my experience: AB in right ear, removed due to problems, AB in left ear, sound was ok but not great. I'm late-deafened but use ASL. Seven years after removing AB in right ear I got Med-El put in on right ear. Wow, sound is fantastic. I have Neptune AB in left ear which is so lousy compared to my Med-El that I hardly ever use it. Med-El is so much better, the sound is like I remember, I can use the phone again, hear the television and radio, it is like I am hearing again. I highly recommend the Med-El. They have much better technology. They avoid all the bells and whistles that AB has. They focus on the implant itself. I don't have any experience with Cochlear, but if Med-El can give me back sounds like I used to hear, then I am very happy. I want to remove the AB in my left ear and get another Med-El, even though I just got the new Neptune.