Due to Covid restrictions, I wasn’t able to give either pair a test in a loud indoor environment with several people at my table. I did have small indoor and outdoor dinners, and both did well. Both have the ability to be programmed by the user on location. The Signia uses a hearing assistant approach which uses an A B comparison. Paradise has several modifications the user tries out directly. For Paradise, I found I had to do a lot of research to learn how to use the app to make modifications. I found some helpful YouTube videos. Signia AX approach is much easier to use. Both were better for me than Oticon More, which surprised me since I’m used to the Opn1. It could be programming for the More was a limiting factor, as a new Audi set up the demos for me, not my regular Audi. Oticon provides no option for the user to modify programs.
So in my limited testing, I thought AX and Paradise were very similar in noise. I’m very disappointed that I was not able to test them in the most difficult noise environments.
–Workman’s Comp has approved hearing aids from 3 manufacturers for audiologists to supply to people that qualify. . Phonak is one; Oticon is not. Siemens too; don’t know the third.
–I qualified about 8 years ago; I’ve had two sets of Phonaks. I tried Oticons at the beginning. Due to nerve damage I couldn’t feel the switch on the Oticons. I could on the Phonaks
– my last audiologist grabbed the sale when I asked for it. New hearing aids were improved a few months later. I got what they recommended. No trials. No choices. I trusted them.
–I figure the new audiologist grabbed for the ring at the carousel ride…after all, he wouldn’t make much money adjusting the hearing aids I already had.
–Well he made it. New Hearing Aids approved. He did a good job. Paradise bluetooth, rechargeable.
So, summary. I can’t get Oticon. They’re not approved. I’m getting new Phonak Paradise rechargeable haring aids.
I’ve worn my new Phonaks for a week and a half now.
I want to thank you, LawyerFL for this thread. I went from knowing-nothing to knowing-enough to start asking the right questions, and being a more effective advocate for my health and care. That’s a big step.
A comment–when I went to the audiologist I weighed what he said carefully. He wanted to get new hearing aids for me. He postponed/didn’t set up my existing hearing aids. His point was that doing so would squash any attempts to get new high-tech hearing aids for me. Like others here I wondered, “what the heck?” and “he’s trying for the big sale! He’s not doing what I need to hear right now.”
He worked miracles for me.
He got my hearing aids replaced about 2-1/2 years earlier than the process with workman’s comp allows.
He got me new High Tech hearing aids.
He supplied them to me so quickly! He motivated someone at workman’s comp to move quickly. That in itself is HUGE!
Thanks everyone. Thanks LawyerFL for your post, and tolerating my posts here
Although I found this forum some time ago, I had to return recently to find out how valuable it is.
(I also have sleep apnea; I participate on the apnea board forum. I had some help there too. Most helpful was a link to this forum)
I’m looking forward to my next appointment with the audiologist I’ve started seeing. I’m sure every visit will bring improvements in my setup.
He has offered to set up my last Phonaks when he has determined what my final setup should be.
I tried to convey that I trust him when I started posting. I didn’t want to jinx my pursuit of new hearing aids. Law of Attraction.
This was a great thread for me to go through, thank you! I had just posed this very question as a new topic yesterday, as I hadn’t scrolled back far enough to see this post. The main difference is that I am a first time hearing aid user, so I don’t have prior comparisons of what I’m used to, nor do I fully understand exactly what I’m looking for, to be frank. But enjoyed reading through the initial impressions as well as user experience with the apps!
I’ve had the new Phonak Paradise Hearing Aids for a little over a month. I’ve had a follow up appointment and Mike the audiologist turned up the gain and taught me a little bit about hearing aid maintenance. I had botched changing the .
He explained things.
He made a case for replacement. H didn’t want to kill that request. His letter to workman’s comp was exteemely polite and made a strong case for new hearing aids. He followed up and got approval in about a month. That’s a miracle.
He will set up the better of my two sets of old hearing aids so I have a spare set–no charge. If he had done so and submitted a bill he would have killed the request for the new hearing aids.
Since their covered all repairs are paid for . He told me if I had to pay for new batteries say 3 years out the bill would have been high. I’m adapting to rechargeable batteries. He gave me a spare charger to keep in my car in case I mess up charging.
He gave me the Phonak tv interface. Phonak Canada doesn’t have them; chip shortage.
I deal with contractors all the time. That’s my work. I can smell a rat when someone tries to pull a fast one. The comments here about being sold a line…I didn’t respond to them at the time. Frankly I just wanted to hear. I know he makes money from selling hearing aids. But in my case the guvmint has established prices through their requests for proposals.
Finally, Peel Audiology caused me a lot of stress. There was one partner who did good work; she retired. her work; not perfect but good enough. The young audiologists had no experience. the other partner who sold her business just recently didn’t resolve my problems. I still couldn’t hear after she worked on my hearing aids. And they were regularly worse. I threatened to buy the best Ear Buds I could from Apple and use their app to set them up.
@flashb1024 I’m doing much better. I think the next follow-up appointment will fine tune the ’s even more. And I’ll get him to program the HA’s i kept. So I have spares.
Buying hearing aids here in Ontario is like buying cpap equipment for sleep apnea. Stressful. And I’ve become my own advocate to get good treatment in each case. (Google Apnea Board Forum if you have sleep apnea.)
It’s been more than 3 months.
Last visit the audiologist switched the lead program for me. He reconfigured the “music program” with changes to match my test. My second program is the automatic program.
I’ve been doing better.
I understand spoken word better. I still miss some talk. Or don’t hear right…and respond poorly. So for me it’s still a work in progress.
Just here to confirm that workman’s comp in this province does have some weird rules. Their reimbursement for new hearing aids is also pretty low–this clinician probably could have gotten comparable reimbursement from repairing and re-fitting the old ones. So, I think Dave is correct in his assessment of the clinician trying to do his best for him. Plus, replacement is typically at 5 years; he must have made a strong argument to get them replaced at 2.5 years, that’s unusual.
I do hope real-ear measures were done at some point.
Thanks Neville.
He worked miracles.
He was focused. He got results.
I appreciate your comment very much.
The audiologist that failed in their work told me they only had 3 makes to chose from; that there were only a few hearing aids on the list.
I went on line after I left their care. There were many more choices on line. The Ministry said that they would provide hearing aids that would help people hear…or something like that.
The killer was the way the hearing aids were set up. Huge gain; no boost of high frequencies. And they wanted me to use Power Domes. They hurt my ears, so the hearing aids came out.
That’s an old war story. The good news—the new audiologist is wonderful and skilled. He did get me hearing aids in 2-1/2 years, not 5. Truly a miracle. or two.
Workman’s comp only offers hearing aids from 3 manufacturers and does limit the tech level. There are options to make arguments for others, but difficult to get this approved. Within the three manufacturers offered there are many styles. Perhaps there was just a failure of communication. But, communication is a big part of care.
I presume that you are in custom tips now so that they don’t hurt your ear but still close the canal sufficiently to allow for adequate gain. Insufficient high frequency gain is a common issue in poor fits for sure.
It was the way they were set up.
No I don’t have custom tips.
A beef with the Paradise R hearing aids is the size of the . And the domes. I’m old; I don’t have dexterity.
Things improved once I got the remote control and had the hearing program schedule changed to “music” has the dominant program. And “music” was adjusted by the audi to help me along based on my observations using the hearing aids. I can drop to “auto” if I need to. I’ve only done it a couple of times since I got the aids adjusted.
My issues–solved. I couldn’t hear behind me. I’ve almost been hit by cars I didn’t know were approaching fast. And they weren’t teslas. And on construction sites I had issues too. But I’m not on sites so much now. that’s a good thing.
I’m curious as to how you compared the ‘style’ or ‘feel’ of sound between Oticon and Phonak? I’ve been wearing Phonak custom aids for many years now (among other brands) and also tried the Paradises briefly (though with a standard dome, not a custom ear mould) and I liked their connectivity and sound quality was a huge improvement over my nearly 6-year old Phonaks (then again, anything would be).
But I was blown away by the ‘natural’ sound of Oticon More (and even Opn) when I tried them on a few weeks later – it seems that they were picking up everything around me, from birds chirping outside the building to people talking in the next room, whereas Phonak was equally good but more “selective” in what it amplified, if that makes sensse?
I’m still trying to decide… so currently also trying Starkey.
I have been wearing Oticon as almost 12 years now and love the sound and hearing so much more than just speech. Sure speech is what is important but when you live in the country you want to hear the environment around you. I tried Phobia marvels and felt like I had the majority of the natural country sound stripped away from me. I am wearing Oticon More1 aids and I am enjoying speech in noise as.well as the natural country soumds.
Canada (Toronto) YYZ
Hot Springs Village, Arkansas