new phonak instrument - Milo + milo Plus

[xbulder]

Very very dissapointing

https://www.phonakpro.com/dam/phonak/b2b/C_M_tools/Hearing_Instruments/milo/Brochure/027_0448_02_Milo_MiloPlus_Product_Information_V1.0 0.pdf

A new instrument, with 2 channels common guys! the una had 4 channels WTF! what are they thinking?

I dont see much dif. between this instruments and the Una.
Are they running out of ideas?

[stream2525]

Very very dissapointing

https://www.phonakpro.com/dam/phonak/b2b/C_M_tools/Hearing_Instruments/milo/Brochure/027_0448_02_Milo_MiloPlus_Product_Information_V1.0 0.pdf

A new instrument, with 2 channels common guys! the una had 4 channels WTF! what are they thinking?

I dont see much dif. between this instruments and the Una.
Are they running out of ideas?

2 channels??

come on ???

This means it in not an improvement of the existing aids !!!

[xbulder]

2 channels??

come on ???

This means it in not an improvement of the existing aids !!!

what are they thinking.... The Una, previous generation HI was a 4 channel instrument
now their replacement is 2 channel? to many instruments.. If the excuse, is we need to have a new low cost 2 channel instrument, they already have the Maxx...

[hearnow]

what are they thinking.... The Una, previous generation HI was a 4 channel instrument
now their replacement is 2 channel? to many instruments.. If the excuse, is we need to have a new low cost 2 channel instrument, they already have the Maxx...

You're right that is disappointing. I'm pretty sure we won't even see the Milo in Australia as it does not meet minimum governement standards. The Milo Plus does, so we are more likely to see this as our most basic aid from Phonak. It is not even wirelessly programmable! I don't see myself even offering these unless there is somethig amazing about them not in this PDF.

[hearnow]

It appears that Phonak is bringing out new Audeo's which are much smaller. The one Model is the Audeo Smart that has an onboard button and works with size 312 battery. It comes in IX, V and III variants. The IX now has duophone like the Exelia art and all models have wireless functionality. The button could be programed either as VC or program button. It appears you could have it set up so the left aid's button turns the aids up, while the right aid's button turns them down.

The Mini is a smaller size 10 battery variant with no onboard control on wireless functionality.
http://phonak.com/phonak/com/b2b/de/home.html the site is in German but you can get the idea.

[Antipode]

It looks like they are simply trying to eliminate all the old chips and move everything to the CORE platform.

Why they made a 2 channel I don't know. One thing I did see that I don't think is available in the UNA is usage history, which I assume is a crude form of datalogging.

The new Audeo models (https://www.phonakpro.com/phonak/com/b2b/en/home.html) look much more exciting.

[ayame]

What are channels? I've seen some advertised with 30 and some with only 14. Help!

[xbulder]

It looks like they are simply trying to eliminate all the old chips and move everything to the CORE platform.

Why they made a 2 channel I don't know. One thing I did see that I don't think is available in the UNA is usage history, which I assume is a crude form of datalogging.

The new Audeo models (https://www.phonakpro.com/phonak/com/b2b/en/home.html) look much more exciting.

they look like the Sonic Touch

[Antipode]

What are channels? I've seen some advertised with 30 and some with only 14. Help!

Short version:

Channels are the graphic equalizer that the hearing aid uses to dynamically adapt your environment.

The more channels, the more precisely the hearing aid can adjust to your environment.

Bands are the graphic equalizer that are used to customize the gain in the hearing aid to your individual hearing loss.

The more Bands, the more precisely the aid can be adjusted to your hearing loss.

The Long Version with A "Real Life" Example:

Channels are the graphic equalizer that the hearing aid uses to adjust for the environment. This can mean cutting down gain when there is a sudden, loud noise (car door, glass break), or turning the gain down to reduce steady state noise (an air conditioner).

The more Channels an aid has, the more precisely it should be able to do this. For example, say you have a two channel hearing aid. That would be like a stereo system with an adjustment for the lows, and another adjustment for the highs. These two adjustments would totally control all frequencies. Not very precise, but often sufficient for a basic stereo.

Back to the 2 channel hearing aid. You are sitting in a room with an A/C unit putting out noise in the area of 800 Hz. The hearing aid kicks on the noise supression and reduces gain in the first channel which is controlling everything below 1500 Hz. You happen to be speaking to a male with a very low frequency voice, so the volume of his voice seems to noticeably diminish. Although you feel like you have to strain to hear him, it isn't too bad since the second channel that controls most of the high frequencies important to speech discrim is unaffected.

But now what if there is construction outside your office and they turn on the concrete saw? Well, that would certainly be a more high pitched sound than the A/C. Say, somewhere in the 3000 Hz region. Now the 2 channel hearing aid wants to eliminate that backround noise as well. The only channel it has left to reduce the 3000 Hz sound is the second channel that is controlling all sounds above 1500 Hz. So it reduceses the second channel as well, and now you can only understand every other word that is said!

Now let's imagine the same situation with a 16 channel aid. The 3rd channel may control 750-900 Hz, so the aid turns that channel down to reduce the A/C unit, and the 10th channel which controls 2900-3400 Hz turns down to control the noise from the concrete saw.

Of course there would still be some effect on incoming speech in this case, but not nearly as detrimental as the first scenario. And the noise would still be effectively controlled.

Another use of channels in some aids are for adaptive directionality. Some aids, Like Phonaks CORE line, use independant channels, which mean each individual channel has they ability to focus towards or away from a given signal or noise source, independantly from the other channels. So, a 20 independant channel system has the potential to focus the sound beam in twenty different areas simultaneously.

Bands are a little simpler. The Bands are what shape the frequency response of the hearing aid to your individual hearing loss. So, someone with a flat 70dB loss would theoretically be able to use a 1 Band hearing aid; all the frequencies would require the same amount of gain. On the other hand, someone with normal hearing in the lows, who drops suddenly to 70dB at 2K would be absolutely blasted by the low frequency gain if they were fit with a one band instrument.

Hope this helps!

[xbulder]

Short version:

Channels are the graphic equalizer that the hearing aid uses to dynamically adapt your environment.

The more channels, the more precisely the hearing aid can adjust to your environment.

Bands are the graphic equalizer that are used to customize the gain in the hearing aid to your individual hearing loss.

The more Bands, the more precisely the aid can be adjusted to your hearing loss.

The Long Version with A "Real Life" Example:

Channels are the graphic equalizer that the hearing aid uses to adjust for the environment. This can mean cutting down gain when there is a sudden, loud noise (car door, glass break), or turning the gain down to reduce steady state noise (an air conditioner).

The more Channels an aid has, the more precisely it should be able to do this. For example, say you have a two channel hearing aid. That would be like a stereo system with an adjustment for the lows, and another adjustment for the highs. These two adjustments would totally control all frequencies. Not very precise, but often sufficient for a basic stereo.

Back to the 2 channel hearing aid. You are sitting in a room with an A/C unit putting out noise in the area of 800 Hz. The hearing aid kicks on the noise supression and reduces gain in the first channel which is controlling everything below 1500 Hz. You happen to be speaking to a male with a very low frequency voice, so the volume of his voice seems to noticeably diminish. Although you feel like you have to strain to hear him, it isn't too bad since the second channel that controls most of the high frequencies important to speech discrim is unaffected.

But now what if there is construction outside your office and they turn on the concrete saw? Well, that would certainly be a more high pitched sound than the A/C. Say, somewhere in the 3000 Hz region. Now the 2 channel hearing aid wants to eliminate that backround noise as well. The only channel it has left to reduce the 3000 Hz sound is the second channel that is controlling all sounds above 1500 Hz. So it reduceses the second channel as well, and now you can only understand every other word that is said!

Now let's imagine the same situation with a 16 channel aid. The 3rd channel may control 750-900 Hz, so the aid turns that channel down to reduce the A/C unit, and the 10th channel which controls 2900-3400 Hz turns down to control the noise from the concrete saw.

Of course there would still be some effect on incoming speech in this case, but not nearly as detrimental as the first scenario. And the noise would still be effectively controlled.

Another use of channels in some aids are for adaptive directionality. Some aids, Like Phonaks CORE line, use independant channels, which mean each individual channel has they ability to focus towards or away from a given signal or noise source, independantly from the other channels. So, a 20 independant channel system has the potential to focus the sound beam in twenty different areas simultaneously.

Bands are a little simpler. The Bands are what shape the frequency response of the hearing aid to your individual hearing loss. So, someone with a flat 70dB loss would theoretically be able to use a 1 Band hearing aid; all the frequencies would require the same amount of gain. On the other hand, someone with normal hearing in the lows, who drops suddenly to 70dB at 2K would be absolutely blasted by the low frequency gain if they were fit with a one band instrument.

Hope this helps!

speech undr. is maximize at about 4 channels!

[hearnow]

Short version:

Channels are the graphic equalizer that the hearing aid uses to dynamically adapt your environment.

The more channels, the more precisely the hearing aid can adjust to your environment.

Bands are the graphic equalizer that are used to customize the gain in the hearing aid to your individual hearing loss.

The more Bands, the more precisely the aid can be adjusted to your hearing loss.

The Long Version with A "Real Life" Example:

Channels are the graphic equalizer that the hearing aid uses to adjust for the environment. This can mean cutting down gain when there is a sudden, loud noise (car door, glass break), or turning the gain down to reduce steady state noise (an air conditioner).

The more Channels an aid has, the more precisely it should be able to do this. For example, say you have a two channel hearing aid. That would be like a stereo system with an adjustment for the lows, and another adjustment for the highs. These two adjustments would totally control all frequencies. Not very precise, but often sufficient for a basic stereo.

Back to the 2 channel hearing aid. You are sitting in a room with an A/C unit putting out noise in the area of 800 Hz. The hearing aid kicks on the noise supression and reduces gain in the first channel which is controlling everything below 1500 Hz. You happen to be speaking to a male with a very low frequency voice, so the volume of his voice seems to noticeably diminish. Although you feel like you have to strain to hear him, it isn't too bad since the second channel that controls most of the high frequencies important to speech discrim is unaffected.

But now what if there is construction outside your office and they turn on the concrete saw? Well, that would certainly be a more high pitched sound than the A/C. Say, somewhere in the 3000 Hz region. Now the 2 channel hearing aid wants to eliminate that backround noise as well. The only channel it has left to reduce the 3000 Hz sound is the second channel that is controlling all sounds above 1500 Hz. So it reduceses the second channel as well, and now you can only understand every other word that is said!

Now let's imagine the same situation with a 16 channel aid. The 3rd channel may control 750-900 Hz, so the aid turns that channel down to reduce the A/C unit, and the 10th channel which controls 2900-3400 Hz turns down to control the noise from the concrete saw.

Of course there would still be some effect on incoming speech in this case, but not nearly as detrimental as the first scenario. And the noise would still be effectively controlled.

Another use of channels in some aids are for adaptive directionality. Some aids, Like Phonaks CORE line, use independant channels, which mean each individual channel has they ability to focus towards or away from a given signal or noise source, independantly from the other channels. So, a 20 independant channel system has the potential to focus the sound beam in twenty different areas simultaneously.

Bands are a little simpler. The Bands are what shape the frequency response of the hearing aid to your individual hearing loss. So, someone with a flat 70dB loss would theoretically be able to use a 1 Band hearing aid; all the frequencies would require the same amount of gain. On the other hand, someone with normal hearing in the lows, who drops suddenly to 70dB at 2K would be absolutely blasted by the low frequency gain if they were fit with a one band instrument.

Hope this helps!

Nice indepth explanation

[ayame]

Oh, thanx a million for the explanation of channels. I'm getting a whole new view of what the HA are capable of and will pay more attention when my audi tells me things. It seems that I have listened to what was called "salesman's puff" for so long I've begun turning a deaf ear. (Or two, as the case may be. :o ) I'm certainly going to try to learn more. Some of the possibilities sound so fantastic it's hard to believe they exist.

[xbulder]

Oh, thanx a million for the explanation of channels. I'm getting a whole new view of what the HA are capable of and will pay more attention when my audi tells me things. It seems that I have listened to what was called "salesman's puff" for so long I've begun turning a deaf ear. (Or two, as the case may be. :o ) I'm certainly going to try to learn more. Some of the possibilities sound so fantastic it's hard to believe they exist.

This is why trials are so important... trust your ears, you would know what is better for
you