Hi. I learned that Siemens has discontinued the Aquaris waterproof hearing aid, but will continue to support and service existing ones for the next 5 years. Does anyone know of a company or website that sells discontinued and/or refurbished hearing aids? Any ideas as to where I might find a pair of Aquaris? Thank you!
Hi, did you ever find out if it’s possible to buy a refurbished Aquaris. I have the same question. Thanks, Drew
Hi. I checked with 2 audiologists who did some research for me, but they came up with nothing. Ebay has a few Aquaris for sale for about $1,400 for one. An audiologist can program it (if you’re brave enough to go that route). In my online searching for waterproof hearing aids, I came across iHear Medical. They offer 2 reasonably priced models and state the aids can be worn in the shower and during surface swimming. Another one I found was Rion HB54 available from www.hearingaidswholesale.com. Website says the Rion HB54 is waterproof. Finally, I read about another waterproof hearing aid called Puretone Lotus, but I don’t believe this one is available in the US. Hope this helps!
I fail to understand the importance of wearing HAs in shower or while swimming unless you swim competitively and need to be able to hear starting buzzers or something. Otherwise why do you want to wear them in showers or swimming in the first place?
Many modern HAs have IP68 rating which is good enough to wear during workout against heavy perspiration, which I can understand more easily/obviously why you’d want to wear them during workouts.
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In swimming competitions they use a strobe in addition to the starting buzzer.
Some may wish to just hang out in the pool with them on.
You must not live around water.
I like to be social at the beach, on the water, and in the water. Without my HA, I cannot be social. Not all water involves showers or swimming. It involves boating, skiing, tubing, rafting, meeting up at sandbars, playing games in the shallows…
The Signia Siemens Cellion Primax is a fully rechargeable and IP 68 rated waterproof hearing aid
Although IP 68 is the highest rating, I’d be hesitant to call it “waterproof” They should be able to handle some exposure to water though. On the other hand, if you’re buying new, you can try it out and you’ve got a warranty to back it up.
I’ll go one further - at least two HA mfg’s, including my Widex Beyond, claim “IP68”, but in the fine print, and if you speak to a factory rep directly, they are HORRIFIED at the thought of their HA’s getting wet and strongly recommend against it. The Aquaris was the only HA I found that would “officially” support actual submersion and getting wet in general. I have gone snorkeling, swimming, splashing around, and general all around salt-water sports with my Aquaris and it has been solid.
How long can you wear the Aquaris before it goes out? Doesn’t it stop after 30 minutes because the battery runs out of air? Thanks.
I can’t stay underwater that long! It has a air-permeable membrane in the battery door. So long as I come up for air here and there, it’s good.
Thanks, this is very helpful. I’ve also seen the aids on Ebay but I just don’t have the stomach to pay that much money for something that may not work out of the box, let alone not offer any warranty.
I mainly want the IP68 aids so I can kayak, go white water rafting, and take surfing lessons. Kayaking without hearing, while it’s possible, is pretty dangerous for someone new to the sport like me.
When I swim at the beach I usually just put my aids into a waterproof bag.
I’ll start looking at all the aids you mentioned and pass along any new information I get. Thanks.
iHear Medical has a Facebook page where people comment on their experiences with iHear products or ask questions. The experiences have been mostly positive and iHear seems to be a good, responsive company to deal with.
Found something else that might be useful. A company called Hal-Hen that’s been around since the 1940s makes hearing aid accessories. They have a product called Super Seal for BTEs. It’s a water proof protective sleeve you can put on a BTE. I don’t think they sell directly to consumers so their products would have to be ordered through a hearing aid dispenser or audiologist. http://www.halhen.com/cgi-bin/info.cgi?id=2996&ls=sw~seals
Have you figured it out yet?
Thanks for the link. I wondered where those seals had gone 
I used to use those seals when playing soccer. They’re basically like a condom that fits over the hearing aid. You have to use the tool pictured to stretch out the seal enough to put over the hearing aid. They actually work pretty well – despite being difficult to put on the hearing aids – but they definitely don’t totally encase the hearing aid. I really doubt they’d work for swimming or water dunks of more than a few seconds.
I did call iHear the other day and they said no way they’d use their aids in the water.
Also, the UK manufacturer of IP 68 hearing aids seems to produce “shooters” hearing aids – hearing aids for competitive shooters that have a hearing loss. If you could get them, they might work but their settings are all tied to different types of shooting competitions. So, I’m not thinking that’s much of a solution either.
No solution yet. Haven’t called about the rechargeable Siemens aids that are supposed to be IP68, but don’t think there’s anything on the market that specifically says “you can take this hearing aid swimming, kayaking, surfing and it will be ok.”
Perhaps using a combination of things might work. For example, an iHear Max (or some IP68 aid) plus a swim cap or ear band.
Well, that’s certainly possible. I would think using the sealer plus a swim cap or ear band that is waterproof but allows airflow might work. I don’t know how the hearing could function if it doesn’t have air access for the batteries and blocks out all sound.
iHear Max according to customer service isn’t 8 rated against water (I think it’s 7). But the iHear aids are inexpensive enough that it could be worth the experiment. Or maybe they would provide one for the experiment. I’ll take a look at different swim caps / bands and see if there’s a possible way forward.