To be honest, I didn't look at those things very closely. At the time, I was just trying to get a handle on the fact that my hearing came to the point where I had no other option but get a CI. So, I essentially went on the recommendation of a very good audiologist and the general info provided about them. As it turned out, my getting the Freedom was an excellent choice.
Since then, I have done my research to understand these nuances better. To answer your questions...
Input dynamic range is simply the differential between the lowest and highest sounds (in dB) you can hear. The hearing typically have a dynamic range of 140 dB. That is well beyond what anybody with a CI can do. The highest I have heard is 60 dB and I myself am at 50 dB (I intend to reach 60 or more dB down the road
). Most folks with a CI will be lower than that.
The stimulation rate is simply the refresh rate that a CI will send impulses to the cochlea. In other words, it is how often a signal is sent to the cochlea to allow the brain to decipher noise in real time mode (so to speak - it is better understood mathematically). With the Freedom, most folks are cycled at around 900 cycles per second (cps). I'm at 1800 cps which is very high. The highest is 2400 cps. There is a relationship to the cps and power consumption. So, the higher it is the faster one uses batteries. Also, that is why I stayed at 1800 cps over the 2400 cps. If I went with 2400 cps, my battery life would be 1 1/2 days not the 3 days I deal with now. Somethings aren't worth it as they say.
Now, we come to the question of the day. Which is better? If all things being equal, I would go for the dynamic range. The reason is that the cps number once set really doesn't change. It is a function of what one can handle from a neuralogical standpoint. In other words, what your brain can work with comfortably.
On the other hand, dynamic range can increase over time as one gets used to sound input with a CI. Some folks like me really push the limits and others prefer a comfort zone and stick with it. Dynamic range helps more in the sense that one can hear more sounds "naturally" if the DR is increased. Of course, there are limits and don't expect to hear as the hearing do with a CI!
Hope that helps...
