Phonak Naida V UP

[Wendy H]

thanks wendy, ill let my audi know about that and hopefully i will get results!

ive also been finding that wen i drive with the window down, or even up sometimes, that i the wind seems to b playing a massive part in lowering the levels of my hearing.. at times i find myself constantly trying to "unblock" my ears thinking thats the problem but its not... is there some sort of wind resistance feature on this hearing aid?
cos i am a truck driver for work and i find it extremely annoying when my hearing drops to the level where i can hardly even hear myself just cos i have the window open!

anyinfo that i can take to my audi regarding that??

this is all so very helpful and its good to interact with ppl in similar situations!!

PEACE

I had the same problem. I now set and keep my hearing aids to the 'speech in noise' mode. The button on the hearing aid is pushed another time so the focus is more on the speech sounds than the wind. However, I did notice yesterday while talking to someone who had music going on in her office that the hearing aid still picked up the music than her voice. I was struggling to understand what she was saying so I had to tell her to turn off the music. Sigh . . .

I do have an appointment with the audiologist today for adjustments.

I think I have pretty much decided that this could be the last audiology visit and make a final decision as to whether or not I should keep this aid or not (and get my money back).

I am hoping there are other hearing aids that will pick up speech sounds better. I'm quite happy with my Phonak analog aid. Although the power isn't there, at least the speech sounds have clarity to it.

Wendy

 

[ljjehl]

I had the same problem. I now set and keep my hearing aids to the 'speech in noise' mode. The button on the hearing aid is pushed another time so the focus is more on the speech sounds than the wind. However, I did notice yesterday while talking to someone who had music going on in her office that the hearing aid still picked up the music than her voice. I was struggling to understand what she was saying so I had to tell her to turn off the music. Sigh . . .

I do have an appointment with the audiologist today for adjustments.

I think I have pretty much decided that this could be the last audiology visit and make a final decision as to whether or not I should keep this aid or not (and get my money back).

I am hoping there are other hearing aids that will pick up speech sounds better. I'm quite happy with my Phonak analog aid. Although the power isn't there, at least the speech sounds have clarity to it.

Wendy

I have been down the road you are speaking of too. The Naida has so many adjustments, it can be a bit overbearing for some. Once they are finally set right, it is awesome.

I was struggling to understand what she was saying so I had to tell her to turn off the music.

The Speech in Noise can fix this problem you are speaking of by using the directional microphone output, that way you can hear the person in front of you and block out all background noises. Be sure to write all your complaints down...and be specific on the complaint: (ie. "Background music in room, can't hear female voice, sounds muffled or unintelligible.")

 

[ljjehl]

Leo,
You seem to be well 'versed' with the Naida V UP. My audiologist made some adjustments and it seems to be a little better. However, I am still hearing some of that 'echo-y' quality of sound and the clarity of speech sounds is still not quite there. The audiologist worked with the 'bass boost.' Any other recommendations you can make? The audiologist has consistently told me that my explanations of the sounds I hear is not helpful to her. It's definitely quite hard to tell her what I'm hearing. As I was driving today I kept thinking of how else I could possibly describe what I'm hearing. I thought of how people have colds and how some of the sounds might not be clear and muffled when their ears are plugged." That's what I'm going tell her tomorrow when I see the audiologist.
Anyways, any other recommendations you can make? I find you quite helpful!
Thanks,
Wendy

There is some technical jargon that audiologists know that we as a consumer do not know readily. For example there is "too bright, soft, muffled, unintelligible, booming, echo", etc. You need to explain each situation at hand, for example, if I have a hard time understanding a person (echoing) in a quiet room , I would say: "male person sounds echoing while in a quiet room. Female voice sounds normal" The audiologist can manually adjust the problem or use the auto configure screen that they can use to press the button that is similar to your complaint.

To access the screen on the iPFG software, you will go to Fitting (on left side), Automatic fine tuning, then you are in the screen where you can select the "Program" and "Sound Type". For example, if I select Calm situations, Speech in Quiet, I have the options: "too loud, too soft, too bright, dull-muffled, hollow-tinny, hollow-boomy, echoing-reverberating, not sufficiently intelligible, /s/ inaudible, and too much lisping". If you have the echo problem, the audi will select "echoing-reverberating" and press the "Do It" button.

Hope this helps!!

 

[ljjehl]

thanks wendy, ill let my audi know about that and hopefully i will get results!

ive also been finding that wen i drive with the window down, or even up sometimes, that i the wind seems to b playing a massive part in lowering the levels of my hearing.. at times i find myself constantly trying to "unblock" my ears thinking thats the problem but its not... is there some sort of wind resistance feature on this hearing aid?
cos i am a truck driver for work and i find it extremely annoying when my hearing drops to the level where i can hardly even hear myself just cos i have the window open!

anyinfo that i can take to my audi regarding that??

this is all so very helpful and its good to interact with ppl in similar situations!!

PEACE

You might have the Windblock feature set too high.......I would lower it to moderate and select "maintain audibility" so the Windblock won't take away all your hearing. You will have to find a middle ground that is most comfortable to you. If you read the prior chat regarding the iPFG directed to Wendy, you can get your audi to make automatic adjustments that can generally fix the problem, then they can make minor manual adjustments to it to satisfy your issue.....

 

[ljjehl]

Although the power isn't there, at least the speech sounds have clarity to it.

Wendy

Wendy,

You said the power isn't there? What aid do you have? I have the Naida V UP which has the highest power that Phonak carries. My loss is ski slope from 90 dB to 120 dB....and I have plenty of power.....

 

[kingzaia]

thanks for your help...
one thing i forgot to mention is that i am only using one naida 9 in my right ear because i have no hearing at all in my left, therefore i have no "zooming" option at all.
in fact my audi only set me two programs. "automatic" and "tcoil". which i personally believe is wrong.
i gather that "speech in noise" is another program which can be set on the aid?
also the directional microphones that u speak of is that user set manually using the remote or set by an audi?

so basically what im gathering is that i should write all my issues down as i come across them so as to minimise my trips to the audi yet it still may take a few trips to perfect the sound?

im really hoping that this aid is the answer to my problems at least for another few years. Leo i see you say once they are FINALLY set right it is awesome and i am an optimist so im going to give it a fair go. change audi's too if i have to just to get that right noise.

 

[Wendy H]

Wendy,

You said the power isn't there? What aid do you have? I have the Naida V UP which has the highest power that Phonak carries. My loss is ski slope from 90 dB to 120 dB....and I have plenty of power.....

HI! I meant to say the power isn't in the Phonak analog as much as the Naida V UP.

I just got back from the audiologist and she made some more adjustments. I guess she had to reduce some of the power today to eliminate the hollow speech sounds (including mine) that I was hearing. It's a little better but after I walked out of the office and started my car, the warning sound for the seat belts is now fragmented and the same occurs when I whistle. Strange as that wasn't happening before. Could it be that the audiologist adjusted the hearing aid to a certain frequency that's causing the aid to cut off prolonged sounds intermittently? It's not affecting speech sounds though and that's a good thing.

My audiologist mentioned today that she will be calling Siemens to find out when their next super powered hearing aids are coming out. Thankfully, she mentioned that she doesn't want me to get stuck with a hearing aid that may not be right for me. It doesn't mean that I may not keep the Phonak Naida V UP. My next appointment is August 21st so I'll see what transpires.

I have not purchased the Icom or the FM system yet. I am discovering that the Naida V UP is probably going to end up having similar capabilities as the 1 year old Phonak that I wore before the Naida V UP (when I've completed all the adjustments, that is). I'm not sure but I think the audiologist has had to cut down the volume to eliminate the echo/ hollow-y/reverberating sounds I was hearing. My question now is will the use of the I-com and the FM system make a difference? That might affect my decision as to whether or not I should stick w/ the Naida V UP.

By the way, can't remember if I mentioned my hearing loss before but it's 90 dB @ 250 Hz, 100 dB @500 Hz, 90 dB @ 1k Hz, 85 dB @2k and then it goes up to 75 dB @8K. I have no hearing on my left ear at all.

Wendy

 

[ljjehl]

thanks for your help...
one thing i forgot to mention is that i am only using one naida 9 in my right ear because i have no hearing at all in my left, therefore i have no "zooming" option at all.
in fact my audi only set me two programs. "automatic" and "tcoil". which i personally believe is wrong.
i gather that "speech in noise" is another program which can be set on the aid?
also the directional microphones that u speak of is that user set manually using the remote or set by an audi?

so basically what im gathering is that i should write all my issues down as i come across them so as to minimise my trips to the audi yet it still may take a few trips to perfect the sound?

im really hoping that this aid is the answer to my problems at least for another few years. Leo i see you say once they are FINALLY set right it is awesome and i am an optimist so im going to give it a fair go. change audi's too if i have to just to get that right noise.

Sometimes, the audi is not familiar with the Phonak software, which makes it harder to configure the aids. If your audi does have trouble undertanding how to adjust the Naida, maybe you can ask if they can call for a Phonak rep to come down and adjust for him/her.

I'm not familiar with your hearing loss, but the Naida has more than Soundflow (automatic mode) and TCoil. You can have Calm, Speech in Noise, Tcoil, Tcoil + mic, Music, and even FM modes (if you have a FM transmitter/receiver) The Naida IX has 6 modes including SoundFlow, it does not hurt to have all the modes possible.

My setup for my Naida V UP is as follows:
Beeps
1: Speech in Noise
2: FM
3: FM + Mic
high/low: Music
melody: SoundFlow (auto)

I use the FM with my Smartlink SX and built-in FM receivers (ML10i)

You can use a remote to change the directionality of the Naidas, but I think it has to be configured first. I'm not really sure, as I do not have the MyPilot remote.

The reason for the manual programs is in case the auto function is being too quirky (bouncing between calm, noise and comfort modes) and you want consistency (Speech in Noise)

 

[ljjehl]

HI! I meant to say the power isn't in the Phonak analog as much as the Naida V UP.

I just got back from the audiologist and she made some more adjustments. I guess she had to reduce some of the power today to eliminate the hollow speech sounds (including mine) that I was hearing. It's a little better but after I walked out of the office and started my car, the warning sound for the seat belts is now fragmented and the same occurs when I whistle. Strange as that wasn't happening before. Could it be that the audiologist adjusted the hearing aid to a certain frequency that's causing the aid to cut off prolonged sounds intermittently? It's not affecting speech sounds though and that's a good thing.

My audiologist mentioned today that she will be calling Siemens to find out when their next super powered hearing aids are coming out. Thankfully, she mentioned that she doesn't want me to get stuck with a hearing aid that may not be right for me. It doesn't mean that I may not keep the Phonak Naida V UP. My next appointment is August 21st so I'll see what transpires.

I have not purchased the Icom or the FM system yet. I am discovering that the Naida V UP is probably going to end up having similar capabilities as the 1 year old Phonak that I wore before the Naida V UP (when I've completed all the adjustments, that is). I'm not sure but I think the audiologist has had to cut down the volume to eliminate the echo/ hollow-y/reverberating sounds I was hearing. My question now is will the use of the I-com and the FM system make a difference? That might affect my decision as to whether or not I should stick w/ the Naida V UP.

By the way, can't remember if I mentioned my hearing loss before but it's 90 dB @ 250 Hz, 100 dB @500 Hz, 90 dB @ 1k Hz, 85 dB @2k and then it goes up to 75 dB @8K. I have no hearing on my left ear at all.

Wendy

Whoops, so you have a reverse slope hearing loss........lows are terrible but the highs are a bit better....you then need more bassboost to help get the lows in range.....

You know, I've never had too much luck with Seimens......too many repairs.....hope you have a good warranty for it.....at least 3 years.....

I have a feeling your audi is not familiar in how to adjust the Phonak Naida. It takes a lot of patience to adjust these aids......so the more accurate the complaint information is, the better the configuration results. The Naida has the most power of all the aids I've heard on the market.....but I'm also now hearing that the Oticon Sumo DS (version spelling?) may be similar......

If you find out you will still get to keep the naida, be sure to ask your audi to call Phonak for help, may even have a rep come in town to adjust the aids. I've had a rep come in town about 5 times.....

Regarding your echo issues, I think part of the lows might have been lowered and highs raised...I remember having this issue.....if you have your audi simply use the automatic adjustments on their Phonak software, they should get the aids adjusted enough for the major complaints fixed and only minor issues to deal with (like program beep audibility or auto mode switching).

Let me know how all this goes regarding your adjustments......after you get your adjustments done, maybe you can ask for a hard copy of your Naida adjustments, so you can send me a scanned copy. I might be able to help you here or get someone I know to help you......

 

[ljjehl]

My question now is will the use of the I-com and the FM system make a difference? That might affect my decision as to whether or not I should stick w/ the Naida V UP

Are you planning to have both? I have used the Smartlink SX and it works great in certain circumstances ( group of people in crowded restaurant, meeting with 20 people, etc.....)

I didn't like the iCom because of having to carry it on my neck all the time....the Smartlink is in a cell phone holster right next to my cell......

 

[MaxWho]

Hi, newbie here. I'm getting a set of IX in a few weeks. I understand the problem with having to wear the iCom over using the Smartlink. BUT ids there any reason to have the Smartlink if I am not going to use FM? Thanks in advance for all replies.

Are you planning to have both? I have used the Smartlink SX and it works great in certain circumstances ( group of people in crowded restaurant, meeting with 20 people, etc.....)

I didn't like the iCom because of having to carry it on my neck all the time....the Smartlink is in a cell phone holster right next to my cell......

 

[ljjehl]

Hi, newbie here. I'm getting a set of IX in a few weeks. I understand the problem with having to wear the iCom over using the Smartlink. BUT ids there any reason to have the Smartlink if I am not going to use FM? Thanks in advance for all replies.

Nope.....the Smartlink SX is extremely expensive if you are going to buy it, but if you can get a government agency to get it for free, then go for it!! The Smartlink SX may be FM, but it also has bluetooth capability. It also has a removeable lanyard if you do need to carry it on your neck.

The iCom is stereo while the Smartlink Sx is mono. I personally can't tell the difference when I listen to music....probably because of my profound hearing loss.....

You will have an easier time connecting the iCom to bluetooth devices though.....sometimes the Smartlink can be a pain to connect, for example....I use the Smartlink to connect to my musicplayer on my cell phone. I have to install sound redirection software to redirect the sounds from the external speaker to the hearing aids....not an issue for me (computer geek), but it can be for others....

 

[Wendy H]

Naida V UP I Com? Smartlink X?

Are you planning to have both? I have used the Smartlink SX and it works great in certain circumstances ( group of people in crowded restaurant, meeting with 20 people, etc.....)

I didn't like the iCom because of having to carry it on my neck all the time....the Smartlink is in a cell phone holster right next to my cell......

I am so not tech savvy. In fact, the latest technology available intimidates the heck out of me. As a veteran teacher, It's daunting for me to learn to use the SMARTboard that's currently in my classroom with the computer! Question: what is the biggest difference between the I-Com and the Smartlinx (aside from the huge price difference).

Teacher meetings at my site are rather large and since there's another deaf teacher that works there, there's an interpreter available. So I rely on the interpreter. Although I have intelligible speech, I don't use the phone as much in the last few years because e mail and texting have become very handy. However, as my parents age (they're currently in their early 80's) I think they are not going to want to e mail me as often and they are going to want to talk via phone. Hence, the primary reason I'm looking into the use of the I-Com w/ the Naida V UP.

I am discovering that w/ all the latest adjustments made to my Naida V UP, the adjustments are extremely close to my 1 year old analog Phonak hearing aid.

Hmmmm ...

Wendy

 

[Wendy H]

Naida V UP adjustments

For example, if I select Calm situations, Speech in Quiet, I have the options: "too loud, too soft, too bright, dull-muffled, hollow-tinny, hollow-boomy, echoing-reverberating, not sufficiently intelligible, /s/ inaudible, and too much lisping". If you have the echo problem, the audi will select "echoing-reverberating" and press the "Do It" button.

Hope this helps!![/QUOTE]

As soon as I used the word "hollow" to my audiologist, she knew exactly what to adjust yesterday. That helped big time! I am continuing to write down all the hearing situations on a pad so that we can continue to work with this. Thanks for your continued assistance!

-Wendy

 

[ljjehl]

For example, if I select Calm situations, Speech in Quiet, I have the options: "too loud, too soft, too bright, dull-muffled, hollow-tinny, hollow-boomy, echoing-reverberating, not sufficiently intelligible, /s/ inaudible, and too much lisping". If you have the echo problem, the audi will select "echoing-reverberating" and press the "Do It" button.

Hope this helps!!

As soon as I used the word "hollow" to my audiologist, she knew exactly what to adjust yesterday. That helped big time! I am continuing to write down all the hearing situations on a pad so that we can continue to work with this. Thanks for your continued assistance!

-Wendy[/QUOTE]

Awesome!! I tell you, audiologists DO not always understand what we are trying to explain....but if we meet them halfway and give them the key word they need to hear that corresponds to what we think our situation is, the faster they fix it.....

I'm lucky to be able to know some of this, because I have the software to look at....since I'm technologically savvy, I know what to see in software. It really is a one, two, three type of thing...but if things have to be manually adjusted, only a technologically savvy audiologist can help you here, as they have to know the software as well as how the sounds present themselves on an graphic equalizer setting.

 

[ljjehl]

The FM receivers are Phonak ML10i and are added to be "built-in", meaning the battery compartment is also the receiver.

The Smartlink can be used for bluetooth, but the difference is Smartlink connects as "mono" sounds and iCom connects as "stereo". I can't tell the difference though, because of my profound hearing loss.

The iCom is the latest offering, but Smartlink SX is not. I hear Phonak may have a second generation of Smartlink (Smartlink 2??) that has better bluetooth capabilities.

You can also connect to your computer via cables or a bluetooth receiver (on computer) to listen to audio sounds also.

Here's the link to the newest Smartlink group: InteractiveDynamicFMtool Adults

I do not see much more info, I guess because it is supposed to be coming out this month....

There are a few more extras that help, including "SoftLanding technology" and "Bluetooth A2DP support for wireless MP3 player synchronization". That was my biggest quirk...too noisy when dropping on surface because of the sensitive microphones....and having to redirect my mp3 player speaker connection to aids by third party software on my cell phone.

 

[ref74]

I hope not tobe OT.
My son, 22 month old, with a profound hearing loss, is using HAs for about 4 weeks. We got the Phonak Naida V UP Jr., under suggestion of our audiologist.
My impression is that things are going the right way, since we notice several improvements in his ability to catch sounds.
Reading your posts, I understand that tuning a digital HA is a pretty difficult job, there is the need of several sessions, time to get habit and practice, and the final result may vary significantly for a small change in one single parameter.
My concern is, how is it possible to make such devices to work really at their best (or at least decently well) for a small kid, whose audiogram is not completely clear yet and who cannot explain his impressions and preferences?

 

[MaxWho]

Thank You

Thanks for the link to the new SmartLink+ as I was unable to find it.

Here's the link to the newest Smartlink group: InteractiveDynamicFMtool Adults

I do not see much more info, I guess because it is supposed to be coming out this month....

There are a few more extras that help, including "SoftLanding technology" and "Bluetooth A2DP support for wireless MP3 player synchronization". That was my biggest quirk...too noisy when dropping on surface because of the sensitive microphones....and having to redirect my mp3 player speaker connection to aids by third party software on my cell phone.

 

[Wendy H]

Awesome!! I tell you, audiologists DO not always understand what we are trying to explain....but if we meet them halfway and give them the key word they need to hear that corresponds to what we think our situation is, the faster they fix it.....

I'm lucky to be able to know some of this, because I have the software to look at....since I'm technologically savvy, I know what to see in software. It really is a one, two, three type of thing...but if things have to be manually adjusted, only a technologically savvy audiologist can help you here, as they have to know the software as well as how the sounds present themselves on an graphic equalizer setting.[/QUOTE]

Hi Leo, I have another appt. this Friday w/ the audiologist. At the last appt., she was able to reduce that 'hollow' sound. However, that sound is still there but not much. I will be asking the audiologist to see if she could eliminate that quality. In the last week that I've had the Phonak Naida V, I still find that the clarity isn't there. I know the audiologist will be asking for specific info. I'm bouncing ideas off of your head as to how I can further explain what I am hearing and what I need to hear. If I said the 'brightness' and the 'crispness' of sounds isn't there, I'm not sure that will be sufficient info. Your thoughts? I continue to find that I have to make efforts to understand people. Environmental sounds are fine.

Question: were you able to get the Phonak Naida V UP to perform equally or similar to your previous hearing aids? Prior to the Phonak Naida V UP, what did you use?

I wish the audiologist could program the Naida V to perform similarly to my analog aids which is a Phonak SuperFront. The sounds are definitely more crisp and there's no hollowness in the analog aid that I'm hearing with the Phonak Naida V.

I'm getting a little frustrated but I know I need to continue returning to the audiologist to get this right. From your feedback, it certainly sounds like the Naida could be programmed to work similarly to our analog aids and better!!!
I'm not getting that yet.

Wendy

 

[ljjehl]

Awesome!! I tell you, audiologists DO not always understand what we are trying to explain....but if we meet them halfway and give them the key word they need to hear that corresponds to what we think our situation is, the faster they fix it.....

I'm lucky to be able to know some of this, because I have the software to look at....since I'm technologically savvy, I know what to see in software. It really is a one, two, three type of thing...but if things have to be manually adjusted, only a technologically savvy audiologist can help you here, as they have to know the software as well as how the sounds present themselves on an graphic equalizer setting.

Hi Leo, I have another appt. this Friday w/ the audiologist. At the last appt., she was able to reduce that 'hollow' sound. However, that sound is still there but not much. I will be asking the audiologist to see if she could eliminate that quality. In the last week that I've had the Phonak Naida V, I still find that the clarity isn't there. I know the audiologist will be asking for specific info. I'm bouncing ideas off of your head as to how I can further explain what I am hearing and what I need to hear. If I said the 'brightness' and the 'crispness' of sounds isn't there, I'm not sure that will be sufficient info. Your thoughts? I continue to find that I have to make efforts to understand people. Environmental sounds are fine.

Question: were you able to get the Phonak Naida V UP to perform equally or similar to your previous hearing aids? Prior to the Phonak Naida V UP, what did you use?

I wish the audiologist could program the Naida V to perform similarly to my analog aids which is a Phonak SuperFront. The sounds are definitely more crisp and there's no hollowness in the analog aid that I'm hearing with the Phonak Naida V.

I'm getting a little frustrated but I know I need to continue returning to the audiologist to get this right. From your feedback, it certainly sounds like the Naida could be programmed to work similarly to our analog aids and better!!!
I'm not getting that yet.

Wendy[/QUOTE]

Here's my answers:

At the last appt., she was able to reduce that 'hollow' sound. However, that sound is still there but not much. I will be asking the audiologist to see if she could eliminate that quality. In the last week that I've had the Phonak Naida V, I still find that the clarity isn't there. I know the audiologist will be asking for specific info. I'm bouncing ideas off of your head as to how I can further explain what I am hearing and what I need to hear. If I said the 'brightness' and the 'crispness' of sounds isn't there, I'm not sure that will be sufficient info. Your thoughts?

It sounds as if you need to try to say hollow again, as the audi must not tried to adjust enough....yes this can be done more than once...I have had it done...BUT....you need to explain what program you were in when you have this issue, also. Each program has it's separate situations that have problems...it's kind of hard to say it here...a lot to add here...

Question: were you able to get the Phonak Naida V UP to perform equally or similar to your previous hearing aids? Prior to the Phonak Naida V UP, what did you use?

I used to have the Seimens Triano SP. This was my first digital aid. This aid had a background reducing technology that was good....BUT...the Phonak Naida blows it out of the water now. I can have the noise and wind suppression do better than the Triano ever did....especially that my hearing is worse now...

I just came back from having my midrange increased (as a recommendation from Mike from Hearing Aids and Rehabilitation of Tampa Bay ) . He is a Phonak fanatic and hearing aid dispenser that suggested I increase my TK midrange and MPO (Max Power Output). Maybe it's possible he can give you some extra help that I can't see from reading here.....He has helped clarify my hearing when it didn't seem it could be done.... Just send him an email, maybe he can be able to help!! Here's some of his excerpts from HearingAidForums.com Hearing Aid Forums | Hearing Loss | Hearing Aids

By the way, the only problem I have currently is the EasyFM is causing my aids to make beeping noises when I talk loudly and suddenly, or listen to someone do the same. My FM transmitter was never on when it happens. Anybody out there that had the same situation with Phonak aids??