Hearing aid advice for a newbie

Yes, what was it again. Can’t get the sound right with one aid…Need the microphones of the other aid… I forgot. Had the piano tuner over yesterday and he has the same problem: only one bad ear, but advised to wear two aids. Ask around, it sounded like common knowledge when we were discussing it, but the reason isn’t clear to me, too.

As I understood from my audie it has something to do with the balance of the sound??? One of the pros here could explain it better. My “good” ear isn’t “perfect,” as yours is…but I was told I’d not need HAs yet if they’d both been that “good.” That being said, my family practice doctor said that if I shopped around I “might” find an audiologist who would sell me just one.

I will say that occasionally when streaming one hearing aid will lose the connection to the call or music or audiobook. When that happens, the quality of how I hear suffers a lot until I get it reconnected.

I got BTEs in 1976 - as a 6 y/o

Here is how I rate my top three hearing aids
Pure hearing
1st - Phonak Marvel
2nd - Resound quattro
3rd - Oticon OPN

Accessory Line
1st - Resound Quattro
2nd - Phonak Marvel
3rd - Oticon OPN

Economic Value for the money
1st Resound Quattro
2nd Oticon OPN
3rd Phonak Marvel.

These spacings are REALLY tight…all three are wonderful devices. I have personally tried all three.

For my situation, Resound was the answer. What tipped it was their accessory line.
let me explain.

Lets talk about phones first
Phonak Marvel uses bluetooth classic. It also uses the hearing aid microphones as the phone microphones.

Resound Quattro is a Made For Iphone / MFI device that also works with some newer Android phones. This uses Bluetooth Low Energy. All MFI phones use the phone’s microphone as the microphone.

Marvel advantages - Phone can be put away.Works directly with most phones made in the past decade.
Marvel issues - Noise is hard for the hearing aid mics to handle on calls…the people on the other end have issues hearing you in noisy environments. Battery life can be an issue - especially for heavy streamers since bluetooth classic takes a lot of power to run.

Quattro advantages - connects via MFi/BLE - battery life is much better relative to Marvel. Phone microphone pics up voice and rejects noise better for those on the other end.

Other Nugget…for those that do not have phones that connect directly to Quattro, there is the Phone Clip. This DOES have it’s own microphone so the phone CAN be placed out of the way. As a bonus - the phone clip can be used with most any bluetooth source. I use it with my 2 way radio at work. I have two and stream 12 straight hours.

Battery Life at 12 hours streaming - Marvel RIC/RITE - 13 hours. Two not streaming, 11 streaming. Marvel BTE - 15 hours - 3 not streaming 12 streaming. Quattro RIC/RITE - 20 hours+ with 12 streaming. Quattro BTE - is not a rechargeable. I have just started using it, so I will have to let you know how long a size 13 battery lasts.

HAND HELD REMOTE CONTROLS
Winner: Quattro - no comparison. Quattro’s remote has a display. Lets one change programs, mute microphones, move balance, control mic and stream volumes separately. Phonak’s remote for Marvel allows volume change of mics when not streaming, stream to mic balance when streaming, program changes. No visual feedback. Some like the more spartan arrangement of the Marvel remote. Resound has a new remote for quattro that is also simple. So resound has two different remotes to choose from.

Phone App
Matter of taste. I prefer Resound’s app. Their methodology is more natural to me. Their app allows for custom programs… NOTE!!! These custom programs are stored on the phone and not the hearing aid. The phone must be connected to have these be available. Audiologist programs are stored in the hearing aid and thus ALWAYS available.

Pure Hearing Performance
Very close - Phonak wins by a nose. Slightly more natural sounding to me. This is a razor thin margin between Phonak and Resound. Oticon’s paradigm is different and hard to compare. For those for whom it works, it really works. For those that it doesn’t…the Resound and Phonak aids are usually distinctly better.

Reliability
Generally a BTE is most reliable followed by a RIC/RITE followed by a ITE/CIC
I have peripheral neuropathy.
So the tiny pull tabs on the RIC/RITE units are a challenge. I would inadvertently grab the receiver wire. I had numerous receivers break with the face plates detaching at the weld line for the Resound units. Phonak - I had Titanium cased receivers. I popped the clip/insert that holds the wires.
I work in a steel mill
HARSH conditions
So receivers simply would fail
Wore a BTE for three years in the Mill with no issues. So have gone back to BTE.

Comfort
All about the same…except…
If you go Phonak Marvel RIC/RITE - DO get titanium receivers. They are sooooo comfortable. I want titanium ear molds for my BTE aids. Sooner or later, someone’s going to make them, and I WILL buy them.

Resound also has an accessory for Quattro called the Multi-Mic.
That little device is pretty amazing.
It has telecoil loop ability
It has 3.5mm input ability
It has remote microphone ability
It has a DAI/Europin receptacle that will accept a Roger X receiver…this is a BIG deal.

ROGER
Phonak makes a line of proprietary FM accessories. This line has a reputation above reproach …and for good reason. With Multi-Mic - and a single Roger X Type 02 or type 03 receiver, the Roger system is available to you on Resound hearing aids.

With Phonaks OWN Marvel - It is complicated, but basically requires a receiver per aid… the aid has the receiver built in, but it must be enabled.
There are two ways to enable the built in receiver in marvel aids…1 - buy a Roger…‘IN’ device. These have two licenses built into the transmitter that enable the receivers in the aids as soon as the pairing is done. 2 - buy two individual Roger X 02 or 03 receivers that are newer than a certain serial number. Basically the newer serial number X receivers have the ability to hold a code to activate the Marvel built in Roger receivers via an interface used by the audiologist. That interface moves the activate code between the x receiver and the Roger receiver built into the hearing aid. If you want type 02 Roger…You will have to buy two individual Roger X(02) Receivers and have the code moved over. The Roger IN sets are Type (03) only.
Roger Type 02 versus Type 03. Type 02 works with ALL Roger Transmitters. Roger Type 03 works only with ‘Adult’ transmitters. The educational line transmitters, which are type 02, allow for even more versatility. I always go type 02 receiver.

As far as Vanity, consider this…
Everyone walks around with earbuds, Airpods, …whatever hanging out the ear…No one cares.
Mine are a dark beautiful red. All the better to see it if I drop it or it pops out of my ear. Mine are BTE - Most reliable overall. Mine are Resound Quattro…I have access to a wonderful native line of accessories PLUS Phonak’s Roger accessories.

One more thing… If you get aids and stream and have no bass at all…you have too much venting. Rule of thumb…the least venting you can get by with… Vents let ambient sound directly in so you don’t feel like you are stuffed down in a hole when you talk. The problem is that low frequencies escape right out of those vents. So as little venting as you can tolerate.

I have thrown a LOT at you. I have worn BTE, RIC/RITE, ITE, ITC aids. I have worn hearing aids for over 40 years. Ask me whatever you want to know about this topic…same for lots of others on here.

In an audiologist

• Must listen to you
• Use REAL EAR MEASUREMENT
• Be willing to spend considerable time to get things right for you.
  - You need to like them.

I found the comment about streaming and having no bass very interesting. I have no bass whatsoever and have occasionally put my fingers in my ears (as a test) while streaming music and it immediately sounds much better with a bit more bass. I have 2 vent holes in each of my tips (KS9). I have always been fitted with vented tips due to my ski slope pattern of hearing loss. Now I’m interested in trying some less vented tips but fear if may adversely affect speech recognition.

The Roger IN devices are specifically for the Marvel line of hearing aids. They are all Roger type 03 transmitters. They have the 2 codes built in to activate the Roger capabilities in two Phonak Marvel hearing aids.You do not actually get any receivers…the IN transmitters have the activation coding built in to the transmitter.

If your right hearing is perfect, there’s no reason for a hearing aid in that ear. It’s a money grab.

@bytes2bits said:

…I have no bass whatsoever and have occasionally put my fingers in my ears … while streaming music and it immediately sounds much better

Your audiogram shows fine bass.

For external sounds, there is no reason to try to amplify the bass, you get plenty with normal venting. Maybe even just two holes.

But then sounds that do not come from the external world, like streaming, have no bass.

The HA “should” know when it is streaming and “should” bring up the bass. My Marvel does OK (we changed the eartip and I think we need to tell the program about that).

Yes, a good pencil eraser or small fingertip helps hold-in any bass the HA does make. But it really needs to know ambient from streaming.

With this type STEEP slope, you and I will be fussy about what is and is-not to be boosted.

Do not agonize over the bass. Go to the smallest venting and try it. Use it for an hour and go about your business. You will find you adjust to the difference. Then the bass from streaming sound fine. If it is just too much occlusion, go to the next vent size. My ear molds and my custom receivers both came with inserts for adjusting venting.

My husband’s family has inherited sensorineural hearing issues so I have been around people with hearing aids for over 50 years and have worn aids myself off and on for over 10 years and full time in both ears for about 5 years.

NO ONE notices hearing aids - - even when they are screaming RED. EVERYONE notices someone who is persistently asking folks to repeat themselves or turning the TV or car radio too loud.

I am currently trying various brands of hearing aids and reviewing them for a local provider - - and I am blown away by how DIFFERENT the different brands SOUND!! And that is not something anyone can explain in a “review.” I hear more key clicks and fan noises with brand A and the road noise drowns out speech with brand B. . . . So I cannot stress enough that you should TRY MORE THAN ONE BRAND before you purchase!!!

Since your loss is recent, you should not have a huge adjustment period to retrain your brain to “hearing” again and a week or two with each brand MIGHT be enough.

Understanding speech with background noise will be your biggest challenge as it is for all of us. Make sure you try each aid in a noisy restaurant or a big party.

Keep reading and listening to everything you can find, but get out there and TRY some aids ASAP.

@lsmith77025 said:

I am currently trying various brands of hearing aids and reviewing them for a local provider - - and I am blown away by how DIFFERENT the different brands SOUND!!

This is very interesting information.
I have come to believe most aids when programed properly with similar acoustics sound very much the same.