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ReSound LiNX Launches as World's First 'Made for iPhone' Hearing Aid
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Because they eat up batteries quickly, we're not there where the tiny batteries can be recharged well like our current AA/AAA batteries. It's already super small and high-end hearing aids have a super powerful processor (sometimes more than one) filtering out sounds and amplifying certain sounds depending on the hearing loss of the wearer.
I go through two batteries every two weeks. They're not really expensive if you buy the generic box sets from Germany but they're also not covered by insurance.
They're not talking about volume control, they're talking about using your iOS device to store multiple audio settings for your hearing aids and to directly connect your iPhones without a separate connector.
Most digital hearing aids nowadays have limited space for this, only allowing you 2-3 settings in addition to t-coil. In addition, many do not have bluetooth connectivity support to connect to your smartphones. You'd need a separate dongle to connect your hearing aids, often audio shoes with cables or with bluetooth. The problem with bluetooth is that they eat up the battery too fast.
LiNX isn't the only one that connects to smartphones for audio stuff but they're the first to directly connect to iPhones without anything required for the hearing aids and using a technology that doesn't eat up batteries.
Medicare usually do cover simple analog hearing aids (some states probably already upgraded to digital a while ago) for children but after that, almost none covers them.
High end digital hearing aids cost between 2500-4000$ each, so you could easily spend $6K-8K to cover both ears. They generally last 5 years if you take good care of them.
However, in some states, they'll pay for most of it if you need it for work. I know in NYC, they'll pay most if your income is low and you need the aids to be able to work.
I'm absolutely indebted to those state agencies and medicare for giving my hearing aids all my life. My family couldn't afford them before.
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.
Correct, that's all it does. It'll connect via a special protocol to let you choose between audio settings depending on the environment you're in and the same efficient protocol can be used to replace your iPhone's *speakers* with your hearing aids instead.
Power consumption is the primary reason aside interference.
It's only recently that Bluetooth Smart was established for low power type of communication. That'd be a better fit for hearing aids.
Anytime a product comes out that actually helps with people's disability, I applaud. This is no exception. Sure everyone can talk about how pretty (or not) the UI is for the app, whether it's innovative (or not), etc. I would simply point out, this vendor worked with Apple to take a step. Not the last one, but a step forward in making the life of a group of people a little bit easier. Before all the trivial complaints, can we all pause and appreciate that this is a good step. More steps will follow but any step that pushes us in the right direction and helps people live their lives is something I applaud and do so loudly.
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 was born with a hearing loss, so while I can compare the sound of hearing aids to each other, I can't see how accurate they are compared to actual hearing since I don't have any.
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?
The dongle is a pain and if the batteries in my hearing aids are low, all I get is an incredibly annoying series of beeps.
It's by far way better than any other aid I've owned before but there is still a ways to go.
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'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...
My brother is 37, going deaf and has tinitus, so no, its not just for old people needing "big buttons".
ReSound LiNX Launches as World's First 'Made for iPhone' Hearing Aid
It's definitely a learning curve since I'm severely deaf on the left and profound on the right, and was taught in an audist school system years ago that didn't allow sign language along with intensive speech therapy to read lips. I was one of the few that had some residual hearing left on one side. However without the hearing aid, the world becomes a silent monastery.
And I'd sleep too well.
So yes it took me some time to use digital hearing aids for a couple years at one point after graduating art school, and they had this weird sound quality as if it was muddled. I never liked using the in the ear Apple headphones that came with the iPod or iPhone as they don't work for my ears ( another point why I wonder they should've designed actual headphones such as Grado or Sennheiser which was HA compatible ). The Apple ear pieces don't fit in my ear as they claimed to be organic in design, to my understanding, which I find it hard to believe, since I've dealt with audiologists all my life with custom ear molds ( HELLO APPLE?!? ).
With music, it's not a problem with Sennheiser PX 200 as it has clean sound and bass.
But most deaf people I know rely on texting or using VRS ( video relay services ) while I prefer Skype or FaceTime.
It's definitely a learning curve since I'm severely deaf on the left and profound on the right, and was taught in an audist school system years ago that didn't allow sign language along with intensive speech therapy to read lips. I was one of the few that had some residual hearing left on one side. However without the hearing aid, the world becomes a silent monastery.
And I'd sleep too well.
So yes it took me some time to use digital hearing aids for a couple years at one point after graduating art school, and they had this weird sound quality as if it was muddled. I never liked using the in the ear Apple headphones that came with the iPod or iPhone as they don't work for my ears ( another point why I wonder they should've designed actual headphones such as Grado or Sennheiser which was HA compatible ). The Apple ear pieces don't fit in my ear as they claimed to be organic in design, to my understanding, which I find it hard to believe, since I've dealt with audiologists all my life with custom ear molds ( HELLO APPLE?!? ).
With music, it's not a problem with Sennheiser PX 200 as it has clean sound and bass.
But most deaf people I know rely on texting or using VRS ( video relay services ) while I prefer Skype or FaceTime.
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 GN Resound 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.
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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.
I suffer from profound deafness (both ears) and this is great news. Finally, I'll be able to get rid of the induction loop that catches on everything. Oh, happy day!
I wonder how battery saving ble is. It's a radio, and radios use power. I suspect that in when streaming it isn't much better than normal Bluetooth, but I have no real data to back that up. I'd love to be proven wrong.
There are different types of hearing aids which work with different types of hearing loss and also with different physical situations. Not everyone can wear a hearing aid that fits behind the ear or in the ear. Some people need a bone-conduction aid for various reasons and that can be limiting. The news is good for all of us who wear hearing aids in that technology is changing and improving day by day. Recently I learned that the company which makes my particular hearing aids is coming out with something which will work with BlueTooth technology....boy, am I ready for that!
I won't be able to get that until a couple of years from now, though, when (I hope) I can be assured of Medicare coverage for those sound processors. Three years ago I got my current BAHA sound processors through Medicare. Yes, in most cases regular insurance does not cover regular hearing aids, except for children...... Medicare pretty much takes the same approach -- however, in some particular situations such as mine, the sound processors are considered as part of an overall integral system involving an implant [ie, for Medicare's purposes, a "prosthesis" replacing what has been lost in the normal hearing mechanism). I'm not talking about cochlear implants (which are also covered by Medicare) here, but rather bone-anchored implants and sound processors (BAHA).
Am I looking forward to BT technology and my next set of sound processors? YOU BET!!!!
I won't be able to get that until a couple of years from now, though, when (I hope) I can be assured of Medicare coverage for those sound processors. Three years ago I got my current BAHA sound processors through Medicare. Yes, in most cases regular insurance does not cover regular hearing aids, except for children...... Medicare pretty much takes the same approach -- however, in some particular situations such as mine, the sound processors are considered as part of an overall integral system involving an implant [ie, for Medicare's purposes, a "prosthesis" replacing what has been lost in the normal hearing mechanism). I'm not talking about cochlear implants (which are also covered by Medicare) here, but rather bone-anchored implants and sound processors (BAHA).
Am I looking forward to BT technology and my next set of sound processors? YOU BET!!!!
I am very jealous by that comment. I go through a set of batteries every 2 days... I have the Phonak Cassia CROS. I really would like to see someone come out with hearing aids that don't drain the batteries so fast that still use the CROS system.
I also use the ComPilot for work since their Cisco wifi phones interfere with the CROS system, so I use the bluetooth for that.
I would love to see Apple partner with Phonak to create MFi hearing aids. I would probably be one of the first to snatch them up.
In everyday usage I go through batteries about every ten-twelve days.....if that helps anyone.
The reality is that, though, I actually go around home a lot without using my aids at all, since I live alone and don't need to talk to anyone. A lot of times, too, I'll just slap on one aid (my old Entific BAHA Divino) rather than my much newer and fancier BAHA BP 100's. One reason is that they've changed so many things and even turning the thing on and off is not a quick movement any more, meaning that if I get a phone call, it's not a simple matter of quickly slapping the aid on my head, kicking on the volume control and grabbing the phone and answering it all within seconds.... I find the newer BP 100 very frustrating for this reason. Can we just say, a lot of times these days I don't answer the phone at all and hope that the caller leaves a message....In the long run it works out so much more comfortably for me. Is this an ideal situation? Of course not.
The reality is that, though, I actually go around home a lot without using my aids at all, since I live alone and don't need to talk to anyone. A lot of times, too, I'll just slap on one aid (my old Entific BAHA Divino) rather than my much newer and fancier BAHA BP 100's. One reason is that they've changed so many things and even turning the thing on and off is not a quick movement any more, meaning that if I get a phone call, it's not a simple matter of quickly slapping the aid on my head, kicking on the volume control and grabbing the phone and answering it all within seconds.... I find the newer BP 100 very frustrating for this reason. Can we just say, a lot of times these days I don't answer the phone at all and hope that the caller leaves a message....In the long run it works out so much more comfortably for me. Is this an ideal situation? Of course not.
This is why I love technical evolution in general, it brings devices which are helpful for people who really need those devices.
You are 100% wrong, this is new tech, show me any other hearing device that does what these do?
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LiNX is a brand not a company, the company that make these are GN Resound, a Danish company and one of the worlds leaders in this type of tech.
This is a huge step forward for hearing aids, Apple don't let just anyone use their name on a product and the fact they have done here means this is a big leap!