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Best Earmold Impression Method? Open Mouth, Closed Mouth, or Relaxed Mouth?

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In reply to @jim_lewis

Yes, I think there are further options to pursue with the molds. If I push on the mold in my left ear hard enough and get my mouth in the right position the effect I am hearing can be significantly reduced at times. That suggests feedback issues. The fitter says in all her experience she has not seen anyone go to the small pressure vent and silicone material and not stop the feedback. She says 95% of her clients use hard plastic and still get the feedback stopped. Don’t know.

The really weird part of this whole effect is that it is worst when the audio quality of the source is not the best. For example when some reporter in the field is talking using Skype or a satellite phone, or something other than studio quality microphones, the lost sound quality effect of that seems to get exaggerated big time. It was the very first abnormal effect I heard with these ’s from day one. I made a post here about it calling it the vocal fry effect (member archive). Still have it today. Still sounds the same. Not all voices do it, but some, including my own at times, seem to be brutal.

The sounds during the at Costco, or when I do an on line test are not distorted. They sound fine, expect that I need about 90 sound level at some frequencies to hear them. I’ve tried various tone generators etc, and same thing. No distortion of the pure tones.

I don’t remember where I read this, but it was one of the Big Five companies talking about fittings for asymmetrical losses. The suggestion was to fit the prescription to the good ear on both ears initially. This was based on the concern that, for some patients, amplification of the ear with more loss would create problems, not solve them. The explanation was the one brought up here: can look the same but the way speech is processed can be different. So amplifying frequencies on an ear with more loss may not produce better results and may actually erode performance. I hope this is a little helpful.

Actually my fitter suggested that as a possible alternative yesterday. I understand it is an option, but I would like to use that as the last resort. I’m not sure there would be any magic in having the prescription in the left ear exactly the same as the right, but backing off the gain to stop the trash talk in my left ear would be a help.

As an update, I am two days into using my new molds which were made with open mouth impressions. It may be a bit premature but I would say they are a significant improvement and are perhaps a 98% solution to the issues I was having with my left. It seems that feedback artifacts were the most likely cause and these new tighter fitting molds have made the change. Is it a perfect solution? Well no, and it reinforces the fact that hearing aids are never a perfect solution to hearing loss. They decided to go from a canal style mold to a half shell. It is not the most comfortable or most inconspicuous. I hope it is only a matter of time for my ear to get used to the extra material. However at this point the shell portion is irritating. I also find it hard to get into my ear, but I guess I will get better with time. It certainly is firmly in my ear and takes a pretty stiff pull on the “handle” to remove them. They are not going to fall out on their own!

If you made an open mouth impression then you have to open your mouth to insert to create that seal. In ear monitors are the same.

This is a work in progress for me. For sure the half shell molds are much more difficult to handle than the canal style.

Well I toughed it out as long as I could with half shell custom molds. While one of them fit quite well, the one in my left ear was so irritating that I could barely stand to put it in and take it out. As at least temporary fix I stopped at the Costco hearing aid counter today and asked to have the closed click sleeves put back in both ears. My plan is to use them for 3 weeks until I can get to see the fitter. Then I will make a decision on whether or not to abandon the custom molds, and get the set back for closed sleeves. For the couple of hours I have had the closed click sleeves back in, I am really liking them. It feels like I am not even wearing hearing aids, except that I can hear!

Oticon makes a Grip Tip that is somewhat similar to the Click Sleeves, but will fit on Oticons and I think most other hearing aids. It comes in both vented and closed versions.

In reply to @skyemac11

After having the closed sleeves back, and about a day of use, I’m liking them a lot. They are not perfect by any means. With the molds I could put my hands over both ears and not get even a hint of feedback. With the sleeves I get immediate feedback with hands over the ears. That might be partly due to them not being set up for sleeves though. I also hear a harsh edge on some voices that was not as harsh with the molds. The sleeves certainly do not stay in my ears as well as the molds. I find I have to push them back in a few times a day. I know I have tried the large instead of the small and got no improvement, so this may be as good as it gets for fit.

The major improvement with the sleeves however is that I can now hear when I am eating. The jaw movement induced noise I was hearing with the molds is gone. I think this aspect alone is going to be the deciding factor on going back to the sleeves.

The feedback, or lack thereof has been really good since I started these from the Widex. They were annoying to say the least. The sleeves aren’t perfect: I have to push them in at times too, and it took some “own voice processing” by the audiologist in their programming to get it right. I know it’s a struggle for many with feedback on this forum. Moulds are hard to fit. The Starkey ones I use for monitors are amazing. Ten years old and no discolouration on the soft silicon type.

There were so many irritations, initially, but I don’t recall a popping sound. My problems were solved when a different audiologist made the mold while telling me to keep moving my jaws. I believe they call that an “open” fitting.

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