Desired metrics for a hearing solution for a severe, bordering on profound, binaural loss wearer:

Update for both Beltone and Phonak molds and settings:

First run:
I’ve had the Phonak high power titanium molds for 2 days, now.
Other than wearing my Beltones with their silicone molds (used as a kludge for my Phonak medium power RIC aids while I waited to get the high-power titanium molds), in order to restore the previously great (I thought) Beltone setting for speech, done yesterday, they’ve been in my ears non-stop for waking hours.

Unfortunately, and we’ll see if it mitigates or gets worse, the left mold is uncomfortable. But when I was in for my fitting and to pick these up, with some guidance to the fitter, I was able to get some better settings in general. So far, I’m encouraged.

Tomorrow at church will determine the efficacy of the music setting, for which I asked for flattening of the compression (which distorts the frequencies heard, particularly for percussive sounds like a live piano), but so far, my Automatic setting (and at the advice of the fitter, nearly universally, rather than shifting between that and the individual Music, Restaurant, and TV settings) has done well.

Stand by for whether my left ear gets happy or unhappier than it is currently, and if my music acuity returns along with the apparently successful, but if not,VERY much improved speech performance, including in a restaurant last night!

Update: Click here Round 3; DING! - #101 by Skip to see whassup; my titaniums have not settled in, and music is a disaster…

Much further update, see Round 4: Ding! for the current excitement/enthusiasm, as well as Sphere 2.0 reporting…