Hearing Aids...is anyone else here hearing impaired? (1 Viewer)

[JimColeman]

Remember, you get what you pay for. In this case, just a hearing aid. It's missing a key component.....the audiologist. Hearing aids need adjustments, sometimes many. Initially, you'll need a couple of visits to get the programming just right and then routinely reprogrammed as your hearing slowly gets worse. Good luck finding someone to work on a hearing aid you bought elsewhere.

The audiologist is more important that the aid. These mail order/Internet companies are fly by night operations many just skirting the law when it comes to medical device dispensing. Buyer beware.

If you have your audiogram, let me know the results so I can give you a more accurate opinion. Not everyone is a good candidate for open fit hearing aids.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Is it appropriate for me to ask the audiologist for a copy of my audiogram? He did show me a diagram, that had been manually plotted.

Is the "restocking fee" typical? It apparently is only applied if I don't keep the hearing aid. How do I find a good audiologist? I was referred to an eye, ear, nose and throat md by my GP and that's where I took my test. They then referred me to their in-house audiologist.

I'm wondering about this guy. He only showed me two devices and didn't explain the speaker difference between the two. He also didn't mention that one might be less durable than the other.

 

[JimColeman]

Restocking fee is the norm, usually $50 to $150 per aid.

The audiogram is yours, it's part of your medical record. Get a copy.

The best way to find a good audiologist is word of mouth. If you don't know anyone that has worked with an audiologist then I'd look for one in a major medical center. Make sure they don't have any affiliation with a specific manufacturer. Some smaller practices will contract with only one or two different manufacturer so that they can get a better price.

A lot of it is based on your gut feeling though. You either trust this person with your hearing healthcare or you don't. Remember, you're starting a relationship that is going to last for many years. Do you trust him?, is he going to be around when you need him?, etc...

 

[Johnny Angell]

Ok, thanks. You've given me a lot of good advice.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Jim, I'm still trying to work myself into the mood of spending over four grand on a pair of hearing aides. What are the typical yearly costs of maintaining them? I know their will be batteries. Are there other expenses, special equipment to buy to clean them or maintain them?

 

[Colton]

Stay away from digital aids. They aren't worth the extra cost and are prone to cause problems more than analogue versions. My audiologist recommended Phonak Aero (ITC) for me and a different audiologist recommended ReSound Air+ brand. Shop around.

- Colton

 

[Johnny Angell]

Is the negative comment on digital aids through personal experience? We have a senior center nearby and I think I'll visit it to get some recommendations.

 

[Colton]

It's from many reviews from peoples perspective - plus the review of an audiophile who tested digital vs analogue aids and found that digital aids sounded worse than analogue.

- Colton

 

[Steve...O]

Johnny, when I replaced my aids several years back I auditioned digital and did not like them at all so I stuck with analogue. They just didn't sound natural and were quite directional. I personally think 4 grand is a lot to spend on aids especially if you don't have a severe loss.

As for maintenance...coupons for batteries are quite common so that has not proved to be a major expense. I spent less than $10 on a moisture remover. It's essentially a plastic bottle that I put the aids (sans batteries) in at night to dry out excess moisture. A bottle of cleaner runs about $5 (you spray on a tissue and then wipe the aid).

Other than a part going bad, there have been no other costs. I did spent about $200 to have one repaired after a part went out after the warranty. The repair was warrantied and this was much cheaper than replacing.

To reiterate Jim's point, a reputable audiologist is essential. I went through my local ENT office and found a couple that were great. They took the time to program my aids properly and scheduled follow-ups (at no additional charge) for tweaks/adjustments. They are not beholden to a particular manufacturer so I got a wide range of options. Before I went there I consulted with the Hearing aid company affilitated with Sears and found them to be more concerned about making a high commission from expensive aids than finding the best fit for me.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I went to an ENT and then to the audiologist in the office. He only talked to me about 2 HAs and they were both digital. He also failed to mention that an important difference between the two that I learned here in this thread.

Should he have shown me more? I don't know.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I had my hearing tested again and it had changed little. The doctor said come back in 3 years for another test. I told him I had decided it was time for hearing aids. I have finally decided my hearing is bothersome enough to me (and my wife who can hear a gnat fall from a height of one inch).

The doctor recommended the Oticon Delta. They have three levels of that model. Low, Mid, and High costing $1600, $2100, and $2600 respectively. They recommended the mid-level model. They explained the main difference was in how many sections that the audio spectrum can be sectioned into and therefore be better tuned to the user. I went with the Mid.

I tried them on and they are quite comfortable. In fact I forgot I had them on. They come with a 1 or 2 (I forget) damage & loss policy. Trying them out in their office isn't really a true test. I hope they help me out listening to the radio in a moving care and hearing the TV over our damned loud A/C.

I know I can get them re-calibrated within the first 30 days at no charge, but need to ask if there's a charge after the 30 days.

I'm scheduled to get them on 9/7/07. BTW, I got the charcoal grey color because it blended well with my eye-glasses ear thingy.

 

[Colton]

Congratulations on the new hearing aids. Although it might be too late to bring this up, but did you look into HEARPODS? The reviews have been phenomenal in both quality and cost. Two aids (either BTE or CIC) can be purchased for alittle over $1,500. From the reviews, the quality matches those brand name aids ranging from $4,000 on up for a pair.

http://www.myhearpod.com/

Good luck!

 

[JimColeman]

Who's reviews? Those fly-by-night companies are garbage and come no where near Oticon, Phonak, GN Resound, etc... in terms of technology and research and development.

 

[JimColeman]

Hey Johnny, I'm glad I check back into this forum. Congrats on the aids. Sounds like you got the Delta 6000's. The Delta's are very nice hearing aids offering great sound quality along with comfort and great cosmetics. Did the audiologist tell you about Oticon's newest product, the Epoq? If not, you may want to get a little information about that heairng aid before your trial period ends. They may be a bit of your price range but you should consider all options.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I'm not sure of the model number, it was never referred to and even the manual doesn't refer to a model number. It's the mid-range model which cost $2100 each. As it was explained to me, the difference between the three levels of the Deltas was that the low level could section the audio spectrum into 3 levels, mid-range was about 7, and high range was 9 or more I think. The more audio sections the more fine-tuning can be done to improve the listening experience.

The Epoq was not mentioned to me. I just went online and read a little about it. As I understand it, these aids can communicate with each other and coordinate the listening experience. My Deltas don't know the other exists. The Epoq can also take input from other devices (via a streamer) such as a cell phone or mp3 player, so that the hearing aid itself is playing back the output of, say the mp3 player.

One concern I would have is that in the past, there has been concern about potential brain damage being done by heavy use of cell phones held up to the ear. I understand there's no proof of this, but its a concern. With these aids I would have two transmitters very close to my brain for most of the day, excepting when I go to sleep. That might worry me.

Second, I don't see the benefit of having the aid send me the output of a cell phone or mp3 player. I've already used a phone with the Deltas and no problem. Since the microphone is outside the hear and the phone is placed on the ear, the aids aren't involved with a phone call and if I used ear phones with an mp3 player I would remove the aids. I'm thinking someone with a more extreme hearing loss them me, who has troubles with phone calls, would like the Epoq.

And yeah, I bet these things are expensive. I'm going to guess as much as another $1K over the Deltas.

But enough about the Epoqs, how are my aids doing? They have been tuned to a level the audioligist said was appropriate for someone new to hearing aids and the can be tuned to give me more.

I have noticed an improvement, but I'm not sure it's enough. When I walked outside I noticed more traffic noise and the radio in the moving car was easier to hear at a lower level (I think). Listening to the TV is better and we have a noisy AC. When it goes on, the experience is better, but I think I still want more help. I have not been in a noisy room with a bunch of people talking yet.

We have this plastic cat toy that contains a couple of plastic balls inside it and when the cats play with it, I sure can hear it. It is noticeably accentuated.

I'd sum up my experience by saying improved, but it's not a large improvement. I'd like to have it get better. I do understand that I'm not going to get my 20 year-old hearing back.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I've had two adjustments (counting the initial one) to my hearing aids. I do like them. I am hearing more at a slightly lower level on volume on, say, the TV, because they are giving me more high frequency sounds. Listening to the radio in a car is also slightly improved. I still want more help from the aids, though.

I've experimented with listing to the TV with the aids, them removing the tubes from my ear. When removed, the sound gets bassy or muffled, but I don't think the the volume decreases very much. I've going to ask the audiologist if I can get more volume, specially from the forward listening microphone. Can the microphones be adjusted separately?

The first set of batteries died on both aides 5 days after the initial fitting. If the battery life is consistent, I've calculated that they both should die today.

I asked about the Epoq's and she was kinda vague about their pricing, made it sound like they haven't fitted any and haven't figured out the pricing. They would at least cost as much as the high level Oticons ($2600). Might ask her about them again the next time.

I asked about adjustments in the future and as long as I own these aides, I don't have to pay for any adjustments. As for insurance, she doesn't think it's worth getting repair insurance beyond the original warranty, says it costs about $200 a year, and a repair would cost about that much any way, out of warranty. Loss insurance is another thing. I have to get more information from her on that.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I have finalized the purchase of my hearing aids. I like them, but as I knew, they don't restore your hearing, they help it. When I take them off, I can hear the radio or tv go muffled.

So now I'm in the market for batteries (10a). Has anyone got a good online source for quality batteries at the best price? In fact, does anyone have a favorite brand? They gave me a couple cards of Rayovac Proline (total of 16 batteries). They consistently last 5 days. Is this a typical amount of time?

 

[JimColeman]

5 days is pretty typical for a 10a battery. Try Radioshack (B&M) for batteries. Many times they have 2 for 1 sales on their RS brand 16 packs. It's usually the cheapest you can find them in my area. I don't know of any online deals but I wouldn't be surprised if they're out there.

Another note, I feel that when it comes to hearing aids, generic batteries are just as good as the name brands...only cheaper.

Congratulations on your improved hearing!

 

[Johnny Angell]

I found an online site that was selling a sampler box (42 pieces for $27 shipped) of about 8 different brands, which makes it easy to find who has the most bang for the buck. Zenipower was in there and if I remember correctly, was extremely inexpensive online. Thanks for mentioning radio shack, I hadn't thought of them.