What's all the BUZZ about Open Fit Hearing Aids?

[Admin]

The new trend has been the new open fitting hearing aids. What are they, what are the benefits and who are they best designed for?

I would like to discuss the answers to these and other questions in this article.

First, it is important to determine what open fit hearing aids really are. They are hearing aids that sit on top of the ear, similar to a BTE hearing aids, yet smaller in design. Yet, the biggest difference is that the part that goes into the ear does not occlude or "plug up" the ear. Thus, low frequency sounds can pass through naturally through the small tip that goes into the ear. It also allows sound pressure to relieve out of the ear, sounds such as your own voice, chewing sounds, coughing sounds, etc.

What happens with the usual hearing aids that plug up the whole ear is that the low frequency sounds are not allowed to escape out of the ear, thus your own voice and chewing sounds become exaggerated. In fact, simple sounds such as your own voice or chewing can become as loud at 85-90 db sound pressure level when completely plugging the ear with a hearing aid. Thus these sound can be come unbearable, particularly for patients with very good hearing in the low pitches.

This is why the open fit design has come about and become very popular, particularly for people who have good hearing in the low tones and poor hearing in the high pitches, which is the most common sensorineural (nerve deafness) hearing loss confiruration, particularly for persons who have worked around lots of noise in the past.

Most of the top manufacturers offer open fit hearing aids, many with some of their top of the line DSP circuitry in them. The most common are:

Receiver (speaker) in the Ear:

Oticon Delta 6000 and 8000
Vivatone
Phonak Micro Power (not exactly open fit, but can be made to be one)
Sebo Tek (can also be fit on flat hearing losses and not always open fit)Receiver on top of the Ear (routes sound through a thin tube into the ear):

Phonak Micro Savia, Micro Eleva, Mini-Valeo
HearPod III
Sonic Innovation Ion
Siemens Centra
Oticon Safran
Micro-Tech Seneca Plus
Magnatone money ShadowAlthough this may not cover all of the available models, this does encompass the majority of the open fit hearing aids available commercially this year.

The new draw to these hearing aids have been that the instruments have become tremendously smaller, thus even though you may think a BTE hearing aid would be visible, these new open fits can often be more concealed and invisible as compared to in the ear models.

In addition, for most users, these open fit devices are much more comfortable to wear. Many of my patients tell me that they often forget they even have them on. Others say they are so light and doesn't feel like you have your fingers stuck in your ear all day.

Clinicians like myself have also enjoyed using these new instruments, as patient satisfaction is higher, these products do not require taking molds of the ears and waiting 2 weeks to get the hearing aids and patients can get help right away.

Costs:

The costs of open fit hearing aids range from $695 (HearPod III) to upwards of $3,000 or more for the top of the line instruments.

My favorites, based on performance are:

Sonic Innovaitons ION (www.sonici.com (http://www.sonici.com/))
Phoank Micro Eleva (www.phonak.com (http://www.phonak.com/))My favorite based on design and cosmetic appeal:

Oticon Delta 8000 (not the 6000) (www.oticon.com (http://www.oticon.com/))My favorite based on cost and value:

HearPod III (www.myhearpod.com (http://www.myhearpod.com/))Should you have any quesitons or if you would like to add anything on this subject, please feel free to post or PM me.

[Daniel Fish]

Hello, I just goit a pair if Opticon Delta open air hearing aids. I really like them. I can get wonderful batteries from 808local battery and save 2/3 off the local price, but I haven't found a source for the ear buds that attach to the end of the tube that goes into the ear. Can anyone help me please? I'd really appreciate it. I have two friends who have Opticon aids as well, we all got them within a month or so, having reached the "golden years" ~ which in reality seem more like the "rusty years"!!
Thanks in advance,
Daniel Fish

[kat]

Yes, Oticon Delta's are very good and a "cool" choice. I love the fact that you can change the color of the outer casings in office, which is pretty neat and they are so comforbable for users.

As far as the tips go, they are hard to come by. You almost have to go back to where you purchased them to get more, as you really don't find too many people just selling the tips.

You may want to try EBAY, but I have my doubts.

Glad to hear you also have found a place for batteries too. The pricing can be hugely different place to place, so it always pays to shop around for a great deal.

[withears]

I have high frequency loss and was fitted with my first hearing aids 31st July this year. Oticon Tego Pros BTE's with Corda sound tubes and GN Resound tulip domes. I have just changed over to skeleton molds (#2?). Result: I LOVE them. The molds are much more comfortable; no itchiness. The sound is about the same; they are more rugged; (I kinked the tiny sound tubes more than once on the Corda system); The molds offer a visual cue that I have a hearing problem to others, so that they speak more clearly. So I guess I am going against the flow to open fittings. :o

[brucel]

That is interesting.

My ear tip keeps falling off too and I have had to replace them once already.

I might ask my audi about making those custom molds. Do you get any of the plugged sensation with the custom mold you got?

I know my Audi mentioned custom initially, but since they worked fine out of the box until now, we never pursued it.

[withears]

As I only have mild to moderately severe high frequency loss, they were able to make the molds such that they do not fit tightly; it seems the main problem with mold discomfort is due to the tightness needed to prevent feedback. As far as occlusion is concerned, in the case of my hearing perception, I was very surprised to find that although there is a SLIGHT increase in occlusion meaning the low frequency sound coming from my voice box, I am not troubled by it. Although one must be prepared for a definite change in the sound of ones own voice that is for sure. The most difficult annoyance is when I am chewing food the noise is very apparent, to the point of cutting down on my speech recognition of others talking. The occlusion effect seems to diminish when I turn the gain up. I experimented with the supplied orifices to reduce the size of the vent and it made everything worse, as would be expected. I will get my audiologist to increase the gain in the 6000Hz range the same as she did when I was wearing open fitting; this will improve speech recognition. About the "vent" mentioned earlier; in case you are not aware, a vent (hole through the mold beside the sound tube) is added to allow low frequency sound pressure waves to escape. It also makes the sound more natural, the mold fitting therefore simulates the performance of the open ear fitting.

[withears]

This is a followup to my previous message:
My hearing skill at understanding speech is getting better. The occlusion effect is much less noticeable. My major concern at the moment is with using the cell phone in noisy places. I simply can not hear anyone on it. I have even tried the loud speaker mode on the cell phone; it is really hard. It is as if the gain is not high enough. When I try using T coil I get a lot of buzzing noise after the other person picks up the phone to answer me. When I had the open fitting the cell phone was okay; still not okay with T coil though.:(

[Gittje]

This is why the open fit design has come about and become very popular, particularly for people who have good hearing in the low tones and poor hearing in the high pitches, which is the most common sensorineural (nerve deafness) hearing loss confiruration, particularly for persons who have worked around lots of noise in the past.

What is meant by "good in the lows" and "poor" in the highs" ?

I've got a loss of around 20 dB in het lower and around 40 dB in the middle range (mainly the 3000 and 4000 Hz frequency). According to my audiogram and his 20 year experience the audiologist suggested me hearing aids with closed fittings. I nearly went crazy with them in noisy environment. Now I am trying out hearing aids with open fitting. See also http://www.hearingaidforums.com/showthread.php?t=135

My audiologist still thinks that I do not have the "exact" profile for hearing aids with open fittings, but yes of course the choice is up to me. So I am rather confused, and don't know what to do ...

[Admin]

If you hear about 20 db's in the low tones and have greater hearing loss in the mid to high tones, you are a great candidate for open fit hearing aids.

They are super comfortable and easy to get used to.

[Gittje]

Thanks, good to have 2nd opinion from a professional :)

My greatest, although at - 40 dB still moderate, loss is mainly concentrated in the middle range. In the low & highs I have only a mild loss. The only thing I can not foresee is how my hearing will evolve in the coming years in the lows. My audio says that with open fittings I don't have any reserve left if the "mild" loss in the lows gets worse. Nevertheless the physician told me, that despite my age (I am 48 and female), it can be expected that my hearing loss will remain relatively stable in the coming years.

I still do have a question concerning HA with open fittings : what's the greatist difference in benefits between the open fitting with thin-tube HA or with in-the-ear-reciever ?

[Admin]

Although what you have been told up till now may be true with the thin tubes, there are new tubes that an attach to the current instruments to increase the output in the low tones as the hearing loss progresses.

It is true that hearing tends to decrease in the low tones with time (I like calling it "time" instead of age).

Yet, the instruments have tremendous capabilities to amplify all tones if used with proper tubing and eartips.

Thus, you should be able to comfortably use open fits now and in the future.

[Gittje]

Thus, you should be able to comfortably use open fits now and in the future.

Splendid ! Next week I have an appointement with my audi and I intend to speak him about it :)

[aprsl]

Hi all. This is my first post to the forum. This is a great resource.

My question is does anyone have any experience with the Hearpod III open fit?

I'm most concerned with performance on the telephone since I'm on the phone a lot during the day.

Any other comments about the Hearpod line (especially how they fit) also appreciated.

Thanks

[johnum]

I have had the HearPod 3 for about 2 months now. I have no trouble on the phone with them.

I have a high frequency hearing loss and had no trouble hearing on the phone prior to getting them. I find that I can just put the phone right over my ear like I normally do and use the phone just fine. The Hearpod has a mode for telephone, but I have never had to use it.

I am a very busy person, so I liked the convenience of having them delivered to my office and not having to take off 1/2 a day to get fitted, etc and the price was really reasonable too.

I haven't tried any other hearing aids, so I can't give you a comparison...but I am please so far with them.

[michta68]

I am looking at the Oticon Delta. Can you tell me why you recommend the 8000 but not the 6000? What about the 4000?

Thanks for any input!

Michelle

[Admin]

It is just that the 8000's are much more configurable and the professional can fine tune it much better for you and allow you to hear and understand better and more comfortably in more situations and also accomodate more types of hearing losses.

Since the cost difference is quite minimal, if you are investing in hearing aids, you really should go for the very best.

[markbucher]

Well, I just had a hearing test completed to tell me what I already knew, my hearing was going south. This is all very new to me but you all have been very helpful.

Test Results
right Left
250 40 40
500 35 35
1k 30 35
2k 30 50
4k 40 65
8k 20 45

Top that off at 46 years old with ringing in my ears. I am now the poster boy for not ever hunting ducks without hearing protection.

So anyway I have been reading this forum and was able to go to the audi and make an informed decision on my very first set if aids. I went with the Phonak Savia Art with the watch remote. It seems a good fit for my lifestyle. I get them next Thursday. I have no idea on what a good price is since the three local stores were all about the same price. I paid $5300 for the pair with watch?? I live in Midland, MI and we really have 3-4 choices. The audi who did the testing wanted to sell me the Centra for $5150 but I really like the features and flexibility of the Savia Art. Only one store Audio R/X had a sample of the Savia Art, it was nice to actually see the piece prior to buying them. I actually have what sems to be a standard 30 days to wear them at actually no cost. I guess from what you are all saying that should be expected. I am a bit nervous about this whole thing but need to be able to hear better. Oh, the warranty is 3 years for anything that happens so they say. Is that reasonable?

Thanks again for this forum; it has helped me make an informed decision. I will keep you all posted on how they work.

Thanks again,
Mark

[Admin]

$5,300 for Savia Art with watchpilot is really a great price.

I think you made the right choice with the Savia Art's versus the Centra in the long term.

It may take a little time to adjust to wearing hearing aids, but with the watch (remote), you can adjust them to match just about any situation and the auto features of the Savia Art are really good.

Let us know how you do once you get them.

[markbucher]

I just got fitted today with the Art. Since I have no previous experience to draw from - this is different to say the least. It seams as though I can hear voice better but I am going to put them to the test tomorrow at work. I spent about an hour with my Audi and everything seemed to go well. I got home and the left ear was too quiet and really sounds like mush, I think it need an adjustment. It is my worst ear also.

I am really not sure what to expect, as I type the keys are a bit loud but a couple of clicks on the watch and it helps a bit. Paper and keys are interesting and when my daughter clapped her hands, ouch!! Music and tv sounds very good and wind is not really a bother. It has only been about 5 hours so I am far from an expert but I need more volume in my left ear. Speech sounds all mushy.

The watch works very well, one thing though - if you don't keep it centered it will work only one ear and not the other. Put it back near center and you will hear the beep meaning a change of program and it is in each ear. This too will take a bit of getting used to but well worth the $200 they charged me.

With my hearing loss I have a difficult time hearing soft talkers from a distance - 6 to 10 feet or so. What type of an adjustment should I ask for?

Close conversation I don't need hardly any amplification at all. Humm.

Thanks again, this is a very, very helpful place.

I will let you all know how it goes.

Mark

[Admin]

Mark:

Those ART's are great, especially when combined with the Watch Pilot. Yes, you do have to center, as the watch remote is not as powerful as the full sized remotes, thus if you do it on one side, it will only switch one side as the head blocks the other side.

If you have the remote, I would suggest you have the audi program them with both automatic and manual modes and you can use the "prog" button to manually change the modes to match the current environment.

Automatic is nice, yet it is always nicer to have the best of both worlds.

[jlingo]

My favorites, based on performance are:

Sonic Innovaitons ION (www.sonici.com (http://www.sonici.com/))
Phoank Micro Eleva (www.phonak.com (http://www.phonak.com/))My favorite based on design and cosmetic appeal:

Oticon Delta 8000 (not the 6000) (www.oticon.com (http://www.oticon.com/))My favorite based on cost and value:

HearPod III (www.myhearpod.com (http://www.myhearpod.com/))Should you have any quesitons or if you would like to add anything on this subject, please feel free to post or PM me.

Hi,

I was wondering you chose Phonak Micro Eleva over Phonak Micro Savia. Any particular reasons to this?

Thanks

[hearingaiduser]

Hi, Could I just ask something about the Oticon Deltas?
I understand that the clear tubing that leads from the aid to the ear has a wire in it. Is the shape of the tubing adjustable to fit the unique shape of the ear?

Thanks.

[swedeaud]

There are 4 different sizes (lengths) and also 3 different sizes of the domes that are on the speakerunits. If you have the problem that they doesn't bend correct into the ear the audiologist can take a hairblower and heat the thin tube up a little bit and then bend it so it fits better in the ear. There is also the micro mould that is a VERY small custom mould that could make it more comfortable if there are problems. Micro Moulds also expands the Delta's fitting range so that people with low fr. loss also can wear them if they like the the sound and the look of them.

[tonedef]

I am adjusting to new Phonak Eleva BTEs. I still experience the sound of ssshhhhhhhhhh that increases as external sounds increase. Everything is competing with this sssshhhhhh sound. A normal conversation generates modest sssshhhhh, street noise generates louder sssshhhhhh. What adjustment could make this diminish, if not remove it altogether. On my 4th pair over the past 16 years. I noticed this once before with a new HAs but can't remember now how it was solved. Thanks!!


While awaiting any reply I had another tune up with my audiologist. A bit of the hissing has been eliminated by upping the low and lowering the highs, also improved the volume balance between ears. Conversations in the car are hit and miss due to elevation of road noise even in the tripilot mode.

BUT worse - voices are very fuzzy. Almost like folks are talking through kazoos and music all sounds like it is coming out of cheap plastic speakers. What can I do now (besides give up my symphony subscription) :confused: :confused: ??

thanks once more.

tonedef

[Admin]

If the background hiss is still noticeable, have your audi use noise reduction even in the quite program. The default is to have no noise reduction in the first memory.

The Eleva has 3 automatic settings, one for quiet, speech in noise, and comfort in noise, of which the last 2 default w/ noise reduction, if I remember correctly.

Also, if sound quality is that poor, it would be best for your audi to test the hearing aids in the ears with speech mapping or similar real ear measurements. You can even have him/her play music and tune the instruments while you listen to change the programming a bit to produce better quality sound.

The Eleva's are great instruments.

[malvernp]

The new trend has been the new open fitting hearing aids. What are they, what are the benefits and who are they best designed for?

I would like to discuss the answers to these and other questions in this article.

First, it is important to determine what open fit hearing aids really are. They are hearing aids that sit on top of the ear, similar to a BTE hearing aids, yet smaller in design. Yet, the biggest difference is that the part that goes into the ear does not occlude or "plug up" the ear. Thus, low frequency sounds can pass through naturally through the small tip that goes into the ear. It also allows sound pressure to relieve out of the ear, sounds such as your own voice, chewing sounds, coughing sounds, etc.

What happens with the usual hearing aids that plug up the whole ear is that the low frequency sounds are not allowed to escape out of the ear, thus your own voice and chewing sounds become exaggerated. In fact, simple sounds such as your own voice or chewing can become as loud at 85-90 db sound pressure level when completely plugging the ear with a hearing aid. Thus these sound can be come unbearable, particularly for patients with very good hearing in the low pitches.

This is why the open fit design has come about and become very popular, particularly for people who have good hearing in the low tones and poor hearing in the high pitches, which is the most common sensorineural (nerve deafness) hearing loss confiruration, particularly for persons who have worked around lots of noise in the past.

Most of the top manufacturers offer open fit hearing aids, many with some of their top of the line DSP circuitry in them. The most common are:

Receiver (speaker) in the Ear:

Oticon Delta 6000 and 8000
Vivatone
Phonak Micro Power (not exactly open fit, but can be made to be one)
Sebo Tek (can also be fit on flat hearing losses and not always open fit)Receiver on top of the Ear (routes sound through a thin tube into the ear):

Phonak Micro Savia, Micro Eleva, Mini-Valeo
HearPod III
Sonic Innovation Ion
Siemens Centra
Oticon Safran
Micro-Tech Seneca Plus
Magnatone money ShadowAlthough this may not cover all of the available models, this does encompass the majority of the open fit hearing aids available commercially this year.

The new draw to these hearing aids have been that the instruments have become tremendously smaller, thus even though you may think a BTE hearing aid would be visible, these new open fits can often be more concealed and invisible as compared to in the ear models.

In addition, for most users, these open fit devices are much more comfortable to wear. Many of my patients tell me that they often forget they even have them on. Others say they are so light and doesn't feel like you have your fingers stuck in your ear all day.

Clinicians like myself have also enjoyed using these new instruments, as patient satisfaction is higher, these products do not require taking molds of the ears and waiting 2 weeks to get the hearing aids and patients can get help right away.

Costs:

The costs of open fit hearing aids range from $695 (HearPod III) to upwards of $3,000 or more for the top of the line instruments.

My favorites, based on performance are:

Sonic Innovaitons ION (www.sonici.com (http://www.sonici.com/))
Phoank Micro Eleva (www.phonak.com (http://www.phonak.com/))My favorite based on design and cosmetic appeal:

Oticon Delta 8000 (not the 6000) (www.oticon.com (http://www.oticon.com/))My favorite based on cost and value:

HearPod III (www.myhearpod.com (http://www.myhearpod.com/))Should you have any quesitons or if you would like to add anything on this subject, please feel free to post or PM me.

By now, there must be an accumulated body of actual experience in using these open ear-type hearing aids to tell us which of the two general designs (Sonic Innovations Ion, etc. v. VivaTone, etc.) has worked out to be the more successful----both in terms of performance and maintenence.

Would you please share your experiences with me.

Thanks.

Mal

[malvernp]

By now, there must be an accumulated body of actual experience in using these open ear-type hearing aids to tell us which of the two general designs (Sonic Innovations Ion, etc. v. VivaTone, etc.) has worked out to be the more successful----both in terms of performance and maintenence.

Would you please share your experiences with me?

Thanks.

Mal

[withears]

I had my molds changed for deeper ones and also changed them to flex canals. I use only a pressure vent. I can now use my cell phone in noise such as a shopping mall with no trouble hearing at all. I think the combination of the deeper mold and small vent is better for listening in noise because the closed mold shuts out the noise which in an open ear fitting would bypass the hearing aid. I have discovered that my hearing aids actually do a good job of stopping a lot of the noise. It was not as apparent before because the noise was going around the hearing aid due to the mold being open. Speech in noise is now much clearer.:D

[Gemini]

I had my hearing checked by an MD, ENT about 10 years ago. The MD said I had tinnitus: indicative of losing the upper range of my hearing. He referred me to an audiologist but for personal reasons did not keep the appointment. My hearing has deteriorated. Do you recommend seeing another MD, or just going to an audiologist to be fitted?

[jevidon]

To Administrator:
I am new to this forum and am glad to have found it, since all the information I have found to date is so much self serving hype by the manufacturer's and dispensers.
I have a pair of Widex Diva aids for the past three years or so. My prior aid was one Resound that had manual switching for the programs. It worked pretty well.
Anyway, the Widex Diva's are not all they are cracked up to be with regard to whistling at certain frequencies, feedback cancellation and performance in noisy environments. Like most people, I have problem with speech discrimination. My Dispenser has made countless adjustments over the years, many with the Widex people on the phone for counseling. I will not replace them until I am sure that a change is going to make a big difference.

I have been interested in the open fit BTE concept, but I'm not sure that they will work for me. Can an open fit be converted to closed by replacement of the tip? Would you recommend that I give them a try, or should I stick to CIC's or half-shells? Is Widex o.k. to stick with, or should I consider some other brand/technology that you would recommend?

I'm rather confused at this point and really want to improve my hearing. Do you have any comments or suggestions?

[Admin]

The nice part about most open fit products today is that we can convert them to more traditional closed type of fitting very easily. This applies to both the receiver over the ear (tube design) and the newer receiver in the ear designs. In addition, both could incorporate very small custom made tips.

You need to discuss with your audi/dispenser to see, depending on the hearing loss, whether a true open fit is recommended or not.

Switching from a CIC to a directional BTE alone should be an improvement, especially in noisy environments. If feedback is an issue, the Phonak line of products are exceptionally good at dealing with feedback. I like using the new Audeo products from Phonak, particularly the IX, which would be a huge step up from the Diva's you have, in my opinion.

I like them too because you can keep them automatic and, later, add remote controls and other options, so it is a hearing aid set with lots of growing room.

Hope this helps you out.

To Administrator:
I am new to this forum and am glad to have found it, since all the information I have found to date is so much self serving hype by the manufacturer's and dispensers.
I have a pair of Widex Diva aids for the past three years or so. My prior aid was one Resound that had manual switching for the programs. It worked pretty well.
Anyway, the Widex Diva's are not all they are cracked up to be with regard to whistling at certain frequencies, feedback cancellation and performance in noisy environments. Like most people, I have problem with speech discrimination. My Dispenser has made countless adjustments over the years, many with the Widex people on the phone for counseling. I will not replace them until I am sure that a change is going to make a big difference.

I have been interested in the open fit BTE concept, but I'm not sure that they will work for me. Can an open fit be converted to closed by replacement of the tip? Would you recommend that I give them a try, or should I stick to CIC's or half-shells? Is Widex o.k. to stick with, or should I consider some other brand/technology that you would recommend?

I'm rather confused at this point and really want to improve my hearing. Do you have any comments or suggestions?

[xbulder]

The new trend has been the new open fitting hearing aids. What are they, what are the benefits and who are they best designed for?

I would like to discuss the answers to these and other questions in this article.

First, it is important to determine what open fit hearing aids really are. They are hearing aids that sit on top of the ear, similar to a BTE hearing aids, yet smaller in design. Yet, the biggest difference is that the part that goes into the ear does not occlude or "plug up" the ear. Thus, low frequency sounds can pass through naturally through the small tip that goes into the ear. It also allows sound pressure to relieve out of the ear, sounds such as your own voice, chewing sounds, coughing sounds, etc.

What happens with the usual hearing aids that plug up the whole ear is that the low frequency sounds are not allowed to escape out of the ear, thus your own voice and chewing sounds become exaggerated. In fact, simple sounds such as your own voice or chewing can become as loud at 85-90 db sound pressure level when completely plugging the ear with a hearing aid. Thus these sound can be come unbearable, particularly for patients with very good hearing in the low pitches.

This is why the open fit design has come about and become very popular, particularly for people who have good hearing in the low tones and poor hearing in the high pitches, which is the most common sensorineural (nerve deafness) hearing loss confiruration, particularly for persons who have worked around lots of noise in the past.

Most of the top manufacturers offer open fit hearing aids, many with some of their top of the line DSP circuitry in them. The most common are:

Receiver (speaker) in the Ear:

Oticon Delta 6000 and 8000
Vivatone
Phonak Micro Power (not exactly open fit, but can be made to be one)
Sebo Tek (can also be fit on flat hearing losses and not always open fit)Receiver on top of the Ear (routes sound through a thin tube into the ear):

Phonak Micro Savia, Micro Eleva, Mini-Valeo
HearPod III
Sonic Innovation Ion
Siemens Centra
Oticon Safran
Micro-Tech Seneca Plus
Magnatone money ShadowAlthough this may not cover all of the available models, this does encompass the majority of the open fit hearing aids available commercially this year.

The new draw to these hearing aids have been that the instruments have become tremendously smaller, thus even though you may think a BTE hearing aid would be visible, these new open fits can often be more concealed and invisible as compared to in the ear models.

In addition, for most users, these open fit devices are much more comfortable to wear. Many of my patients tell me that they often forget they even have them on. Others say they are so light and doesn't feel like you have your fingers stuck in your ear all day.

Clinicians like myself have also enjoyed using these new instruments, as patient satisfaction is higher, these products do not require taking molds of the ears and waiting 2 weeks to get the hearing aids and patients can get help right away.

Costs:

The costs of open fit hearing aids range from $695 (HearPod III) to upwards of $3,000 or more for the top of the line instruments.

My favorites, based on performance are:

Sonic Innovaitons ION (www.sonici.com (http://www.sonici.com/))
Phoank Micro Eleva (www.phonak.com (http://www.phonak.com/))My favorite based on design and cosmetic appeal:

Oticon Delta 8000 (not the 6000) (www.oticon.com (http://www.oticon.com/))My favorite based on cost and value:

HearPod III (www.myhearpod.com (http://www.myhearpod.com/))Should you have any quesitons or if you would like to add anything on this subject, please feel free to post or PM me.

this information is incorrect - oticon receiver on top of ear
oticon atlas plus
oticon go
oticon go pro
oticon tego
oticon tego pro

this are mid price and entry level aids, to the info descrive above is incorrect
________
Depakote Attorneys (http://www.classactionsettlements.org/lawsuit/depakote/)

[xbulder]

Thanks, good to have 2nd opinion from a professional :)

My greatest, although at - 40 dB still moderate, loss is mainly concentrated in the middle range. In the low & highs I have only a mild loss. The only thing I can not foresee is how my hearing will evolve in the coming years in the lows. My audio says that with open fittings I don't have any reserve left if the "mild" loss in the lows gets worse. Nevertheless the physician told me, that despite my age (I am 48 and female), it can be expected that my hearing loss will remain relatively stable in the coming years.

I still do have a question concerning HA with open fittings : what's the greatist difference in benefits between the open fitting with thin-tube HA or with in-the-ear-reciever ?
many of the reciever in the ear hearing aid can be changed from a purely open fit to a close fit micromould and therefore extend its fitting range..
For me, this is biased i still believe a thin tube (which can be replaced by an earhook) tend to be more sturdy. Again, maybe im getting old and hence im starting to have fix ideas... A point to remember is that most RITE instrument the local shop can change a receiver with in minutes. so that part of the service is faster...

those are things to consider
________
Depakote Attorney (http://www.classactionsettlements.org/lawsuit/depakote/)

[E's Mom]

Hello,
I am the mother of a 3 year old with a mild/moderate loss. He wore his BTE aids (with closed molds) for the first two years of his life just fine, but for the past 6 months will not wear consistently. I wonder if open molds might be more comfortable for him.

Can you tell me what the ideal hearing loss is for open molds? He has a mild loss in low frequecy's (35-40) going up to 55-60 in higher frequencies. Could he get enough gain in lower frequencies for an open mold? I think we also would have to consider the feedback cancelation technology for this option, am I right?

thank you so much for any info you can provide.

[xbulder]

Hello,
I am the mother of a 3 year old with a mild/moderate loss. He wore his BTE aids (with closed molds) for the first two years of his life just fine, but for the past 6 months will not wear consistently. I wonder if open molds might be more comfortable for him.

Can you tell me what the ideal hearing loss is for open molds? He has a mild loss in low frequecy's (35-40) going up to 55-60 in higher frequencies. Could he get enough gain in lower frequencies for an open mold? I think we also would have to consider the feedback cancelation technology for this option, am I right?

thank you so much for any info you can provide.

Most hearing aids with open fit, if not all have a feedback canceller. It is a standart thing in the industry. Chances are if you have a digital hearing aid, it has already somesort of feedback canceller..

Often time, the ear canal of childen is so small that a open fit is simply not possible. What you really want is a hearing aid that has DSL 5.0 on it.
Often times, Open fin products do not contain DSL 5.0 (phonak is the exception, phonak has 5.0 in all their products) most do not have dsl 5.0.

For example, the Oticon delta has either Clarity and Voice align compression as fitting formulas, but not DSL 5.0. the DSL protocol is not only a fitting formula (the formula is call the dsl m(i/0)), it is the international pediatric
protocol which includes verification of fitting..

Be aware that there is DSL I/0 but it is different from DSL 5.0
for example, GN does not have ANY hearing aid with DSL 5.0, Oticon only have a few instruments with DSL 5.0 while Phonak (leader in this segment)
has DSL in all their products...


please refer to this page for more info

http://www.dslio.com/
________
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[jchap2k]

One other thing about open fitting hearing aids is that for some people (myself included), the location of the ear insert can be right over a nerve cluster and can be quite painful. In my case, I had my audi make the ear insert custom fit like a CIC, but without anything in it.

[xbulder]

you should defentetly want a pediatric audi,
________
SUZUKI GSX-R600 (http://www.suzuki-tech.com/wiki/Suzuki_GSX-R600)

[jevidon]

To Administrator,
Thank you for your previous advise. I found a local audiologist and had the consult and exam yesterday.
I was impressed with the thoroughness of the exam and consult. She said that I am not a candidate for open fit but we agreed that the best solution would be BTE's. She recommended Phonak Savia Art, Phonak Micro Power with the Savia Art circuitry, and also the Unitron Indigo which she said is owned by Phonak and has almost the same cicuitrry as Savia Art. She wears Sonic Velocity which she feels is the best for her of any she has worn. At my request, she took molds which should be ready in a week. She offered me to wear some demos. on a trial basis to find the one I would be most satisfied with and I agreed.

I am attaching copy of my audiogram done 10-31-07 for review so that you can make recommendations for the hearing aid that I should consider. I consider the ability to manually select a program to over-ride the automatic programs as plus well as the ability to manually change the volume a plus feature. The hearing aids she recommended have that ability with respect to the programs and some can change the volume.
Note: The forum program compressed the audiogram numbers so that the columns squeezed together. The first set of numbers are air conduction and the second set are bone conduction.

What do you advise?
Hz Air Cond. Bone Cond.
250 R -65, L -55 R&L -40
500 R&L -50 R&L -50
1000 R -35, L -40 R -30, L -35
1750 R -65
2000 R -65, L -40 R -65, L -35
3500 L -65
4000 R -70, LO -65 R&L -65
7000 R -85
8000 R -90, L -85

Thank you again.
Jim Evidon

[xbulder]

I would ask just for sake of trying a Phonak Extra...
It is a good instrument with a substantial less cost than
the Savia...
Savia is top of the Line
________
MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES MONTANA (http://dispensaries.org)

[jevidon]

The Extra looks promising and I like the price. I can't find out on the Phonak website whether it has one or two microphones. I have some priorities. I like the two microphone feature that will shut down the rear facing one to cut background noise in a noisy restaurant or crowd. My old Resound had a manual feature that let me do this. My current Widex Diva's with only one microphone cannot do this, sometimes necessitating the removal of the aids and conversing with my table mates as best I can; which is not a satisfactory situation.

Additionally, the Extra has only six channels, while the Savia Art has 20, the Unitron Indigo 18, and the Sonic velocity a similar number of channels. While with the average hearing loss curve; sort of an elongated bell, this may not be as important as it seems, I have a distinct drop at the 1500 to 2000Hz range which I assume means that I need a discrete boost in this area. Isn't there an advantage having more channels to allow discrete tweaks in a narrow frequency range?
Jim Evidon:confused:

[xbulder]

The Extra looks promising and I like the price. I can't find out on the Phonak website whether it has one or two microphones. I have some priorities. I like the two microphone feature that will shut down the rear facing one to cut background noise in a noisy restaurant or crowd. My old Resound had a manual feature that let me do this. My current Widex Diva's with only one microphone cannot do this, sometimes necessitating the removal of the aids and conversing with my table mates as best I can; which is not a satisfactory situation.

Additionally, the Extra has only six channels, while the Savia Art has 20, the Unitron Indigo 18, and the Sonic velocity a similar number of channels. While with the average hearing loss curve; sort of an elongated bell, this may not be as important as it seems, I have a distinct drop at the 1500 to 2000Hz range which I assume means that I need a discrete boost in this area. Isn't there an advantage having more channels to allow discrete tweaks in a narrow frequency range?
Jim Evidon:confused:

Xtra has directional microfone. More channels does not translate into better hearing. I had a post on what is the optimal number of channels (4-5), speech discrimination
does not improve While there are other benefits....

I would challenge you to do the following.. Ask your audi to quick fit you with a xtra and try them out side of the clinic and ask them do the same with the savia

while the savia is clearly a great instrument U will be surprise of how good is the extra.....

I also like ...
GN pulse or GN Pixel the azure
Oticon Tego pro prhaps the Epoq budget allows
________
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[jevidon]

Xbulder,
Thanks for the advice. I will do what you advise. My audi is very flexible and has already suggested trying out several BTE's once my ear molds are in which should be sometime next week. I'll report back then. I will definately try the eXtra as well as others.
Jim Evidon

[xbulder]

i also like alot the

Phonak UNA
Oticon Tego or even cheapert Oticon GO pro
Resound Pixel or Plus 5
Unitron Has some nice instruments...

I would advice but what your audi feels super confident to work with..
For example, I am very familiar with Oticon and GN and therefore I generally offer this solutions, so when I have to finetune it is very easy for me..

Ocasionally I had dispense other brands but it was because i was asked by the customer.. There are very good choices, In generally the top brands are

Siemens or rexton same company
Oticon or Bernafon same company
Widex
Phonak or Unitron same company
and starkey ..

you could say this are the dominant players in the industry
Generally most entry level, value and mid price instruments are the same across all board, compare the features and you will see there is little difference....

Final advice, i would ask him-her to fit the aid and walk outside with your
wife and chat for a while compare the aids.... Make sure you get some sort of REM for sure.. For me No REM no SALE
________
EXPERT INSURANCE (http://xpertinsurance.com/)

[jevidon]

Xbulder,
REM? Since I am not a profesional in this field, I need a little help. What is REM?
Jim Evidon:confused:

[jevidon]

Xblder,

Don't bother to answer the question about REM. I looked it up myself, and came up with an intersting article about REM and Integrated REM in the Starkey 1600. Very interesting. My new Audio said she does do a REM measurement when fitting.
Jim Evidon

[xbulder]

Xblder,

Don't bother to answer the question about REM. I looked it up myself, and came up with an intersting article about REM and Integrated REM in the Starkey 1600. Very interesting. My new Audio said she does do a REM measurement when fitting.
Jim Evidon

Dear Jim:

While, it is great that starjey has something new. A hearing instrument with such capabilities was tryed with little sucess by widex a while ago...

Generally, the point of having REM is to have an INDEPENDT analysis so you know for sure what you are getting at the eardrum, not just a simulation.
While the integrated REM on the destiny aids is good, you still need to perform a rem test from an indepent rem machine just to make sure that
you are getting what the software says you need to get.. So this is double work for me...

What I do is use an integrated rem machine and import data on the fitting software, It is true and I agree that it makes rem faster and easier but again for me is double work...

? would be nice for me to subtitude the 11,000$ machine for an integrated REM option in a hearing aid
________
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[jevidon]

I had the Phonak eXtra's fitted today as loaners with my new custom molds and the audiologist asked me to wear them for two weeks before considering the Audeo Art or other advanced or upscale model. These are really amazing instruments, and I think I'll get used to them very quickly.

Already they are outperforming my Widex Diva's on all fronts; especially the blocking of background noise. She also installed in manual program #1, her own noise blocking program which is more aggressive than the automatic one. I tried it already and it is a real pleasure to hear clearly what is in front of me with the background substantially reduced.

Manual program #2 has been customized for music at my request, and I will give that a try when I am alone in a quiet room listening to music; primarily classical and jazz which should really test the limits of the program.

She did encourage me, however to try to stay with the automatic program most of the time to give it a chance for evaluation in various environments.

If they work out as well as I hope, I will keep them and save a bundle of money. At that time I expect that she will perform the REM evaluation for a final tuning.

If only I had been a more sophisticated buyer when I purchased last time in 2003, I would not have purchased the very expensive Diva's and would probably have gone with some Phonak instrument available at that time in the first place.

Jim Evidon

[xbulder]

I had the Phonak eXtra's fitted today as loaners with my new custom molds and the audiologist asked me to wear them for two weeks before considering the Audeo Art or other advanced or upscale model. These are really amazing instruments, and I think I'll get used to them very quickly.

Already they are outperforming my Widex Diva's on all fronts; especially the blocking of background noise. She also installed in manual program #1, her own noise blocking program which is more aggressive than the automatic one. I tried it already and it is a real pleasure to hear clearly what is in front of me with the background substantially reduced.

Manual program #2 has been customized for music at my request, and I will give that a try when I am alone in a quiet room listening to music; primarily classical and jazz which should really test the limits of the program.

She did encourage me, however to try to stay with the automatic program most of the time to give it a chance for evaluation in various environments.

If they work out as well as I hope, I will keep them and save a bundle of money. At that time I expect that she will perform the REM evaluation for a final tuning.

If only I had been a more sophisticated buyer when I purchased last time in 2003, I would not have purchased the very expensive Diva's and would probably have gone with some Phonak instrument available at that time in the first place.

Jim Evidon

dear JiM:
it is almost 3 more years it is quite natural that the new aids outperfomrs the old. I would expect that in 3-4 years you might find something with moderate price that would outperform what it is high end maybe today,..

Diva is a old instrument.. I remember I saw it almost 6 years ago ( i migh be wrong) ... However widex has some good instruments.. But yest they are expensive they always will and they will be more expensive in the near future.... Unfortunately since it is not a public company we can not know a lot other than gossip or what we are told
________
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[TexFlyer]

I got Phonak Audeo IX open hearing aids on October 18th. I love them. My hearing is good at low freq but severly hampered at high freq (2000 and above). I live in Fort Worth, TX and paid $5,700 for the pair.

[jevidon]

I'm liking the Phonak eXtra more and more. As I indicated, I got them about two weeks ago as "loaners" to try out. I go back on Monday to make a decision. I may give the more expensive ones like the Audeo a try before I decide, but at this point, the eXtra seems to satisfy most of my needs. For instance, this evening we went to a very noisy restaurant, as in boiler room noisy. I simply reduced the volume toggle control on each to lowest setting. Conversation at our table was easy and the background noise was very unobtrusive. In most places with background chatter, I keep the eXtra's at default setting and in no time I can carry on a conversation with those nearby and if I want, I can selectively listen in on someone else's talk a few tables away; not that I'd do anything so crass. Anyway, the results are amazing. My only complaint is that the BTE part is a little bulky and tends to slip off the ear when I remove my eyeglasses. A thinner BTE body would make the eXtra near perfect.
Jim Evidon

[jevidon]

I've finished trying out the Phonak eXtra's. They are terrific. The audiologist is letting me try the Phonak Savia Art BTE's for a week for comparison. They are $1250 more each which is a big chunk of cash. Still, if they are that much better, I may go for them. So far, their sound quality is less "brittle", or smoother than the eXtra's and the music reproduction seems better. But I have only had them on for an hour. However, I was not dissatisfied with the eXtra sound quality. I'll know better in a few days if I like the Savia Art BTE's better enough to pay the extra money for the top of the line. So far, so good.
Jim Evidon

[w3kbs]

Hi folks,

My wife is trying out the Oticon hearing aid for a 30 day trial. The price for both of them is close to $4000.00 dollars. Are there places that sell them cheaper? Also there is a Bill pending in the house that will give a 500.00 tax credit to those who buy and where Hearing Aids.
The Bill number is H. R. 2329 The Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act. It's in Ways and Means right now so it is worth writting your congressman.
Any information would greatly be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
Bill.

[Admin]

Did you wife get the Oticon Delta's? They come in 4000, 6000 and 8000 models. Depending on the model, costs will be different.

There will always be cheaper places to buy them, but the servicing and professionalism of the audi/dispenser is probably just as important as the hearing aid choice...maybe even more important.

The tax credit bill has been around for around 2 years in various committees. We all hope that this will go through.

[w3kbs]

Thanks for the reply to my post. She is wearing the Oticon 6000 for the thiry day trail period. She really likes them.
I wrote my congressmen so we shall see what happens.

[xbulder]

i like the 6000 better
they have a good balance of price and features, what color did your wife
choose. Lately i had been fitting tons of pink deltas..
________
FORD MUSTANG FR500 SPECIFICATIONS (http://www.ford-wiki.com/wiki/Ford_Mustang_FR500)

[xbulder]

2000 each seems like a good price
does anyone know the average price for a delta 4000?
________
DEPOSIT INSURANCE FORUM (http://www.insurance-forums.org/deposit-insurance/)

[w3kbs]

They are tan. She seems to like the color.
Thanks

Bill

[trebor]

my delta 4000's were £3,200 for the pair, but i could get them online for £1,500 cheaper!

[jevidon]

After trying the eXtra BTE's for two weeks and then trying the Savia Art BTE's for a week, I decided to buy the eXtra's. The Savia Art was superior when it came to music reproduction, but it's performance in a very noisy social affair environment last weekend was dissappointing as compared to the eXtra's. I believe that the reasons are obvious. As wonderful as the Savia Art is in it's automatic functions, the design has to make some assumptions as to the environment in which it will perform. The eXtra, while less sophiticated, does have additional manual programming, one of which can be customized for extremly noisy environments.

While it's true that the Savia Art has one manual custom program in addition to the default automatic program, I decided that if I am going to have to switch to a manual program in the first place, then why should I spend the additional money for the Art when the eXtra will do the job.


While many may disagree with my reasoning, I now have an excellent set of BTE's (eXtra's) that do very well in most situations, and if I want to listen to music or I am in an exceptionally noisy environment, I can easily switch to the custom manual programs for each of those situations. Incidentally, the eXtra's do very well with music and only the very discriminating can tell the difference between the default program and the custom one.

In short, I now have a wonderful set of BTE's that suit my needs for
58% the cost of the Savia Art or even what I paid for my old Widex Diva's.

I do wish to thank all who have made valuable input in helping me make an intelligent and informed decision. :)

Jim Evidon

[xbulder]

mid price instruments often times are bundled with similar features of
high end instruments..
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[Khenkels]

Which aids do better with a low tone deficiency? I have an unusual hearing problem my doctor and technician have said. They have mentioned the Oticon Delta (no model). Please Help.

[docg]

Open-fitting aids are not really appropriate for low-freq losses. Certain devices in the mini-BTE category can be fit with closed-domes or custom molds to provide some low frequency gain. However, LF gain cannot be accomplished with a truly open fitting. I have successfully fit some patients with mini-BTEs using a tightly-fitting, power dome, but the key (unfortunately) is that in order to improve low-frequency hearing, you must have a relatively snug fit. Otherwise, the lows all escape out the vent or dome.

If an Oticon delta is fit with an open-fitting, it will likely not provide much help for a LF loss. However, if the device is fit with an occluding mold or tip and your loss is reasonably mild, you could do very well with it.

[culiduli]

I posted this morning that I was getting the Zounds hearing aids today! Well, I'm sitting here, with my new bionic ears, wearing them. Wow, I've had some really emotional moments today and some that even frightened me! Like when I hit a pothole in the road and thought for sure I"d run over a bicycle and when the air conditioning kicked in!

This thread is so interesting...I asked about an open fit today (which Zounds doesn't provide) and my consultant who is overly honest said 1. if I could get my hands on an open ended tip and try it on just to see it would be worth it and 2) he wasn't sure that my type of loss would be best for open fit.

So, here's my dilemma...I know after today's 1-day trial that I will wear aids for the rest of my life. I have 30 days to decide if I want to keep these or try somehthing else. Also, I can only submit my expenses once to my employee flex spending plan...so I have to be sure now!

What I love so far: sounds I've never heard before, especially the sound of my aquarium in my office....:) and I can't wait to watch a movie without the CC on!

Not so great: the little sounds like my typewriter clicking, paper, etc. My ear canal aches a little, even though they fit me with the smallest bud they make. I have VERY tiny ears and canals. The wind noise in the car was really annoying but walking around the mall seemed okay.

Can anyone tell me if my test results would indicate that I should try an open fit before deciding what I like best? I am considering going to an audiologist and getting a second opinion and another aid to compare to, since this is my first.

Right Left
250 30 45
500 35 50
1K 50 55
2K 45 55
4K 50 50

Also, What does this mean? SRT Left:55DB Right: 45DB
MCL Left:75dB Right: 70dB

Thank you.

[Khenkels]

Open-fitting aids are not really appropriate for low-freq losses. Certain devices in the mini-BTE category can be fit with closed-domes or custom molds to provide some low frequency gain. However, LF gain cannot be accomplished with a truly open fitting. I have successfully fit some patients with mini-BTEs using a tightly-fitting, power dome, but the key (unfortunately) is that in order to improve low-frequency hearing, you must have a relatively snug fit. Otherwise, the lows all escape out the vent or dome.

If an Oticon delta is fit with an open-fitting, it will likely not provide much help for a LF loss. However, if the device is fit with an occluding mold or tip and your loss is reasonably mild, you could do very well with it.

docg:
Here are my results:

L 250 - 45 R -50
L 500 - 50 R -45
L 1000-45 R -45
L 2000-55 R -50
L 4000-55 R -30
L 6000-20 R - 0


What do you think?

[docg]

I sent you an email:D

[xbulder]

oticon delta
can be fitted with a micro mold
and you can use it if you like it!
________
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[RHB]

Greetings,

After reading this forum abour 9 months ago I got set up with Micro Savia Art bte aids. My loss on the high end and open fit meshed perfectly. I purcased the key pilot to help me help the aids learn quicker. Now, I wear them all the time except when working in the shop or cutting the grass. I still carry the key pilot, however, find myself using it less and less. The noise reduction is marvelous and I am able to almost everything. Yes I still have to pay a little more attention and sometimes have to ask soft voiced speakers to repeat themselves, however, this is so much better. The open fit is easy to clean as well.

I had folks I worked with arguing with other that I wasn't wearing aids... they are so hidden.

I also recommend the Dry and Store Global, however, don't put your zinc-air batteries in the unit since the temperature dries them out and shortens the battery life. This contradicts the Dry and Store information, however, I have 9 months of data to support my claim.

I am working on a simple zinc-air battery life preserver. Would anyone be interested in such a device? If so, please PM me. TIA

:) ;) :) ;) :) ;) :) ;) :) ;) :) ;) :) ;)

[zozo]

I posted this morning that I was getting the Zounds hearing aids today! Well, I'm sitting here, with my new bionic ears, wearing them. Wow, I've had some really emotional moments today and some that even frightened me! Like when I hit a pothole in the road and thought for sure I"d run over a bicycle and when the air conditioning kicked in!

This thread is so interesting...I asked about an open fit today (which Zounds doesn't provide) and my consultant who is overly honest said 1. if I could get my hands on an open ended tip and try it on just to see it would be worth it and 2) he wasn't sure that my type of loss would be best for open fit.

So, here's my dilemma...I know after today's 1-day trial that I will wear aids for the rest of my life. I have 30 days to decide if I want to keep these or try somehthing else. Also, I can only submit my expenses once to my employee flex spending plan...so I have to be sure now!

What I love so far: sounds I've never heard before, especially the sound of my aquarium in my office....:) and I can't wait to watch a movie without the CC on!

Not so great: the little sounds like my typewriter clicking, paper, etc. My ear canal aches a little, even though they fit me with the smallest bud they make. I have VERY tiny ears and canals. The wind noise in the car was really annoying but walking around the mall seemed okay.

Can anyone tell me if my test results would indicate that I should try an open fit before deciding what I like best? I am considering going to an audiologist and getting a second opinion and another aid to compare to, since this is my first.

Right Left
250 30 45
500 35 50
1K 50 55
2K 45 55
4K 50 50

Also, What does this mean? SRT Left:55DB Right: 45DB
MCL Left:75dB Right: 70dB

Thank you.

With your range, you have a lot of choices for open fit:
Resound Azure
Siemens Centra
Oticon Epoq/Delta
Unitron Moxi/E16
Widex inteo mini

[xbulder]

if you are looking for value i would recomend

GN pixel
Oticon GO PRO with corda
Widex Bravisiom with elan
Phonak Extra
________
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[RoseD]

What are the differences in those listed below. I am active, 49 and these aids will see many environments outdoors/indoors, socials, etc.

I have ski slope loss and was told that the Delta, Epoc, Audeo, Savia Art and MicroPower IX were all in my range, The Delta 8000 though great at 2,600 per aid, does not have wireless (for bluetooth devices). I expressed a need for wireless. I asked questions about other than Delta but only answer is that the Delta is fine.

This person quoted me on models I was interested in as follows:

I was also told by the audi I spoke to:
Audeo $3800.00/per hearing aid,
MicroPower and Savia Art $3600.00/per hearing aid
Epoc $3,300 per hearing aid

CAN THE MICROPOWER IX REALLY BE OPEN FIT, IS THIS COMMON PRACTICE -SOMETHING MOST AUDI ARE FAMILIAR WITH/DO? If so seems that that model would allow for further power beyond that of the mild to moderate should my hearing slip into areas of further need. I can only do this once as is costly and this must hold me for longest period of time possible. This is something I am concerned about for when in a trial fit turned up Delta to make watching TV easier and there was feedback and had to back it down a some to rid the aids of that feedback. Seems like I may not have as nice a cushion of adjustment as previously thought!

The quotes given seem to be much more than what I am seeing in my online research.

I am in the Philadelphia suburbs area, will travel a touch to do better pricing than this if someone knew of a more reasonable audi in the area.

ALL FEEDBACK IS WELCOME!!!

Thank you for your help!
Rose

[xbulder]

got to compare apples with apples

Audeo = Delta purely open fit

Exelia = Epoq wireless and open fit as well

Savia = Sincro conventional aids - high end

For the money I would get the epoq, it is a better value... given those prices you have provide

[RoseD]

Have decided to go with the Exelia Micro BTE open fit.

The technology is appealing, the aid is comfy (barely note they are there) and the pricing was a lifesaver (working overtime to afford HAs).

I did receive original quotes btwn 3,100 - 3,600.
However managed to find an Audi, without negotiation fell roughly 1,100 less on each aid. This person is quite experienced and I am thrilled. I pick up my Exelias next week.

There are huge differences in aids out there.
eg: Epoqs XW bte, originally quoted high, roughly 3,200 each, are being offered by yet a different source than mine for 2,200.

Makes sense to shop around before even making an appointment with anyone.. for it can save both your time and is more considerate for the Audis time as well. That approach felt right for me. I simply wanted to make an appointment and buy top notch HA technology without the aggravation of time loss and negotiation.

Rose

[Justlou2u]

I am very interested in how you find the Micro BTE. I am in my second week of trial with Exelia M and find them too big and a bit uncomfortable. The two aids I tried previously were more comparable in sixe to the Micro and very light.

[BayBeTime]

I am very interested in how you find the Micro BTE. I am in my second week of trial with Exelia M and find them too big and a bit uncomfortable. The two aids I tried previously were more comparable in sixe to the Micro and very light.

email: audifonos@accutoneusa.com They will set you up with the 8ch 16 bands, Open Fit with 5 sets of ear buds and 2 sets of tubes.

I think the site sais $2,600 each, but he sold them to me for $1,300 FOR THE PAIR. This is the 3rd pair we have purchased form them. We bought his programming box and software for $320 and program the aids from our laptop.

good luck