Comments on: Digital Hearing Aids Reviews – What Brands Are Best?

By: ROCKETMAN

ROCKETMAN — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 01:46:34 +0000

I am 57 years old and have had hearing aids for over 50 years. My last two sets have been Starkey Destiny Series and have been absolutely the best I have ever had for fit, clarity, dependability, and feedback, & I have had just about every brand available. I think I have some experience in this. A lot of people who have not worn hearing aids until later in life just don’t know how to care for or adapt to this new experience, have no patience for finding out if their dispenser really fitted them properly & programmed them properly, or got the molds fitted, etc. There are a lot of variables to a successful mating of the hearing aid to the consumer.

By: tom

tom — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:38:46 +0000

is a hearing aid with more than one program as good or better

By: Hearing Aid Expert

Hearing Aid Expert — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:17:15 +0000

You really can’t go wrong with the mid to top of the line units from the big four. Starkey, Phonak, Oticon and Widex.

I think Starkey (and its’ family of companies- Audibel, NuEar, MicroTech and Starkey) have the most innovative stuff right now. They, like every other company, have several grades of product, Just because a hearing aid has a certain label on it, does not make it a good unit or one that is top of the line. The average hearing aid in the USA sold for about $2000 each by the time everything was totalled up. If you are paying within 10% of that figure, total, and you trust the professional- you are going to do ok. Go to Starkey.com and look at the features in the SiQ and X series. Use that as your guide to comparing aids. Be careful that you don’t get hung up with subtle verbiage differences. Feedback elimination is not the same as feedback control. Ask your professional why he recommends one unit over the other. If he “dogs” a certain company, then you have to ask yourself why his opinion is so radically different than the rest of the industry. If he says something along the lines of- I like to work with them or I am familier with them- GREAT. If he says they are a piece of ^%#*!. then you gotta wonder a bit about his financial motives. Many of these companies make it more profitable for the professional to fit their aid, over someone else’s. That is okay, as long as everybody is on the up and up as to why they are fitting that product. But if some guy buys a bunch of old technology and defends it with a song and a dance- then maybe you should be careful. Also look at what kind of service you can get on the aid when you go visit your Uncle 2000 miles away for Easter. If the professional is not part of a network of people who can take care of you, be careful. Most of the manufacturers will have a spot on their website that will direct you to a professional in a certain zip code. Put in yours and your uncles and see if there is a professional in both places. If there is, then you are pretty safe. The mid line instruments from all the major guys are much the same. The top of the line stuff, varies and costs accordingly. If you don’t need the feature- don’t buy it. It is just as bad to over buy as it is to under buy. Both are dangers, but underbuying is worse.

By: Bridget

Bridget — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:19:42 +0000

I had sonic innovations CIC for both ears. I have orosclerosis, and the aids worked grear for the first year – very expensive though. After that they broke and was able to have a stapendoctemy suergery to fix my right ear, but lost he doctor due to an insurance change. I am now in the market looking for a hearing aid for my left ear. I hate all the sites that target older people. I am in my early 30s and have needed hearnig aids since my early 20s.

By: RK Bau

RK Bau — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:39:21 +0000

This Information is grossly out of date

By: beltone hater

beltone hater — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 00:58:13 +0000

beltone really sucks….they ripped me off. cheap hearing aids and costed me over 3000 bucks.

By: Brian Glaum

Brian Glaum — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 19:29:57 +0000

I own 2 Hearing Aids from Miracle Ear. My first pair was an improvement, but my 2nd pair was a big improvement, especially in meetings and trying to understand those with low voices or accents. This new model is comfortable and sits behind the ear with the small tube inserted into your ear canal that delivers the amplification. It comes with a Blue tooth Transceiver that allows you to sync with your Cell phone and TV. But that is not required. They cost around 2000 dollars per aid and cleaning is easy and power consumption is little, I change the batteries about once a week. The Model is: ME 830 RIC w/Blue Tooth connect capability. Insurance is the kicker, it seems unfair that a major sense like hearing is not insurable by many health insurance companies, although BCBS does insure for half of the cost. For Miracle Ear: There phone number is: (703) 591-6409. Ask for Marc. I hope this helps, I was one that went through the embarrassment and missed opportunities because of my hearing impairment. Good luck!

By: Jonathan Gonzales

Jonathan Gonzales — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 16:33:06 +0000

I need hearing aids and found a US manufacturer called Azuleri.

Anyway, I ordered their Cello 12, it came preprogrammed and I think it works great. The best part is that it was inexpensive. My doctor wanted $3,000 dollars for a hearing aid and when I send I would buy it on line he wanted to charge me $1,000 for the testing.

Well that’s my story and I’m glad I got a hearing aid that was only $1,000 dollars and works just like the most expensive hearing aids.

By: Barbara Hug

Barbara Hug — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 20:05:36 +0000

Have had the Oticon Delta for four years and they have never bee accurately programmed for a high frequency loss. Even if that were remedied, the dome that caps the ear piece has come off twice, embedded itself in my ear and causing several visits to a doctor to find the right tool to remove it from my ear.

Even if they worked I would worry about the safety aspect of the design.

By: Rod Hopper

Rod Hopper — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 07:07:33 +0000

I have extreme hearing loss, with tinnitus. While I can sleep like a baby, I need help to hear conversation clearly. I am extremely happy with my Beltone Optima hearing aids. I have had them over 2 years with very good hearing response. Also, the service and commitment I receive from my local Beltone vendor could not be any better. These are my third hearing aids and second Beltone brand set.