3-letter company name so if you wanted to ship it to your place of work nobody would know it’s from Eargo. I wish I had known both of those things, because after several missed deliveries to my home I eventually had to go to the UPS depot (not nearby) where they were being held for signature. This was also very frustrating.

EARGO’s web site claims that they are not . They say that manufacturers must meet certain criteria to call their products hearing aids rather than personal sound amplifiers. Does anyone know the facts here?

A rose by any other name…

It isn’t a medical device which are. That’s good for the people who can benefit from such a device. Most of the laws are there to benefit those licensed to dispense hearing aids.

I guess they’ve joined the HA companies in obfuscation.

Based on your , I don’t think they are a great solution for you but likely better than nothing.

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