Crazedscot

I was wondering if anyone knows for sure if different types of batteries can actually affect the sound quality with a cochlear implant, specifically an Esprit 22. I swear the sound's a lot more tinny with Rayovac batteries than it is with PowerOne types. Rayovacs only seem to last half as long as well. Must be the superior German engineering!

Deafness

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Hear Again

This varies from CI user to CI user.

In my experience, I find that Power One Implant Plus batteries have a much clearer sound quality than other brands like Duracell and Energizer.

As for battery life, I've definitely noticed a difference between brands. I've been told that I have high power maps, so my audi recommends I use Power One Implant Plus. In comparing Power One Implant Plus batteries to other brands like Duracell and Energizer, the Power One Implant Plus batteries last me several days longer.

Having said that, I know other CI users who have reported longer battery life with Zenipower batteries compared to Power One Implant Plus.

jhayden

I am using Power One Implant Plus batteries since my insurance will in part pay for it under the durable medical equipment rider that I have with my insurance policy. The Power One Implant Plus is designed with work with those that with high power maps and the batteries and may not last as long with lower power maps in a few cases when compared with other batteries. The Power One Implant Plus is not the only manufacture of high current capable batteries. I have read a study stating that batteries can make a difference in sound quality but I do not see a reason for anyone that wants to try different battery manufactures to see what can deliver good sound quality at a lower cost, for example. I know that Zenipower do make a high power version as well but I have no idea how it compares with Power One Implant Plus but I am sure that I do just fine with the German batteries and cheaper as well.

Hear Again

When you say "high power version," are you referring to Zenipower batteries that are made specifically for CIs?

When I purchased Zenipower batteries as recently as a few months ago, the packaging didn't indicate anything about being "high power" -- only that they were made for CIs.

R2D2

I've used both Zenipower and Power One. I couldn't tell any difference apart from the fact that Zenipower is cheaper and seems to last longer.

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Left ear implanted 9th June 2006 Activated 29th June 2006
Right ear implanted 31st August 2007 Activated 18th September Both Nucleus Freedom

Cochlear implant myths

Hear Again

I just checked microbattery.com at: Watch Batteries, Hearing Aid Batteries, Cochlear Implant Batteries, Lithium and Sealed Lead Acid batteries, Battery Chargers and the description for Zenipower batteries indicates that they are "high power." I never noticed that before...

neecy

I prefer Power One as well.

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Friends are angels that lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.

jhayden

Yes the implant version 675P is high power and the package even said extra high power and the standard power is 675 without the P at the end. The web site you mention even have a trial package of all the cochlear batteries they sell.

John

sr171soars

Thank you! I was debating on going that route (Zenipower) to save money when I needed to order more batteries. I can't believe that I still have over a year left of all the free batteries I got from two plus years ago. Wow, some of us have it good in life...

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But trailing clouds of glory till He comes...

Foolishness is not a virtue

Hear Again

One piece of advice for new CI users: Don't sacrifice good hearing for better battery life. I've heard of a few CI users who tried switching processing speeds (for example, switching from ACE at 1200 Hz to 900 Hz) so they could obtain improved battery life only to discover that they couldn't hear as well.

DeafSCUBA98

so does that apply to freedom user? I cannot change the HZ unless i see an audiologist.

i remember i complained to the audiologist.. that nucleus says have a battery life of up to 5 days... and i only get 3 days.. so she changed the program and now i get mostly 5 days sometimes 6... and am having hard time hearing some quiet whispers or so.

but i don't know if she (my audiologist) changed the HZ.

by the way i use power one implant plus and love it since.

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Nucleus Freedom 04/18/05
activiated 05/16/05

Hear Again

I wish I were in your shoes. When I use Power One or Zenipower batteries with my Freedom processors, they only last me 2 days. When I use Power One Implant Plus batteries, they last me 3 days.

I know a CI user who uses SPEAK. She receives 14 days of battery power and is still going through batteries she received back in 2004.

jhayden

I agree with you, do not sacrifice good hearing for better battery life. Another point with batteries is that batteries has to be constancy with each other otherwise you will only have the battery life of the weakest battery in the group. I am using 1200 on Ace and have one program that's 1800 ACE but that program has a 40% hit on battery life. Usually with the Freedom they start users on 900 but in short time I did not like it and I am much happier on 1200 Ace. But everyone is different and some people can not handle higher speeds. I getting a battery life of 3 to 4 days depending on how much noise or music in my environment.

neecy

I'd love to be able to get the rechargeable battery packs, but the initial cost is just TOOO expen$ive.

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Hear Again

deafscuba,

Yes, that advice applies to all Cochlear CI users.

You might want to let your audi know that you're not hearing high frequencies as well as you used to.

An audi student at my CI center unknowingly switched me from ACE 900 Hz to 1200 Hz. I didn't realize what had happened until I started having more difficulty understanding speech. High frequencies in music also sounded off-key.

When I explained this to my audi, she noticed that my Hz had been changed and switched me back to 900 Hz. Once I was switched back, I was able to hear much better and music sounded "normal" once again.

You might also try using Whisper on your Freedom -- Whisper is designed to emphasize soft speech.

DeafSCUBA98

same with me.... those who opt for it at their newly implant gets them by insurance. wish my insurance would cover it.

but i think the only cons with it is you had to charge it daily.

__________________


Nucleus Freedom 04/18/05
activiated 05/16/05

Hear Again

I happen to have the rechargeable battery pack (a friend paid for mine as a gift last month), but I haven't had the opportunity to use it yet. I need to have my CI audi explain how to insert and remove the battery from the battery charger. I'd try it myself, but given its expense, I don't want to damage the battery.

sr171soars

Good advice. Without thinking about that issue early on, I was bouncing between 2400 Hz and 1800 Hz. I had no problem staying with 2400 Hz but I found that 1800 Hz was a little better for me. Later on, I realized the impact that had on my battery life. Whew! You are absolutely correct that good hearing trumps battery life any day. If I liked 2400 Hz better, I would definitely stayed with it but my battery life would have gone south. Oh well, one really can't put a price tag on hearing.

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But trailing clouds of glory till He comes...

Foolishness is not a virtue

Hear Again

sr171soars,

Yes, sometimes it takes a little trial and error.

I never had the opportunity to try 2400 Hz or 1800 Hz.
My former CI audi (who left the field last year) told me most people do well with 900 Hz, so that's what many audis start people with.

I tried 1200 Hz at 3 months post activation (1st CI) and found that I couldn't make heads or tails out of what I was hearing. Everything I heard sounded extremely high pitched and distorted. This just goes to show that we are all different and what works well for one person may not work for another.

I thought about asking my audi if I could try 2400 and 1800 Hz just out of curiosity, but changed my mind since I'm hearing quite well with 900 Hz. As the saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

sr171soars

Hear Again,

As we are discussing CI frequencies, I just pass along what my Audi said about it. She had only one person who liked 2400 Hz and one or two that liked 1800 Hz (of which I'm one of those), a several that liked 1200 Hz and the rest on 900 Hz. I believe the fact that I was in the trials for the Freedom allowed us to experiment with the various Hz speeds on me. This was mainly because I had frequent mappings for the trials. I'm glad I got a chance at the 2400 Hz and I wouldn't mind trying that again just to see how I like it. I suspect I probably do fine with it. My brain just loves speed. Ohhhh, I wanted to experience that yesterday...

If I recall, she started using 900 Hz right off the bat a year or so after I started with mine. This was after she started noticing that a great majority of her patients preferred 900 Hz. Only once in a while does she increase it for those that she thinks would benefit from it.

__________________
But trailing clouds of glory till He comes...

Foolishness is not a virtue

Hear Again

about your brain loving speed.

When you were in trials, did your audi let you know what processing speed you were using? I know someone who was in trials for the HiRes 90K and her audi didn't tell her anything about the processing speeds she was using (paired and sequential) since this had the potential to skew/bias the results.

I wonder how audis determine whether a person will benefit from higher vs. slower speeds (aside from a person describing what they hear with a given processing speed)? Might it have something to do with a person's hearing history?

Based on the CI users I know, most people with short-term deafness prefer high speeds while those with long-term deafness prefer slower speeds. (Of course, there are always exceptions.)

sr171soars

I think she told me and started me off with 1200 Hz. She really wanted to know what I thought of it. After several mappings, she boosted me to 1800 Hz and a little while later she put me at 2400 Hz. The fact I took off from the first indicated to her that I could handle higher speeds.

Good question. It probably has a lot to do with a person's history but I do also believe how well one responds to the mapping indicates a bit as well.

I never heard that one but I can agree with the idea. While I always was HOH from the beginning, I think the fact that I was exceptional in understanding speech was the clincher why higher speeds would work for me.

__________________
But trailing clouds of glory till He comes...

Foolishness is not a virtue

Hear Again

While I always was HOH from the beginning, I think the fact that I was exceptional in understanding speech was the clincher why higher speeds would work for me.
__________________

In my case, I was diagnosed with a mild hearing loss at age 3 (although my former HA and current CI audi think it may be congenital due to the fact that newborns weren't given hearing screenings in the late 60's/early 70's).

By age 15, I received my first pair of BTE hearing aids for a moderately-severe loss.

9 years later my hearing dropped to severe-profound at which time I began to learn alternative communication and mobility techniques for the deafblind.

In December, 1994 I received my first CI and a year later, my second.

I don't know if my inability to understand speech (with HAs and a Comtek FM system) for 4 out of the 10 years I had severe-profound hearing loss had anything to do with the fact that I couldn't use a faster processing speed. I might ask my audi about that to find out what the experiences of her patients has been.

jag

Well my expericence with different hz is if they change it I can tell. The higher the speed the more echoy and harder it is from me to hear. I need to crank up the V, my brain seems to prefer the 750. It will tolerate the 900 and given a few days might adapte to 1200 but I really don't 'like' it. So if your processing speed had changed you should have been aware of it. It just sounds different.

Oh and just to add, my hearing loss at time of implantation was severe and never quite got into the profound range.

Nesmuth

The lady who works in our office has an older BTE CI and she changes the batteries every 2-3 days. We happen to supply her the Duracell AA batteries she uses.

Richard

jwdudley

In all of my 40 years experience with Rayovac, they have been outstanding in quality. And now ever more with the new 1.45 volt cochlear battery.

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drphil

I have rechargeable batteries-Advanced Bionics- use one for about 14 hours. The other 3 are being recharged all the time.
The advantage-I guess-of having a model at ear level.


Implanted Sunnybrook/Toronto Advanced Bionics-Harmony activated Aug/07

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Get Real:Implanted Sunnybrook/Toronto -Advanced Bionics-Harmony activated Aug/07

northernsydney

The best hearing aid batteries are surprisingly affordable, and in some cases, with up to date consumer information on hearing aids, you may be able to get them free!