My wife needs something badly. She can hear, but has difficulty understanding. Talking face to face helps - she looks at people’s lips, but that is not always possible.
So what I am looking for is some advice/comments/opinions from people with the same problem, and their experiences. Or from audio practitioners if there are any here.
Last year I more or less decided on Phonak Virto. Too many people say Phonak is best, and my wife does not want type hearing aid.
The advantage of Phonak is that our local Specsavers shops dispense Phonak hearing aids at very good prices.
I am waiting for the Virto Paradise. Is there anybody with “inside” knowledge as to when they will come out? (I assume they will.)
But I would also like to hear if some people think that there is something better than Phonak Paradise for speech understanding.
Bluetooth, connectivity, phone answering and other gadgetry not important at all. Just the best clarity of speech.
Really, well your going to need to ask yourself, what’s the best mobile phone or what’s the best car, there’s no “best” brand or model as such, the best is whatever you want it be, so just about any hearing aids are going to help your wife’s loss, as looking at her shows a moderate to severe loss, more so on the right side, honestly any hearing aid will help, Phonak is a well respected and admired company, but so are many others, this I would say, trial a few different brands/models and see what works best for her, obviously a good audioologist is important as well.
Why only , types tho? there’s nothing different, I mean technology wise with , are the most popular by far, if your near a Costco that is definitely something to consider, Specsavers haven’t as far as on this forum got anything going for them, you’ll pay a premium over Costco.
Hi @jfranek43,
Another Ausssie here - lots of us too - Like a Saturday barby with free snags
It is not clear to me if the in your profile is yours or your wife’s. I note you have been looking since September last year - possibly for the both of you.
You can’t go wrong with @tenkan’s advice. In essence almost any modern hearing aid will help significantly - whether Phonak, Oticon, widex etc etc. Personally I am in my first week of a Kirkland KS10 from costco - VERY similar to the phonek p90rt. However it is several thousand <!> dollars cheaper.
A sticking point is
Certainly you can get in the canal versions of almost all the current models and if her loss is not too bad she may be suitable. However she will potentially sacrifice some of the wizz bang features that the and models tend to offer. It is a trade off. Do some research and see what is on offer and what might be missing. Looking at the posted Audiogram, I suspect that the RIGHT ear -at least- may be too severe for a type. However others here should be able to give you a more definitive answer.
As far as spec savers go - I have nothing against them but after looking around I went to Costco. My understanding/research (at least locally) is that at Specsavers you get a video consultation with an audiologist of limited duration - the rest is done by one of the shop assistants - No idea what training if any they have. If they are the equivalent of their spectacle ‘fitters’ I wouldn’t be too happy . Others here will confirm that as long as your ‘fitter’ is well trained -, it doesn’t matter if they are a qualified audiologist and going by the anecdotes here I am certainly happy to accept that - just not sure where specs savers fitters fit in!
Costco - (and there are several in Melbourne IIRC) in Australia have certified Audiologists; are distinctly cheaper; do and have a good selection of . Like all ‘shops’ you may strike a dud Audi/fitter or a good one - try and see. You have 180 days to return the HAs for 100% refund no questions asked and a 3 year warranty including all consumable (except batteries if you get a non rechargeable).
If you have specific questions ask away - this is the place. I have learned a MASSIVE amount here.
Cheers
Edit: I would also add that in the end you are going to have to test particular HAs to decide what works best for you/your wife. There appear to be so much individual/subjective variability in what is ‘best’ that you can’t really predict. As such - to answer your question - as far as I can see/here/read - there is no “clear winner” in the speech understanding category. Others here can probably give you a better explanation/more detail.
I believe in Oticon for my needs. But I tell everyone it is what works for you, hearing aids are very personal and everyone has their likes, dislikes, and their own hearing environments to deal with.
You may find what most like to be the worst for you.
There is a condition that is little known by audiologists called Central Auditory Processing Disorder. It is understood in children but there is also age-related , caused by aging changes in the auditory processing centres of the brain. Conventional digital hearing aids do not help with this, but the new generation of artificial intelligence based hearing aids announced by Oticon and Whisper, earlier this year may be what you need.
This is CLASSIC. It is not just volume that is the problem - it is comprehensibility.
That’s why I am asking for suggestions.
Re Specsavers - we have them in our shopping centre. There is an audiologist there. They sell Phonak at very good prices, but do not have the Paradise in the Virto style.
Costco do not have much info on their website, and they are not conveniently located.
Fair enough - I guess what I am saying is that the situation you describe is extremely common for people and ALL hearing aids aim/are programmed to try to improve Comprehensibility as their endpoint - compared to hearing amplifiers that simply “turn up the volume”.
However - there is no particular Company that has ‘won’ the “speech understanding” category - if there was then these would be the pre-eminent aids! The approach is to try them and see what works for YOU. Even people with identical appear to respond differently to different . Just goes to show we still have a lot to learn.
Good luck on your research. May I suggest before deciding on the form factor of the HA you want, check with an Audi to see if it is doable given the level of hearing loss and gain required - especially if you are focussing on in-the-canal aids…
I am only adding this (below) because, in the large thread you started back in September last year, you mentioned you are a pensioner and costs are prohibitive.
You say that Specsavers have good prices on Phonak? Well even if you are eligible for the HSP rebate, they are at least $2000 more than Costco for the pair (Specsavers $2895 & $3895 including rebate, $4495 & $5495 without rebate Vs $1799 for the Costco KS10s before rebate - which are almost identical to the top of line Phonak Paradise 90rt). Phonak branded at Costco are $3800 the pair… That’s a potential saving of a couple of thousand dollars which IMHO buys a lot of convenience (Costco also sell Phillips, Resound and Rexton). I know you are wary because the models may not be listed on the company websites, but the information is out there if you want to know what the equivalent models are. They have , etc . A taxi ride out to a Costco could save you a lot of money.
We’ll wait a while longer for the Paradise Virto. Hopefully Phonak will bring it out.
If it helps - good, if not, we will try something else.
I was hoping somebody here has an ‘insider’ knowledge into Phonak’s production program, but it does not look like it.
Virto Paradise was scheduled for mid 2022 but this silicon chip shortage is causing a complete rethink of the product timeline.
The only thing to consider is that sometimes Specsavers are slow to stock Phonak products, so the wait for Virto Paradise at Specsavers in your local shop might be even longer!
Thanks for the bad news. I thought that it would be 2021, not 2022.
Why does it take so long? It is just a different chip. Marketing tricks? Or is it a complete redesign?
With the Virto Marvel, Specsavers here in Melbourne had access to them soon after they entered the Aussie market, mid year last year.
Custom products are a smaller market for Phonak and need more refinement as they have the customized aspect calibrate for.
It’s basic business, their business is so much bigger, that’s why they focus on that segment first.
This may change in future as people are more comfortable being seen with things in their ears (thanks Apple). We may see the resurgence of custom devices once more…
One thing not mentioned so far.
The longer you WAIT, the longer the BRAIN has not heard these sounds, the harder/longer the adjustment to aids will be and they may end up in a drawer.
Even if you are convinced the Phonak is “the answer” I strongly suggest having your wife start “trying” different aids which will at least start her brain adjusting to the sounds she has not been hearing.
If the adjustment is too severe, she may just give up and refuse to wear aids.
Costco usually has a very long “trial” period.
One thing not mentioned so far.
The longer you WAIT, the longer the BRAIN has not heard these sounds, the harder/longer the adjustment to aids will be and they may end up in a drawer.
Great point. My poorly-adjusted Unitron North Moxi Fit 800s were so useless, I barely wore them … I was persistent and went back soooo many times, to no avail (sigh) . Those higher-end devices were of no practical use to me, and my friends were always asking “Can’t you hear with those things?” Answer: NO!
Over that discouraging six year period, I experienced so many misunderstandings, became increasingly disengaged, socially, stopped sitting with my wife to watch movies and engage in casual conversations with her … years of closeness lost. It’s a sin! Not to mention that my auditory deprivation has resulted in my having to engage actively with speech recognition therapy to reclaim the full use of my auditory cortex.
I implore you: if you’re , PLEASE don’t delay in seeking qualified diagnosis and treatment of your loss!
It can be hard to convince those who are struggling that sooner is better REGARDLESS of the aid.
My husband’s family has a strain of inherited sensorineural loss issues. His grandmother was deaf by the time he knew her. His Dad got “Beltone” “eye glass” aids in the late 1950’s or early 1960’s when as an elementary school principal he could no longer understand the children. And he found them SO ANNOYING that as long as I knew the man, he pulled his hearing aids OUT when he walked in the door of the house!!
My dad had a hearing loss from measles as a kid that progressed. He was beginning to have difficulty understanding in big meetings and I MUMBLED!! His convinced him to get a hearing aid and I stopped MUMBLING immediately. But he was not convinced the aid was “helping” until the battery went out in the middle of a meeting!!
Learning from THAT experience, my husband got his first aid at about age 30 and my children never knew Dad without hearing aids!! He was NEVER without them unless he was outdoors and sweating too much to wear them!!
Likewise, when I started finding myself asking people to repeat and having MORE difficulty understanding in noise (that has ALWAYS been an issue for me), I immediately got my first aid. I had problems adjusting to ear molds (long before silicone) but have never taken my aids out once the domes became available!!!
Go ahead and laugh - - I now use my old “battery” aids instead of “ear buds” to listen to books in bed at night because the earbuds won’t hold a charge all night!!!
I have complex hearing loss caused by an immune system disorder. My Audiologist claims I am the ‘most interesting’ patient he has! Sadly, I may be the most challenging.
My non-NHS hearing aid journey started some years ago with Oticon aids. They were excellent but I decided to upgrade and ended up with Resound Quattro aids.
After a while I was struggling again (despite various adjustments by my Audiologist) and asked him if I could try something more recent. He came up with Signia Pure AX - telling me their new ‘feature’ (there is always one!) was a dedicated processor to handle speech (my single biggest issue). So I decided to try the aids.
Sound-wise and speech-wise they are brilliant so I will be keeping them. They’re also ‘Made for iPhone’ aids which is good for me.
ONLY downside so far is that the App isn’t quite as slick as Resound’s.
Otherwise these aids are very much the best I’ve used.
Melbourne, Australia
Hot Springs Village, Arkansas
Oticonian/Disposablyte
