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Does Specsavers (UK) perform Real Ear Measurements?

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Hi I bought a pair of phonak P90 with Specsavers. I was really pleased with the connectivity with my phone and other devices. This was my first try with Bluetooth enabled aids. Unfortunately, after a whole load of return visits including one with the phonak technician speaking on the phone to the audiologist, I never got a clear sound. It was hard to explain it as it wasn’t distorted sound but it wasn’t clear either. Playing my acoustic guitar on autosense was hopeless due to the sound I was getting - more like a sitar. I had not heard of but since looking into it, I have certainly never had it performed by Specsavers. I wonder if REM would’ve made the difference with the p90s. Reluctantly, I gave up on them and they’re now trying me with their own Advance elite (signia) but these are useless so far as connecting to my phone etc. I’ve been back already after a week with them for an adjustment and they’re not right still. I seriously do not want to be going back and forth weekly to get a best fit. I’ll be pursuing an REM with them next week.

@murjake said:

Playing my acoustic guitar on autosense was hopeless

This is because AutoSense isn’t designed for this purpose, your audiologist should have set a dedicated music program up for you, this would have been better for your guitar playing.

@murjake said:

. I wonder if REM would’ve made the difference with the p90s.

I doubt it, works for some but it’s simply not the holy grail of fitting, most clinics don’t, Widex don’t even recommend it on their .
Next time you go back ask for it to be done,at least this way “you” can be sure your getting the best possible fitting.

@murjake said:

I have certainly never had it performed by Specsavers

It seems from on this forum only some Specsavers have the equipment,so maybe you’ll need to go elsewhere to get it done?

@murjake said:

Advance elite (signia) but these are useless so far as connecting to my phone etc.

Yes I know what you mean here, sometimes you just have to chose between better hearing (Speech) or better connections.
Are you using iPhone for the Signia, as they’re , so if possible use Apple products for your streaming ( I don’t, I’m diehard Android ) so I need to use other devices for streaming.

@murjake said:

I seriously do not want to be going back and forth weekly to get a best fit. I’ll be pursuing an REM with them next week.

REM or not you’ll still be going back a few times for adjustments, it’s a natural process to find the sweet spot in your hearing.

If all else fails, you can try , this way you can make unlimited adjustments in the comfort of your home.

Good luck.

Hi Tenkan, thanks for all this. I should’ve added that overall Specsavers have been great and very accommodating. They did set up a separate music programme but the sound was quite flat and muffled. At the beginning I was informed that I should strum the guitar a few times so autosense would adjust but that didn’t work. What do you mean at home. I would like to retry the phonaks with .

@murjake said:

What do you mean DIY at home.

You can program/fit them yourself with the appropriate programming device and software on your PC.

@murjake said:

I would like to retry the phonaks with REM.

Yes do this before you do anything else, I would ask Specsavers to redo the music program for you, can you record your guitar on your phone?use this as a starting point to provide your audiologist at Specsavers something to work on, when redoing the music program.

Hi Tenkan, thank you . I like the sound of but really wouldn’t know where to start getting the correct equipment /software. Good idea about recording the guitar. However, the main concern I had with the phonaks was the speech. It was a ‘dirty’ sound like the words were wrapped in slight buzz/distortion. We tried a different set and I even tried the rechargeable phonaks but that poor quality didn’t improve. In the end they decided the devices were not suitable

@murjake said:

I like the sound of DIY but really wouldn’t know where to start getting the correct equipment /software

The software and hardware are easily available, eBay and members from right here on hearingtracker will get you up and running, use the search button for Phonak programming or Signia, but I don’t know if the Signia from Specsavers are locked to stop people from doing this, you’ll need to ask them, it’s been confirmed that Phonak from Specsavers are not locked,so easy enough.

But in saying all that,do give Specsavers another chance to get them set for you including asking for fitting.

@murjake said:

It was a ‘dirty’ sound like the words were wrapped in slight buzz/distortion

This is definitely a programming issue, quite common actually, just got to get them to try different settings, a good audiologist will know this, SoundRecover set to high, incorrect receiver, incorrect dome as well can cause distortion, buzzing well that could be a bit to much higher frequencys.

If you post your others may chip in with advice.

Check your PM.

Hi Tenkan, thanks so much for all your help. I’ll check out the software you mention. That’s very encouraging that you felt there was a solution to the phonak problem. I certainly noticed the ‘distortion’ more with my own speech. I’m back at Specsavers next week and I’ll asking them about . I don’t actually have a copy of my but I’ll get one. This forum is a great resource. Thanks again. Did you write you’d PM’d me? Still finding my way around this site and can’t see any PM…

@murjake said:

Did you write you’d PM’d me?

I did yes, you just tap on your avatar and then tap the envelope at the top right, well at least that’s what I do on mobile devices, takes you straight to your private messages.

There is a simple and direct answer. The Phonak guides for audiologists specify that must be used in the fitting process for Phonal . In my case, Specsavers did not use REM and the fitting process was very basic

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