It’s almost a year later; are you all following this thread still? I have severe to profound loss in both ears. I rely on analog. While I still have several pairs to last me through the years, it’s not a good enough solution for me. Over the years, I have tried a handful of digitals available for my loss (not too many). My issue was the spoken word. Because the processing of sound is digitized, I have to re-learn what each word sounds like. My mother was standing directly in front of me, talking. I was not able to understand her. When the city bus stopped outside of my condo, I didn’t recognize the sound. When the air conditioner kicked on, I didn’t know what it was. While digital works for many, many people, it does not work for a lot of us. I need to get an idea as to how many of us there are - would you like to see analog be manufactured again? Let’s make it work, and soon. I don’t know about the other manufacturers, but Oticon will stop even repairing analog devices in June 2018.
Omg! I knew it! I knew I was not the only person who wears analog that hates digital. Music, Concerts, Movies etc are completely ruined. I loathe the fact that Audi’s and HA maker’s act like “Digital is what we offer now, take it or leave it”. Absolutely not! Stop forcing a useless device on us. I got sick of the non-stop Audi visits that ended up making me frustrated and more depressed than the last. To be honest it should NEVER take more than few of attempts to get HA to our liking. What good are bells and whistles if it’s another useless device sitting in our drawers? I have a pair of Phonak PP-C-L 4+ analog and was told the Nadia Q would be amazing could even use the blue tooth feature instead of headphones. Nope its junk! Digital does not work and will never work because of the programming, no matter the amount of adjustments. It’s becoming pretty clear to me after hours and hours of reading stories of digital not producing crisp clear quality. I wish I knew a deaf Audi who understands our frustrations because they themselves are in the same boat as us. Maybe a Class action lawsuit is our best bet. Forcing us into using a device that is ruining our lives. I need music to live. It’s my life and I feel like once my analogs go that I am going to be one miserable person. I’m to a point where I’d sell my soul for brand new analogs that last for as long as I live. Now I’ve found this place and other music lovers having the same frustrations it’s like how is it that we seem to know more about what sounds best? I noticed KenP mentioned that there are still places that make analog but how do I know I can trust them? How do I know they will successfully replace my phonak super fronts?
It all depends on what you are use to. I have never had analog hearing aids only digital, and they work for me to at least allow me to understand speech most of the time. I may also believe as you do if I had ever used analog aids. But I don’t believe that they will ever go back to analog again without there being enough people screaming for them.
That’s the thing we are screaming for them while at the same time we are being forced on to digital. Personally digital makes speech sound robotic which is why I refuse to get the CI. I lost my hearing due to the DPT vaccination that caused a high fever. I do not want to lose whatever hearing I do have left. I dont wear an HA in my left ear because its weaker and sounds confuse me.When I wear headphones I put my T switch on and it amplifies the sound. Digital is completely useless in that department. Even with compilot it’s still useless. Music sounds like its underwater and muffled, there is absolutely no clarity. What good is speech, if I cant enjoy the things I am passionate about? Isn’t music also speech related? I don’t want a loaded device telling me what I should be hearing and turning it into a robotic processed sound.
Wow, this forum thread is still active. Good. OK, I am trying out two soft/head band BAHAs: Cochlear’s Baha 5 and Oticon Ponto 3 Super Power.
Cochlear’s Baha 5 had the same problem with my bone conduction Oticon Sumo DM digital hearing aid until the audiologist changed to music profile. Everything was SO much better. No annoying autofilters like volumes, feedback whistles with high pitch audios, etc. It was good enough like the analog bone conduction hearing aids. However, its hardware usability was annoying like no power off/stand by/mute without using a smartphone and taking its 675 battery out like I used to do.
So, I am trying an Oticon Ponto 3 trial/demo now. I like its hardware usability. However, I still need to gets its audio to be tweaked since I am still missing some sounds like my previous hearing aids. Hopefully, I will get this one tweaked enough to buy.
Other audiologists told me that I wanted linear audio like my analog. So those who hate digital like me, see if your audiologist can set up your digital hearing aids to use linear and music profile if they exist.
I will try the linear recommendation but if that fails I will leave once again frustrated with a miserable outlook on life because I may no longer be able to enjoy music and movies. I honestly do not care if I have to give up speech as long as I can hear music with the same clarity as analog without 50 clinic visits I will feel better than winning the power ball.
And I am the opposite I have given up music most of the time just to have a good conversation with my family, friends, and Church family. I have never had an ear for music so I wouldn’t know what real music sounds like anyway.
I have tried the music program is sounds muted.it lacks clarity. It seems everytime I go in for adjustments it just gets worse instead of improving. Analogs when I got new ones all they had to do was turn the dials, fit the molds and pop in a battery and I’m good to go, not anymore. It’s more about the $ than our ability to hear.
Leithe21:Yeah, I miss the analog. They were way cheaper too! A digital BAHA is $4-6K and medical insurances won’t pay unless I get surgerical implants. No thanks. I just want an external hearing aid!
That’s astonishing how they are forcing those who prefer analogs into implants or digital. In your case Ant forcing you to get an implant which costs 10x as much not to mention the therapy required to recover from the implant and countless hours of programming and training to use the implant that is of course you have no rejections.
This is a belated reply, but just adding a note of empathy here. You’re quite right that linear programming will not fix the problem, and there isn’t a particularly good reason why analog devices are completely unavailable. It seems to me that the situation is eminently fixable, however. I would encourage you to continue to pressure your audiologist to communicate your interest in analogs to the manufacturers. If you have any ideas for how to bring back analog aids, though, I’d certainly be interested.
MDHearing has a starter model that is analog, very inexpensive, I think it is called the Pro. No idea how it sounds, my MDLux is digital but is very nice. Great customer service as well so for the price if you are looking for analog it is probably worth a shot.
Music sounds like its underwater and muffled, there is absolutely no clarity. What good is speech, if I cant enjoy the things I am passionate about? Isn’t music also speech related? I don’t want a loaded device telling me what I should be hearing and turning it into a robotic processed sound.