Skip to content
HearingTracker
Log in

Advice for new user

This topic is closed.

18 replies1.4k viewsLast reply

Link to this topic
Edited

Hi all. I have Mild hearing loss, higher end frequency. Struggle with group conversation with background noise. Main reason I visited my GP was because I had tinnitus. I’m about to have my second visit to the NHS to get a fitting, while waiting for my second appointment I went for a private hearing test and they automatically set me up with the phonak l90… I was kind of surprised we didn’t have a conversation about brands etc. In my head I was thinking widex because of the natural sound and great tinnitus features.
I work with sound for my job so obviously it’s iimportant I get this right . I’ve done quite a bit of research and now got myself lost! I love the look of signia especially the new thin look.I have no hair so I guess is to make it a feature!

the audiologist rated signia as a second tier aid (first time I’ve heard it called that) they look really decent to me?

The styletto IX Slim would probably do the job especially with notch therapy. So too would be the new look widex. To be honest the phonak seemed great ar too. I just need to have a read about it.

Am I reading too much into these aids! Any advice would be appreciated.
Tom

8 people in this conversation8 min readJump to latest

Welcome to the forum.
Do you still have tinnitus when you wear the hearing aids? Most people don’t.
The brand of hearing aid is not the important factor of wearing hearing aids, what’s important is the person doing the hearing aid fittings.
And having a lesser hearing loss does not mean you need the most expensive hearing aids to get the results you need.
Costco might be a good option??
Good luck

@Blueboxuk said:

I was kind of surprised we didn’t have a conversation about brands etc.

Often in an initial appointment there’s time to set up a demo OR have a conversation, but not both. They may expect to have the conversation when you return. Letting them know you want to discuss different brands a bit may help them adjust your appointment time. Many people have no brand preference and so the will just make their best choice based on the information they have.

Signia is not second tier.

I actually think that for many people the phonak slim is a nicer fit on the ear than the new styletto even though it looks chunkier in the hand.

In reply to @Raudrive

Hi, it didn’t go away unfortunately. The white noise or whatever the programme he ran helped relive it though.

So I have seen a few of you mention Costco. Is this a cheaper option? Is the technology still up todate? Or like last gen? Not that I need latest. Just wondering. Thanks

In reply to @Neville

Thanks Neville. Your right. I think for many they let the audiologist choose what’s right thanks for the info regarding the fit. The phontek fitted great. I’m really interested in the notch therapy that signia do. Worth a try I guess.

In reply to @Blueboxuk

@Blueboxuk said:

Hi, it didn’t go away unfortunately. The white noise or whatever the programme he ran helped relive it

That’s too bad. More time may have helped you with the tinnitus.

@Blueboxuk said:

mention Costco. Is this a cheaper option? Is the technology still up todate? Or like last gen?

Costco carries the latest top tier aids available. But Costco does not push the tinnitus feature although their aids do have the capability. If you self programmed these aids you could turn on the tinnitus features.

This forum is great for learning about your hearing loss and hearing aids. Lots of great help here to help you along with your decisions. Neville is one of the pros that helps many.

In reply to @Blueboxuk

I used notch therapy when my tinnitus was new and bad. At the time I did feel like it helped–the notching in the signia aids didn’t exist yet, so I was notching music myself in an editor. In retrospect, I think whst I needed when my tinnitus was bad was management techniques, a feeling of control, and time. Anything to help me ignore it and calm myself down would have worked, and after that it just quiets down on its own timeline that tends to be years not months.

Thanks that’s great help. An audiologist told me pretty much the same yesterday. Any advice on oticon intent tinnitus app? Think I read on soundly that it’s pretty basic compared to others?

You’re new to the game! Major brands - Phonak, Oticon, Widex, Starkey - have pretty much locked up the market. While each brand has maybe a sliver of competitive advantage in one way or the other, all brands are going to pretty much take care of your hearing loss.

Being in the sound business yourself, you may have a very nuanced preference for how you want your world to sound! I’ve developed that after decades of wearing (of multiple makers). I think buying a pair of aids should be like test-driving a car, but I don’t know how the NIH works? So I typically trial a pair, and if there’s a serious DOWNSIDE in sound quality or performance, I move on to the next before the trial expires.

MANY here at the forum have had excellent outcomes at Costco for about half the price - so that may be an option. But for me, being a veteran of 35 yrs wearing these, I need a dedicated audiologist who knows my preferences, issues and goals. I’ve always formed a good partnership with my audis, and they go the extra mile for me. That may not be the case with a fitter at Costco.

You could post your here for more insight and opinions, but from what you’ve said, I think you’ll be able to settle on a pair of aids that work for you as long as YOU decide what your parameters are. Maybe it’s sound quality, or Bluetooth stability, or compatible accessories (mics, TV streamers) or cost, or audiologist knowledge with a brand.

GOOD LUCK in your final purchase - PUSH BACK if you aren’t liking the setup or fit. Ultimately YOU will be wearing these like a pair of expensive Italian dress shoes every day. They better be comfy!

In reply to @Blueboxuk

I believe practices are different everywhere. You are in the UK
I’m happy they selected top tier hearing aids for you.

I’m in Ontario Canada.
I’m grateful that I qualify for hearing aids from Workman’s Compensation here. However, they do not (normally) provide top tier ’s. Normally they provide them every 5 years, which is quite long. My first Phonaks were about 8 years old when they were replaced.

DaveL

In reply to @Neville

@Neville

I don’t have your experience and value your opinion.

I have terrible tinnitus in both ears. My new hearing aid practitioner setup tinnitus in my Paradise P90R’s. My take was that the the feature masked my tinnitus well, but covered up tinnitus with another obnoxious sound.

Does this feature improve recognition of words in loud noise? Should I try it again for a longer period?
DaveL

Another question. Anyone used the hearing experts in the UK? Have an eBay site and Web site. Prices are are very good. Anyway. Question regarding tinnitus and audiologists. Currently getting prices for aids as they vary in price. One hearing centre wanted me to return a few times to check on tinnitus. No one has offered this. Is this normal… What would they be checking on?

In reply to @DaveL

No, a tinnitus masker does not improve recognition of words in loud noise. Let me also add that tinnitus does not impact your recognition of words in loud sound, which is the only reason that I can think of that you might be asking that? Tinnitus tends to exists in the space that hearing loss leaves, but it is hearing loss that degrades speech understanding rather than the tinnitus itself. Providing sufficient gain in that area will often mask tinnitus on its own, but it is also regularly the case that the frequencies where the tinnitus exists are too severely damaged or too high pitched for sound replacement to be possible.

A noise masker is useful when you can find a noise that is more acceptable than the tinnitus. Often you need to strip out a lot of the high frequency components to keep it from being annoying, make it more like an ocean wave sound. Often you don’t need to actually cover the tinnitus–just the presence of a more tolerable sound reduces the perceived loudness/contrast of the tinnitus and makes it more easily ignored. The key to managing tinnitus in the long term is teaching your brain how to successfully ignore it. Personally, when my tinnitus is so bad that I cannot ignore it, I find streaming music to be more enjoyable than streaming a noise, but people are different.

Beautiful explanation

I used to build Heathkit stereo amplifiers from kits.
So my perception was if you don’t understand buy better transducers and turn up the volume

With setup in the hands of my supplier I thought that directional mic’s and active noise squelching and all the other features in Paradise P90s was a crock of……
I never knew his setting s and will never know because he eased all the programs and did a quick fit.
I thought he was a kind gentleman who had maybe missed something small in setup

I didn’t choose P90s and didn’t choose rechargeable batteries. They just arrived.

So now I’m on a path to make them work as well as they can.

I won’t get high end again from WSIB I think. And they are about 1-1/2 or so years old

Heck I’m 77.

Thanks for your help. Your skill and passion shows. I’m grateful

Dave

Blue Jay said it well. They are your ears. My first pair I trusted the audiologist 100 percent. My mistake. I think they suggest the brand they can make the most profit on. If available do a trial and try a few different brands. No one cares about your hearing more than you. You’ve done research. You know your ears need. My first pair were the skin tone. Hated them. After I realize I have a say so my second pair are black. They make them in cool colors so if you have no hair and you’re in the sound business get a funky color. If anyone does notice they will prob ask you what ear buds are those
My best advice is get what makes you happy not the audiologist and go back for adjustments when they are new and get them set up properly

Edited

Depends obviously where you live. Are you in the in the UK? If so, have you tried checking if you are in a area where you are able to be referred to Specsavers for NHS aids. Eligibility depends on the address of the GP you are registered with, not your own address.

Yes I live near Eltham in London my GP sent a referral on the 8th October of this month to the Specsavers via email and I still didn’t get any response from them
Otherwise I checked the GP area and it’s says I am eligible

Related discussions