If initially you wore analogue equipment, then changed to digital....

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martyns

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and have since changed back to analogue, how long did you wear digital for, and what made you change back to analogue?
 
I had Analogue for 20 years (1980 to 2000 (i stopped wearing one in 1994 for the left ear due to on going tinnitus) In 2000 I got sponsorship with Digitial HA company who wanted Profoundly deaf young people to trial Digital HA's, I was successful case and loved the digital for 8 years. While going through the evaluation for CI I trialled 2 different Digital HA's they gave me no benefit at all. Once i was approved (in 2008) for CI for my right ear I asked the centre for HA loan to use in my left ear to see how i get on and i would need HA for 5 weeks after the OP and before activication. They couldn't find any digital for my left ear's loss so they gave me Analouge... I am trying to see if i can have latest powerful digital HA.
 
I wore analogs from 1991-2004/5

They changed me over because my analog HA was going out of use so they changed me to digitals...

It has taken me a lONG time to get used to them. I have Spirit 3 Super Power by Oticon
 
I have worn analogs since I was five. I tried digital when I was 33 or so, I couldn't do it. The digitals were so hard to get used to, I hated when they would suddenly adjust in volume and make everything feel muffled. I went back to analog.
 
bebito- EXACTLY my problem with digitals. I disliked the GN ReSound Canta 7 when I first got it but figured it was just something to get used to. So I did.

For five whole years.

Then a situation a few months ago required me to use my old analog. I was blown away by the sound quality difference. I was hearing sounds from soooo far away and higher frequencies I hadn't heard since I got my digital. Then, I got a newly updated analog for only $500.00. It's done far more for me than any of the digitals I tried.

I don't know who or what invented the dumb noise reduction/speech emphasis dealio on the digitals. I don't know about other digital users, but I want full control over what I hear as I adapt to different situations, like I have my whole life.

Perhaps the fact that I've worn analog my whole life has made it nearly impossible for me to be able to ever get used to digitals.

Well, all I know is what a new audie I visited a few months ago told me: digital would have never done anything for my loss.
 
Yup, that noise reduction thing,it drove me crazy! Why would anyone want that? I like to hear everything, even the loud noises! LOL I wear Oction Sumo's and I tried the digital Oction Sumo's and hated them. I love my analog Sumo's though. :)
 
analog hearing aids

I've had the Phonak analog hearing aids for such a long time. I had tried on digital hearing aids a few years back and did not like them at all. Last year, I was told that analogs would no longer be made (sure enough, Phonak is not making analogs anymore as of this year). I decided I had better get used to digital hearing aids now so I am now trying out the Phonak Naida V UP. To date, the audiologist has programmed it so that it is very similar to my 1 year old Phonak hearing aids. It's just a matter of time in getting the audiologist to continue to readjust the hearing aids to my functioning and comfort level. This means visiting the audiologist quite a few times. No fun but at least I am assured there are still hearing aids that would still benefit me.

-Wendy
 
I also worn Phonak analog hearing aids for a long time and been mostly happy with them. I still have working Phonak Classica that I brought from Kaiser and currently using the Phonak analog SuperFront 12 years going with one repair with my CI implant. So I am covered with Analog aids for quite a few years to come. It is my understanding that Phonak analog BTE can still be found. If you are handy with adjusting trim pots the cheapest place I found so far for name brand Analog BTE aids is here;

Analog Hearing Aids
 
I guess I'm in the minority here. I wore analog from the age of 3.5 to sometime in early high school. I was switched to what I call 'Hybrid', meaning that the hearing aid was analog, but it did have a couple of programs. It was awesome because my audiologist could bump up the specific areas I needed. Then 2 years ago I got completely digital hearing aids and now you'll have to pry them out of my cold, dead hands! LOL

It did take me time to re-learn sounds and basically mentally re-catalog what I thought I knew. But I couldn't believe how much I'd been missing out on my entire life! Although I am Severely Deaf and I know that I'll never be able to hear a whisper, I can at least hear someone behind me trying to get my attention. Or the car coming down the lane in the Walmart parking lot.

To me, this is worth the annoyance of the *beep* *beep* that the battery is dying or the same beeps when I manually change the program. I think the biggest reason its hard to get used to is that the noise is unexpected.

I think you need to go with whatever feels the best to you. If, it turns out that digital won't help you significantly, then why waste money on those aids? A good analog aid can be worth its weight in gold. :)
 
I had phonak analogue hearing aids for 14 years and they still work. I do not wear them now because my hearing loss is so bad. I now wear Phonak Naida V UP. So far the Naida's are much better at the lower frequencies but are more noisy in loud environments. I lOVE the fact that I can hear high frequency things like, birds (every once in a while), dog tags, doors creeking, high notes on a piano, and even an alarm on my watch. All of these things I have never heard before. I have only had my new hearing aids a few days and I am contantly asking "what was that?" and am having to learn sounds again and others for the first time. I LOVE Phonak SuperFront hearing aids as well, the best sound quality ever.
 
thesynthfreq said:
I had phonak analogue hearing aids for 14 years and they still work. I do not wear them now because my hearing loss is so bad. I now wear Phonak Naida V UP. So far the Naida's are much better at the lower frequencies but are more noisy in loud environments. I lOVE the fact that I can hear high frequency things like, birds (every once in a while), dog tags, doors creeking, high notes on a piano, and even an alarm on my watch. All of these things I have never heard before. I have only had my new hearing aids a few days and I am contantly asking "what was that?" and am having to learn sounds again and others for the first time. I LOVE Phonak SuperFront hearing aids as well, the best sound quality ever.
Click to expand...

I, too, have the Phonak Superfront hearing aid and have worn that for years. The last one I purchase was last year's model and it's still good! I'm trying to get used to the Naida V UP and it's an adjustment for me! It's not the same for sure. I don't know if it's better but I will go for some adjustments at the audiologist's office soon. My husband is using Phonak's analog (Pico Forte 3) -- don't know if they're making it anymore but he is purchasing this from his audiologist this week. I think if analogues were still being made- I'd prefer to stick w/ the analogues. However, I understand that analogues will be discontinued so I must get used to digitals. :|
 
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