Phonak Audeo S Smart V, domes vs molds and profound hearing loss

[RKelly]

Hi,
I'm new to the board and hope I'm doing this right. I've been an Oticon Tego Pro CIC wearer for the past eight years until my puppy chewed them to shreds last week. Am going through Hearing Planet for new aids and had my audio test Tuesday which shows moderate to profound loss, with profound being only in the upper frequencies.

The Audi recommended the Phonak S Smart V for my loss but I noticed on their website that it says these aids do not cover profound losses. Audi originally wanted to go with ear olds but I want to try the closed dome (or double doom) for a more natural sound instead of the stuffy thing in your ear feeling. Aids are on order and should be here Monday but I'm concerned about the profound loss problem at higher frequencies. Getting audio gram so I can post it on Monday.

I called Audi today and he said he thinks the aid should work because of the Sound Recover feature but he still thinks I might need ear mold. I'm wondering if this is a powerful enough aid for me or just the one phonak and hearing planet wanted to sell me! He said I could try them for a few weeks and if it doesn't work we can switch them to a Cassia, nilo micro or Solana. That's two weeks of wasted time though. Any thoughts from anyone on how I should proceed? First experience with BTE and all this new techie stuff so I'm a little confused. Thanks! Oh, I'm getting the pair of aids plus the ComPilot for $4400. Is this a good deal?

Here is my audio gram:
L-125 Hz.-250...55
..500...50
..750...40
.1000....35
.1500...40
.2000....40
.3000...45
.4000...65
.6000...90
.8000...90
R. ...250....65
...500...55
...750...45
...1000...40
...1500...55
...2000...50
...3000...45
...4000...60
...6000...85
...8000...95

SRT -R - 50dB. l-45dB masked 40dB
Word discrimination
R-92% - 75 dB
l-96% - 75dB

[AMazieLN]

Depends. I think the Cassia would do you better, but you won't know until you try both. That's the great part about trials!

[Stapedius]

The Audeo will definitely be powerful enough for your loss. There is a power receiver (around 55dB) that you could try with the double dome. There is also an extra power receiver (around 62dB) that is built into a molded c-shell which looks essentially like a CIC in the ear.

I do not fit a ton of Phonak products, but I have always had EXCELLENT success with the c-shell. They seem to always be comfortable and cosmetically appealing for people who need a little more gain but still want the "thin tube" look.

If I were you, I would try the Audeo 5 with the dome on it and see if you like the fit/sound quality. You can always add the c-shell if you have comfort issues or if you need some more gain; you would probably adjust quite well given that you are a long-time CIC wearer.

[Um bongo]

Aye, and most of that loss is fairly moderate only the 8Khz would be considered Severe/Profound, but the Soundrecover will deal with that.

[RKelly]

I go back to the Audi on Monday and so far things have been great! Have had one problem with some loud squelching in the ears when ComPilot was in use but only a couple of times. Can't tell if I accidentally have them on the wrong ears since they aren't marked L,R and look identical. Love the ComPilot feature just wish it were a little smaller. Already had two people stop me and rudely ask me what's that around my neck. About asked them what was around their's. Answer, my hands! TV link is awesome too. Buy my batteries on EBay for super cheap and I'm feeling pretty good about these aids. Not so confident in my Audi. He seems a little on the not-so-bright side. wish they were cheaper too but I guess $4400 for both aids and the ComPilot is not so bad. Wonder how many years I'll get out of them? Got eight years (with many in shop repairs) on my last Oticon CIC aids.

[Ski-Slope]

$4,400 is a great price. I've been quoted significantly higher for the Audeo's, although I believe they were the IX's and not the V's.

I have heard nothing but good things about the Audeo S Smarts. The only reason I'm not trialing them now is that my hearing loss is significantly worse than yours, so I need every bit of power and programming (soundrecover, etc) I can get. I don't think that soundrecover will do a whole lot for you, considering that your profound hearing loss is in higher pitches than that of human speech.

You should be well within the fitting range for the Audeos.