Seeking Implant Recommendation: Med-El Sonnet 2 Vs Cochlear Nucleus 7

I would also consider the durability of parts as kids can be quite tough on them. @Dani might be able to talk about the reliability of Medel parts.

Med-EL have announced a partnership with Starkey that brings Apple Mifi connectivity to the Sonnet 2 sound processor and newer. It is nice that they offer backward compatibility with older sound processors.

Starkey, Med-El Partner on DualSync for CI Connectivity3

DualSync bimodal streaming solution enables seamless audio streaming from Apple devices to compatible hearing aids and cochlear implants.

This is a big step for MedEl. Starkey is a great company.

Now they need to get Android phones included as AB and Cochlear have had for years.

Will the Sonnet 2 be a simple firmware update? How about the Rondo?

We have 2 or 3 members here that use MedEl.

Thanks for sharing.

@Raudrive said:

Will the Sonnet 2 be a simple firmware update? How about the Rondo?

Sorry for my very late response … (but I really haven’t had any time to read and response the last few months)

Well, Sonnet 2 is already capable of connecting to iPhone using MFi and to Android using ASHA since 2020 or 2021. For this I need the adapter called AudioStream. It replaces the battery cover.

So there is no need for a firmware update for Sonnet 2. Sonnet 3 in contrast has MFi and ASHA implemented without the need of the special adaptor.

Sonnet 3 and Starkey can be combined for bimodal connections to a smartphone without any additional accessories. With Sonnet 2 one needs the AudioStream by Medel. The same applies to Rondo 3 - there one need the AudioStream for Rondo 3 by Medel.

Funfact: Using Medel’s new (external) streamer named “AudioLink XT” Sonnet 3 users (and Sonnet 2/Rondo 3 with AudioStream-Adaptor) can combine their SoundProcessor with any Hearing Aid that is capable of MFi or ASHA: for this to work the HA and one of the SPs need to be connected to the new AudioLink XT and connect the latter with any sound source.

Since I am a bilateral CI user there is no need for myself combining any HA to my SPs.

@Dani said:

Sonnet 3 and Starkey can be combined for bimodal connections to a smartphone without any additional accessories.

This is a step in the right direction for MedEl and it’s Sonnet3.

The external Audio link xt sounds like a great product but it’s still an added device to carry around and need to charge.

How have you been? Busy is a good thing sometimes.