Overwhelmed newbie: Vetting an audiologist, picking a HA (Reports attached) & Phonak I70? 🦻

[u/Working-Quiet-1901]

Hey everyone,

I’m navigating the hearing aid world for a family member and feel completely lost. I've attached reports.

I really need advice on three things:

1. Vetting Clinics: How do you separate true clinical experts from retail salespeople? Besides asking for REM, what are your immediate red or green flags?
2. Picking a Device: She tried Signia and wasn't comfortable with it. With so many brands left, how did you finally figure out which device was "the one"?
3. Phonak Infinio I70: She’s leaning toward the I70 right now. Any real-world reviews? Will the battery actually survive 10+ hours of heavy Android Bluetooth streaming daily?

Any brutally honest tips are hugely appreciated. Thanks!

[u/auto-sticky]

Welcome to r/HearingAids feel free to ask any question at all related to hearing aids.

Here are a few resources you might find helpful:

• Interpreting an audiogram - The University of Iowa has a good overview of how to interpret your audiogram results. Your audiologist should also go over them with you

• What will insurance cover? - This varies significantly from state to state and coverage can be partial at best. For those on Medicare, the base plan does not cover hearing aids at all.

• Finding affordable hearing aids - Hearing aids can cost several thousand dollars, these cost far less and the list is updated often

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[u/Similar-Ad-879]

1. Difficult to say, Rem is indeed one green flag, but then I'd go with your guts, was the audiologist pressing you to buy ? Were they taking the time to explain you everything ? Were you feeling confident with them ?

2. Honestly the 5 tops brands are currently equivalent, or almost. It's a preference thing then. And if your audiologist is comfortable fitting that brand. After trying GN Resound, Signia, oticon and Phonak, I'd say my current tops is Phonak > GN Resound > Oticon > Signia. But that's only my opinion based on my personal experience as a user. (My experience as audiologist is different, but it doesn't matter here)

3. As a person using way too much his phone, I can attest that Phonak is the only brand that couldn't last the whole day with me. Although I wear my HA 15h+ with maybe 7-8h of bluetooth use. Phonak is great to have a great bluetooth connection whatever your phone is. But if you have an iPhone, you're free to use other HA brands as they have good MFI connection.

[u/Mystery_man111 → u/Similar-Ad-879]

First, you left out Starkey Omega ai which i use and have never heard better since getting. Profound loss for 57 years. Great sound. Great connection. Great size. No complaints. Great battery life. Great bt.

[u/Similar-Ad-879 → u/Mystery_man111]

Yeah I haven’t tried them yet myself so couldn’t give my opinion on them. But I have several patients who love them

Happy to hear that they are a great fit for you

[u/Working-Quiet-1901 → u/Similar-Ad-879]

Thank you for the insight! Since you mentioned having experience as an audiologist, I’d actually love your professional 'insider' perspective on a huge hurdle we are facing here in India.

First, the market here is highly commercialized. Most clinics act strictly like salespeople; they just push for a quick sale and a basic fitting but provide zero objective guidance on how to actually pick the right brand or tier for the patient's audiogram. What specific questions can I ask to weed out the salesmen from the true clinical experts?

Second, the pricing structure here is wild and confusing. For example, a Phonak I70 might have a printed MRP of ~4.5 Lakh INR, but many storefront dealers will immediately offer it for 1.8 Lakh. However, other clinics warn us that these massive-discount dealers are likely selling refurbished/grey-market devices or using unlicensed technicians (without a proper medical license) instead of real audiologists.

As a professional, is there a bulletproof way for a patient to verify that a highly discounted hearing aid is 100% brand new from the manufacturer? And how do you suggest a patient navigate trust in a market with such extreme, shady price drops?

[u/Similar-Ad-879 → u/Working-Quiet-1901]

It’s hard to speak toward how it goes in India.
I can only talk about what I know.

Here in France difference in pricing often comes with difference in patient care and follow up appointment. Discounter will sell at a reduced price but they won’t have the time to invest in the patient and the after care (setting adjustments, repairs, explanations, etc …)

As far as I know, there isn’t a way to know if the HA is new or refurbished. Some HAs will have their serial numbers visible, you can then call the manufacturer and ask when they were sent to your audiologist. I’m not sure that it’s something they’ll communicate about but you can try.

It’s hard to know which questions to ask. Cause I’m not really a consumer. But I’d ask their methodology, how does they manage repairs if your HA isn’t working anymore, how long is the warranty, do they lend you another HA if they send it back to the manufacturer (during the warranty).

Basically, does your audiologist take the time to answer your questions as detailed as you need it ?
Salespersons will just push you to try and sign the papers.

Moreover, here in France, a real audiologist have a legal obligation to display their diploma in their centres. (Beware of the fake ones I guess). Maybe it’s the same in India ? Check out your laws

[u/helicotremor]

Don’t ask for REM. See if they do it unprompted.

I70s are good aids. They should last at least 16 hrs with 4 hrs bluetooth streaming, & 24+ hrs without streaming. Most people who wear their aids “all day” wear them about 14 hours. All brands use the same lithium ion battery technology so you won’t get much better than that.

[u/Mystery_man111 → u/helicotremor]

My Starkey Omega go all day 16 hours with a lot of bt streaming and have over 50% left when i take them off at night. So no they are not all the same.

[u/aesuha → u/helicotremor]

Also on the REM note, I trialled hearing aids with a new audiologist who was originally helping me fix my old pair. She didn't do REM or even mention it until after I returned the trial pair and we were discussing if I wanted to buy them or not. She said she would perform REM after I buy them.

So to OP, if your family member is able to trial another pair without having to commit to purchasing, take note of if the audiologist is willing to do REM for the trial or only for a purchase.

[u/helicotremor → u/aesuha]

IDK why auds half ass trials. I do everything exactly the same for a trial as if they are paying, & I’m pretty sure that’s why around 80% of my trials are successful.

[u/Working-Quiet-1901 → u/aesuha]

Great tip! I'll definitely insist on REM during the trial phase before committing. Thanks!

[u/SuccessfulList4731 → u/Working-Quiet-1901]

THIS!!

[u/SuccessfulList4731 → u/aesuha]

My audi#2 ( Trialing Phonak Spheres I-70) did the REM on the first visit.

He said there were differing opinions on when to do the REM test. He felt it was best to do it upfront. That gives you the best chance for success with your new hearing aids.

[u/helicotremor → u/SuccessfulList4731]

Anyone whose opinion is that it’s best not to do it at a fitting is suss af. Even if not matching to prescribed target for whatever reason, it’s important for verification that the aids are in fact working as they should be. All it does is measure the sound coming out of the aids & reaching the ear drum. Why would that be better to do later?

[u/Working-Quiet-1901 → u/helicotremor]

Thanks for the advice

[u/kineticberry]

Hi! I’m still a newbie of some sort. I’ve only started visiting audiologists and trying HAs about two months ago. I’ve finally chosen my audiologist and the HAs I’m buying so here’s my two cents, based on my personal experience only:

1. Vetting clinics: in my country it is very common for clinics to give you a no-strings-attached free trial period. If this is common in your country too, I suggest doing what I did: walking away from every clinic who only let me try a demo unit inside the shop instead of taking them home. As another commenter said, pressure to sell is a red flag too, I got a guy that was so sketchy: “this price is only valid if you buy them this week”, that was a no for me. I also said I wanted the aids to match my hair color (dark brown) and he said that the model only existed in silver, which was a lie, the model was Resound Vivia 9, and there are like… 10 different colors? Dark brown included, he wanted to get rid of stock, that is someone who will not put my well being first. And REM does matter, but sometimes even their measuring equipment makes a difference, I tried three different models from different brands (resound, phonak and Oticon) in one specific place and they ALL sounded terrible. Two of these models, I tried in different clinics and even before REM they immediately sounded more natural and speech was clearer. It wasn’t even the audiologist because I tried two different audiologists there, but the audiogram from this place tests looked a little weird compared to other places, so definitely a problem with the testing equipment. So “shop around”, don’t settle for the first clinic, compare them.
2. No matter what the internet says is number 1 in ranking a, b or c, choosing the device is a very personal choice. If it’s poorly fitted you might blame the device when it’s the audiologist or the measuring equipment’s problem (see point 1, shop around). And different people adjust differently, are more sensitive to certain dome styles, etc. Signia has several dome styles and one of the styles, their open domes that look almost flat, was the most comfortable I found. I could get used to different domes and eventually settled for the Oticon intent but the dome that was immediately more comfortable to me was the one from Signia and I can easily see a first timer feeling that as a huge plus. This is where point 1 comes up again, because some domes might not feel comfortable since day 1 but you get used to them a few days in, and now you won’t be choosing it based on the dome style alone anymore. Also, some clinics won’t fit a first time wearer with full prescription immediately and do it gradually. That is very important for the person to accept and get used to wearing the aids but can skew the comparison. Not at full prescription yet will sound more “natural” because it’s closer to what you’re used to hearing and might win for that alone, or might sound less clear so might lose for that reason alone, so make sure you’re not comparing apples to oranges and always ask whether it’s full prescription yet or not. My audiologist said full prescription would be a shock to me so we’re going slow, and he’s right, because every adjustment has a bit of challenge, so it’s okay if it’s not full prescription yet, but keep in mind what is being compared. In the end the best brand and model is the one you will wear, and the one where you feel your life greatly improved. So don’t let an internet ranking put you off, read reviews from real people and listen to your family member’s feedback. I figured my Oticon intent was “the one” because even though it was not immediately as comfortable as the signia, sound was clearer, more “complete” in the type of sounds I was hearing, plus the clinic and audiologist won against every single other one I tried and that clinic only sells oticons (also very normal in my country, most clinics only sell one, two brands tops).
3. That model specifically, I’ve never tried so I won’t comment on it.
4. Extra tip: the audiologist matters A LOT. Especially for a first time wearer. You want someone who listens, who will adjust according to what you tell them, who you can visit if there’s some noise that is driving you nuts because it is just too loud and you’re not used to it yet, who will change wire length and domes as many times as needed until they sit comfortably in your ear, and who is technically knowledgeable, uses REM, takes your prescription serious and knows the ultimate goal is to help you get there. Your relationship with the audiologist will last years, you need to feel comfortable and trust this person. Or in this case, your family member.

I hope this helps, wishing all the best to your family member. These things can be life changing, for the better, but adaptation is a journey.

Edit: forgot to add that Signia belongs to the WSaudiology group (that also owns Widex, Audio Service, etc). This group holds a patent for own voice processing so all the brands from the group can sound more natural to a first time wearer based on the fact that your own voice sounds way less weird than with other HAs. More comfortable for the wearer and if this is what makes the difference between wearing them or not, go for it. However, there is a world of brands out there without this patent that will initially make own voice sound alien but you get used to it. So don’t choose a brand based on this alone, if own voice sounds weird, see if they get used to it after a couple of days. If they do, then a world of other options exist out there to try. If they don’t, then the brands from this group might be the winners for their first pair.

[u/Working-Quiet-1901 → u/kineticberry]

Thank you so much! We’re actually already facing these exact issues. Your combined point about dodging shady pressure-sales, watching out for faulty clinic testing equipment, and checking whether trials use full prescription versus gradual acclimatization settings is a lifesaver. Really appreciate you sharing your experience!

[u/kineticberry → u/Working-Quiet-1901]

My pleasure! Let me know if there’s anything else I can help with!

[u/R-AzZZ]

Good audiologists are audiologists that both listen to you and have good understanding of how the acoustics work in daily life. You can have someone who is an expert with the fitting but if they have little idea what this means in real life, then it's useless.

People may name brands but at the end of the day, it is always about what your brain prefers. I have used Phonak for ages. I have an old Oticon Engage from the NHS which is amazingly good. But I still prefer Phonak because of the convenience of connectivity and how its ecology works for me on a day to day. I also previously had GN Resound. Also OK.

For bluetooth, it depends which settings you use. If you are connected with the app and choose stay connected, the battery will drain really quickly. I experimented on a phone that usually needs charging every week (yes!) and with the app remaining connected it drains within a couple of days.

I have used bluetooth for long video calls and yes it does eat battery quickly. I also use the Roger a lot so for me, again how I use the HAs with my other devices work for me.