I’m very new to hearing aids and received my first set about 2 weeks ago. Since I got them at random intervals there is a sound that is quite debilitating (not because of volume) but because of the odd noise it makes. It isn’t a whistling noise as I could describe that quite easily.
I’m posting it here but I did also send this information over to my audiologist for help, she’s been fantastic!
It’s almost like a fluttering but it distorts both of the aids enough that it throws me off and I can’t hear the sound that triggered it. I have narrowed it down to the following:
Keyboard typing has triggered the random noise (mechanical so you can hear the key presses)
Music isn’t triggering it consistently but it does happen at random times while listening (not streaming directly)
Zoom/Microsoft Team meetings at random intervals trigger the random noise
Listening to the TV will also do the same as all the above but at random times
Conversations it will also happen and sometimes when I am speaking or the other individual is speaking
When it happens the noise that triggers it isn’t a very loud noise
Is this common and should I just learn to deal with it? Have you had this and how did you work to get it resolved? Any tips on narrowing down the issue?
I did try random videos and when it happened I noted the time in the video and repeated the sound but it’s not consistent which is annoying me.
This sounds like it is the feedback suppressing of your aids, it act like sound compression trying to prevent the feedback squill that can happen. The only time I get any feedback is it I old my hands over my ears and aids.
Try to have your check the Automatics page (see screenshot below) and if Feedback Management is set to Normal, try to change it to Low to see if it helps remove it. Many people complained about hearing a fluttering, so Oticon updated their firmware and software to include this Low setting to help remove it. So it’s no guarantee to help in your case but it’s worth a try.
My audiologist made the adjustments today and I haven’t heard the sound at all. Thank you for taking the time to post such helpful information. She knew exactly what to go and even updated the firmware to 1.4.1 on the Oticon More 2’s. Very happy!
Glad to hear you were able to get your firmware update on top of the Low Feedback Mgt adjustment. I guess it’s a common enough problem with your ’s clients as well that she already knew what she’d have to do.
OK, yeah, I’d say to try to turn the Feedback Management to LOW or OFF to see if it goes away or not. You have severe to profound hearing loss already at 500 Hz for your right ear and 1 KHz for your left ear, so your amplification must be very strong and you’re probably very prone to feedbacks in many situations. So if turning the Feedback Management to OFF causes a lot of feedback issues for you, maybe try LOW as a compromise so that you get some help with feedback, and less of the warbling caused by the Feedback Management, although still have some warbling but as a compromise, live with it.
But do note that this Feedback Management technology shown here is the new Oticon proprietary Sound Optimizer feedback “prevention” (proactive instead of reactive approach) technology that only got introduced in the previous generation (the OPN S before the More). This new technology watches out of “potential” but non-existing feedback risks that can build up, and stave it off in advance by introducing quick short bursts of sound to break off this feedback energy build-up. So the warbling some people can hear is these bursts of break sounds inserted to break up the feedback energy build-up.
So if you can’t make use of it and must turn it OFF completely (which is a shame), don’t forget that you still have the older traditional Feedback Analyzer and suppression technology that exists before the OPN S (in the OPN and before that) that you can still resort to. See the screenshot below where you can activate it. Basically your would run the Feedback Analyzer test that would introduce white noise into your hearing aids throughout the frequency range so the tool would see where feedback can occur in the frequency range. Then amplification can be dampened at those feedback frequency points to help suppress feedback before it happens. There is also a 10 Hz frequency shift, as well as a phase shift, all 3 of which are the 3 main strategies in suppressing feedback the traditional way. The 10 Hz frequency shift may cause you to hear some warbling when there’s a pure tone being heard, because the delayed sound by 10 Hz may be heard together with the original sound, causing cancellation windows that result in warbling. But that’s mostly on continuous pure tone situations and usually it’s not a problem for normal sounds like speech and noise. Usually it may be more noticeable for music.
Anyway, to summarize, try to live with the LOW setting on the Feedback Management (the new feedback prevention technology) if you can because it’s a very effective technology and your hearing loss can be very prone to feedbacks. However, if LOW is still very annoying to you, then your HCP can turn it OFF and enable the traditional Feedback Analyzer/Management for you. The drawback of the older reactive technology is that you will have amplification suppression/limit at potential feedback spots, which will be applied when feedback happens. This will lower the amplification margin you can have, so you will not be able to hear as clearly when the feedback is being suppressed because amplification is limited.
The second screenshot below is an example of the feedback suppression which causes amplification loss of margin. The shaded areas on the top is where the Feedback Analyzer detects feedback when running the white noise test, so Genie 2 specifies the shaded area as where the amplification needs to be suppressed to avoid feedback. As a result, the actual gain curve is suppressed to be below the Target gain curve. There’s not much you can do about it because that’s the price to pay to control feedback in the old reactive way. The advantage of the new proactive way in the MoreSound Optimizer feedback prevention technology is that you don’t lose as much amplification margin reserved for feedback control, and this allows you to have better signal to noise ratio for your amplification, thereby allowing you to hear louder and more clearly over noise because the amplification can be set to its full potential.
Yeah, I assumed that it’s a given that @danka has already been fitted with custom molds with minimal venting right off the bat. His would be crazy not to do that in the first place. But I guess you never know…
@Volusiano: Well, Mr V, you always seem to know the answer to these technical questions. I appreciate that you’re an EE, but the depth of your practical knowledge of impresses and amazes me.
Your answers are always well-structured and articulate: even a buffoon like me can understand them. Thank you for taking the time and effort to share your knowledge with οι πολλοι !
Thanks @Volusiano for the wonderful information. Have to read a few times to understand how to get the better. FYI, I am having a pair of More 1 with 100db receivers and a no vent power domes (minifit).Sound from TV is Ok and no need to switch to a higher volume - I think brain is learning from the better left ear. Earlier your advice on getting the right ear gain to move up. Need to tests at Audi office this week.
Iphone link directly into the HA for streaming and phone calls.Only in noisy environment, difficulty to hear the other person talking. In a quiet environment or inside the car, it is perfect. I still could not understand my wife talking/speaking (only 50%) even the sound is loud in the house. Dog sound loud when barking in the house.
Will be seeing the Audi this week to get it fine tune per previous advice.
The technical reply is awesome and it also amazes me. One put up a question, zoom the Genie 2 chart and then the answer comes back swiftly and right to the point!
Hot Springs Village, Arkansas
Malaysia
Oticonian/Disposablyte