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Hearing aids for ukulele player

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In reply to @eliotb

When I was ready to try Oticon, they had been hacked! Since they couldn’t be programmed for me, nor could I have had , Oticon went on the back burner.
As far as I know, Oticon is back in business now.
If the new Signia iPhone app is indeed going to remain limited when that becomes an only choice in Spring 2020, I’m not as excited about the Signia Stylettos for choice #1!

I left an update on my Signia “adventure” under the topic of new Signia X being released. Meanwhile, having met w/ audi today, different dome placed on right hearing aid, back to using the older Signia app which will supposedly “disappear” Spring 2020, I’ve put the Stylettos thru their paces tonight. I’ll be much less enchanted with newfound hearing, however, if I’m going to have to use Signia’s latest app starting in the Spring. I desperately need the Cafe app, the Musician app. “Universal” and “Noisy Situation” don’t cover my days and nights.
My ukuleles sound natural now! Own voice sounds natural. I have to turn the volume down using the app for conversation in an otherwise quiet room visiting with just one person. Otherwise, most of the time my “volume” in each ear remains set in the middle now.

There’s a wealth of info on this thread alone for me.

This forum is a lifesaver. Optimum hearing that can be achieved for each of us is so important not only socially, emotionally, but long term I keep reading it is important for brain health as well.

I’m a musician and have demoed Phonak, Starkey, Oticon, and Widex. For me, the most natural and best music sounds come with the wearing of Widex.

I did delete the new Signia app, returned to myControl. It’s going to “disappear” in Spring. Most of the choices also will simply not be available. The minute I saw “myControl” in September I was hooked!
Years ago my Phonaks were programmed for 4 different situations. I simply pressed a button on top of the . Another button changed volume.

@carolo said:

It’s going to “disappear” in Spring.

It might disappear from the Apple Store, but I don’t see how they can make it disappear from your iPhone. You can back your phone up to a computer with iTunes, but I am not totally sure how that works. i.e. does it back up the apps, or does it just back up the names of the apps and download them again if you ever have to use the backup. And would Apple wipe out existing apps when you upgrade the iOS. Don’t think so, but with Apple who knows what they will do… Apple and iTunes are a somewhat necessary evil to me. iTunes has to be about the worst program that I use, but there seems to be little choice if you live in the Apple world.

Edited

I’m experiencing problems. The audi expects it is the app. (Features are no longer working.) AAR, unlike the pleasant and trouble free initial trial period I’m not pleased with inconsistent results ever since the initial trial. Styletto loaners totally failed. First set purchased were defective. A new set loaned didn’t work at all. This current set is on again, off again. I may or may not be willing to try the new Signia X “ChargeNGo.” I’m leaning towards abandon Signia, start from scratch. (Also with both Oticon and Signia having been hacked, they may not be 100% back although they are both shipping once more. I’ve never experienced or expected so many failures in a row.)
There have been many excellent suggestions on this thread. I’ll read all of them once more.

Entered here back when I was fitted with Phonak Excelias:
Freq. R L

250Hz 55 85

500Hz 55 80

750Hz 48 70

1000Hz 50 65

1500Hz 40 58

2000Hz 35 60

3000Hz 30 60

4000Hz 35 70

6000Hz 45 70

8000Hz 70 90

That is certainly an unusual hearing loss. Perhaps the pros can comment. From my knowledge feedback should not be much of an issue with the right ear, but getting low frequency correction especially with the left ear is likely to be difficult. If you go to the blue bar at the top of the screen on the right, you should be able to enter your data, but here is what I see.

image

Your right ear could possibly get by with an M receiver, but may be safer with a P.

image

The left ear probably needs a HP receiver.

image

This is what Connexx (Signia & Rexton) shows for a gain chart. This aid would be similar to the Signia 7Nx, Rexton Adore Li, and probably not far off the newer Signia X. I am not sure that the Styletto aid can handle receivers this powerful?

image

The Styletto Connect only offers the matrix 119/60. Or M level.
Unless there are new receiver options coming that I’m unaware of.

Also, Signia will be launching a new app soon. Where it combines all myControl, touchControl into one single app. (I think Easytek app may be in there too???)

I currently have all the apps side by side each other, and I often press the wrong app. :sweat_smile:

In reply to @Sierra

Sierra, thank you so much for the thought and time you put into above from what you see from the bit I was able to share. I was able to catch my audiologist this afternoon to ask his assistance in getting my left Bluetoothed once more and also how to get my HA to stay in the Mode I selected. (I have to do the “forget this device” and start over in Settings.) It was driving me crazy because they failed me yesterday yet worked fine this morning. Then shortly before a 1:00pm meeting the right one was Bluetoothed but not the left. Then came a crowded Friday afternoon “social” and noisy dinner time after. HA remained Bluetoothed but refused anything but Universal setting. I’d change setting. HA would respond then immediately revert back to Universal! Once home, I put them in their charging case (Love that case!) and in a few minutes put both back in my ears. That’s all I did. Everything working flawlessly now.

I experienced zero problems the few weeks I had my demo experience with loaned Stylettos. They were programmed to fresh . Real Ear Measurement was done. My own voice, every other voice was so natural. Cafe setting was needed immediately after that fitting, worked like magic, and I was sold. Later that night TV audio fine. Music thru Yamaha soundbar better than I think I’d ever heard it.

BTW, here’s a puzzle for you. That first fitting the also showed room just as they were programmed in the event my hearing declined to have more power to accommodate. According to any audiogram that has been done this admittedly should not be the case. Yet there it was. I also was hearing so well. Base was wonderful, natural, and voices, all sounds louder than I would’ve thought normal at first.

The only things left to conquer were #1 sound of ukulele when I was playing my own, although not when others played. #2 was a slight infrequent buzzing sound from L HA. Audiologist felt that when Dr. cleaned hard wax out of my L ear then it wouldn’t be a problem, and that proved to be the answer.

Ukulele fine now. Tonight I’m back to at least the last several hours everything I’ve tried is good to exceptional. The audiologist feels I should move on to newest technology and more power. At our meeting this afternoon we agreed to switch to the new Signia X. They’re shipping now, after a delay due to unfortunate hacking.

I suggested after first of next month, having fallen behind on other things when I prioritized resolving challenges presented by so many other attempts with various pairs of Stylettos.

As for Signia apps, yes, I guess we could organize one app right after the other in a folder on our iPhones!:wink: The one I prefer containers the settings I use most, other than just perhaps Universal:
Cafe
Cinema and Theater
Musician Setting

I think perhaps none of those three are in newly released app? (And no, the older app is not going to disappear from my iPhone. The Signia S/W just will in coming months not support all but more basic settings. This means more work for the audiologist with a client like me. He will have to replicate the settings in my can’t do without currently available modes. When Signia “simplifies” and has few modes on the only working app I’ll also have to invest more time in getting everything to sound amazing again.

I guess I’ll be wearing the new PureNGo X7 and not the Styletto Connect 7 at that point. (Remember I trialed the NX7 at one point same time as the Stylettos Connect.). I preferred the sound/results of the Stylettos over the NX7, particularly for sound of voices and also for what the Cafe Mode accomplishes in certain situations. One rather unique setting that would perhaps be a challenge to someone with normal hearing was an exiting football game on a TV set, sound up significantly, in a lounge/bar, someone tending bar preparing drinks with ice rattling into glasses, a rather packed room of people excited about this game on TV…I was invited to sit at a table with three people I’d never met, and we were talking as we watched the TV which was on the wall right in front of us. Yet I heard clearly our conversation at the table, heard the announcer and crowd at the game from TV audio, and although aware of the bar, the rest of the room at no point was it anything but muted. I’d turned to my Cafe Mode! The usual hearing aid wearer would’ve been lost in circumstances like this.

My ukuleles all sound right to me now while I play any one of them. I’m really looking forward to our Ukulele Group on Monday. That will be an interesting test to see if I hear someone say something while we are also playing. I wonder how the Group will sound to me when I stop for a few minutes just to see which setting really works best.

BTW, Widex I’m told was bought by same company that has Signia. Or Signia now owns Widex? Perhaps that was incorporated in S/W programming for Musician Mode? Why, oh, why would Signia be eliminating some settings? “If it ain’t broke why fix it?”

Edited

In reply to @carolo

I have the KS8 which is basically the Signia 7Nx. I have some issues with the hearing aids losing Bluetooth connection when I carry my iPhone 7 in my pants pocket. But generally not a problem. I go through a few different methods of repairing. The simplest is to touch the lost pairing symbol in the top left of the main app screen. That usually works, or by the time I do it, they repair by themselves. If that does not work, I just swipe the app up to close it and open it again. Generally if that does not work, one of the batteries are low and it stops communicating, to save battery life. Very seldom do I have to go back to scratch and use the “Forget this Device” and repair in iOS.

My thoughts on the standard 7Nx and the Styletto is that the 7Nx should have all the features and more as compared to the Styletto. The other advantage is that you have a choice of receivers, and can upgrade receivers if your hearing deteriorates. As far as the new X version, it has a built in motion sensor. However the current 7Nx uses the motion sensor in your iPhone and basically does the same thing. It enables what Signia calls the 3D Classifier2. It allows the aids to go into 24 different modes automatically depending on what situation is sensed. It uses Own Voice, Audio signal, and the motion sensor to initiate this. See the variations that it is claimed to detect and adjust to.

image

The advantage of the built in motion sensor would be that it would always be connected and not depend on the iPhone. Beyond that, I’m not sure what else.

As far as the programs, I find it disappointing that Signia would dumb down the functionality of the app. If you go with the new X version, you may be forced into useing the new universal app. As the current app stands, I have 6 optional programs including the default Automatic (Universal), plus the three canned programs which come with the app. The optional programs come from the programming software, and there is a choice of about 10 different ones. The fitter has to set them up in the fitting software. This is how I have mine currently set. These are the Rexton names, which in some cases are slightly different from the Signia names. Functions I believe are the same.

PNG

Yes, Widex was bought/merged by the Sivantos company that markets Signia and Rexton. I would expect the Widex models will continue to be marketed under that brand name and will not share features with the Sivantos models, at least in the short term…

In reply to @carolo

This is what I see on the fitting range for a M receiver which I believe the Styletto uses. Kind of OK in the high frequencies, but short of power in the low frequencies. You can ask your fitter to display these curves with your loss. They are available by selecting the hearing aid model and receiver. Your left ear really needs a mold with a very small vent too.

image

Edited

The links were removed from the site, and I never saved the link. However if you post in the part of this forum and ask for help, I suspect someone will help you.

With your it looks like a M receiver with a Rexton/Signia aid should work well for power. However, with that loss at 3 kHz you are likely to have feedback issues with a closed click sleeve. See this gain chart. The red and blue shaded areas are ones of potential feedback.

image

With custom molds and 1.6 mm and 2 mm vents things improve. However, I tried custom molds and couldn’t get used to them, and went back to closed sleeves. My loss in the left ear is similar to yours and to avoid feedback I had to get the fitter to cut back gain to avoid feedback. I took that over wearing molds. But, everyone is different…

image

In reply to @Sierra

I use large click sleeves (closed). They still have a small vent. My own voice processing was used and quite good at avoiding occlusion. As for feedback, none. I can wear full over the ear headphones, something that was impossible with Widex aids.

In reply to @Sierra

My Stylettos were fine for awhile yesterday afternoon and early evening as far as Bluetooth connection as well as remaining on Cinema/Theater in the app. My iPhone was on a table next to me. When I picked up my phone to switch over to another setting the app was showing “Universal.” It had switched on its own. Battery power showed perhaps 20%. had lost Bluetooth, although strangely going into “Settings/Accessibility/Hearing Devices it showed I was connected/Bluetooth. I tried dozens of times. “Forget this device” steps didn’t work as far as the app was concerned. Time came to turn in, so I popped the Stylettos into their case. This morning I did nothing but put the HA in ears. Bluetooth connected. I could choose mode, and both HA worked with the switching over as I streamed music on my cell. It’s as if I get part way thru my day and the app doesn’t respond even if “Settings” shows both HA connected.

The oddest part of this “adventure to get new HA” is that I experienced none of these issues for the weeks I was trialing two sets of HA at same time. One set responded to app on cell, the other to app on iPad. It was a nuisance to have iPad with me when wearing one of the sets but other than that, all went well.

My audiologist suggested for the time being just have app on cell. You might wonder if things go awry because I’ve picked up iPad and may end up clicking on a link that takes me to audio/video, but it can happen when I’ve left iPad home on charger. I only have my iPhone with me. Since I’ll be switching to the new X in a matter of weeks I think I may just ignore this behavior as long as I can remain showing Bluetooth connection is working for both aids in Settings.

I may end up with custom molds for both ears but hoping neither. Those weeks in September spoiled me for impressive hearing, yet not even feeling as if I had domes in my ears.

Since I was wearing demo Stylettos I wonder if at all possible that at some point Signia had replaced the receivers and/or other parts accidentally with higher end working parts??? (The slim style of Stylettos wouldn’t accommodate what ChargeNGo Pure NX7 uses, or I’d think not?

In reply to @skyemac11

That’s interesting, also encouraging. Although admittedly my L ear is a challenge for fitters. Left ear is odd, however, in that no matter which audiologist or which sound booth or even a small closed doors room my looks so similar, yet properly fitted and sometimes not my custom molds shows I hear better out of L ear than I technically should according to audiogram and as well as the ear specialist my ENT referred me to when I experienced sudden hearing loss years ago.

In reply to @carolo

The times I have had trouble with Bluetooth connection it has been the hearing aid battery that was low, not the iPhone. The sure sign of that is that the main app screen comes up like everything is normal, but when you try to switch programs it just pops back to Automatic (Universal). Perhaps you have a defective set of hearing aids, or your iPhone is acting up because of iOS 13. It still has many bugs, with Bluetooth disconnecting being one of them.

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