How to get the most out of hearing aids?

I wasn’t aware Signia’s quality reputation was any better or worse than other brands. Do you have a source for your rating of poor? I’d be interested in checking that out since I’m considering upgrading in the near future. Hopefully your provider will be able to help you sort out your BT connection issues. Is that with Android or IPhone?

I had the AX RICs for over 2 months. Does she use Android or iPhone? That actually (and unfortunately) makes a very big difference. I switched from Samsung to iPhone specifically for hearing aids, because the MFi platform is simply better developed and stable. Phonak (or any other Sonova product) is really the only brand that connects well with Android because they use the standard BT protocol and not ASHA, though I don’t know about the ITE or ITC models, which sounds like they are more dated than the Paradise RICs.

My belief is that there are four requirements for properly fitting hearing aids:
1 the audiologist
2 the aids the audiologist recommends for your loss, as long as the audiologist can fit them properly
3 the correct domes,or custom ear molds for the patient’s hearing loss
4 this is also very important a proper and clear communication between the patient and the audiologist on what the patient is hearing, the patient’s needs as for as home, work, and leisure. With the audiologist responding positively to the patient’s needs and requirements

Go down that page (a very long one) and you will find

" Top hearing aid brands, rated by 500 audiologists "

The Best Hearing Aids of 2024, Audiologist Approved2

Whether you have tinnitus, mild, moderate, or severe hearing loss, or need a rechargeable, OTC, or Bluetooth model, we help you pick the best hearing aids for your lifestyle.

There is a reliability rating there. Not very good for Signia. That is one mention that I remember. I have read similar comments on several websites. But that did not stop me recommending to my wife to try the new Signia AX. New model could mean more reliable components and better quality of manufacture.

@hass5744 said:

No aids are ready to go in all different situations right out of the box. Adjustments need to be made. Also always remember that any adjustments that are made to the aids doesn’t guarantee that your wife will hear better. Hearing aids are made to help. Hearing aids do not correct a hearing loss they try to help. Your audiologist should be able to tweak programs to better fine tune them. No program is set in stone and can’t be adjusted. And the best way to tell if the program is optimal is how well your wife can hear in that particular situation. An office test just gives you a certain parameter. Real world is very different.

IMO, this is some of the most to-the-point advice you’re going to get. As much as you want to help your wife, hearing aid performance is so subjective that only she will be able to decide what works for her, and what doesn’t.

That’s why many of us contend that researching the audiologist/fitter and choosing the best one to work with your wife is probably more productive than researching the device.

As usual - this is only an opinion: YMMV.

How do you research the audiologist/fitter? Try several, one by one? Ask friends? Everybody will say their audiologist is the best. There are no independent reviews of audiologists.
How many audiologists sell all brands? Probably none.

The devices operate on a program basis. Each program has only certain number of settings. The audiologist can’t alter the firmware.
The audiologists themselves do not wear HAs. How do they know anything about individual brands and models? Do they study the white papers, or is it what patients tell them. But patients are all sorts. Some have lots of experience, and know what to ask for. Other patients are less demanding, they do not know what there is to demand.

Different brands have different philosophies how to deal with sound. I think finding one that suits the patient is important.

I read on another forum that an audiologist played an audio file to their patient with voice in noisy background. Made various adjustments on the fitting software to find the best one for the patient.
Similar to an optometrist - which lens is better - A or B?
That was a good audiologist, but how to find him/her.

The cost of the HAs is a consideration for many, including ourselves. Even with government subsidy, HAs are expensive. Costco and Specsavers give big discounts.
We have decided to go with Specsavers for convenience, and because they sell Signia and Phonak. Signia has an ITC rechargeable model with the latest technology. Phonak has an ITC model with only previous technology, but their name figures at the top of reviews.

My wife will try both of them “out-of-the-box” so to speak, with only the initial fitting. When she makes her choice, we will then try to find out - through the audiologist - if there is more to squeeze out of it.

@jfranek43 said:

Ask friends? Everybody will say their audiologist is the best.

Yes, I would say that HoH friends are an excellent source. My friends are honest with me, and candid, like many on this Forum who readily admit it when their audiologist underperforms.

I’m sorry your friends are not as forthcoming.

So what would the best audiologist do to solve the very complex problem? Bring his laptop with the fitting software to the restaurant? And then the next restaurant after that?

The best solution IMO is to give the patient a few sliders or switches on the app and let him/her to find the best setting. But the starting point could, in my opinion, be set by playing audio files in the office.
The Signia Assistant seems to be an attempt to do that. Not sure if Phonak have something similar.

There is not an infinite choice of brands, models, and program settings. And I don’t think there is an audiologist in Melbourne that sells all, and intimately knows all.

Finding ‘the best’ for a particular patient could mean many sessions with many audiologists, because even when the patient is happy, it may not be the best.
And then comes the cost of it.

@jfranek43 : Well, I do think that your reasoning tends towards the extrema of the problem, and you seem to have made up your mind on your purchasing tactics, so I’ll leave you to it with a tip of the hat and sincere wishes for your wife’s successful fitting.

Cheers.

As the saying goes; “Time is money”…. Companies like, Specsavers or Costco, are looking for a fast turnover, their profit margins are fairly slim, and too many appointments eat into those margins. And yes…. You can get hearing aids, fairly close to an excellent fit, but never a perfect fit for every given situation, there are too many variables, and there are severe limitations on what IIC & ITC aids can achieve, simply because the hardware is restricted by size, they are more akin to a 49cc Moped, than a Sedan, they help, but only just! BTE or RIC’s, have a lot more gain…. I recall many years ago, my NHS Audioligist, out of his own pocket, he very kindly paid (privately) for a set of ITC aids for me, they were excellent aids, but in retrospect, they didn’t have enough oomph for my loss, but I was very grateful that he was kind enough to give them to me! Everything to do with hearing aids, is a trade off, we compromise, and except the good, bad or indifferent…. I have often said, or perhaps fondly hoped, that at some point in the not too distant future, hearing aids become a fashion accessory, or even become cool like glasses, but personally, I would ware aids the size of 2 large Bananas, if they helped me hear better, I care not what they look like, in fact I probably use the largest (top tier) aids available at present, but I would gladly ware something like a large neck mounted aid, so they could fit everything in there, like Bluetooth, FM, batteries, mic’s, and whatever other paraphernalia they deemed necessary for me, to just hear better, but I am fairly confident, at some point, hearing aid manufacturers might move away from small aids, who knows? Good Luck in your quest, cheers Kev

@kevels55: All good points, Kev, and I’m with you on size not being a heavily-weighted selection criterion for me. That’s one of the Whisper features that I found to be the most logical and the least off-putting - in my estimation.

I have come to believe that there is no absolute “best fit”, because our hearing changes daily, albeit incrementally. What I need is a fit that is an asymptote - it approaches zero room for improvement, but never quite gets there.

I no longer expect “the singular best” of anything in hearing : not the device, not the audiologist, not the fitting algorithm/rationale, not the methodology to apply it, and most certainly not the results of the initial fitting. I’ve found that the best and most realistic expectations are to find an audiologist that cares, who will recommend a suitable device, which he/she knows well how to adjust, and who will be happy to make further adjustments as our acquaintance with the new devices improves.

If the maker of choice (and there is no “best brand” - what’s best depends on the hearing loss and one’s preference for the inclusiveness of one’s soundscape) has a representative who is willing to support the audiologist in question, so much the better. But the whole fitting process is heuristic, not deterministic: it can’t be solved like a math proposition and resolved in a single “right answer”.

Learning that lesson took me a long time, but it has made obtaining the best performance from the hearing aids I have chosen to wear much more attainable and less stressful, overall.

[ I must call out @kevels55 for his patience and his many practical insights that make the process of getting hearing aids far less mind-boggling. Thanks, Kev - I’ve been listening!

And I shouldn’t forget to thank Chuck @cvkemp, too. Taking notes, paying attention to what’s working and what isn’t, and effective communication with one’s audiologist are all important practical habits, too.

If you’re new to hearing aids and are looking for even more insight into how hearing aids work, and what tou can and cannot expect them to do, search @Volusiano 's posts.

There are so many experienced, helpful Members that steer us away from expecting to find the Holy Grail, and for good reason! ]