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User Review of Whisper Hearing Aids

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Thank you for the update. Their website information looks outdated. Is their limit still 90 of loss or would handling 100dB be in the realm of possibility?

If I recall correctly, Bluetooth from the brain to a laptop should be possible. That might handle my major streaming requirements.

EDIT if your is correct it appears you have one ear reaching 100 dB loss.

I was told that the fitting range for Whisper isn’t treated as a hard-and-fast limit, but I don’t know how that would apply to you. Also, I heard a couple of months ago that Whisper was going to be coming out with more powerful receivers to handle more severe losses.

Whisper Brain connects to a phone using regular Bluetooth, so I guess it has the hardware and battery capacity to do the same with a laptop. The issue is that the firmware supports only phone connections, not BT media connections. This is one of the updates we’re waiting for.

In reply to @prodigyplace

@prodigyplace said:

Whisper has mixed advertising claims.

This link says you get continuous system improvements so you always have the latest technology.
https://whisper.ai/why-whisper/

Their home page says
Regular software upgrades are supported until the next generation of hardware is released.

According to his page they have already violated their advertising claims

https://whisper.ai/how-it-works/

Every few months, you’ll receive software upgrades that offer improvements to your system, from new features to better sound processing.

But It appears to me that those who bought into the latest technology advertising likely actually ended up with aids with shorter firmware support than the major manufacturers. As Bluetooth and phone capabilities change, many times firmware updates are needed to maintain connectivity capabilities.

I am really disappointed.No social media posts since May.

As was posted earlier in this thread, we users have been told that the Whisper engineers are working on the next generation, anticipated to be released in spring, 2023. Previously we had been receiving updates every few months as promised. When the next generation is available, I was told that I will be receiving the new hardware to replace my old hearing aids at no charge.

I have no idea what to make of your comment that “those who bought into the latest technology advertising likely ended up with aids with shorter firmware support than the major manufacturers.” Not being defensive; I just have no idea what your comment means because with my previous Oticon hearing aids I never received any firmware support in 5 years of ownership although I did have to send them back for repair a few times a year in the last 2 years I owned them.

Edited
@billgem said:

I just have no idea what your comment means

@billgem: Merry Christmas, Bill. I think he means that we Oticonian MoreOns®️ have received 3 firmware updates since 2021, the last one, more recently than your aggressively-pursued Whisper technological upgrades. Dassaul.

Edited

Merry Christmas, Jim! :clinking_glasses:

He may have been referring to Oticon, Jim, but I don’t know what he meant because he said “major manufacturers.” Note the plural.

Maybe this is my night to be easily confused, but I don’t know what you mean by “your aggressively-pursued Whisper technological upgrades.” Are you referring to me? Not trying to be obtuse here.

Edited
@billgem said:

learn more about the Oticon updater.

@billgem: Unfortunately, Bill, you won’t be learning about it from me. I know nothing other than what I have already stated. Whisper, to my understanding, promised frequent software updates that don’t seem to have materialized. But I stand to be corrected, because I don’t actively follow Whisper.

Edit: Besides, you need to be looking to @prodigyplace for clarification - not me. I’ve made no assertions such as the ones to which you’re referring.

In reply to @billgem

@billgem said:

I have no idea what to make of your comment that “those who bought into the latest technology advertising likely ended up with aids with shorter firmware support than the major manufacturers

Their main webpage says that the upgrades are only available for the current hardware version. In my 20 years of experience with hearing aids, as the firmware has become more complex, manufacturers have continued to release updates for their former flagship products. In fact, they can be needed as other manufacturers change their devices, sometimes breaking backward compatibility.

For those who financed their aids they promised 3 years of upgrades but now they are developing new hardware, they plan on discontinuing those upgrades sooner.

The end of the year is a major sales time, especially for those getting end of year bonuses. It is truly strange Whisper seems to have had no public Internet presence since May.
I believe an earlier post indicated they are still communicating with the Brain Trust users

In reply to @prodigyplace

@prodigyplace said:

as the firmware has become more complex, manufacturers have continued to release updates for their former flagship products

If you say so. I can’t say that the zero updates I’ve received for the OPN1 since August 2019 have convinced me on that but I defer to your 20 years of experience.

Do we have any non-Brain Trust people here who have trialed? The site says risk free but many of the Terms links are broken. I may be interested if there is no financial obligation.

This looks like it covers the 30 day trial. Sounds like only fee would be what an audiologist charged for fitting. I believe that would be avoided if you chose the remote fitting option. If you’re interested, I’d ask them. They look easy to contact. Here’s the link to trial terms: https://whisper.ai/trial-terms-of-use4

Thanks. The Product terms of use link is broken and included in those terms.

I may give them a call sometime since my next hearing appointment is almost a month away.

In reply to @prodigyplace

@billgem said:

I have no idea what to make of your comment that “those who bought into the latest technology advertising likely ended up with aids with shorter firmware support than the major manufacturers

@prodigyplace said:

Their main webpage says that the upgrades are only available for the current hardware version. In my 20 years of experience with hearing aids, as the firmware has become more complex, manufacturers have continued to release updates for their former flagship products. In fact, they can be needed as other manufacturers change their devices, sometimes breaking backward compatibility.

For those who financed their aids they promised 3 years of upgrades but now they are developing new hardware, they plan on discontinuing those upgrades sooner.

Other than trials, my only prior experience with hearing aids was with Oticon. I did not receive a single update in my 5 years of ownership of the Opn. The only update, if we can call it that, was the release of the Opn 1 a few years later, but that meant buying a new hearing aid. There were no firmware updates that I was aware of and none were ever discussed with me by my audiologist.

My audiologist has not discussed with me that Whisper is “discontinuing those upgrades sooner” (your words). What I was told was that they were temporarily suspending them while they are developing the next generation. So far I’ve missed one upgrade and will probably miss a second upgrade by the time the next generation is released.

Let’s be clear. When the next generation comes out, I will receive the new hardware at no charge. No one else does that. When the Opn S came out, it was not provided to me as a replacement for my Opn. The only way I could have gotten it would have been to purchase a new set of hearing aids.

I’m happy to miss a couple of upgrades when the reward is to receive a whole new generation of hearing aids. No complaints on my end as an actual user. When I get the new hardware, I expect that to come with regular upgrades as has been the case in the past because there has been no announcement of upgrades being discontinued.

I was referring to new potential customers.
Brain Trust people get the new hardware. I do not think that applies to other users.

In reply to @billgem

@billgem said:

Are you saying that they get end of the year bonuses?

@billgem: This isn’t the old Billgem that I once knew! Why do you insist (repeatedly) on putting contentious words in people’s mouths, as if you’re looking to entrap someone so you can engage?

Nobody saying anything about bonuses. But Christmas is traditionally a time of high media presence, and Whisper seems rather apathetic.

In reply to @billgem

@billgem said:

Let’s be clear. When the next generation comes out, I will receive the new hardware at no charge. No one else does that.

Now this is a game changer for sure, imagine this for all manufacturers! Fantastic really, I’m definitely waiting to read the reviews on the new version from “whisper”

@tenkan: I’m waiting to see how the accountants explain this one to the shareholders at the annual meeting.

This can only work if there’s a perpetual revenue stream to work with, and I thought when I visited their website last night that the subscription option was defunct!

Make sense of that for me, tenk :fuelpump:!

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