Oticon launches Opn hearing aids and Velox platform

Hearing Aids
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303

I would think that the overall gain should be programmable easily to your taste. And usually BTE type HAs should be able to deliver more power than ITE type HAs. The OPN has a 100db size receiver if you really need more volume.

I wouldn’t conclude that the OPN can’t deliver as much power as your Agil Pro ITE until you’ve had your audi review the overall gain adjustment on the OPN to make sure that it has exhausted the max headroom yet or not. And if yes, explore the 100db size receiver option.

Again, I’m not trying to talk you into buying the OPN or anything. I’m just saying that sometimes important issues that you think are deal breakers for you don’t have to be deal breakers and may be easily addressed if you give it a chance and check with your audi first. I really think that the OPN as a BTE model should easily be able to deliver the volume level that you want when compared to your Agil Pro.

304

Regarding Molds. Oticon makes molds using their own filter, hjowever there seems to be the option that you can also use HF3 Filters and in my q90 case use a tube going from the receiver to the filter. Now my new Audi said HF3 is way better…

because he earns more money selling me those filters? I’m not sure I trust him, I didn’t like the HF3 and tube on my q90s, the Filter is bigger and usually gets dirt on the corners, oticons filter is smaller and the dirt could be wiped away from the shell and not imideatly sticking on the filter.

I had the impression I switched the HF3 filters every 3 weeks, something that wouldn’t have been necessary if the filters were original and smaller.

Anybody experience?

305

So those opns does not have streamer so i cant connect to any bluetooth device?

306

Suppose to have that available sometime early next year.

307

You are exactly correct here, Volusiano, re Oticon’s plans to release a streamer for the Opn miniRITE in Q1’17!!! Hallelujia! I was at my aud-guy’s today, and he confirmed that the Oticon rep he met with last week said Q1 is the planned release - and let’s hope sooner rather than later. Whew. It appears that there may be more than one of me who would prefer a separate streamer to some app on my Samsung S6. I don’t care if it’s fashioned into a beanie-copter! I just want it separate (like my old StreamerPro necklace that still works perfect with my old Agil Pro aids). Fingers crossed this Opn streamer will come out - cuz if not … I will likely be storing TWO sets of batteries (312 & 13) plus hanging on to my Agil Pros and the Opns. What a cludge to travel with all that stuff, too! But Hope springs eternal on this issue.

308

I had a very productive follow-up with my dear aud-guy today! I’d been trying a Widex tulip mold on my Opn miniRITE BTEs - and surprisingly, it worked OKAY - altho the quality of sound was like a public address system. But I had a “Eureka!” moment last week when I happened to just press on my ears and see how things sounded. Immediately, I enjoyed more midrange and low ranges! Like a miracle! If only I could walk around ALL DAY with my fingers pressing on my ears, everything would be groovy. But - is that optimal?

So that was priority #1 for me to address today. I’d read right in this thread about someone who used a “power dome” on their Opns, so I asked my aud-guy to have one on hand when I got there. Turns out, the Widex LARGE power dome is now on my aids. I was simply not getting a tight enough seal on the aids with a tulip dome - bummer, cuz they were smaller and more comfy to wear & for insertion.

Why Widex dome on an Oticon aid? Welllllll… Widex seems to make these domes in a smoke topaz color of flexible silicone. For some reason, I am hideously allergic to any clear plastic thingamabob in my ear! I’ve tried both clear and so-called “hypo-allergenic” hard plastic molds on two occasions during the past decade. Both times, my ears flared up, burned all hot and red, and I subsequently developed otitis. While there is a clear plastic, flexible silicone dome for the Opn, my aud-guy said about 1 in 20 of his patients is … ALLERGIC to them. <:-(0) I didn’t want to take any chances, so ever since Sept., beginning with the Widex BTE, I’ve been using their smoke topaz domes. Now I hope I didn’t just jinx it, but so far, SO GOOD!

The larger power dome offers a much tighter seal on these Opns. I am really pushing the envelope, and the best configuration would probably be the tube over the ear and molded plastic receiver. But I dare not go there again.

I will probably need a few minor tweaks, but so far, I have default Program 1; Program 2 fully directional for noisy env’ts; Program 3 dedicated to streaming the TV (which I’ll try later tonight). I would SO LOVE for this to be my solution. My ears are just so much better without the hard plastic “plug” ITE aid, which made them itch like the dickens by day’s end from all the sweating.

I am also getting my loss profile mailed to me so I can add it to my siggy here. Believe me, I am the QUEEN OF THE DEAF! Tee-hee, a hollow victory, but still - I get by.

309

Last time I saw my audi on Monday, I had her turn on the AutoPhone mode on my OPNs for me. The default is AutoPhone off. So if you want that mode, it has to be turned on.

Although the OPN doesn’t have a tcoil, it can still work with speakers that have a magnet, like most landline phones, or certain headsets or headphones. When you apply the landline or smart phone or headset against your OPN behind your ear, the magnet in the phone automatically activates the OPN’s AutoPhone mode, which puts the OPN into the built-in phone program. Then you can listen to your phone or headset or headphone just as if you had a tcoil inside the HA. It just won’t work with an induction loop, that’s all. But the OPN AutoPhone built-in phone program uses its microphone to pick up the sound when it detects the speaker’s magnet.

So at least you can use AutoPhone to tide you over for telephone conversation or music listening on headphones until the ConnectClip streamer becomes available in Q1’17. It works on my Samsung Note 4 so there’s a good chance it will work on your Samsung S6. I also have a Plantronics Focus headset with mic and AutoPhone works on this headset, too. So this AutoPhone mode will tide me over in my current set up until the ConnectClip comes out. For now, the Oticon TV Adapter 3.0 provides direct streaming into my OPN for TV programs watching or music listening, and the AutoPhone mode works for music listening from my Samsung Note 4 on the go through my Plantronics Focus headset. With this combination, the ConnectClip streamer is a nice-to-have but I actually wouldn’t need it either.

I remember you mentioned that you have a phone program on the OPN already but it fades in fades out. Is that the AutoPhone mode, or something else? My AutoPhone mode works very well and doesn’t fade in or out on me.

310

Any idea why this might be the case for a device that uses the BLe protocol?

311

I’m guessing that Oticon doesn’t see the need for a tcoil for the OPN because it would help make the HA smaller and it can be used in other ways where the tcoil may have been needed already:

  1. In movie theaters with induction loop: just use your normal HA mode.

  2. Watching TV or listening to music at home via an induction loop worn around the neck: just use their TV Adapter 3.0 with direct streaming.

  3. Answering phones: as long as the phone works with the tcoil, it should work with the OPN phone mode the same with AutoPhone enabled.

  4. Using headsets for phone conversation or music listening: same as 3 above, if headset works with tcoil, it should work with OPN phone mode with AutoPhone enabled.

312

Saw audiologist today and he said he was reviewing specs on the less expensive Oticon OPNs (2 &3?) that are now? or at least very soon available. Anybody have any info? He said there was surprisingly little loss of features as one stepped down in level. IOT remains in all of them. He was stretching for possible uses. One was if you have a hearing impaired child in school, HA could notify you that battery is low and you could notify teacher. Then again, he also said that he expects that most HAs will come with built in Lithium battery within a few years.

313

Answered my own question thanks to people at Buyhear.com Here’s a link to info http://www.oticon.ca/professionals/opn/oticon-opn#compare
Buyhear.com’s prices are $3798, $3198 and $2498 for the OPN 1, 2 and 3 respectively.

314

I purchased the Oticon OPN1’s this summer. They are the fourth pair of hearing aids I’ve worn over the past ten years. Hands down, they are the best I’ve had in every way. I’d always used an audiologist, but after reading up on what forum member’s experience was buying online, I decided that I’d give it a try. I sent them my hearing tests, and when the HA’s arrived, right out of the box they were better than the one’s I’d been wearing. They mailed me a small notebook computer, with a little bluetooth gadget that plugged into the USB port, and they were able to make adjustments. I’ve always struggled with feedback issues, because I dance argentine tango, which is danced in close embrace, almost cheek to cheek. but after the adjustments, I’ve no feedback issues at all - and no loss of ability to hear speech well, or loss of quality of speech or music. The price was great, the service has been fantastic and these are the best HA’s I’ve ever had. I haven’t mentioned the online company’s name, because I don’t want you to think I signed up just to endorse them, but it’s the one that’s talked about the most in this forum.

I think if I was a first time user, I would probably be happier with an audiologist, so I could drop into the office for quick adjustments and questions. But since I’ve had ten years experience wearing aids, I thought I’d try buying a pair on-line. Maybe it’s just because the Oticon’s are so good, but I’ve never needed fewer adjustments, and while waiting for the equipment to arrive might seem like an issue - I didn’t have to wait any longer then I’ve had to wait for an appt - and the aids were ‘good enough’ while I was waiting, anyway. I’ve struggled with other brands so-called music program, and when they first arrived the Oticon’s were about par for the course. But while the rep was tweaking the noise program, I asked if there was anything that could be done for the music program - and he made a few changes to boost the base he said. I don’t know the techie stuff, but after he was done music sounded better than it has in so many years that I so excited I wanted to get up and do a happy dance! lol I think the reason people like Emiel and myself sound to profusely over-the-top is that we’d had so many average (or even bad) experiences with aids before that our expectations were very low. To then find that there is a HA that works for us is wonderful and we want to share. It’s probable that this would not be the best HA for everyone - but for for those of us it works for - it’s amazingly good.

315

The too loud is a normal adjustment we all make. It’s hearing the sounds that our loss muted. The mind will start filtering those noises.

The loss of directional clues may relate to room acoustics. The sound is being channeled into the room and is bouncing off hard surfaces coming to your location from now mixed sources.

Noise remains a problem for all of us to varying degrees. The adjustments for it have gotten better over time. Individual loss affects that too. Some of us have more problems even with milder backgrounds than others. You might see if a car program is available. With such good a auto program in most aids, many find they don’t need that many specialized programs so we really don’t use all of them. A car program would then be one of the useful ones you can switch to.

316

I don’t know if I had AutoPhone enabled, but I definitely had one of my programs dedicated to the PHONE. When I switched to that program, I was supposed to be able to hear better on the phone with no feedback, PLUS the right aid would lower in volume about 20% to help me focus on what my “telephone ear” on the LEFT side was hearing. Well. That program worked about as good as a soup can strung on a shoelace, no kidding! Volume faded IN and OUT and it was just impossible to find a “sweet spot” to park my phone and actually HEAR someone. Very frustrating.

In retrospect tho, I have to ask myself if part of the problem I was having on the phone was due to the domes I was wearing: tulips! I simply never had the proper seal for my level of loss, so all sound was likely way off, distorted and involved feedback at higher volumes of my aids.

Now that I’ve been wearing the Widex power dome on my Opn mini-RITEs, I can detect a WORLD of difference! I now have lower and midrange frequencies to round out the sound. Despite a very snug fit with the power domes, my own voice is not occluded that much at all - I’d say no more (and maybe less?) than with my old Agil Pro ITE aids. So I am real happy.

My aud-guy hunted around his office and only found SMALL and LARGE power domes by any maker! That was one reason I went with the LARGE size, but the reality is, I need a freakin’ MEDIUM. Is it not available on our planet? Turns out it is! A quick internet search found several manufacturers (including Oticon) who make MED power domes. I am kind of irked with my aud-guy for not figuring this out for me. Do I have to perform my own brain surgery, too? This is not rocket science! >: - /

The large domes fit snug, but are harder to insert due to their size. The leash attached to my ear wire is now buckled and even goes “BoiNg!” right outta my ear if I’m on a phone that’s pressed against the wire. Plus, I still can not hear as well on the phone with the Opn + power dome as I do/did with my Agil Pro ITEs. I had an hour-long chat with my dear ma yesterday and wanted to fling the phone or my aids or both out the window by the end! I had to keep fiddle-faddling with the Samsung Galaxy’s position to capture any sweet spot. The volume/sound was just ok - not very crisp. Plus, my leash went “BoooooiiiiiNNNGGG!” outta my ear about 3 times during that hour, acting like a twig to push against my phone. This is why I want a streaming device: hands-free, beautiful sound, no hassles!

Well, I think this can be resolved. For starters, when I return again on 12/13, I’ll ask my aud-guy to have a MEDIUM power dome made by someone, anyone - even Santa’s elves! - on hand for me to try. F’petessake, this has to be easy? Put the right dome on, re-calibrate the aid and voila! If I can get comfort and a perfect seal together, I’ll be DONE.

My last critical component is that streamer device. I am just dead-set against anything that employs the “Internet of Things”. These devices are available everywhere now: home heating monitors, baby monitors, Barbie dolls, teddy bears, phone apps, yada yada. These are the very things that hackers use to not only snoop on people’s homes, but also, the actual devices are used as robots to bring down Amazon.com, Netflix, your bank, etc. I sent Oticon tech support yet another email today to ask once and for all: is the NON-IoT streamer coming out in Q1? Cuz there are folks out there like me who do not want to be part of that scene. Ah. I rant.

317

If you don’t like the IoT, then just don’t enable it on your OPN for anything. It’s simple as that. At least if you’ll ever have use for it in the future for some reason, it’s there for use.

If you have a dedicated program for phone created by your audi and you have to switch to that program and it has separate left/right volume levels, then it’s not the same as AutoPhone. With AutoPhone enabled, when you put the phone or headset on your ear(s), the OPN will automatically detect the magnet on the phone or headset and automatically put you into the OPN built-in phone mode and signify this with a 2-tone chime that you’ll hear. You don’t need to fiddle with the phone to find a sweet spot in this mode. Just put it up against your ear like normal, or maybe just a little bit higher to where the OPN is.

318

Anyone using IFTTT? Going through the threads, not seeing much on this with the OPNs.

319

Probably still considered a novelty for most of us OPN owners here. I’ve gone so far as gotten as downloading the Android ON app and using it for remote control function, and use the ON app to get signed up for the Oticon and IFTTT accounts. But I haven’t really set anything up for it at this point.

Is there anything you’d like to do with it specifically?

320

Anything I’ve read about IFTTT and my OPN hearing aids has always sounded like making something simple more complex. None of the tasks described have value for me. I would line to hear how someone using the feature feels about it also.

321

IoT at this point is a morass. The biggest botnet around is uses its components. Stick to IOS and go with the apps. IoT is currently bad tech to play with very much. Apps should be able to provide most of it with protection.

322

AH!! I wonder why my aud-guy has not explained how AutoPhone works?!?! Cuz the program I’d dedicated to phone use was such a turkey I had that taken off at my last app’t. I would really LOVE to try out that AutoPhone, and see if I can get reliable sound quality on any phone I use (cell, landline, any location, in noisy env’t, on the road, etc.,).

I tried my “noisy environment” program at a restaurant today - which was not actually super noisy - and found it lowered the volume too much. In fact, I could hear better in default Program 1. I guess I’ll give it another try in the coming days at stores, malls, etc., but if it doesn’t noticeably improve the listening env’t, I’ll remove that one, too, leaving me with just default Program 1. I do find that with a better-fitting dome, I need fewer other programs or refinement to hear in 98% of my situations, but that dang phone issue is still outstanding. It is also nearly impossible to hear someone on the phone in a noisy env’t (which was not the case using any phone and my old Agil Pro ITEs).

I will put “AutoPhone” on my follow-up list to go over with my aud-guy on 12/13. One “yuge” benefit to these BTEs is that my ears no longer itch by day’s end! I feel that even with a power dome sealing things up, there may be better air flow?