It's not "your forum". This is a public forum and no one individual person owns it. Having said that, you are right that we have gotten off track as to your original questions. Here is a link that could be helpful in breaking down the different things about each brand from a very objective perspective:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/84378947/CochlearImplantShoppingGuide.pdf
This will show you the technical specs, sound processing strategies for each CI brand, bluetooth capability, waterproof capability, stimulation rate, IDR, etc. It also explains what each thing is a little bit in layman's terms so that minimizes confusion about anything.
Cochlear Implant HELP online is a great site. There is a plethora of resources from people who have all 3 CI brands: http://cochlearimplanthelp.com
I suggest that you look at that site in-depth. I think you will also find people who are more receptive to CI's and to giving you their experiences/answers on one of the CI recipient forum websites:
Hearing Journey, www.hearingjourney.com (Advanced Bionics)
Cochlear Community, www.cochlearcommunity.com (Cochlear America)
Hear Peers, www.hearpeers.com (Med-El)
Keep in mind that people from each of these websites will most likely have strong opinions about their own brands if they feel that they are satisfied with their results. You are going in the right direction in terms of asking questions about how each of the CI's do in noise. That is key for better hearing, your life does not take place in a soundproof booth! I can't speak to how I would do in noise with Cochlear or Med-El, but with my AB implant I experienced an immediate improvement in my ability to converse with others and hear & identify other people's voices as their own unique voices in noise- it was absolutely phenomenal for me. I also hear much more fine detail in music than I ever did with AB's Fidelity 120 sound processing strategy. AB has partnered with Phonak so the latest generation of the AB processor, the Naida, is able to utilize the Phonak technology. AB also offers the option of a separate completely waterproof processor, the Neptune. The Naida can even be waterproof now as well, with AB's AquaCase. I do not know if Med-El is partnered with Oticon or not.
