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Does anyone have any info on upcoming Widex releases?

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Doesn’t look like it comes with a mobile charger. That’s the one thing that finally kicked me over to rechargeable ’s. That and the 36hr battery life. From these two aspects, the new model looks like a step back.

In reply to @JeffBowser

I’ve been told that their mobile charger will work with this model so that should be ok. you should still get 20h out of them which should be enough tBH. I suspect the Pure program might get you more if you dial back on the processing as it’ll be hogging less of the chip power. in reality I always got more from the widex batteries than they estimated, even before the SmartRICs.

7 minutes of essential information about new Widex Allure platform.

Don’t know, but the tech support guy did confirm you could use the hearing aids to talk to a caller which previously, you could not do, just listen.

What’s a bit difficult to understand is projects with these could be a goner, in fact all future models as well, this would obviously suit/support the clinic’s in forcing people back to the bad old days when it was established practice, the software was nearly impossible to find/get then, DIY was practically unheard of.

Edited

@tenkan Do you think it will be difficult—or even impossible—to gain access to the cloud-based software? And if we are able to access it, do you think Widex will impose enough restrictions to effectively lock out anyone who isn’t a licensed audiologist from the fitting functionality? That’s the part I’m most concerned about. Where there is a will, there is a way.

Yeah this is what I’m thinking, log in with your account, you’ll need an account with Widex which of course only registered audiology clinics get, but once access is granted there won’t be more restrictions so to speak, actually right now it’s even getting harder to access the Professional pages on the manufacturers websites, their asking to log in just to get all the technical support nowadays, yeah I can see them working together to lock everything down so they have total control, once this happens prices will start to creep up, basically they can destroy the secondary market overnight, if you can’t or find a clinic willing to fit your eBay models we’re back in the bad old days of total control exclusive market, prices always climbing high when this happens.

In reply to @Xonic83

Hi, This is Gaia, John’s partner, thanking you for answering our questions. This seems to be the beginning of a complex process and we are pretty overwhelmed. It sounds as if John may have similar complications to yours, including that he experiences hydrops , a new word for us, from Menieres’s. His work involves being on the computer a lot of hours and includes virtual meetings with mental health clients. He went back to Seeing Eye this past summer for a third dog after a 3 year break and because of the hearing loss and deteriorating balance, decided that he can no longer benefit from having a guide dog, which was pretty shattering. Now he is ready to see if hearing aids will help, although his hearing loss is still sporadic and one sided. He went through extensive testing at the Jacksonville Hearing and Balance Center, but not getting advice on what kind of to try. Can you help us figure out how to go about finding the best hearing aids for him? I suppose he must have . Should he be seen by an independent audiologist to determine what type of HA to try out or does he go straight to an audiologist who sells HAs? Will they know enough about the needs of the blind? Are there ways for us to communicate more directly that you would be okay with. It also sounds as if Bi-model user and Jim Lewis are very good resources for him. He thinks he has connected with Jim in the past when he was working more closely with Association for the Blind.

Hi. thank you for the message, that does indeed sound like a lot to be going through and I’m sorry.

I’d be happy to chat on private message and from there maybe we can try something like whatsapp.

In terms of a , everyone is different of course and you do need to speak to an audiologist to really gget a good picture of what is going on. I would also be happy to speak to the audiologist with you as well to tell them what has worked for me in the past.

IN terms of hydrops, it’s a really horrible condition I’m afraid because hearing fluctuates so much and you just can’t tell from one day to another what you will get.

some things I have tried:

Blood pressure medication from the doctor can sometimes help. you will need a doctor who knows what hydrops is for this. For me it helped very occasionally it is not a cure.

sleeping with head elevated can also help. Again not a cure, sometimes helps sometimes doesn’t, depends on the day.

People will tel you salt makes a difference, or rather, not eating salty foods and keeping salt intake low. For me this doesn’t seem to do anything but others swear by it.

in terms of HA, this is what I found helpful:

I did not like . They took away my directionallity and do not really help with bass freq amplification. bass freqs are what you lose with hydrops.

I would recommend a device that goes inside the ear. For me, the best solution was Phonak virto R. Why:

Because having something in your ear gives you natural perception of where sound is coming from.

You may need to ask about getting a tiny vent, usually they install with a bigger vent but with hydrops you want to lock all the sound in and stop from escaping.

The app is very accessible so he will be able to adjust the sound.

He can pipe sound from his computer directly into the aids with the Roger devices.

One thing you need to understand: hearing with aids is not a nice experience I think for a blind person at the start. it will take 2 to 3 months to get used to. So please be patient with him as I tink he will be frustrated with whatever he gets to begin with. it is like wearing the worlds most uncomfortable set of trousers which have to break in. It can be good, but it takes time.

I hope that’s been of some help, please feel free to send me a message.

Thanks.

Ed.

In reply to @Bimodal_user

We are still feeling lost in the sea of hearing aid choices. I cannot share John’s as the Dr’s office encrypted it, but I have taken a screen shot, which is not as clear. We have no idea what it actually means. John is now wondering if he should try Apple pod in right ear for conversation and stick to ear buds on his voice-over computer.

image
Thank you all for any more guidance.

In reply to @JohnandGaia

The right ear has a reverse cookie-bite hearing loss, which is pretty uncommon.

The left ear shows the typical high-frequency loss that often comes with age (), essentially the ear’s version of presbyopia.

Since reverse cookie bite hearing loss is rare, managing it requires technical expertise and specialized knowledge. It’s not covered under the scope of hearing aid devices, so I’m doubtful that AirPods Pro could handle this type of hearing loss on the right ear.

You asked about the best . In this case what you need a good experienced / for the right ear: The success of a hearing aid is in the programming more than the brand and model of the aid. You may want to ask the provider if they have experience with reverse cookie bite .

The AirPods can work well in the left ear.

In reply to @user490

Yes, John has had the full Meniere’s workup, or at least all the tests they can do with a blind person. Obviously, the eye tracker tests are not workable. He has been diagnosed with Meniere’s, but aside from diuretics and low-salt diet, there does not seem to be a lot of amelioration. He does have fluid and pressure in his right ear, which fluctuates. We have learned this is called hydros, which causes intermittent hearing loss.

In reply to @JohnandGaia

Hello Ed, thank you so much for your detailed message and help. I had sent a message from my email which apparently didn’t go through so I’m trying again.
First, I think before I posted John’s I had read something about you also having reverse cookie bite hearing loss. What a funny name for not funny situation. Do I have that right?
We are now in the process of trying to find a very experienced audiologist in this area, rather than go back to the Jacksonville balancing hearing clinic. It seems like a better idea for continuing programming and servicing of the hearing aid.
I would like to be in more direct contact with you as we may take you up on your offer to talk to the audiologist. Is there a way to send a private message to you on this website? To exchange emails and/or phone numbers?

In reply to @JohnandGaia

@JohnandGaia said:

John is now wondering if he should try Apple pod in right ear for conversation and stick to ear buds on his voice-over computer.

Sorry, missed this post. Right ear isn’t eligible for Airpods, it requires more prescription hearing aids which has more handles/channels to adjust fitting accurately. Therefore there should be the same hearing aid in the second ear as a good practice.

is very good, so there should be success with hearing aid, but much patience is required, especially in fitting for right ear, which requires more closed acoustic coupling, perfectly from deep places earmold with rather small venting (ideally pressure vent 0.5-0.8 mm diameter to get a possibility to get proper gain of low frequency and high frequency before feedback threshold).

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