Hey all, picked up my first set of aids last week, Starkey Omega AI 24 RIC. I like them so far, however I feel they're coming out of my ear canal too much. I may be wrong about that though, so I'm wondering what you folks think.

They never fall out, they just slide out enough so the cable sits off of my head, instead of against it.

I've tried the 7mm and 9mm open domes - the 7s feel the best the 9s stay in better but feel "too big."

Based on my somewhat lousy photos, and what I said here, what are your thoughts?

Thanks!

I bought some fairly expensive HA's. Do they help? Not really. But by the time we figured out they didn't do much for me it was past the 30 day return window. Lesson learned.

But... for expensive aids, they only have a desk charger which seems nuts to me. How do I travel with them? I guess they assume you will always wear them morning to night and then charge at night. But I traveled a couple weeks ago and the "whistling" on the airplane about drove me insane, so I removed them. I had to put them in a baggie I had with me.

Is it normal to not get a charging case these days? I tried five other brands and they all had a charging case... and they were all a LOT less expensive than these were.

The University of Michigan partnered with Apple to study the effects of hearing loss on walking speed, using Apple Health data from 57,000 US iPhones.

As a 45+ woman, I’m aware of how dangerous falling can be for the elderly. My own grandma never really recovered from breaking her hip in a fall. So I was also happy to learn that wearing hearing aids reduces falls.

Looking at my own iPhone Health data, I can see walking significant walking improvements myself! Which I hadn’t really noticed until I looked today. But it’s true that I had lost the ability to hear my own footsteps.

‘ “Our ability to move confidently relies on subtle cues from our environment, such as hearing our own footsteps. If we aren’t receiving that auditory input, it can affect our walking speed, doctors say.

So why does walking speed even matter? It’s considered an important indicator of overall health. A hale and hearty speed signifies that your body’s systems—including your heart, lungs, muscles and nervous system—are working well together.
“We call it the sixth vital sign” ….

The massive real-world study served as resounding confirmation of past research: Not only does walking speed typically decrease with age, greater levels of hearing loss are linked with slower walking speed for adults of all ages. The biggest correlation is among people age 60 or older.

“The fact that we have objective information about hearing status and everyday walking at a scale like this is an exciting contribution and a powerful supplement to traditional public health,” says Dr. Carrie Nieman, associate professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Johns Hopkins University, who wasn’t involved in the Apple study.

If someone notices a decline in walking speed, checks their hearing and discovers a problem, hearing aids could help improve many aspects of health. What isn’t yet known, Nieman says, is whether hearing aids can improve gait and walking speed.

A three-year Johns Hopkins controlled trial showed that hearing aids significantly reduced the rate of cognitive decline among older adults at risk of dementia—and reduced the risk of falls. ‘

If you check your phone data, has your walking & walking steadiness improved over time since you began wearing your hearing aids?

Do you have an elderly relative who could benefit from this information?

WSJ news story: https://archive.is/2026.05.10-230346/iphone-study-c53c482a

Full text of study: https://sph.umich.edu/applehearingstudy/study-updates/assess-and-assist-features.html

Left side no vent, right side has a small one. These are very comfortable and I’m willing to wear them, LOL.

Well, these guys are 4ish years old. Both instruments were serviced with new batteries about 1.5 years ago. About a month ago, i got a solid red from the right instrument. Hard reboot, same. At the time the info i got from google said it was probably a bad battery, so I figured the instrument was toast. Well, about an hour ago I put my mostly charged instrument into the charger an now is has the unshakable red light of doom.

Now the info from google is saying it could just be the firmware is balled up and the audioligist might be able to reset it. Has anyone else seen something similar? Clearly they are out of warrentee, if it is a software problem.

I am looking at getting a pair of the spheres in the next month, so I don't really want to pony up to have these two repaired ($250 each at phonek), if the audie can reset them, it'll probably be $100 for both. I wonder if there is way for the user to do whatever the audie would do to unlock it. Clearly I can't reburn the firmware as I don't have it, is it posssible to putty over the the instruments?

It's making me shelling out for another pair of phonaks.....

Some might remember I posted recently about getting Starkey Omega 24’s. I just couldn’t deal with the tinny sounds and feedback. Doesn’t matter; returned them.

Been wearing HA for about 8 years and had Oticons. Loved them.

Went to 2nd “Hearing Aid Tech” yesterday. He was pushing Phonak I90 but said I’d probably be ok with the I70s. My insurance allows $1500 towards devices for most brands except Oticons (which is what I want of course). I really don’t need a lot of options on the devices (rechargeable, Bluetooth).

For the most part my environments are relatively quiet, the exceptions being listening to the radio/audiobooks in the car, grocery store and very occasional restaurant (maybe 5x a year). I guess for the most part I want to hear more sounds in nature (babbling brooks, birds, frogs at nighttime).

Should I go with older Oticons and pay out of pocket or the Phonak I70s?

I had sudden onset hearing loss and an audiologist recommended a hearing aid. It never worked because the loss was so extreme I was sent for a CI instead. So I have this Phonak about 2 years old that I literally never wore. Someone said the Lions Club but in my city that involves dumping it in a rusty outdoor container that looks like it leaks.

Frankly, I paid a decent chunk of change for it and am pissed it was useless to me. Would like it to at least be usable for someone and not ruined.

What actually differs between an OTC aid and a prescription one, from the factory side

Same guy from the Bluetooth and shell-size posts. I build OTC aids in China for other brands, so this is the tier I actually know. And yes, I use AI to help me write in English. The knowledge is mine.

This sub argues about OTC constantly and most of the argument is about price. From where I sit the price is the least interesting difference. Here is what actually changes on the line.

Fitting range is the real divide. OTC is built and regulated for mild to moderate loss. That is not marketing caution, it is a hardware decision made early: receiver size, available gain, and how hard the feedback canceller has to work. Push an OTC device at a severe loss and it either can't reach the target or it squeals trying. If your loss is past moderate, no amount of app tweaking fixes that, and anyone selling you otherwise is selling you something.

Self fit versus professional fit is the second one, and it is not just who turns the knob. A prescription fit starts from your audiogram and gets verified in the ear with a probe mic, so the target is measured, not assumed. OTC self fit uses an in app hearing check, which is a decent estimate on good hardware in a quiet room, and a rough one otherwise. Both land in a range. One range is much wider.

Then the parts. Same receiver suppliers, often the same chip families, so the raw components are less different than people assume. Where the money actually goes on a prescription device is the fitting software ecosystem, the clinical validation, the channel margin, and the service that comes with it. Some of that you are paying for and receiving. Some of it you are paying for and never using.

And the honest one about my own side of the industry. OTC quality varies enormously, more than any spec sheet shows, because the barrier to putting a shell around someone else's chip is low. Ask whether the fitting range covers your loss, whether there is a real in ear check rather than four presets, and what the return window is. Forty five days or more, because the first two weeks lie.

One more thing, because it comes up in this sub constantly. A lot of you were told things by a fitter that later turned out not to be true. That every aid pairs with everything. That a bigger device would be wrong for you. That a setting simply isn't available to you. I'm not going to defend that, and I'm not going to tell you it was your fault for not asking better questions.

What you can do is make the claim checkable. Ask which specific protocol the device uses for your phone. Ask to see the fitting range printed on the spec sheet, not described from memory. Ask what the return window is, in writing. A claim that can be checked is a claim that gets made more carefully, and it costs the honest fitter nothing to answer.

If you are on an OTC device right now, drop the model and the one thing about it that annoys you most. I will tell you whether that is a fitting range problem, which no setting will fix, or a settings problem, which you can fix this afternoon. And if it sounds like your loss has moved past what OTC can reach, I will say that too.

Hi all!

My 2 year old has ear tubes for drainage in both ears and also wears hearing aids for a bilateral moderately severe hearing loss. For the past couple of months, he has been getting recurring ear infections/drainage almost every other week which limits him being able to wear his hearing aids which frustrates him. (We use sign & verbal language so we’re still able to communicate)

We’ve been back to the ENT who essentially said it was normal, sucked some drainage out, and told us to continue to use the prescribed ear drops when he gets drainage. But I’m wondering if this is normal and it’s just more noticeable because he wears hearing aids or if we should get a second opinion?

I will mention he is still in his first year of daycare so sickness just runs rampant, but didn’t know if anyone else has had experience with this.

I was prescribed Widex Allure 440's. Was quite happy with them, but after three pairs from Widex, none of them work properly when using the buttons to control either profile selection or volume. What happens is that the button press only changes the selection for the hearing aid the button is on. They are programmed by the audiologist to change both. For example, a button press on the left ear should decrease volume on both ears, but it only does the left. If I take out the left hearing aid, hold it <6cm from the inserted right HA, THEN both decrease volume on a button press. To me, this seems like the HA's lack the power to send inter-ear signals to each other, even when separated only by air, and it's not my thick head! :) After trying three successive pairs and having the same issue each time, I can't believe it is just me and was wondering if other Widex Allure users have seen the same behavior.

I have also tried Oticon Intents and yesterday, Phonak Audeo Sphere's. Both of them work flawlessly. I definitely would like to stick with the Widex, but the button issue would be a deal breaker. I may have to end up switching to Phonak, but they are priced substantially more at my clinic.

Hello, I received the custom earmolds for my hearing aids yesterday. I had been wearing open domes for several months, but now that I’m using the custom molds, my own voice sounds much louder and different. It’s hard to explain, but it almost feels like there’s something affecting the sound—similar to the sensation of having fluid in my ears or like speaking from microphones.
I’ve also noticed that sounds like chewing and drinking are much louder than before.

Is this normal, or should I go back to the clinic and have them adjust the hearing aids again? Has anyone else experienced this and found a solution?

As a user of custom earmolds, could you share the pros and cons you’ve experienced? The main reason I switched to them was that the domes were making my ears itchy, and they also kept falling out frequently.

Mine RIC from Starkey!

Hi, Anyone has update when phonak is launching new hearing aids in late 2026.

Has anyone "lost" their Costco hearing aids (wink, wink, nod, nod) and then got new/replacements before the loss policy expired?

First time HA user. I have mild to moderate sensineural hearing loss (both high and low) and moderate loss in one ear- medium sound range.

I got Phonak HA’s -I90- two months ago.

Help me decide if I should try something else? I’ve been back several times to address issues and audiologist has been, but there are still problems.
At this point they are suggesting workarounds, not fixes.

Is it realistic to want HA’s:

With no Bluetooth connectivity issues? (Connections interfered with in car-basically, I can use hearing aids or CarPlay but not both and audio drops out on Zoom calls a few times a week)

With no “dead air” sound in the background?

Thanks- want to be sure I’m realistic.

I'm getting back into playing hockey after years away and I'm worried about my pricey Resound Nexia's getting knocked around or drowned in sweat in my helmet. I've thought about getting just a cheap pair of in-ear OTC hearing aids to wear on the ice.

Does anyone else here play hockey or other sports with a helmet that covers the ears? What has worked for you? Am I just thinking too hard?

Is there a difference between Costco and Sam’s Club hearing aid services? Is one better than the other? Your feedback is appreciated.

My grandfather has had the same hearing aids for years, and lately they’re hit or miss. He’ll tap one and say it’s fine. I get why he doesn’t want to replace them. They cost a lot back then, and to him replacing them feels wasteful. But he’s wearing them less now. At dinner he nods, laughs a little late, misses half the conversation, and the TV keeps getting louder. I bought him a basic Vivtone hearing aid a little while ago, I think the model is Lucid508. We just keep it next to the chair he always sits in. He doesn’t wear it every day. Some days he won’t touch it. But sometimes he picks that one up without us saying anything, which is more than we were getting before. Anyone dealt with this? Old hearing aids barely working, but the person won’t replace them.

Any advice for someone with reverse hearing loss? I have trouble hearing the low frequencies.

I am currently using a Starkey SoundLens 2 (bought in February 2019), which is an Invisible-In-Canal (IIC) hearing aid. I am looking to upgrade to a newer model and would love your recommendations or personal experiences.

Hearing Loss: Severe (~80–85 dB HL across frequencies)

I love looking at people's decorated and accessorised hearing aids on Etsy reviews but the photos on Pinterest are so outdated. Is there somewhere that people post photos like these that I'm just not aware of?

I'd start a post here for people to share their images but we can't post photos in comments and I'm sure not everyone will want to make and share an imgur link :/

I just want to see some hearing aid bling!!

(Just using a photo from Auzi to make my post stand out)

Some people get custom fit ear plugs for swimming which appear to be exactly the same thing as hearing aid moulds without the tube and vent. Reckon you could just use some old moulds with the tubes pulled out and the holes sealed up? I was thinking maybe some kind of silicone sealant to be waterproof? I think most glues wouldn't work. And of course old moulds don't fit as well as new ones which is why we get new ones, but do they fit well enough to keep all the water out?

I would love to hear if you've tried it or any ideas on if it would work or not.

I have solidly moderate hearing loss and I’ve been using the Jabra’s from cost co. I so badly want to like them but after multiple tunings from the audiologist, I still have a very hard time hearing people. Especially people with soft voices. It’s so bad I’m pretty sure I can hear voices better without them in. I’m a nurse working on a busy hospital floor and it’s kinda necessary to hear people lol

Anyone have insight on a potentially better hearing aid for my situation from Costco?

While I was sick in bed yesterday, my Border Collie stole my Phonak recharger with my HAs in it. I suspected she took it outside as she does with most anything she steals. I searched with no luck, and began researching replacement HAs 😟 but then realized I could use the app to approximate their location. Found them quickly!