Skip to content
HearingTracker
Log in

Invisible-in-canal (IIC) vs completely-in-canal (CIC)

This topic is closed.

37 replies9.4k viewsLast reply

Jump
Link to this topic
Edited

Well I took the first step I made an appointment for a hearing test which will be next Tuesday at 9 a.m. being self-conscious I have been doing a lot of research about iic hearing aids the Audiology office to which I went to today to make my appointment I feel very comfortable with warm atmosphere friendly staff Unfortunately they explain to me that in their opinion the iic sits a little too deep and they only fit cic as well as other types can anybody tell me how much of a difference there is visibility wise between iic and cic frankly I am so comfortable with this office that if the C’s are a good fit and improve my hearing I may just go that route assuming I’m a candidate but again being self-conscious I was hoping for iic I could always get my hearing test and find a provider who does iic but it’s some point this madness has to stop and I have to take care of my hearing.
Does anybody on the Forum have experience or opinions on iic versus cic and please don’t tell me that if I need hearing aids stop being self-conscious and do what you have to do I’m aware of that I’m a big boy but the simple fact is I am very self-conscious and the less visibility the better at least for myself I thank everyone for their help

13 people in this conversation21 min readJump to latest

All I can offer is that most people don’t even notice my , even if I mention them. Reasons I personally would consider an in the canal aid would be reduced interference with glasses, bike/climbing helmet and I think it would offer reduced wind noise. However, none of those are big issues for me.

You can get fit deep enough that they are about 1/8 to 1/4 inch deeper than the end of the tragus. But, from the side you can see them. I had a comment or two about them when I had CIC. I’ve never had a comment with . Yet another quick story: We were going to a dinner party at friends and we didn’t know several of the people so the hostess told us a lady would be there who was a speech pathologist and she dealt with hearing impaired people a lot and she was interested in my hearing aids. I had just gotten my first set of RICs. So we get to the dinner party. This is a lady who deals with hearing aid people every day. We are introduced and chit-chat and she says the hostess told her about my new hearing aids, but I must have decided not to wear them that night. I said no, I’m wearing them. I had to bend down and turn around so they could see them behind my ear. She had not seen the new small RICs. She was looking for them and couldn’t see them. No one else is actually looking for them. The transparent wire fits tight against my head and goes into my ear. The domes or custom molds fit deeper than a CIC and are not visible from the outside, even from the side. The body of the hearing aid fits behind my ear, high, about where eyeglass earpieces fit. I got black for my last ones because the glasses I sometimes wear have black ear pieces. My new hearing aids are silver because there is more silver hair in that area than brown (and I wear multifocal contacts every day).

I got CICs originally for the same reason you want to, but, they were not the best hearing aids for my loss. What is your hearing loss? That is going to be the main question. There are better CICs today and some can communicate similar to a RIC or , but vanity is not a great reason to get them.

Rexton/Signia has a style hearing aid that uses click sleeves. You do not have to get an impression. You would have to find the click-sleeve size that fits your ear and you could possibly use a smaller click sleeve and go a little further in the canal with these, depending on your anatomy.
https://www.costco.com/rexton.html84

I don’t understand either. Large senior citizen population in my area. maybe they are afraid it will be placed too deep by patient??

Anyway, positive experience with Zip Hearing. Referred to local audi who fits / etc. In addition does real ear verification and excellent credentials.

I’m going that route as audi is qualified and spent time on the phone answering questions.

Will save a couple of grand and be fit properly.

Of course 45 day trial etc inc warranty, follow up yada yada yada.

I’d rather pay per visit for follow up after my free initial visits as opposed to paying up front for care I may never utilize.

Frankly I like the business model.

Cancelled at office which will not even try to fit IIC. No point in wasting their time.

Edited
@drjay44 said:

maybe they are afraid it will be placed too deep by patient??

One would have to have a strange ear canal for this to be possible.

Glad you found someone who will attempt to meet your preferences.

In reply to @drjay44

I got for same reason as you, I wanted them to be as discrete as possible. The difference in appearance between and IICs is day and night. Taking a deep impression to fit IICs is a specialized skill, and some fitters or audiologists would rather not get involved.

Judge for yourself. I have a moderate to severe loss, and I’m still well within the fitting range of IICs.
Dave

18838306_1431043313618575_505645420_oRcic2

Honestly, and bluntly, you need to get over the appearance aspect. Not being able to hear is way more noticeable. Also, the smaller the aid, the lower the features or capability (in general). This could mean buttons or not, battery life, processing power, etc.

Having said that, I use because I find holding my phone up to my ear has vastly more fidelity than any wireless streaming method I have tried. Also I like to wear headphones to listen to music.

I have a pair of that I use sometimes, just to give my ears a break from a hard ITE shell (the RICs have a soft dome).

It’s funny that we run the gamut on the appearance aspect from those wanting them to be invisible to those wanting, big, bold, bright flashy hearing aids. Most people you’ll deal with really don’t care. If they happen to notice, (which is very rarely) the only reaction I sense is appreciation that I’m doing everything I can to communicate.

In reply to @grantb5

@grantb5 said:

Honestly, and bluntly, you need to get over the appearance aspect. Not being able to hear is way more noticeable. Also, the smaller the aid, the lower the features or capability (in general). This could mean buttons or not, battery life, processing power, etc.

Please understand some of us are self conscious. NOT vanity. Big difference.

Suppose somebody needed corrective lenses and opted for contacts would you suggest they get over it and wear eyeglasses.

I see nothing wrong with looking for discrete aids as long as they do correct your issue.

JMO.

It’s clearly your decision. From the outside, and not knowing your full situation, it seems like you’ve decided on the type of hearing aid you want without knowing what your hearing loss is like, or seeing if the problems you have hearing match up with the type of hearing aid. It seems like you’ve put “discreteness” at the top of the list of priorities without considering limitations. I’ll admit are really cute! :>)

MDB:

Discrete is A priority as is improved hearing.

I have done lots of research on aids and the Signia Insio NX7 or Starkey Sound Lens i2400 both address my needs. Fact is some of the newer like the Insio NX7 have a lot of features not previously available in IIC aids. Features such as own voice recognition, directionality, bluetooth capable, echo reduction etc.

My loss is clearly mid-high frequency and likely moderate. Even if it turns out to be more severe the models i have referenced are in fact suited for severe loss.

I did not make a snap decision to get IIC only for cosmetic reasons. I have done my homework. If my audiologist says I should not use IIC,well I will not go that route. It is just what I prefer to use if I am a suitable candidate.

This stuff is really hard to research. You’ve gotten feedback from myself and Neville that the Insio nx does not have all of the features you listed. I’m attaching the datasheet from Connexx that shows the features of the Insio nx. You’ll need to scroll down to near the bottom. It does not include bluetooth or own voice recognition. It does include a simpler version of directionality, but not the more advanced kind that and can do. It does have echo reduction. Here’s the attachment. Insio data sheet.pdf (611.2 KB)

I’m sure I come off as a jerk, but I’m trying to make sure you realize that the does indeed have significant limitations. They not matter to you, but you should be aware of them before you get impressions made, get the hearing aids made and then find out they do not do what you thought they did.

Features aren’t the end of the world. Still very weak evidence that higher-featured hearing aids are any better than lower-featured ones. I’d be more worried about occlusion drjay’s low frequency hearing is normal. But he can just make sure there’s a good return policy.

I agree that features aren’t everything, but if he/she is expecting bluetooth and it’s not there, likely to be disappointed. To me the whole mindset is backwards. I’d want my hearing tested first, and then discuss what might be appropriate rather than getting one’s heart set on something that may not be appropriate. Occlusion also crossed my mind.

I remember reading that with and hearing aids you do get the natural advantage of using your pinna. This means that you will actually get improved localisation and added benefit with the signal to noise ratio.

In any case, Phonak, within their Virto range, do a mini canal version that has twin microphones. Signia do a directional CIC as well. In terms of suitability, I don’t see why those with just a mild/moderate loss could not be good candidates.

I wore CIC aids for 4 years. Ultimately, they were not powerful enough for my loss, but I enjoyed wearing headphones with them.

I wear Virto aids now, with a 70db receiver, which, after reprogramming, are just fantastic.

Edited

In reply to @MDB

MDB: It is difficult to determine features . However the Insio NX does have own voice processing: https://www.signia-pro.com/scientific_marketing/ovp-sound-quality/5

I believe the NX tag implies OVP:

“Signia Nx, the world’s most advanced hearing aid platform, delivers unsurpassed first fit acceptance by combining uncompromised audibility with a natural sounding own voice.”

I believe you are correct about NOT having Bluetooth. It does allow for wireless control via phone app or remote.

I appreciate your input and as stated if it is not suitable for me I will not purchase

Related discussions