Phonak Virto Q Hearing Aid

Been having the same problem even though I have replaced all components of CROS set up. Searched and searched and then last night I stumbled on to your site and read where other users had/are having the same problem. This is after asking anyone who would listen. I even corresponded with Phonak in Britain but with no solutions. When I read other subscribers to your site described exactly what I have experienced over two years I got very excited because I like the ha I have except for what appears is a reception problem. Only when streaming to iPhone or from TV streamer the sound drops off for just a very small amount of time but enough that I miss a phone number, name or dialog. Very frustrating. Since I now know I am not crazy The next question is what can I do or expect Phonak to do about it?

Biggest problem is noisy 3enviroment. In that situation the hearing aids are more of an impedement than an aid,

Not natural hearing, price $3000 is too high. No self-adjustment feature

The hearing aids are very good. Actually, they are Phonak Virto V70 aids and not Q70. The reason why I entered Q70 is because V70 was not in the list. I chose custom aids because I use headphones a lot. Yes, with most aids, there are direct bluetooth devices, but I don't have bluetooth installed on my computer at work, and I didn't want to faff around with a bluetooth dongle. For all the marketing gloss about bluetooth connectivity, I find it a pain as sometimes you have a lot of problems initiating a connection, or once the connection is establishing, it is difficult to toggle it - it tends to be all or nothing. Resound or some other aids may be able to handle this better, but with Phonak TV Link or with it connected to a laptop it can be a real pain - as it can force the aids to connect when you don't want them to. On the subject of the aids themselves, make sure your audiologist is an experienced fitter of Phonak devices in my view. When fitted they were 10DB lower than they should have been, and I had to ditch the audiologist who orginally sold me the aids, and go to another, more experienced audiologist. After 3 fitting attempts they are where I want them, but I am still not 100% happy with some aspects of the Autosense OS. Particularly the decision by Phonak to put the default programme to Automatic as soon as you switch them on - I wanted to set this to "Quiet Situation". I do also find that the Autosense reduces sound dramatically, so to compensate I have to put up the aids to the maximum volume when in automatic mode. Otherwise - for my loss, they are a happy compromise. I would like more of the bass and overall roundness/smoothness that you get with a BTE, but that's the price of going with a custom aid I guess.

Fine tuning is bringing sounds that I haven't heard in how long?.

I have worn these aids for over a year now. This model does well in environments where noise is not too much of an issue. But the occasional visit to a busy restaurant will make you wish you had spent the extra money on a more advanced model. I think this model is good for watching TV at home or going to the movies. If you are in a meeting with lots of people talking at once, you will have some issues with intelligibility. Again, the higher priced models offer more directional refinements. The issue I see with any CIC model is keeping the wax buildup under control. My aids go in a dryer every night, I change out the wax guards weekly but the buildup still happens. Then you have to figure out where the wax is hiding in the aids and clean them out. The little tools they give for this job are typically cheap plastic and don't do an adequate job of removing the wax. So far in a year this model has been returned to Phonak twice for repairs. The first time was the shell falling apart, the second time was high-end loss. So far all repairs have been covered by warranty. The other issue that plagues me with the CIC, is the plugged up feeling I can get in the ear. Now the aids have vents which usually keeps the plugged up feeling from bothering me, but sometimes when its hot and humid this creates the condition. I have now come to realize that an RIC model will probably be a better option for me as a full-time aid and only use these part-time. That having more venting in the air will allow for a more natural sound. In the end these aids are a compromise of feature, function and price. In deciding upon an aid, there are a lot of decisions that go into the process. It's always good to have a long return option when purchasing but even then it may not be long enough to decide if the aid is right for you or not!

I'm very happy.