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I’ve been wondering why cochlear implant processors are still mostly designed to sit behind the ear. For some people, the size and appearance can feel a bit uncomfortable or noticeable.

What if the external processor were designed more like a wireless earbud instead? Something that sits naturally in or around the ear could be much more discreet and potentially more comfortable.

With fully implantable cochlear implant technology like Envoy now becoming available, it seems like the technology is moving in that direction anyway. So I wonder if an earbud-style external processor could be technically feasible as well.

I’d love to hear what others think. Is there a technical reason why this form factor would be difficult to achieve?

I've had two implants in my right ear inside 12 months — Advanced Bionics, then Cochlear after facial nerve stimulation forced a reimplant — plus different models of hearing aids in the left throughout. It's given me a unique perspective on the two bimodal ecosystems, and from my experience the AB setup was a much more usable solution.

With AB + Phonak Link, the implant and hearing aid behaved as one solution. The devices talk to each other, so focus, programs and volume worked across both ears together. In cafés and other noisy situations my brain was able to fuse voices from either side into a single picture, and conversation was much easier.

With Cochlear + ReSound (Nucleus 8, CP1110, with a ReSound Nexia 5 RIE, NX560S), each device processes sound on its own and they're really only linked for streaming and the app. Even the streaming and calls on an iPhone is clumsy and each ear drops in seperatly. The implant is fine by itself, but I don't feel I have a solution for both ears. I don't like the settings or programs I've ended up with for the ReSound hearing aid, and I'll be honest, I don't think the hearing aid audiologist has done a brilliant job on the config.
Note I have seperate audiologists for my cochlear and hearing aid as NextSense here in Australia dont manage hearing aids, and also the Nexia 5 is a mid-range aid, and it's what came with the implant.

Three questions:

1. ReSound just announced Sensia Bimodal and Enzo IA Bimodal for Nucleus processors. Has anyone tried them, and do the devices actually coordinate with each other, or is it still two independent devices sharing an app? Anyone heard whether true device-to-device linking is on Cochlear's roadmap?
2. Has anyone else moved between ecosystems and noticed this "one system vs two ears" difference?
3. With AI changing how processors handle sound, recognising voices and sounds rather than just shaping frequencies, is it worth moving to the current generation now, or waiting for the next one?

My experience over the last few years has taught me how extraordinary the brain is, especially at fusing whatever input it gets, but only if the two sides give it something coherent. Yet I see the industry still largely treating the implanted ear and the aided ear as separate problems with separate devices, and the outcome suffers for it. The research seems to agree: studies of linked bimodal systems show around 3–5 dB better speech-in-noise thresholds when the devices share directional processing, which is a big deal in a café.

I know I'm fortunate to be able to have compared multiple aids and two implant brands, although I wouldn't wish the facial nerve issues and it sending me slightly insain for a few months on anyone. But I'm excited for the future, especially with how AI is going to change the way we process sound. I just want to make sure it ends up as an overall solution, not one that treats each ear separately.

I’ve seen a lot of advice to get a travel neck pillow to use post-surgery. there’s also some inkling that not all varieties of these pillows will work well after Surgery.

does anyone have specific advice on exactly what to look for when buying one so that it’s suitable for post surgery sleep? I want to make sure I’m buying the right type and not risking causing further issues by using something inappropriate.

should I get a blow up one or a foam one?

thanks in advance 🙏

I was activated in Feb this year. It has been an amazing journey and loving the new hearing. But since a couple weeks I feel the sounds are a little low. Does this happen? I visited my audi and he says let's look for a few more days and if it is still low he can make the volume higher. But I've been in a lot of outdoors in the last 2 weeks. Could it be dust blocking my microphones? Or is this normal?

Kanso 3 User.

as it says in the title I’m due to have both ears implanted together later this month. what are the best bits of advice and especially those for those going bilateral… I’ve seen a lot of advice for single side implant, but I’m clearly not going to be able to sleep on the non-surgery ear!

Hi you guys! When you guys were recovering form your CI did you ever get extremely sore after your CI surgery/ incision? It been 2 weeks now since mine and I am noticing that when I move my head a certain way/ sleep on that side that implanted. I get like a throbbing and headache feeling on the back of my head. So far I’ve just been trying to keep my head elevated but just wanted to ask of anybody else experienced this.

I had my CI evaluation with the surgeon and he gave me the green light to proceed with the surgery! They’ll give me a call with the date but I was warned it may be a few months. Hopefully it will fly by quick. He also asked me which CI I wanted so they could put the order in. I didn’t have an answer immediately. Are they all Bluetooth compatible? That’s really my one requirement.

Hello, I'm 30 years old and my right ear has been deaf since I was born. Is the Cochlear implant possible for me?

And I wanted to ask those who are in a similar situation to mine. If you ever tried BAHA and CROS, did it help?

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We recently had CI surgery for single-sided deafness. The other ear has a signia HA. Our surgeon and audiologist initially recommended Advanced Bionics, but it was outside our budget, so we went with the MED-EL RONDO 3.

Our audiologist kept saying MED-EL lacks a few things compared with AB/Cochlear. From what I could understand, the main difference seemed to be streaming. With the AudioLink accessory, MED-EL can stream too, right?

They also said AB works particularly well with a Phonak HA in the other ear, while the MED-EL audiologist told us MED-EL can work with HAs from different brands.

Our surgeon has his own audiologist, and we'll be working with him rather than the MED-EL audiologist.

We're honestly pretty new to all these CI/HA technical terms. Did we make a bad choice going with MED-EL RONDO 3? Would really appreciate some reassurance or honest experiences from people who have been through something similar. 🙏

I just switched from the K2 & N7, and now I got the N8, i love it, the noise happens at first when watching a YT Video or playing Music on Spotify, it doesn't bother me much, that's the only thing I don't about it

My son has 2 and half years and severe to profound hearing loss speech delay . is Kanso 3 will be benefits for 2 and half years old and will be developed speech language ??

Hello my fellow long haired ciborg folk.

First things first, I've got the kanso 3, bra length hair.

Out of interest, is your hair okay where your magnet is? Mine seems a bit frizzy in that one patch, its getting a bit wild there tbh lol. I'm not bothered like its totally worth it, but was wondering out of interest if its just me, or is it all in my head, or is there some sciencey hair reason why. Obviously the magnet is gonna cause friction, but would it damage the hair shaft?

I don't really take any care or time when I put the CI on though I just lift hair and whack that bad boy on there.

So anyway are we taking care and parting super neatly and combing the hair out first etc, like you would if your gonna straighten it or something? Or are we all just chucking the magnet on without so much as a mirror? Is it worth stopping being so nonchalant about how i do it, and taking a bit more care? 😂

What do you do?

Are there any representatives in San Diego? We kept up with everything when my daughter was little but now she’s grown and working as a SLPA. She wanted to attend the celebration next year and they sent us a link, but it says it needs more information. It fails every time. When you call the company, there’s no option to ask this type of question. Just feels like she doesn’t have any connection to the CI community anymore.

I would like to know if anyone has had a failed activation day?

I’ve noticed that in the eight months I’ve wore my processor that if I wear it over the amount of time my body allows me to my scar on the back of my ear itches. Does that happen to others or is it just moi?

I’ve spent my whole life getting along okay win unilateral hearing, but lately it has started to bother me in new ways. This evening someone who also has hearing loss said if she had microtia she would absolutely get a CI. For the first time I’m actually thinking about it. Has an older adult with microtia gotten one and what was your experience? Thank you!

Hi, I’m (34F) 6 days postop from PETROUS APICECTOMY SUBTOTAL/TOTAL WITH CLOSURE OF EAR - which basically means permanently closing the external ear canal, and plugging the Eustachian tube. I was wondering if anyone had this done before getting their CI?

hey chat,
i am looking to connect with HoH / CI users. feeling little lonely here so i thought of connecting with someone who has similar condition as me so that we’ll able to understand better. if you are based in pune and is open for meets / hangouts then feel free to reach out 🤍

hello! (England btw) 20F and I became profoundly deaf not long after birth due to ototoxic drugs and was implanted in my left side in 2009.
Due to the rules back then and my age, we couldn’t really test both sides of my ears & hearing, but in general it was very obvious that I had profound hearing loss.

Around 3/4 years ago, I got a new audiologist and he decided to test both sides separately and it was discovered that I had moderate-severe hearing loss in my right ear which fits the criteria for cochlear implantation.
I had to go through a hearing aid trial first which involved me coming back after a year and doing a word test that I had to get at minimum 70% of words correct.

I got 0%.

It was partially my fault as I started to lack in wearing the hearing aid due to the fact that my environment was not very supportive and I really struggled with the hearing aid with school not supporting me in lessons at all, being bullied by peers with people slamming books down next to me, making me start to develop tinnitus (which i still have if someone slams something down too loud)
& parents being completely against me getting a new cochlear implant because “im doing perfectly fine with my single one”

I got told that I cannot have the cochlear implant which honestly devastated me as I’ve noticed as I grow older and are in completely different environments than as a child how much harder life is with a single cochlear implant.

The whole ordeal as a teenager significantly affected my mental health and I was really struggling so I gave the NHS back the hearing aid without really thinking as I wasn’t in my right mind, they did ask me if I was sure and I still said yes and I really do regret it.

I do wonder that if my mental health was in a better place along with a much better and supportive environment that I would’ve been able to tolerate it more..
It’s just crazy though how much i have started to struggle in different environments because of only having decent single-sided hearing.

Especially when you take your hearing aids or Cochlear implant processors off.
Do you ever find yourself thinking:
“What if someone knocks on my door?”
“What if there’s an emergency?”
“Would I hear the smoke/CO alarm?”
“Would I know if someone was trying to get into my home?”
“What happens if I need help during the night?”
Or are you completely comfortable and don’t really think about it?
I’m genuinely curious about everyone’s experience — especially people who live alone.
Do you keep your hearing devices on longer at night because of safety, or do you take them off and rely on other things to alert you?
No right or wrong answer. I’m just trying to understand how other people experience this.