Hearing Aids

Phonak vs. Starkey

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RiverSong

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I have recently learned that my hearing loss has gotten worse, and I was told that I need new hearing aids. I currently wear Starkey BTEs and I decided that I wants some colorful, and audiologist recommended Phonak. I was told about Naida and Sky Q does anyone have advice or a preference to either?:wave:
 
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Be careful about buying hearing aids just for appearance. Colors are lovely but the product is the most important thing. Choose the hearing aid brand that gives you the best sound for your loss. If that's Phonak, then you can think of your options. However, hearing aids never sound the way we anticipate so do try the Phonak to be certain that it meets your expectations. BTW, I didn't do the poll because hearing aids are very individual and you need to look at performance more than appearance.

Laura
 
I had Starkey BTE's, demo'd some Naida's before I got my cochlear implants. The Naida's are heads and tails better!
 
Thank you both. As I went back and re-read my post, I realized that I had forgotten to proof read it. I loved my Starkey BTEs and I was confused when they said my hearing test was worse. For my first pair, I was blessed to have them given to me as a gift. I've had my family call a few places while I look at various models online. Part of me wanting hearing aids with colors is due to the fact that I have had people rip my hearing aids out of my ears after screaming " gimme your______bluetooth, you _______!!!!", I have also had professors attempt to deny me access for my tests because I had a "Bluetooth". Even when I told them that it's a hearing aid their reply was " you don't need hearing aids, you're not deaf, you're just too lazy and want to cheat." That has gotten better since I first filed a complaint then had my ear molds redone in neon colors. I wish hearing aid selection was easier, but I finally found the paper with the recommendations one being the Naída and the other a different Phonak model.
 
Wow...your professors sound like jerks. My sympathy for the ignorance you have to deal with.
 
I found the Phonak Naida Q to be really awesome, before I got my CI. Before the Naida HA, I had an Oticon PerSonic analog which I loved. I found my hearing to be better with the Phonak Naida Q, though, the "g" sound was so much better. And that HA can do a pretty good job of mimicking analogs and not going too fancy on the digital stuff. It doesn't squelch noise to inaudible levels.

RiverSong mentioned that her hearing got worse, and so I imagine that she was tested and that this type of HA was the recommendation of her audiologist. I'm sure the audiologist would've been upfront about it not being appropriate if it wasn't.
 
everlastingstorm said:
RiverSong mentioned that her hearing got worse, and so I imagine that she was tested and that this type of HA was the recommendation of her audiologist. I'm sure the audiologist would've been upfront about it not being appropriate if it wasn't.
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I'm sure the recommendation was appropriate too but she needs to determine whether she wants to stay with the Starkey brand in a different model, or try something else. Making your decision based on the color isn't the best route. And her audiologist isn't going to be wearing the hearing aids so she should try more than one brand to see which sounds best. I listened when my audiologist made a recommendation on the ear molds and in hindsight, I should have gone with my choice. Next time I will. It's important when you're looking for hearing aids to look at the product, and not be swayed by what others think will work best....but what you find works best. It's part of the frustration but it can also be part of the fun too...
 
Phonak's are great. I love my Phonak Naida's and I'm hoping to get the Phonak Sky Q90 UPs in the next few weeks as well.

I'm going with the Sky Q90 UPs rather then the Naida Q90 UPs, to get the color options. They are the same technology inside so I don't see any problems going with the Sky range even if they are intended for kids.
 
RiverSong said:
Thank you both. As I went back and re-read my post, I realized that I had forgotten to proof read it. I loved my Starkey BTEs and I was confused when they said my hearing test was worse. For my first pair, I was blessed to have them given to me as a gift. I've had my family call a few places while I look at various models online. Part of me wanting hearing aids with colors is due to the fact that I have had people rip my hearing aids out of my ears after screaming " gimme your______bluetooth, you _______!!!!", I have also had professors attempt to deny me access for my tests because I had a "Bluetooth". Even when I told them that it's a hearing aid their reply was " you don't need hearing aids, you're not deaf, you're just too lazy and want to cheat." That has gotten better since I first filed a complaint then had my ear molds redone in neon colors. I wish hearing aid selection was easier, but I finally found the paper with the recommendations one being the Naída and the other a different Phonak model.
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If your professors have said that to you, turn them into the school for academic misconduct. You could also get an attorney who specializes in ADA claims. At the very least these people owe you a public apology at the worst they should be fired!
 
seb said:
If your professors have said that to you, turn them into the school for academic misconduct. You could also get an attorney who specializes in ADA claims. At the very least these people owe you a public apology at the worst they should be fired!
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You're right. Sometimes the problem stems from an administration oversight, but the more I read here on alldeaf and the laws I have decided to ask for an advocate. A friend of mine knows of one who has worked with d/Deaf and HoH before.
The only thing worse than the professors are the high school kids in college classes, that is an entirely different nightmare.


Thank you!
 
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