How much better are hearing aids today than in 2004-2005?

Some digitals do take a while to 'boot up' if you will. The pair i just got seems to do that. My Sumos turn on right away when I close the battery door (no mute or off/on button).
 
I had my start up delay turned off as I didn't like it. Not sure about other hearing aids but my Phonaks can have it turned off.
 
All of these digital devices take some time to 'boot' -- even the Naida with the delay turned off takes about 6 seconds to make tones and start amplifying sounds. The extra added delay option is for old people who turn it on then put the hearing aid in their ear. Who does that, seriously? I put the HA on, then snap the battery door closed.

Anyway, it takes time to boot these because
1) Embedded software engineering is hard, and rarely are top tier engineers hired. It's likely that a team of engineers is going to have modules written by a bunch of different people and some will be worse than others.

2) Today's hearing aids are far more sophisticated than old ones, a lot of processing is going on and it takes some time to initialize all of the software modules.

3) Most modern hearing aids have data logging and it takes some time to load the previous set of data and restore the intermediate values to memor. This is necessary to avoid discontinuities in data logging graphs.

All in all I would estimate that the boot time is probably 3 to 4 seconds longer than it needs to be. The question is, how many engineers are HA manufacturers going to dedicate to removing startup delay vs implenting new features? I would imagine most people would choose extra features over waiting a couple extra seconds.

Analog aids start instantaneously because they are literally just a microphone hooked up to a programmable filterbank hooked up to a feedback control circuit hooked up to an amplifier.
 
hazridi said:
All of these digital devices take some time to 'boot' -- even the Naida with the delay turned off takes about 6 seconds to make tones and start amplifying sounds. The extra added delay option is for old people who turn it on then put the hearing aid in their ear. Who does that, seriously? I put the HA on, then snap the battery door closed.

Anyway, it takes time to boot these because
1) Embedded software engineering is hard, and rarely are top tier engineers hired. It's likely that a team of engineers is going to have modules written by a bunch of different people and some will be worse than others.

2) Today's hearing aids are far more sophisticated than old ones, a lot of processing is going on and it takes some time to initialize all of the software modules.

3) Most modern hearing aids have data logging and it takes some time to load the previous set of data and restore the intermediate values to memor. This is necessary to avoid discontinuities in data logging graphs.

All in all I would estimate that the boot time is probably 3 to 4 seconds longer than it needs to be. The question is, how many engineers are HA manufacturers going to dedicate to removing startup delay vs implenting new features? I would imagine most people would choose extra features over waiting a couple extra seconds.

Analog aids start instantaneously because they are literally just a microphone hooked up to a programmable filterbank hooked up to a feedback control circuit hooked up to an amplifier.
Click to expand...

As a 71 year old woman I find what I have added the bold to in the quote of your post insulting! Age has nothing to do with it. Just because someone is a certain age does NOT mean that they do things one way or the other.
 
Jane B. said:
As a 71 year old woman I find what I have added the bold to in the quote of your post insulting! Age has nothing to do with it. Just because someone is a certain age does NOT mean that they do things one way or the other.
Click to expand...

That is true. It might make more sense to say people with mobility and dexterity problems.

My stepmother is 90 and can put on her hearing aids in the blink of an eye. But that would also be due to long experience since she became hoh from scarlet fever as a child.

The older people with problems like that are often suffering age related deafness, and have little experience handling hearing aids.
 
I am not old and I sometimes turn my hearing aid on before putting it on. It's a PAIN IN THE ASS to manipulate the thing with the battery door hanging open, shove it into the ear then re-seat the battery door closed! So yes I like the delay or at least a fecking switch that mutes/turns off the device!
 
hazridi said:
The extra added delay option is for old people who turn it on then put the hearing aid in their ear. Who does that, seriously? I put the HA on, then snap the battery door closed.

Anyway, it takes time to boot these because...
Click to expand...
We're old and stupid!

Jane B. said:
As a 71 year old woman I find what I have added the bold to in the quote of your post insulting! Age has nothing to do with it. Just because someone is a certain age does NOT mean that they do things one way or the other.
Click to expand...
Yep, kinda bothered me a bit too. I am no spring chicken at 61, but I bet my mind is sharper than many of these younger folks that makes comments like that. ;)

Because of that delay, I do push the battery door on as soon as I pick it up as by the time I put it on, it is almost on. Otherwise people who see me put it on think I hear as soon as I do. It saves time too... how stupid is that???


Now on the funny side:
hazridi said:
Anyway, it takes time to boot these because...
Click to expand...
Pick one:
* I'm forgetful and might forget to turn it on.
* It takes my brain that long to register.
* Gives me time to think if it is on or not.
* The HA has to wake up.
:laugh2:
 
DeafDucky said:
I am not old and I sometimes turn my hearing aid on before putting it on. It's a PAIN IN THE ASS to manipulate the thing with the battery door hanging open, shove it into the ear then re-seat the battery door closed! So yes I like the delay or at least a fecking switch that mutes/turns off the device!
Click to expand...

LOL I feel that too since I sometime have my hair get caught in the battery door! (maybe I should go Chilli)
 
The reason for the start up delay is so you can turn the HA's on and get them in your ears before they start with feedback. Your audi can turn off the delay and eliminate the chimes if you want them turned off.
 
NaidaUP said:
I had my start up delay turned off as I didn't like it. Not sure about other hearing aids but my Phonaks can have it turned off.
Click to expand...

Well I took my hearing aid into Bates College where they train people in the hearing technology. (Its free) They said the feedback was from dirty filters, two of them and the tube was getting hard. Boy what a big difference that made! Sounds like new again... so it will last me a couple more years before I need a new one. Also, they said it takes software to adjust the delay, so as soon as they get it, they will fix mine. Indeed, they said it was the older folks who took their time putting the hearing aids on, hence the delay. It is two groups of older folks. Ones like me who had HA all my life, no problem, goes right on... it is the baby boomers who are losing their hearing who take too long putting the HA on as it is a new experience for them. So the person a couple of us were chewing on for picking on older folks was half right after all... Also they said technology advances so quickly like the smartphones that HA improve a lot every year now. So I may start looking into a new one.

This is where I took mine today:
Bates Technical College: Hearing Clinic

This is the actual training class:
Hearing Instrument Technology

They will do all tests and recommend the proper hearing aid for you and even order it for you at cost, quite a bit lower than what your hearing provider will charge you. So check you local community college for that type of service.
 
Last edited:
jack55 said:
Well I took my hearing aid into Bates College where they train people in the hearing technology. (Its free) They said the feedback was from dirty filters, two of them and the tube was getting hard. Boy what a big difference that made! Sounds like new again... so it will last me a couple more years. Also, they said it takes software to adjust the delay, so as soon as they get it, they will fix mine. Indeed, they said it was the older folks who took their time putting the hearing aids on, hence the delay. It is two groups of older folks. Ones like me who had HA all my life, no problem, goes right on... it is the baby boomers who are losing their hearing who take too long putting the HA on as it is a new experience for them. So the person a couple of us were chewing on for picking on older folks was half right after all... Also they said technology advances so quickly like the smartphones that HA improve a lot every year now. So I may start looking into a new one.

This is where I took mine today:
Bates Technical College: Hearing Clinic

This is the actual training class:
Hearing Instrument Technology

They will do all tests and recommend the proper hearing aid for you and even order it for you at cost, quite a bit lower than what your hearing provider will charge you. So check you local community college for that type of service.
Click to expand...

:shock: what hearing aids do you have?! I change my filters roughly every 5 months and my tubing every 2 months otherwise sound is seriously affected and I get a ton of feedback! :shock:
 
NaidaUP said:
:shock: what hearing aids do you have?! I change my filters roughly every 5 months and my tubing every 2 months otherwise sound is seriously affected and I get a ton of feedback! :shock:
Click to expand...
PHONAK OK! Plus UP
Yep affects sound/feedback bigtime.
So you have to change the tubing every 2 months?
When I said it will last me a couple more years, I meant before I have to get a new HA.

They told me to come back no later than 6 months or sooner when I first notice drop off. That sound drop up sneaks up on you, the feedback don't.
 
Oh cool! I've got a back up pair of Phonak Ok! Plus UPs and if it wasn't for SoundRelax feature on my Naida S IX UPs, the Phonak Ok! Plus UPs would actually sound better even tho they are so much cheaper. Weird how things work out. The more expensive hearing aids are not actually always better.


Sent from my iPhone using AllDeaf
 
Oh there is no such thing as software for the Phonak Ok! Plus UPs as they are set via a screwdriver so your start up delay won't be able to be changed.


Sent from my iPhone using AllDeaf
 
NaidaUP said:
Oh there is no such thing as software for the Phonak Ok! Plus UPs as they are set via a screwdriver so your start up delay won't be able to be changed.


Sent from my iPhone using AllDeaf
Click to expand...

Strange... they told me there is software that came out since the HA came out.
Maybe they don't know about this particular HA?
I tried several more expensive HA's before settling on the PHONAK OK! Plus UP
Couldn't tell if they were better or not, seemed the same, so why pay more?
Maybe with my severe hearing loss, I might not notice?

I'm 61 lifelong deafness w/total loss in right and profound in the left.
Hearing loss range is between 90db/100db.
 
?? you can change your own filters??

Tubing I know I can change- if i ever get my own income again I plan to start doing my own tubing and also get those protective things (Super Seals and EarGear- still floored on the expense of them both...).
 
DeafDucky said:
?? you can change your own filters??

Tubing I know I can change- if i ever get my own income again I plan to start doing my own tubing and also get those protective things (Super Seals and EarGear- still floored on the expense of them both...).
Click to expand...

Yes it's dead easy!

[ame]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HbUURSjWIgI[/ame]
 
jack55 said:
Strange... they told me there is software that came out since the HA came out.
Maybe they don't know about this particular HA?
I tried several more expensive HA's before settling on the PHONAK OK! Plus UP
Couldn't tell if they were better or not, seemed the same, so why pay more?
Maybe with my severe hearing loss, I might not notice?

I'm 61 lifelong deafness w/total loss in right and profound in the left.
Hearing loss range is between 90db/100db.
Click to expand...

I have 115db plus hearing loss and I agree the Phonak Ok! Plus UP is actually a very good hearing aid even tho it's very cheap.

There is so software so I would say the people don't know this type of HA and just assume it has software to it.

Here's how you fit the Phonak Ok! Plus UPs
http://www.phonak.com/content/dam/phonak/gc_us/Documents/Product/OK_Plus_Fitting_Guide.pdf
 
Back
Top