Always wondered why they didn't have a hearing aid advertised as somehow connected to a phone or a phone app...
I have a hearing aid and I've never needed the neck dongle for volume. Pretty much all hearing aids have volume control and several settings like tcoil to use when you're on the phone. I'm semi interested in this product but I don't see any note of what level of hearing loss is acceptable to use the product. For instance I have pretty severe loss and only high end aids work for me. I would LOVE it if apple actually released their own hearing aid. Hearing aids are 50-60 year old technology if not older, and while they've grown leaps and bounds, many of us still have troubles with clarity and volume, filtering out background noises and raising high frequencies etc.
I wonder if/when insurance companies will pay for these hearing aids. I've heard that many insurance companies don't cover hearing aids.
my audiologist told me about these a few months back. honestly, there is nothing groundbreaking in this tech at all, they're just the first ones to capitalise on the "made for iPhone" program.
siemens, phonak and starkey are clearly the leaders when it comes to revolutionary design.
Not sure that is exactly how the hearing aid will work.
Judging from article, the iPhone app will only be used to adjust settings, and the hearing aid can connect to the phone for calls and streaming.
I'm sure siemens, panasonic or another brand had a set going back a couple of years? perhaps i am wrong.
when they bring out bluetooth or 2.4ghz wireless enabled CIC or IIC aids, thats when il be interested. Still, i can't see if it has taken this long to get bluetooth into a BTE (or RIC) aid, why its taken so long!?
I think it's great: simple, big buttons that are easy to see, and an easy to figure out "what state is my hearing aid in" UI.
I had GN Resound from 2001-2008 and from 2008-2013.
Just got a new set of Phonak things, with a little gizmo to pair with a BT device. So I can stream music wirelessly and still hear via the hearing aid's microphone. HA technology is always improving though.
I wonder if/when insurance companies will pay for these hearing aids. I've heard that many insurance companies don't cover hearing aids.
That's interesting because I use a analog hearing aid and rely on a HATIS headset that connects to the HA to make private Skype calls or listen to music discreetly in a coffeeshop. But a Bluetooth HA would have been nice but very expensive.
Mine is a Phonak as well. Hated the digital HA when I tried it out and sounded really artificial and didn't sound right to me. But analog wins hands down with a richer and fuller bass, in my experience.
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Sadly, insurance doesn't cover them which I think is BS. One has to rely on local agencies for certain assistance in that area.
I got a pair of Resound Forzas last year from Costco and also bought their Bluetooth dongle. They also have an app that allows me to change the volume and balance using my iPhone . I have a profound loss and being able to have a phone call go directly to my hearing aids is phenomenal. The only quality issue is that the microphone quality sucks so ironically people have a hard time hearing me on the phone. I wonder if you have to use the microphone on your phone for outgoing calls?I wear Phonaks and have a streamer--this is the first set of aids I've seen that have Bluetooth directly built-in and don't require a separate streaming device that you have to wear around your neck. I think that's progress.
NICE! Im going to recommend this to my patients.
Hey, it connects to your iPhone and has it's own app, must buy!
That's interesting because I use a analog hearing aid and rely on a HATIS headset that connects to the HA to make private Skype calls or listen to music discreetly in a coffeeshop. But a Bluetooth HA would have been nice but very expensive.
Mine is a Phonak as well. Hated the digital HA when I tried it out and sounded really artificial and didn't sound right to me. But analog wins hands down with a richer and fuller bass, in my experience.
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Sadly, insurance doesn't cover them which I think is BS. One has to rely on local agencies for certain assistance in that area.
They want something very, very easy to use. Big buttons!
I've worn aids for 32 years and there was a learning curve going to digital but I wouldn't go back. The bass isn't the same and it is hard to listen to music but conversationally it is much better for me.
I've always had to pay out if picket for mine. Costco's prices help a lot. Now, if only my local costco had an intelligent hearing aid dispenser...
Then you would be a terrible audiologist!!
Any hearing professional recommends Hearing Aids based on the patient's hearing loss first, not the features!
I meant the company behind the app wants something very easy to use -- it's not just for "old people" but they want it as universally accessible as possible.My brother is 37, going deaf and has tinitus, so no, its not just for old people needing "big buttons".
It's only recently that Bluetooth Smart was established for low power type of communication. That'd be a better fit for hearing aids.
I go through two batteries every two weeks.
This is 100% correct. Many people assume because this is the first time they are hearing about it (no pun intended), it's groundbreaking. It's not.
Umm, there are several dozens of hearing aids that can fit the same hearing loss profile where in the end, it's actually about the patient's needs, not their loss.
If the patients ask about being able to hear calls, music and so on from their iPhones, this would be a proper recommendation if LiNX is a reputable company.
I rather have an audiologist that knows about all type of hearing aids and tell me the best one there fits my needs.
I actually had an audiologist who gave me a specific hearing aid because it was *good enough* for my hearing loss but I went for a second opinion. The second one asks about what I'd like to do most of the day, and what I need the aids to do. I wanted to be able to hear voices better but at some other times, I wanted to be able to just surround myself with all the noises without any filtering aka analog type of aid. This one was the one who found me a proper digital hearing aids that could do multiple profiles and let me choose what I want any time.
I actually loved the ability to switch audio profiles, it really helped me through several situations.
As for those folks who mentioned about analog hearing aids and the difficulties of adapting to it, I agree. It doesn't sound as good as analog but I rather have the digital ones because of the filtering technology alone.