Which CI is the best?

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joel21

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I started losing my hearing 8 months ago. I was approved today for bilateral CI's. How do I know which CI brand to choose?
Im an active person with small children so I need something durable and somewhat water resistant. Im also a dentist so I need one that works fairly well in a noisy environment.
Im getting the right ear done in February and the left one done sometime after that.
Id like to hear the positives and negatives of your CI experiences with whichever CI you have.

Joel Reinhart
Tampa florida
 
The one that's advertised the most in the pages of Hearing Loss Magazine and Volta Voices of course!
Everyone's response to hearing devices is going to be very different....
 
Im guessing most people just follow their audiologists reccomendation.
 
you can either go with what your audie and CI surgeon recommend, or you can do some research and decide which one you think will be the best CI for you.

Take a look at this site: cochlear implant HELP then decide for yourself.

I went with AB for myself, but that was my personal decision. The important thing to know is all CI devices work well.

AB has a full-out waterproof processor called the Neptune, and it's an off the ear device. So if you do a lot of sports that includes water sports, you might want to consider the Neptune. Cochlear's N5 is water resistant, and they also just came up with the Aqua accessory in which it's like a water proof baggy for your N5 processor.
 
Your surgeon will tell you which one he prefers to put in you.

As a dentist, you probably also know that the brand your surgeon picks might include a free exotic vacation somewhere.......

I have Cochlear N5's. My surgeon chooses based on what kind of hearing loss each individual has.
 
Lol, No. Don't get the Neptune, my good friend has one and I feel so bad for him. It's such an annoying processor. Its a downgrade from the BTE.
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Oh so is the Neptune one of those things that SOUNDS good b/c of one feature but is really in actuality very annoying?
 
I have the Neptune and I'm actually quite happy with it. Even more so now that I have the T-Comm for it so I can use the T-mic with it instead of the headpiece mic.
 
The best CI for one person may not be the best for others. I would ask your Audi what choices you have and then think about your lifestyle. Your Audi should have examples of the devices available for you to look at so you can compare them. Good luck with your surgeries. I think it is a good idea you are going the sequential route.
BTW, I have bilateral N5 and I am very happy with them. I have had them for two years and have not had any problems. They are much more rugged than the Freedom.
 
definitely see if you can play with the demos at your audie's office, so you can see the different devices, get a feel for them, etc.
 
bbaseballboy123 said:
Lol, No. Don't get the Neptune, my good friend has one and I feel so bad for him. It's such an annoying processor. Its a downgrade from the BTE.

Its either the Harmony or the N5. If you want to be really safe and have a water resistance processor N5, but if you want a really good sound quality, the Harmony wins.
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You can have the exact same sound quality with the Neptune. There can be a different quality to the sound if you use the headpiece mic, but it's not necessarily worse.. just different. Perhaps your friend needs to learn how to optimize wearing his Neptune. I enjoyed it quite a bit when I was using one and wish I had one of my own as an option. No, I wouldn't want one as my only processor, but then I obviously don't want the Harmony as my only choice either.

It's hardly a downgrade from the BTE when it's a different form-factor from the BTE. Let's not forget the quick and easy direct connect compared to the BTE as well as the ability to use a choice of battery type that you can get from any store.

I wouldn't push the Harmony at this stage. The new BTE is due out next year and is a MAJOR upgrade from anything we have available now from any manufacturer. You can even view it if you know where to look. Unfortunately, that doesn't address any decisions being made right now unless one waits.
 
Thanks for the replies. My Dr seems to be steering me towards AB or Med el it seems. He's mentioned the higher technology associated with them a few times. Which co is coming out with the new Bte next yr and do you know where I could read up/ look at it? I'm really not too worried about looks but I'd like it to be fairly durable or somewhat water resistant. It seems that ABs internal component might have more room for upgrades from the literature but I'm mo techie.
 
joel21 said:
Thanks for the replies. My Dr seems to be steering me towards AB or Med el it seems. He's mentioned the higher technology associated with them a few times. Which co is coming out with the new Bte next yr and do you know where I could read up/ look at it? I'm really not too worried about looks but I'd like it to be fairly durable or somewhat water resistant. It seems that ABs internal component might have more room for upgrades from the literature but I'm mo techie.
Click to expand...

Advanced Bionics is the new BTE for 2013 release.

Advanced Bionics’ New Cochlear Implant To Be Released In 2013 « Cochlear Implant Online
 
joel21 said:
Thanks for the replies. My Dr seems to be steering me towards AB or Med el it seems. He's mentioned the higher technology associated with them a few times. Which co is coming out with the new Bte next yr and do you know where I could read up/ look at it? I'm really not too worried about looks but I'd like it to be fairly durable or somewhat water resistant. It seems that ABs internal component might have more room for upgrades from the literature but I'm mo techie.
Click to expand...

There isn't much publicly available info on the new BTE other than the photos captured from the Advanced Bionics Investor Report slides. All that is officially known is it is coming next year. Your best bet to get a preview of it is to go over to Phonak's website and review their high-end hearing aid features to get an idea of what is coming for the new Advanced Bionics BTE. Phonak and AB are owned by the same parent company and have partnered up to develop the new BTE incorporating the technology found in Phonak. There is some good tech stuff that none of the other manufacturers have access to.
 
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