Silenced again...

Audiofuzzy said:
awright.. can you possibly just simply tell what make and how old your current HAs are?

the brand name, the how many years they are old?

Fuzzy
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They are Starkey series 5 (2 years old from original purchase date, if replaced as said , 3 months)
 
sonocativo said:
They are Starkey series 5 (2 years old from original purchase date, if replaced as said , 3 months)
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Starkey sucks. I know I had them. They were my first digitals and they were awful. I paid for my Widex out of pocket I was so disgusted with what little I was hearing. Widex was worth every penny and they've been amazing. Try the Widex Super 440 or the Phonaks people are recommending. The right hearing aid makes a world of difference.

Laura
 
fitting-ric-ap-large.gif


Here is the fitting range. There are many hearing aids that would do a much better job for you. These are very far from the most powerful hearing aids on the market.
 
Lau2046 said:
Starkey sucks. I know I had them. They were my first digitals and they were awful. I paid for my Widex out of pocket I was so disgusted with what little I was hearing. Widex was worth every penny and they've been amazing. Try the Widex Super 440 or the Phonaks people are recommending. The right hearing aid makes a world of difference.

Laura
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That is what I am finding out now... I looked them up and shows StarKey has discontinued these and replaced with another model now? I am just getting fed up with the run arounds and lies with the economy and everyone trying to put a pretty penny in their pockets for nothing, instead of really helping those who needs help. Doctors do get bored with their patients and thats when its time for change, and...Thats about how Im feeling now. I have never researched these aids til tonight and come to find out alot of what I was told is false on these.
 
I can't find information whether or not Series 5 is for moderate, sever or profound hearing loss.

However, the fact this is discontinued makes me think it's sort of outdated
or from the beginning not so great line.

Perhaps before you delve into CI world, you should go and try any most powerful digital HA available on the market now?

A lot of peeps seem to like Phonak, Widex and Siemens best.
I currently have Siemens, and I like it so far.

And yes these toys are expensive. I paid for mine 5 thou.

But it's like buying a car - a good one is costly.

Fuzzy
 
Audiofuzzy said:
I can't find information whether or not Series 5 is for moderate, sever or profound hearing loss.

However, the fact this is discontinued makes me think it's sort of outdated
or from the beginning not so great line.

Perhaps before you delve into CI world, you should go and try any most powerful digital HA available on the market now?

A lot of peeps seem to like Phonak, Widex and Siemens best.
I currently have Siemens, and I like it so far.

And yes these toys are expensive. I paid for mine 5 thou.

But it's like buying a car - a good one is costly.

Fuzzy
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Im leaning towards the not so great line... They seemed to be a POS from day one with all the issues, almost like an experimental model or something? These are what I have now
S Series 5 RIC Hearing Aids - StarkeyPro
 
Does anyone know how to read a hearing test chart? I have mine and could scan it and post if I can find it, as it is packed away but I can pinpoint the 2 boxes it would be in since all my legal papers will be in one of the 2 boxes.
 
Forget Starkey, they were wonderful with analogs but they're absolutely terrible for digitals. You need to look into the Widex Super 440 or Phonak Nadias. When I had the Starkeys I remember being depressed all the time because nothing sounded as it did with the analogs. My hearing in the right ear had also moved closer to profound loss so I didn't know if it was the hearing aids or my new life as it was. I was frustrated that music sounded different and my family complained that my hearing was actually worse. By chance, I decided to give my former hearing aid dispenser a try again and she recommended the Widex. They weren't cheap by any means but the woman was spot on. They've made such a huge difference in my life.

You need to find an audiologist or dispenser who hs these two bands and give them both a try. A CI should really be a last resort, especially when a different model HA may be all that's needed. You have nothing to lose by giving another HA brand a shot.
 
Lau2046 said:
Forget Starkey, they were wonderful with analogs but they're absolutely terrible for digitals. You need to look into the Widex Super 440 or Phonak Nadias. When I had the Starkeys I remember being depressed all the time because nothing sounded as it did with the analogs. My hearing in the right ear had also moved closer to profound loss so I didn't know if it was the hearing aids or my new life as it was. I was frustrated that music sounded different and my family complained that my hearing was actually worse. By chance, I decided to give my former hearing aid dispenser a try again and she recommended the Widex. They weren't cheap by any means but the woman was spot on. They've made such a huge difference in my life.

You need to find an audiologist or dispenser who hs these two bands and give them both a try. A CI should really be a last resort, especially when a different model HA may be all that's needed. You have nothing to lose by giving another HA brand a shot.
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I agree, I just didnt know about other brands or whats new out there. I dont know if certain Audiologists just push a certain brand or what, it seems mine did? And yes, these starkey did souund off, nothing like the analog brands I had before. I was told it was because they were digital and the power they were pushing, now Im having second thoughts as if I have been completely lied to with the Audiologist.
What is the best way to find a good trustworthy Audiologist that wont try to push a certain brand? Like I said before it seems everyone in this economy is just trying to push whatever and put a pretty penny in their pockets.
 
Maybe see if any list an email so you can ask questions. This is what I did when I was shopping for a new one because my current one at that time preferred Oticon, another brand you should consider, and I had determined I wanted the Phonak Naidas because they, at that time, were the only ones that covered profound loss in all freqs.
I only found two online with emails & only one got back to me, as I recall. She & I exchanged emails for a few days before I decided to make an appt with her. Even though we also talked about the FM systems, etc, which are expensive, she did not try to sell them to me. In fact she gave me reasons not to spend my $$ on them. I'm glad I found her.
Check out hearingaidforums.com for info out HAs. There are audiologists & dispensers members on that site. That is where I got a lot of info that helped me decide the Naidas were what I wanted.
 
I researched online for dealers of Widex and Phonak... I can only find Widex, which one is close and in the Hospital close to me. Apparently Phonak is not in the United States? I cannot find anything here for Phonak.
I sent an email to the provided email address direct to the office, so I will see what happens with Widex.
 
Phonak is a Europian company but the have representatives in the USA. They are a leading brand in the US as far as I know.
To to Phonak.com, if not prompted for country, look at the top right side for the drop-down to the left of the search box and select USA.
Click on hearing & hearing loss then click on Experts Near You.
 
Cool thanks, there is one across from the hospital.
Question, should I go see both and pit them against one another or Just try the Widex first? Reason I ask is it will be 2 different offices and dont know if the insurance will cover me running around to a bunch of places?
 
sonocativo said:
Im leaning towards the not so great line... They seemed to be a POS from day one with all the issues, almost like an experimental model or something? These are what I have now
S Series 5 RIC Hearing Aids - StarkeyPro
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Look at the fitting chart here. That's even worse than what I thought you had.

That audiologist must be nuts to fit you with these and then tell you you need a CI if they don't work. These are not very powerful hearing aids at all!


fitting-ric-large.gif
 
sonocativo said:
Cool thanks, there is one across from the hospital.
Question, should I go see both and pit them against one another or Just try the Widex first? Reason I ask is it will be 2 different offices and dont know if the insurance will cover me running around to a bunch of places?
Click to expand...

Both companies, Widex and Phonak, should be widely available. If Widex is available near you, give the Super 440 models a try and look for someone that offers Phonak so you can compare. I was fortunate in that I had somone from my past that I always trusted. The other two I frequented pushed Starkey but I didn't like the brand, and neither does my current dispenser....who fit me with my last Starkey analogs.

Do a google search of hearing aid places and email them to ask if they offer the brands you want to try...but don't let anyone push you into buying until you like what you hear. Ask your EMT for a referral or primary care. I basically searched the Internet and just emailed everyone to ask what brands they had on site.
 
Has anyone used the Lyrics that Phonak has? I like the all-in-the-canal models, I had them before. What I like is they use less power and can stay in for up to 4 months, but what Im not liking is having to purchase a subscription for having batteries changed and whatever else. I like the itc better because the bte models tend to get knocked when working or playing with my son as well as various other reasons. BUT if I have to stick with BTE models thats fine, I just like the ITC models better. The AIE models are a bit bulky and due to sweat they tend to get loose/leak and have to pull them out and dry quite often where I didnt have that with the ITC aids.
 
sonocativo said:
Does anyone know how to read a hearing test chart? I have mine and could scan it and post if I can find it, as it is packed away but I can pinpoint the 2 boxes it would be in since all my legal papers will be in one of the 2 boxes.
Click to expand...

I know more or less how to determine whether a hearing loss is mild to moderate, moderate to severe, severe to profound basing on the frequency loss.

Do post yours, please, just cut off your name and other whereabouts that could yield any personal info about you.

Fuzzy
 
sonocativo said:
Has anyone used the Lyrics that Phonak has? I like the all-in-the-canal models, I had them before. .
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Yeah, well.. ITCs are for mild to moderate hearing loss. Just because you had them before doesn't guarantee they are still appropriate for you -today.
You may need something more powerful,
which may restrict the variety of HAs to the BTE type only.
I am sorry about that as I know how unpleasant this realization is... :aw:

Fuzzy
 
The ITC aids aren't appropriate for severe/profound loss....they're also prone to breaking. I had them for about five years and they broke more frequently than any other model I've worn.
 
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