Best liked make/models?

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YodaDog

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What make and model aid does everyone wear? I just got the Phonak Solanas and I'm not loving them unfortunately. Although I'm hoping it's just an adjustment which needs to be done, can anyone recommend something for someone with a loss in the 60s-80's range across the chart? I'm totally new to this and I know I have to give it time (and I do trust my audio - he's a great person) but I'd love some feedback from people who actually wear them. Thanks.
 
Phonak Naida III UP daz. And I think it is adjustable for people with your loss. I really like it.
 
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If it worked this is my Naida. ♥
 
Which Solana model are you trying? It might be underpowered for your needs, a lot of audis tell me that Phonak are very optimistic about their fitting ranges and if you are in the lower third of the range then get the next one up.

I am also trying the Solana and I love one program and I hate all the others! I have an adjustment on Monday. I prefer the Siemens sound to Phonak's they just have a different quality about them, but sadly I find Siemens add their audio input as a complete afterthought and it's just not well integrated into the design of the instrument in the way that Phonak is, both physically and technically. If the FM was better I think I'd be a Siemens girl. But then I'd take Soundrecover and put it on the Siemens models. ;)

I am finding that, like everything else out there, the software is very targetted to the mild to moderate age-related loss, where people know what everything is meant to sound like and they want it to sound "natural" - for me that's not an issue, I've been in hearing aids forever, I have no clue what "natural" sounds like, I only know what I can hear and can't hear. I'd rather everyone sounded like a robot but I know what they are saying. If you have unusual preferences then the audi has to work that bit harder.

That said, I hate the Solanas slightly less with each passing day, it is a massive adjustment to get used to new hearing aids, and if they are your first pair that's all the more crazy adjustment period.

Keep a little diary about what specifically you didn't like, where you were, who was talking, male, female, child, high or low pitched voice (if you can tell!) and if they sounded boomy, muffled, echoey, robotic, it's much easier for the audi to make the adjustments that way, and you are likely to get better satisfaction from a follow-up fitting than from a first fit anyway because you now have some information to work with. Note down what you particularly do like too. It all helps.
 
right now, I'm liking the Oticon Safari P 600 (pedatric verison) *P stands for power* since I thought they're pretty cool and the streamer is neat

I also love having a volume control again and they are way much better than the old hearing aids I had :)
 
my favourite hearing aids were the supero's, and I have had two Oticons that I know of(my current chili and spirit 3(sumo dm), before that, I think I had a phonak that didnt work for me.
 
Rose, I believe it's the MicroM. Everything sounds tinny and there is so much static. I do hear better without a doubt, but I'm just curious how much of this issue could be fixed. Certain voices also have an echo/ring to them. Hrm...
 
YodaDog said:
Rose, I believe it's the MicroM. Everything sounds tinny and there is so much static. I do hear better without a doubt, but I'm just curious how much of this issue could be fixed. Certain voices also have an echo/ring to them. Hrm...
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Which of my pictures does it match?

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Sorry they are a bit blurry, if you have a volume control on it then it's a MicroP, if not then it's an M, although it's technically possible to remove the volume control from the MicroP I don't imagine they would do. You can also tell from the spare batteries, brown tabs is the M, orange tabs is the P. If it really is the M it's probably working too hard, you are at the absolutely top limit of the capability. I am trying the MicroP but we also looked at possibly getting the SP, and I'm leaning towards the SP. Tinny and echo can almost certainly be fixed or at least made better (I'll let you know how I go tomorrow as I am getting an adjustment for the echo/boom problem myself) but the static seems more likely to be from an underpowered instrument going like crazy. You only just squeeze onto the fitting chart for it.
 
I've always been a Phonak girl all the way. I did try an Oticon HA for a while last summer, didn't like the sound quality of it. I've been happy with my Naida IX UP since I switched to a different audie and she knows how to program/adjust them properly (former audie was clueless, but then again Naida was brand new/fresh out on the market the first time I tried it.). First time trying Naida a few years ago was horrible, so I kept using my Phonak Supero. But now, Naida is much better fit with the new audie knowing how it works since her own husband wears them. I even like it better than the Supero, I've been picking up more than I would have with the Supero.
 
I have used oticon for 10 years before getting CI over 3 weeks back, changed models over 5-6 times, latest one was agile? with streamer and loved them, I'm not allowed to use my HA in the other ear now as my audi wants me to train the CI one for a while, I've tried Phonak for like a week but did not like them I've used a different audi for phonic fitting than my regular/lovely one and I think this was the major reason why I did not like them the fitting was awful, I see a lot of people like Phonak, I was able to use phone for over 10 years with 90db loss with Oticon (older ones were better for some reason), so it does not hurt that you try several brands and types, I think by las you have 45-60 days to try and return, I was always been able to try for free as my audi was awesome at the end I have always ended up buying something anyway, LOL
 
Fl885 said:
I have used oticon for 10 years before getting CI over 3 weeks back, changed models over 5-6 times, latest one was agile? with streamer and loved them, I'm not allowed to use my HA in the other ear now as my audi wants me to train the CI one for a while, I've tried Phonak for like a week but did not like them I've used a different audi for phonic fitting than my regular/lovely one and I think this was the major reason why I did not like them the fitting was awful, I see a lot of people like Phonak, I was able to use phone for over 10 years with 90db loss with Oticon (older ones were better for some reason), so it does not hurt that you try several brands and types, I think by las you have 45-60 days to try and return, I was always been able to try for free as my audi was awesome at the end I have always ended up buying something anyway, LOL
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for me, I used Oticon for 7 years now since I started using an Oticon hearing aid in 2005 and got another Oticon hearing aid this year
 
Wirelessly posted (sent from a smartphone. )

At first I thought its abt cars. Smh...
 
When you all go to your audiologists, do you say "I'd like to try the ABC brand, XYZ model" whatever it is, or do you take what the audiologists suggest? I am learning a LOT from you all about different aids and feel a lot more equipped to suggest something now. I have always just gone along with whatever the audi suggested, although some I've liked better than other (both some audis and some hearing aids).

I want to try that new water-resistant one when it's released in June. That would be great for me in the summer, if it meets my hearing needs.
 
Beach girl said:
When you all go to your audiologists, do you say "I'd like to try the ABC brand, XYZ model" whatever it is, or do you take what the audiologists suggest?
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Bit of a combination. Usually one which meets all my needs is only one make or model anyway, for example I need a hearing aid which can be turned on and off without removing the audioshoe, which as far as I am aware restricts me to Phonak brand only. I do read about what I think will suit, but no matter how great the hearing aid you don't get the potential from it if the audi has little experience programming that brand. If you end up with an audi who never sells Siemens hearing aids and almost always sells Starkeys then either you need a different audiologist and stick with the Siemens or it's likely to work out better to just go with the Starkeys - buying Siemens from a Starkey man is unlikely to work out to the full potential unless they are very willing to learn.

A number of audis are independent on paper, but they have a brand they like to work with, a niche they mostly fulfil. Many private practices here in the UK are built on dispensing only custom products as the health service provides (or is meant to provide!) BTE instruments to anyone who (in their opinion) needs them. They often find it quite awkward to work with someone who wants a decent sized hearing aid, and all they can show me is a tiny hearing aid and look how tiny it is. Those audis I just drop, if they don't know anything about the hearing aids I want then we are going to get nowhere.

I find you can have a good idea on paper about what suits you, but then you listen to it and despite several tunings you just still hate it, and you end up loving something you never thought would suit, so I think it's useful to have an idea what you want but be open to what the audi recommends too, but not be persuaded to anything that's really significantly out of your comfort zone or is missing key features you know you want to use. I never went back to the place where they were at an absolute loss when I said I didn't like the one model they were pushing heavily.
 
Normally, I do some research and that sort of thing, then when I see my audie, I ask them about this and that hearing aids, get their feedback on them if they've had experience with them, and ask about trialing them. My audie is awesome about the trials! Sometimes they'll already have the HAs in their office (that are used as loaners and stuff like that, that was the case with the Oticon HA I tried last summer before the Safari's/etc came out); otherwise they'll order the hearing aid from the company as brand new (I pick out the colors/etc) and trial it out.. if I like it, I'll keep it/pay for it/whatever. If I don't like it, I return it and let them know.

With Phonak's Claro (which I got in Jan. 2001) and Supero (May 2004), I did my research on Phonak's website on the specs, then informed the audie I wanted this/that hearing aid. No trial period, but I was pretty much happy with them quickly.
 
RoseRodent said:
I need a hearing aid which can be turned on and off without removing the audioshoe, which as far as I am aware restricts me to Phonak brand only.
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Siemens HAs can be programmed so that they switch off by pressing the programme button for several seconds. Then you can switch them off without having to remove the audio shoes. This is how mine were programmed, so that if I have to remove the audio shoes in public they don't whistle like crazy.
 
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