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Are the Newest Models That Much Better, or Is It Just Planned Obsolescence?

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Edited

I initiated this topic because so much seems to have changed since 2021 - back then, Oticon More seemed to be a genuine game changer with its and sound processing. That competitive difference seemed real.

Phonak innovations seemed to have had more to do with automatic program selection and connectivity … I can’t say more than that because I largely try to stay clear of Sonova , so my memory is fuzzy. But as I try to remember what was happening 2 years ago, at least the new models from the Big6 each seemed to offer advancements that were demonstrable and significant from a speech intelligibility perspective.

Less than 2 years later, I see topic after topic about new firmware, new connectivity features, new mic/receiver arrays, but little real substantive change in sound processing. But, I ignore a lot of things that don’t interest me, so I may have it all wrong. Please correct me, if that is the case

However, I would wager a guess that there’s less of a difference between what makers are trumpeting this fall, compared to preceding models, than there was between More and OPN S.

So … whassup? Is the industry now offering us change for the sake of change, at a hefty upcharge? That seems to be the norm in 2022.

For me, I heard better with my Phonak Naida S III UP which is 2011 time. My first time, buying hearing aids.

Despite transferring my settings over, I’ve found no other Phonak to perform just as better.

Have no idea why tho.

In reply to @cvkemp

I’m so glad to read your response!

My first purchase was 1 Widex digital hearing aid. I couldn’t afford two. That was 20 years ago. In the ear .
The wonderful person I bought from left the firm. That was the beginning of the end. At the end of warranty I complained that every time I chewed the hearing aid squealed. So they took a new mould and remanufactured the hearing aid.

All along I could only hear behind. In the cafeteria at work I could hear a conversation 50 yards behind me. I couldn’t hear the people across the table from me. I thought these problems were caused by me buying a hearing aid to worn inside my ear.

I’ve had 3 sets of Phonak hearing aids with receiver in the canal. The Audeo Paradise P90R’s are the first ones I’ve had that let me determine where the sound is located. Since I work on construction sites that’s so important to me!

DaveL
Toronto

I was doing very well with Audeo Q90 and then I recently upgraded to Marvel M90. The Bluetooth bells and whistles are lots of fun and must be great for those who spend a lot of time making and receiving phone calls. For me, the TV connector is marginally better than using the TV link and Compilot, just because no neckloop is needed.
But for normal conversational use I have not yet perceived any advantage. Autosense 3.0 does not seem to be any better than Soundflow for filtering out unwanted noise.
I believe sound processing has improved marginally at best and bells and whistles are now being added to entice us to upgrade.

@Gilbert: Thanks for adding your input to this topic. I’m actually surprised more people haven’t chimed in, because new models seem to generate a lot of traffic in the Forum.

At any rate, your having taken the time to respond is greatly appreciated.

In reply to @Gilbert

Agreed that it is just incremental upgrade. they have been focusing in other areas like water resistant, automatic program switching, bluetooth upgrade, hearing aid mold have changed, housing, receiver changes, advanced radio (resound started using it for Ultrafocus / front focus ) and rechargeable aspect of it …

I don’t think you can really feel huge difference between last nearby generations. So A-B situation. I struggled quite a lot to find situation where I think I felt something different between Marvels and Paradises.

One generation skipped, you might have some features you’d like/use. So A-skipped-B, one example could be no vs BT and such. Sound performance difference probably could be felt in some challenging situations.

Two generations skipped, so A-skipped-skipped-B I’d expect to definitely feel difference all over the place.

Of course, first comparison made in quiet, with all devices fitted using based fitting. And then in same challenging situations after programs have been adjusted to best performance possible.

In quiet, all should be totally same. If they are not, then they’re probably not fitted correctly.

Some rough estimate is to skip 4-5 years to really feel the difference, and get value for the money, unless you have a ton of disposable money, then it doesn’t matter, chase the next gadget if that makes you happy.

And let’s not forget, external microphone brings significantly better quality than any aids so far, assuming mic is near the sound source and you aren’t at that same distance with aids.

The fact is, our haircell was damaged to begin with. Even improvement in the chip technology, faster processing, noise reduction algorithm.

With damaged haircell, we are in at already hard to hear state. Let’s alone noticing the tiny differences between generations of hearing aids.

The most matter for me is Power and Right setup. Just me. As long as hearing aids give me the power enough for me to be audible and have the right setup. I am golden.

5 years apart for new hearing aids is feel right. And when I bought a new pair. I go for top level.

And if hearing aids fail me to the point that it can’t help me much than this. I go with Cochlea Implant. Really. But I don’t need it now.

In reply to @ssa

Noise reduction is still a work in progress, I guess. Years ago, an audiologist set up a directional microphone hearing aid, explaining how this would be the holy grail for me. My first time wearing it in the office, typing, with my back facing the door… the keyboard was deafening, but I couldn’t hear anyone knocking or calling from the doorway behind me. In a restaurant, meeting, or social gatherings I could hear the person facing me but not the person next to me unless I swiveled my head like a pigeon. Absurd. I still tinker with a directional program now and then, but it seems to be a highly specific feature that just doesn’t work for me.

I keep mine on automatic, it works for me extremely well for me but i do agree putting blinder is not a good idea…

In reply to @czarnowski

@czarnowski: I had a very similar experience to yours with my first pair of Unitrons, however, unlike @ssa, automatic program switching seemed like a n auditory nightmare - the switching was incessant, and rarely was the correct program selected.

I’ve always has good results with the Oticon Open Sound technology, and have found it to give me vastly superior performance than the “also-rans”, so, I’m pretty loyal to it.

With my OPNS1 and now my More1 aids I have wonderful success with just the default program. The More1 are a lot better than my OPNS1. With the OPNS1 aids I have to adjust the volume for some environments but with my More1 aids back from the Oticon repair lab I am not even having to make volume adjustments. I have always preferred not having to change programs. My first 3 sets of aids didn’t have but the default program and no way to adjust volume.

I have to say that newer hearing aids have better speech in noise processing. But they cannot bypass the restrictions of cochleas, auditory nerves, and auditory cortex. So speech understanding still a human problem, not hearing aids.

Edited

@lostdea: Yes. You’re correct. And numerous Members, @hass5744 , @tenkan , @MDB , @jay_man2 , @WhiteHat , @Baltazard ,@kevels55, @jeffrey, @Blacky and numerous others are frequently pointing out …

[Apologies to the many I’ve failed to mention. I’m tired, and not very sharp, tonight …:slightly_frowning_face:]

Addendum: I’m pointing this out because the more experienced users that are passing this idea on to newbies, the more realistic will be their expectations, and the fewer their disappointments with their new devices. Also important is the fact that - as you frequently demonstrate - understanding how we hear allows us to make better decisions about our hearing aids.

In reply to @cvkemp

Sorry to jump into this topics out of the blue. I did find it really interesting to read.
The way it’s described, on one hand the “ability to sense sounds” and on the other hand recurrent difficulties with speech – sounded just like my everyday life experience.

So, only if you want, can I ask you for some hints on why would this even happen? Why can some frequencies spots differ just like you described? In your experience, the adequate fitting solution tend more towards “power” or “extra fitting range” or just hard work with the fitter?

I’m in the process of changing my hearing aids and I want to exit this loop of “better than nothing yet not so good speech understanding”. In order to do so I’m willing to test even this possibility.

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