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Oticon Intent 1 Short 2-week Trial

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Alrighty! I started a(nother!) new thread on Oticon Intent 1 here mainly to keep all us “users” separate in case some have issues, experiences or insights unique to us.

Background: I’ve had 2 Oticons ages ago: the Agile Pro and the OPN miniRITE. For the past 7 years I’ve been in Camp Phonak: Audeo B-Direct, Marvels and now Lumity Life RL-90s. What prompted me to try Oticon Intent was the feedback seen here from other new users: better speech comprehension in LOUD places! That is the Holy Grail! Phonak delivers exceptional, rich sound quality, and I had a great Music program set up, also a very useful “Acoustic Phone” where I’d get stereophonic sound from any phone of any type without ; streaming was exceptional as well - no complaints!

Despite a big investment in TWO pairs of these Phonaks and TWO Roger mics, I stil l wasn’t wowed with speech in noisy places. It was frustrating.

Today I was given the standard tone and word comprehension tests, then immediately set up with Oticon Intent 1, the Companion phone app, and sent on my merry way! No user manual at all. No clue as to the possible settings or even program options. No info about how to use the single button on these aids. To say I was rushed is probably an understatement.

Even so! I’m already liking some things, and before my brain gets rewired, able to say what I don’t like (until I find out more about the aids). Sound quality right out of the gate is better than what the and yada yada set up for my Phonaks delivered. I had a couple tiny tweaks in bass and higher freqs and that was it.

Sound quality compared to my Phonak Lumity Lifes is QUITE closed in and focused - a bit flat, and to my amazement, there is NO problem with ambient noise AT ALL, ANYWHERE. I made a trip to Whole Foods, a busy grocery store, and it was like a trip to the library. Real nice. I could hear folks talking clearly. I’m sure that as I get used to the sound, I’ll lean in to it more. But years ago, the OPN delivered SO much ambient noise that I couldn’t even hear a person talking right at me. The Intent 1 is vastly improved.

The audi only set up two “programs” on these Intents: 1. General and 2. Speech in Noise. Thassall folks! I don’t know how to SAVE settings so that if I like how something sounds in a noisy place, hearing TV, or in a house full of reverb. My General just reverts back to what it was set up for, as far as I know. Also, there is only ONE way to change programs: use the phone app. Kinda bugs me, cuz I don’t walk around with my cell phone worn as a brooch. Can’t I use the button on the unit?

No TV Connector came with my trial. How can I possibly decide if I want to plunk down the quoted $7K for these if I don’t know how stable they are with the TV. Oh, and our entire home theater has been torn asunder with upgrades, so there’s no way to plug that TV Connector into the back of my wall-inserted TV. On top of which, when I tried to pair + connect these Intents to my Macbook Pro, it ain’t happening. I read the instructions at the Oticon site, but my Mac can’t find them, no matter what I turn OFF/ON in whatever sequence. It sees my Phonaks! But it’s blind to Oticon.

The audi told me Oticon is NOT compatible with my Roger ON iN remote mics. So if it actually IS compatible, I’ll have to find out on my own. That said, the Rogers were pathetic in restaurants! They picked up as much ambient sound as speech. My Roger is pre-set with a volume, so turning up the myRoger app volume or using my makes little to zero difference.

I hope to get out to a truly NASTY NOISY restaurant to see how these Oticon Intents do, but hubs hates those places as much as I do. They’d need to be truly rock solid winners here, or it’s a draw with Phonak, and the temptation would be to get the 312-battery release of Phonak.

Weird aside, but the gummy double domes on my pair of Oticons (me, being allergic to any kind of custom mold material got these in clear and smoke gray) are WAY better than the identical shaped domes I get from Phonak. These Oticon gummies really stay in place cuz they are made from some kind of sticky silicone! I no longer push the speaker into my ears 100s of times a day. Even so, I know I’m missing the full benefit and power of the Intents without a custom mold. C’est la vive!

I’ve had these aids in since 1:30pm. 7.5 hrs later, my app says I have another 15 hours left in the day! Okaaaaaay. That’s better than the 17.5 hrs max per day with Phonak. These Oticons will get me through a LONG international flight, I’m thinking. Huge plus.

Unrelated to the Intents, my hearing test today was IDENTICAL to results 2 years ago. WooOoOOooO! Snake belly still slithers on the same path - I am blessed! :snake:

Even better, altho my single ear word comprehension is the same as 2 yrs ago (around 63%) with BOTH ears, I went from 72% 2 years ago to 85% today! WOOOOO! My brain + ear connection must’ve grown! I had a brain fart about that: could it be that the noticeable improvement in speech comprehension with the Phonak Lumity Life aids actually WORKS? It’s almost like I joined a gym and the result is a bigger EAR muscle. That really made my day! The audi read the words off to me, and unlike the previous test (a recording that plodded along somnolently: “Say. The. Word. HOT. DOG.” she was bangin’ 'em out rapid-fire: “SayPOPCORN!SayBASEBALL!SayDOODAH!SayWHODAT!SayWOMBAT!” it was almost comical, and I felt like my brain was beaten to a jelly afterwards.

My immediate questions for anyone out there familiar with Oticon Intent 1 are:

  1. Why was the volume setting for General set 2 steps LOWER on the right aid than the left one? I favor my left ear, and need all the ooomph I can get in the right one.
  2. Truly, how does one pair + connect these Oticon Intent 1 aids to a Macbook Pro? I followed the directions: BT–>Accessibility–> Hearing Devices but it simply never finds my Oticons.
  3. Does anyone out there know if Oticon still has “AutoPhone” which was like Phonak’s “Acoustic Phone”? I really think I need that stereophonic capability to use now and then. I don’t process speech very well with just ONE ear if I have to hold up a phone with NO Bluetooth streaming.
  4. How does the TV Connector work? Audi thought it was hands-free - but didn’t have one on hand, so I’m groping in a black sack here. She didn’t think a necklace was needed (like the old ConnectClip).
  5. How do I SAVE settings - or even create a custom program using the Companion app? It should be intuitive, but it isn’t.

I never downloaded the myPhonak app cuz it would rename by 2 pairs of aids the IDENTICAL name: LE-1. I couldn’t tell which one was “live” in BT. DOH.

Hope to have more insights and results in the coming days. I have 2 weeks to try these out - NO MONEY DOWN! Phenomenal offer. I’m liking a lot of things about the Oticons, but feel I can’t make a full decision unless I get a TV Connector and learn more about the aids.

25 people in this conversation83 min readJump to latest
@1Bluejay said:

here. She didn’t think a necklace was needed (like the old ConnectClip).

I think the necklace may be a way to make the roger work. You’ll need an x-receiver physically plugged into something that drives the neck loop. I forget what that box is called, but it exists.

WH

Edited
@1Bluejay said:

The audi only set up two “programs” on these Intents: 1. General and 2. Speech in Noise. Thassall folks! I don’t know how to SAVE settings so that if I like how something sounds in a noisy place, hearing TV, or in a house full of reverb. My General just reverts back to what it was set up for, as far as I know. Also, there is only ONE way to change programs: use the phone app. Kinda bugs me, cuz I don’t walk around with my cell phone worn as a brooch. Can’t I use the button on the BTE unit?

Your should be able to set up the single buttons on each of the Intent aid to change programs for you. It’d work the same way as with your OPN. The right button would be to cycle up on the next program, the left button would be to cycle down on the previous program. Sounds like they were in a hurry to get you out of there to not go through the detailed setup with you. Or maybe they don’t want to invest too much time with a detailed setup because it’s only a free 2 weeks trial for now.

You can have up to 4 programs. I would suggest having them adding the MyMusic program, as well as a Comfort program or something like that if you decide to buy it. You can worry about these details later if you decide to buy.

@1Bluejay said:

No TV Connector came with my trial. How can I possibly decide if I want to plunk down the quoted $7K for these if I don’t know how stable they are with the TV.

On top of which, when I tried to pair + connect these Intents to my Macbook Pro, it ain’t happening. I read the instructions at the Oticon site, but my Mac can’t find them, no matter what I turn OFF/ON in whatever sequence.

The TV Adapter 3.0 that came out at the time of the OPN aids should still be compatible all the way up to the Intent. It can accept optical output from your TV, or analog audio output from your TV.

If you have a newer smart TV now that has legacy support, you can also buy the ConnectClip which is the streaming device that connects your aids to legacy BT devices. This option is more versatile because you can connect to more devices than just the TV, like your Macbook Pro laptop because I’m sure it has legacy BT support with it. The ConnectClip also has a remote mic functionality that you can try as a replacement for your Roger mic if you want.

One possible that your MacBook Pro can’t recognize your Intent is because not all MacBook Pro on an M1 chip is compatible with MFI support. Only select Mac computers with the M1 chip and all Mac computers with the M2 and M3 chips are compatible with MFI.

@1Bluejay said:

The audi told me Oticon is NOT compatible with my Roger ON iN remote mics. So if it actually IS compatible, I’ll have to find out on my own. That said, the Rogers were pathetic in restaurants! They picked up as much ambient sound as speech. My Roger is pre-set with a volume, so turning up the myRoger app volume or using my HAs makes little to zero difference.

If you want to use your Roger mic with your Intent, you can use the Oticon EduMic instead of the ConnectClip, because the EduMic has a physical port (3.5 mm female connector) that you can plug the Roger mic into it. Or you can just use the EduMic as a remote mic in itself. You can plug a mini audio cable (the headphones type) from your TV or laptop to the EduMic and it will transmit the audio to your Intent as well. But unlike the ConnectClip, the EduMic doesn’t support legacy Bluetooth for wireless connection to your BT devices like laptop or smart phones or what-have-you.

@1Bluejay said:

My immediate questions for anyone out there familiar with Oticon Intent 1 are:

  1. Why was the volume setting for General set 2 steps LOWER on the right aid than the left one? I favor my left ear, and need all the ooomph I can get in the right one.
  2. Truly, how does one pair + connect these Oticon Intent 1 aids to a Macbook Pro? I followed the directions: BT–>Accessibility–>MFi Hearing Devices but it simply never finds my Oticons.
  3. Does anyone out there know if Oticon still has “AutoPhone” which was like Phonak’s “Acoustic Phone”? I really think I need that stereophonic capability to use now and then. I don’t process speech very well with just ONE ear if I have to hold up a phone with NO Bluetooth streaming.
  4. How does the TV Connector work? Audi thought it was hands-free - but didn’t have one on hand, so I’m groping in a black sack here. She didn’t think a necklace was needed (like the old ConnectClip).
  5. How do I SAVE settings - or even create a custom program using the Companion app? It should be intuitive, but it isn’t.

  1. Your hearing loss seems quite symmetrical so there should not be a big imbalance in volume between the left and the right aid. Your HCP probably has it set incorrectly in his hurry to get you out the door.

  2. Double check to make sure that your MacBook Pro has either an M2 or M3 chip, and if an M1 chip, then it’s the right version of the MacBook that does support MFI. Not all M1-based Mac computer supports MFI properly. Maybe your MacBook Pro has one of these non-MFI compatible M1 chip in it.

If you can pair your Intent with your iPhone via MFI, but you can’t pair it with your MacBook Pro, it’s highly likely that the issue is with the MacBook Pro than with the Intent.

  1. I’m not aware that Oticon has an AutoPhone feature that picks up audio from one ear then sends the same audio to the other ear for phone calls.

  2. Once you pair your Oticon aids with the TV Adapter 3.0 and connect the TV to the TV Adapter 3.0, a special program for the TV Adapter 3.0 is created on your hearing aids, just before your General program (and after your highest value program. You just turn on the TV Adapter 3.0 and your TV, then cycle to the TV Adapter program, and you’ll be able to hear it.

  3. What settings are you looking to save on the Companion app? The Companion app is designed to be very minimal. Most settings for the programs are pre-programmed by your HCP into your aids ahead of time. The Companion app is designed for you to just switch programs, change volume, edit the equalizer during streaming only, enable the Sound Booster feature, check battery level, check firmware version of the aids, find your hearing aids, giving battery level notification settings, do RemoteCare. But there’s not much else in the Companion app specific to program settings that you can do because program settings are supposed to be all preprogrammed in the fitting software by your HCP already.

@1Bluejay said:

C’est la vive!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

@1Bluejay said:

“Say. The. Word. HOT. DOG.” she was bangin’ 'em out rapid-fire: “SayPOPCORN!SayBASEBALL!SayDOODAH!SayWHODAT!SayWOMBAT!” it was almost comical,

@1Bluejay , thank you for your review. Please do get out to that nasty noisy restaurant to try out the Intents there. Maybe bring your Lumitys too and switch off between the Oticon’s and the Phonaks a couple of times. It seems to me like that would be the ultimate test.

Here I must say something. While I get my aids from the . I normally know a month or before I get my aids what I am getting. That gives me a month to research the aids, to become formal with the online instruction manual. What extra I have will and will not be usable and what I need to request and ask for.
I will get the INTENT1 aids in June. I already have everything I need except for a backup charger. I always make sure i have a backup. So i requested a second charger. I already understand the most important difference in the control of the aids from my Real1 and More1 aids. The button on the aids. My programs will be the same as my Real1 aids. My programming from my Real1 aids will be copto my INTENT aids. Then my audiologist will have instructions from Oticon on what has to be done to improve on the Real1 aids settings on the INTENT aids. After 6 years of working together my audiologist and I have a great working partnership. This is why i say the audiologist is the most important part of my success with my experience.

Last year I paid $5900 for Oticon Real 1’s from a full-service audiologist practice near Washington DC. Now that Intent 1 is Oticon’s top of the line, I assume it’ll cost around the same. In 2018 the same practice charged $5600 for ReSound Lynx 3D 9. Oticon’s top of the line at that time was priced similarly.

In reply to @WhiteHat

Yeesh. A cludge. I’d probably be better off committing to Oticon and then buying the accessories that work with that brand: TV Connector (some fine day) and EduMic?

Which camp are you in, cuz you know a lot about aids: Phonak or Oticon?

Edited

In reply to @1Bluejay

@1Bluejay said:

Which camp are you in, cuz you know a lot about aids: Phonak or Oticon?

I wear Phonak p90r aids from the . I have a Roger on (not in) and I bought a dock on my own. Bought a tv connector v2 and they gave me a v1.1.

I’m an engineer and love learning about tech. But I’m not “religious” about it. I just want it to work. I know what I like today, but I’ve changed tech dozens of times over the years either because I found I liked something better, what I liked was no longer made, or an employer forced me to switch.

@Zebras might have good advice for you. She was Phonak and switched to Oticon this winter, iirc. She was into all the Phonak gear too, so if I were you, I’d want to hear about what she did.

WH

In reply to @Volusiano

What an amazing post!

@1Bluejay Best of luck! I’m so impressed.

(10 plus years ago the amazing audiologist Lydia Kreuk tried Oticons with me, but I couldn’t feel that little button due to nerve damage. Your results are spectacular. Swearing at my Phonak Audeo Paradise P90R setup under my breath.)

In reply to @WhiteHat

Not to repeat myself too many times but here it goes anyway :sweat_smile: . With the Opticon Intent or the Hearlink 9050 you can use either the Opticon edumic or the Phonak neckloop to connect your Roger devices. The edumic required a Roger X to be plugged into it. The neckloop is already compatible with the Roger devices (I guess the license fee is incorporated in the price of the neckloop). The only requirement in using the neckloop is that the hearing aid must be capable of using . Fortunately both the Intent and the 9050 still have telecoil. In anticipation of buying a 9050 when available I just purchased a neckloop on Ebay for $149 and tested it out using the telecoil in my old KS 7’s It is probably the cheaper way to go which, for me at least is important :grinning:.

Is the Phonak neckloop the Phonak Compilot? I have the first version and the second version.
I had issues with the first one failing.

In reply to @Volusiano

WOW! So much information here - as always, you da MAN! I am going to have to smoke a bubble pipe as I ponder all this.

Yes, you nailed it. Audi was SUPER rushed! She gave me an hour, but who would send someone out the door without even a manual? It’s almost like she couldn’t be bothered to make the investment in me as a future patient. Does not portend well.

I’m VERY glad to know I could have up to 4 dedicated programs. I’d definitely go for MyMusic next. In the meantime, I’ve re-set my equalizer with more bass and a smidge in the high end. Today I checked the app: it’s still set like that. I don’t think I need the Comfort program cuz honestly, these aids are NOT the “open sound paradigm” my OPNs were years ago (YAY!).

TV Streaming isn’t going to happen till our home automation closet is up and running again. Dang TVs are mounted flat on the wall with no way to plug anything into the back of them. Stoopid. My previous workaround was to plug a cable into a Marantz receiver; we’ll do something similar with the upgrade.

As for the right aid/left aid discrepancy in volume, you’re probably right: audi fixed the setting asymetrically by mistake. And she shaved “3 Mississippi lollipop thousand” off the time spent with me doing so. I just jack the volume up to equal the LEFT aid now.

Turns out my MacBook Pro has the Apple M2 Max chip. So probably won’t be connecting to its unless I can do it with the ConnectClip OR EduMic. As far as plugging that in to the Roger, YES, it comes with a cable with USB-A port on one end. According to MisTrae in this thread it can be done. In theory. I greatly appreciate that tip about pairing with the TV Adapter 3.0 - should be easy to scroll to that setting on the phone app once it’s set up.

BUMMER if there is no AutoPhone stereophonic option. I guess I’d hobble along trying to hear with the 63% comprehension in my ONE ear only. Sub-optimal.

So I was thinking a Custom program/setting could be created using the app. I’d go to “General”, tinker with the equalizer, perhaps volume even, and then there’d be a “Save” button somewhere on that screen. (Like I do with my home irrigation system using HydraWise.) That way I’d have an option to name the program, and it would forever more appear in the top menu bar with “General” and “Speech in Noise”. Maybe the audi needs to create these for me? Yeah, she’ll give me to a count of TEN to spell it all out.

I DO find it intriguing that the phone app has the “Hearing aid updates” menu. So does that mean when a firmware update is needed I’ll get notified? You nailed all the other great options with the Companion app - again, I’ve never used myPhonak, so no way for me to compare the two.

As for battery life: OWIE I AM LOVING IT!!! These aids have been in since 8:30am, and 3 hours later, my battery life says I have 21 more hours. I feel like a “Woman in Chains” - so FREEEEEE her! The world and travel. FREEEEEE her! Explore and nature. FREEEE HER! (sung to the tune of Tears for Fears “Woman in Chains”) It’s liberating, and a great improvement over appx 17 hrs (when my batteries aren’t DYIN’) in the Phonaks.

I seriously spent an hour looking for Oticon dispenser or in my area, but didn’t find anything “better” (credentialed, proximity) than the gal who gave me an hour of her time. That’s a concern, cuz I look at my audi as a partner for life.

Thanks for all your advice and information. I’ll keep posting the updates as my Cinderella slipper ticks off the days.

In reply to @1Bluejay

@1Bluejay said:

I seriously spent an hour looking for Oticon dispenser or AuD in my area, but didn’t find anything “better” (credentialed, proximity) than the gal who gave me an hour of her time

@1Bluejay Did you check with ZipHearing? They have a network of audiologists they work with. In my area they turned out to be two great audis, one I had worked with before I called Zip. And, they only charge $4,700 for the Intent with a 45 day return period, one year of service, three year warranty and loss insurance. I returned one of the sets of aids I got from them and the money was back in my account the morning after I returned them to the audi-no questions asked!

Edited

In reply to @cvkemp

Wow, you are ten steps ahead of the GAME! Very good game plan - do the due-dilligence first, source and buy the needed accessories, take the plunge! I’m VERY happy to know you can copy-paste the previous aids’ settings into the Intent1. Brilliant!

I SO agree with your sentiment that our audis are partners for life. If I had a crystal ball 45 yrs ago, I’d have found me an audiologist OR dermatologist to marry. Instead I got a GENIUS in electronics, and the way things in our universe work. :star_struck:

Hey, for a giggle, I just queried ChatGPT about Oticon setup and got THIS:

Setting up the Oticon Intent 1 hearing aid involves several steps. Here’s a general guide:

1. Unboxing: Begin by unpacking your Oticon Intent 1 hearing aids and accessories. Make sure you have everything you need, including the hearing aids, batteries, user manual, and any additional accessories.
2. Prepare Batteries: If your Oticon Intent 1 hearing aids use disposable batteries, ensure you have fresh ones available. Open the battery compartments on the hearing aids and insert the batteries according to the polarity markings inside.
3. Power On: After inserting the batteries, close the battery compartments securely. Your hearing aids should power on automatically. If not, there may be a small switch or button to turn them on.
4. Initial Settings: The first time you use your Oticon Intent 1 hearing aids, they may need to be set up according to your hearing needs. This usually involves programming the hearing aids with the help of a hearing care professional.
5. Customization: Your hearing care professional will customize the settings of your Oticon Intent 1 hearing aids based on your and preferences. This may include adjusting volume levels, programming specific listening programs, and fine-tuning settings for different listening environments.
6. Pairing with Accessories (optional): If you have compatible accessories such as a remote control or a smartphone app, you may need to pair them with your Oticon Intent 1 hearing aids. Follow the instructions provided with the accessories to pair them successfully.
7. Practice and Adjustment: Once your hearing aids are set up, take some time to get used to wearing them. You may need to make further adjustments or fine-tuning with the help of your hearing care professional to ensure optimal performance and comfort.
8. Maintenance and Care: Regular maintenance and care are essential to keep your Oticon Intent 1 hearing aids in good condition. Follow the guidelines provided in the user manual for cleaning and storing your hearing aids properly.
9. Follow-up Appointments: Schedule follow-up appointments with your hearing care professional to monitor your progress and make any necessary adjustments to your Oticon Intent 1 hearing aids.

If you’re unsure about any steps or encounter difficulties during the setup process, don’t hesitate to contact your hearing care professional for assistance.

Is that lame? :laughing:

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