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Phonak introduces Paradise, a new paradigm in hearing aid sound quality

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In reply to @Blacky

@Blacky said:

did you manage to compare motion sensor vs ordinary, and how big the difference was? Or you directly went with rechargeables?

@Blacky Not a direct comparison. I tried the Marvel first, and compared to the Marvel I noticed a difference. I am using vented domes after having used open domes for many years. It has been a lot to get used to!

I have found the tap feature pretty useful. I do with I could use tap control to change programs instead of according Google Assistant. I don’t really use google assistant and the abity to change programs via tap would be easier that buttons or the app.

Jim

In reply to @christo

It is only with severe to profound loss, where the aids are pushed and worn more than 17 hours a day where the rechargeable becomes an issue.
^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^
This could be a major issue for many on this forum…

In reply to @brec

@brec said:

If I want full ambient sound I have to manually switch to Autosense using either an HA button or the myPhonak iOS app.

Or the on-off switch for the USB-to-optical connection, which is plugged into a USB hub with an individual switch for each USB plug.

I finally decided to go with the Paradise 90 rechargeables. After all the great advice from everyone here, I also decided to try custom molds for the first time. Phonak just called my audiologist and said that they cannot fit me with the slim fits because my ear canals are too small. So instead I am getting acrylic Cshells with 2mm venting because my canals are too small for 3mm. Based on your experience and my hearing loss, do you think this will work for me? Nothing is easy lol!

If I got something from this forum about molds, it’s that no one can predict what will really work, so they’re definitely very personal. You’ll be the best judge, share your findings :slight_smile:

In reply to @julieMK

All you can do is give it a try. If you have issues with occlusion, I might ask about the titanium slim tips. They are supposed to be good for small canals and if I understand venting correctly, since they’re not solid, a small vent would be equivalent to a larger one that was longer.
What are you hoping for the molds to accomplish?

Thank you I will ask about the titanium. I am hoping to be able to hear speech better with the molds. Right now my left hearing aid dome constantly slips out of my ear and when I try a larger dome it just isn’t comfortable. I thought that molds would stay in my ear and hopefully go deeper and closer to my eardrum, helping me hear better. Also, I was hoping a custom fit would allow my audiologist to adjust my hearing aids better to fit my loss and not get feedback.

Those sound like reasonable hopes. Your small canals may make going deeper a challenge, but molds should fit better. should stay in place.

@MDB. Are there situations that molds would not be recommended? I just got done going to a and she said molds would pulled down my low frequency. Does that happen? I would like to consider molds as domes do not stay in my ears snd I understand that molds help with hearing and speech as they are closer to the eardrum.

People’s experiences with molds are quite varied. Generally they’re not favored for people with good low frequency hearing, but there are lots of exceptions. There are people on the forum with better low frequency hearing than you that have molds wtih no vents that love them and others with much worse low frequency hearing who hated them. If a person has good low frequency hearing, and uses molds with “small” vents, the natural low frequency sounds can’t enter the ear and one must rely on the hearing aid to provide them. The biggest downside to molds with small vents is “occlusion.” It’s a combination of things. One’s voice sounds too loud. Chewing can be very loud and assorted other complaints. If you search “occlusion” on the forum, you can find lots of commentary. The plus side to molds is that if made properly, they stay put, are more comfortable for most (not all) people, can provide more gain to the ear without generating feedback and block out environmental noise. Ultimately it comes down to “do you like them?” I’d encourage going in expecting them to work and not look for problems. They can take getting used to, but are very helpful for many and I suspect most people.

I will be venturing into the world of molds here in a couple of weeks. After doing on the Paradise and resetting it to my prescription I had feedback issues. When she corrects the feedback it drops me enough below my target that my ability to distinguish speach is impaired

This will really be a change, my last set of aids had open domes. It didn’t take long during my Widex trial to change to a vented , now I am going to give the custom molds a try.

Jim

In reply to @julieMK

@julieMK said:

. I thought that molds would stay in my ear and hopefully go deeper and closer to my eardrum,

Depth of insertion is the same - defined by the wire, or better said, the length between the receiver tip and bending point on the wire. If you compare S and P receiver, you can easily notice that the depth is the same, just the length of the wire before the bend in shorter on bigger receiver. So, properly inserted dome and properly made mold will have receiver at the same place.

Of course, if despite proper insertion dome gets out by time, mold has an advantage that it can be made with various type of lock.

However, paradises also have locks available for dome version, lock is mounted on the receiver itself and sits inside your concha and makes sure that receiver doesn’t move.

I tried them but could feel them and they got to my nerves so I removed them. But my domes stay put, plus I definitely check if they’re there few times a day, so, if they moved a bit I guess I return them back in. No difference in sound quality so I guess they never moved enough.

Anyhow, you might want to try that option if molds don’t work out for you for any reason.

In reply to @JBC

@JBC said:

I will be venturing into the world of molds here in a couple of weeks. After doing REM on the Paradise and resetting it to my prescription I had feedback issues. When she corrects the feedback it drops me enough below my target that my ability to distinguish speach is impaired

This description is exactly why people start heading to molds. Well said.

From reading this forum I believe the magic 40 hearing loss in the 2000 hertz range is the turning point for most to move in the direction of molds or at least power domes (double domes). There is a balance between getting enough target gain and feedback with open type domes/fittings. The 40 dB at 2000 hertz is a ballpark rule of thumb to look into.

Placement of acoustics is important for consistent sound levels as a persons hearing loss gets worse. If domes are moving around it effects quality of sound at the eardrum. This is also when molds are best. They typically stay put when designed properly for the person.

I am well below the 40db mark at at 2000, sitting at 70db so your rule of thumb seems to apply to me. Looking forward to hopefully getting better performance.

Jim

It makes sense when there are high frequencies that you can’t get enough gain to to make audible. Your loss is complicated. It’s certainly not the ideal type of loss to use . I think it depends largely on what kind of dome/mold you are wearing. Ideally I think would be a custom mold with as small a vent as you could tolerate. With that kind of setup, you should be able to get enough gain to the 1500hz-2000hz area. If you only tolerate an , I don’t think you can get enough gain. If that’s the case, using frequency lowering to lower the 1500hz to 2000hz range MIGHT be worth a try. However, I think a much better approach would be a custom dome with a small vent and try to get enough gain to that frequency range.

Edited

You’re definitely right. Thanks for answer. I always prefer custom molds with small venting (currently 2 mm despite I should have 3-4 mm with my good 500Hz hearing).

When I have in December 2019 with my Bolero (first time in my life) with it, I can’t get appropriate target in 1500-2000 Hz (calculated by ).

I tried Marvel 90 with initially with no venting. The target could be achieved (First-fit algorithm after direct). I have no problems with occlusion, even my voice I perceived as normal, maybe some issues during chewing and odd feeling of suction after wearing it. I chose that in the hope of getting maximal directionality, but it didn’t helped much in (prepandemic) crowded club in spite of good directionality when I try to talk in kitchen with 85dB extractor next to my unaided ear.
At gym sounds were muffled and dull and I feel isolated from talkers speech, compared to my old Bolero V70 with 2mm vent earmold.

I changed it to the minimal, pressure vented C-shell, less feeling of suction, maybe worse directionality. I returned Marvel in april, because I have had an eureka that Phonak soon introduced new products.

At present I wait for the new Paradise 90-RT with my pressure-vented C-shell. Maybe I shouldn’t activate SoundRecover2.

I don’t think SR2 would be of benefit in your case as long as you can meet target up to 3000-4000 hz range.

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