what brand of CI do you have ?

[SCBassist]

How did you make the choice of Harmony, I'm sure you researched alot but you never are sure.

I think this thread is very important for people looking for real info to make an informed choice.

Look at the specs literature, I find experience stories a bit biased. I didn't go with the flow of preferences, I based my decision on what works best for my hearing needs & lifestyle. Good Luck!

 

[kc]

Look at the specs literature, I find experience stories a bit biased. I didn't go with the flow of preferences, I based my decision on what works best for my hearing needs & lifestyle. Good Luck!

That's exactly the info I was looking for several months ago when looking for a device, but even a biased opinion is much better, than a statement of "I like the freedom etc."

Thanks for sharing, I'm still very new at this, and only doing fair at this point, but to put even small tidbits out there to help someone in the window shopping phase would be nice.

Again thanks much

 

[R2D2]

New to CI and this forum, one month

I chose the AB Harmony, like everyone with a CI I looked for months for opinions on a device, didn't find a great deal on this forum or others, was mainly looking for reasons why one chooses one device over another, wanted user info rather than marketing hype.

Some here were interested in AB hi res so was I, asked two audi's about freedom vs harmony both said performance was equal, the ENT had no preference as far as ease of implant. So it came down to me if all things between the two we indeed equal I would go with the Harmony because of the Hi res, just incase there may be a small advantage.

From the looks of both, to me, the freedom had much better controls, program select and volume.

One thing that was a big factor in selection was the AB t-mic, looks not too cool but may prove to be very useful.

Welcome! Interesting what you said about the AB t-mic. Are you saying that it makes all phones T compatible? I can see how that might be an advantage if you were in say, a job where you were moving around a lot and had to use a lot of different phones. For me though, I always have my trusty cell phone and with the telecoil setting on the Freedom, I get no interference and the clarity is superb. I also occasionally work at a school where they have a telephone system and I seem to be able to hear well on that too. I haven't come across too many phones that are not T compatible but I can see the advantage in being able to access every phone. Does the T-mic work on other things as well apart from phones e.g. MP3 players?

 

[jag]

Harmony from Advanced Bionics. Sound has more depth, very close to the real thing, I love it! I play bass in a band and my ability to perceive a high resolution of sound is just beyond comprehension! PLUS, no HA batteries to deal with!

I have the freedom and concider the sound to be natual. And I played the trumpet and baritone in band way back when so do know what natual sound is. The freedom actually gives me more of the pitches I misses which were the lower tones.

Any of the CI's will do more then any HA can. All will eventually sound natural to the person wearing them, espeically if that person has a good auditory memory.

I don't mind the batteries.

 

[ismi]

R2D2: The T-mic is (I think) a bit of a misnomer. II don't know how the Freedom works, but the Harmony (and Auria before it) 'adds functions' by changing ear hooks. So I have one ear hook that works with a DAI-type cable, one that works with FM, etc. The T-mic is another ear hook that places the microphone down in the shell part of the ear, right by the outside of the ear canal. In theory, this takes advantage of the ear's shape to focus on sound in front of the wearer, instead of taking in everything.

I think it also has a t-coil in it so you can use a phone or headset with the ear piece against your ear, instead of holding it on top of the ear like with a hearing aid. But the Harmony also has a t-coil in the body of the processor, so the only real change is where the sound comes in from.

My audiologist says her patients almost unanimously love it. There is a regular ear hook as well. I'm finding the t-mic useful for keeping the processor on, though, even if I'm not hearing enough to notice if it makes a difference in the sound!

 

[R2D2]

Thanks for explaining that Ismi - that does make sense and I can see how it might work well for many phone styles. Do you have to put it on everytime you use the phone or do some people walk around with the T-mic ear hook screwed on permanently?

I deliberately got a clam shell style cell phone that folds out mainly because the microphone is at the top of the phone and it fits in nicely with the position of the microphone on the speech processor. So I don't have to do any adjusting apart from pressing the T-coil button but if they stop making them then I'll have to think of a solution!

Does the Harmony also have telecoil mixing? That is when you have both telecoil and normal sounds. It's useful if you like to be able to hear your own voice or talk to others in the room when making the phone call and have the sounds from the phone as clear and distinct as with normal telecoil.

 

[SCBassist]

I have the freedom and concider the sound to be natual. And I played the trumpet and baritone in band way back when so do know what natual sound is. The freedom actually gives me more of the pitches I misses which were the lower tones.

Any of the CI's will do more then any HA can. All will eventually sound natural to the person wearing them, espeically if that person has a good auditory memory.

I don't mind the batteries.

Thats where I'm driving at, and its great to hear its working for you. I work with sounds at the low end of the scale, the Harmony definitely gives me the depth perception when mixed in with other instruments. Its great!

 

[ismi]

Most people use the t-mic as their standard mic - because it's right in the ear, it sort of creates a focused 'beam' to gather sound from. (The physicist in me hates that analogy - it's all backwards - but it works.) And now I'm doing some looking, I'm not sure the t-mmic has a tcoil after all. Bummer.

It does have mixing, though. I think. *sigh* The documentation for hearing aids and CIs has always been less specific than I would like. Where's the tech specs, guys?

 

[Boult]

R2D2 and ismi

this is for Auria BTE
BionicEar.com - Harmony Cochlear Implant by Advanced Bionics

or

BionicEar.com - Harmony Cochlear Implant by Advanced Bionics

this is for Harmony BTE
BionicEar.com - Harmony Cochlear Implant by Advanced Bionics


This is for (Clarion) CII and Platinum BTE
BionicEar.com - Harmony Cochlear Implant by Advanced Bionics



Auria does not have built-in Telecoil but has a telecoil module for direct connect earhook.

Harmony has built-in Telecoil.

Both comes with T-Mic as standard default

and all of earhooks are NOT screwed permanently so therefore interchangeable.


T-Mic® Microphone In-the-ear microphone provides improved hearing in noise, enhanced directional hearing, and added convenience when using telephones and other consumer electronic products. The T-Mic uniquely fits in the ear canal opening to take advantage of the pinna’s natural beam-forming properties


More information on Harmony BTE and Fidelity 120 (<---- you could find the spec for Harmony BTE)
BionicEar.com - Harmony Cochlear Implant by Advanced Bionics

Also please see this thread of mine;
http://www.alldeaf.com/hearing-aids...64-cochlear-implant-comparison-jim-ellis.html

 

[Hear Again]

I have the Nucleus 24 Contour Advance in my left ear and the Nucleus Freedom in my right ear. I love them both. Like many CI users here, my CIs have literally given me my life back. I'm able to talk on the phone after 10 years of being unable to do so, converse with others in a noisy restaurant, enjoy music (I've been taking private voice lessons for the past 2.5 years) and watch TV with ease. I no longer struggle to hear and understand like I did when I wore hearing aids and a Comtek FM system. School has also become easier. For the first time in several years, I earned a 3.8 GPA because of my ability to hear *and* understand what is said during class lectures and group discussions. Long story short -- my life has changed for the better thanks to my CIs!

 

[R2D2]

I For the first time in several years, I earned a 3.8 GPA because of my ability to hear *and* understand what is said during class lectures and group discussions.

Congrats! I assume as a foreigner that this is a good grade?

 

[Hear Again]

Congrats! I assume as a foreigner that this is a good grade?

Thanks!! Here in the U.S., a 3.8 roughly converts to an A- on a 4.0 scale.

On a separate note, I haven't been posting to the board lately (I've been busy preparing for school), but noticed in your signature that you are going bilateral. Cool!! I wish you all the best! Anytime you have questions along the way, please feel free to send me a message here or via PM. Out of curiosity, will you have your other ear implanted with the Freedom or another brand?

 

[R2D2]

Thanks!! Here in the U.S., a 3.8 roughly converts to an A- on a 4.0 scale.

On a separate note, I haven't been posting to the board lately (I've been busy preparing for school), but noticed in your signature that you are going bilateral. Cool!! I wish you all the best! Anytime you have questions along the way, please feel free to send me a message here or via PM. Out of curiosity, will you have your other ear implanted with the Freedom or another brand?

That's a great grade - good on you!

I will be going with the Freedom again - it's the only choice anyway in Australia but even if other brands were available I'd still go with it again. I've been really pleased with my results so far and it makes sense to me to have the same brand in both ears for simplicity's sake. Thanks for your good wishes

 

[Hear Again]

R2D2,

I agree with you about simplicity. When I was considering bilaterals, I asked my audi for her opinion about having my other ear implanted with a different brand. She said that while there were people who had different brands in each ear, it would be much easier for me (given my blindness) to have both ears implanted with the same brand. In retrospect, I agree with her. Like others on the board, I've been extremely pleased with the performance I've received from my CIs as well as the excellent customer service I've received from Cochlear.