Sonnet 2 or Rondo 3

[Vera]

Amazingly, it’s almost six years since I first had my CI and the hospital have contacted me to say it’s time for a new device.  I have the choice of Sonnet 2 or Rondo 3.  I’m very drawn to the Rondo.  Just seems neater, more compact, easier to charge….

But has anyone found any downsides, and wish they’d had a Sonnet?  Any experiences welcome.  Any advice welcome.

[Mary Beth]

@Vera

great to see you here !

 

@Lauren

@Tim

both have Rondo 3 and Sonnet 2 so they can give their experience.

Do you use telecoil?  If yes, Sonnet 2 is the only one with telecoil built in.  Telecoil on Rondo 3 is tricky.

Do you want to stream audio directly from your phone/tablet to your processor without using an intermediary device?  Sonnet 2 with the AudiiStream battery cover offers that feature.  Rondo 3 does not.

[Vera]

Good to hear from you Mary Beth

Whoah….that’s interesting.  Yes I do use telecoil systems, linking in both my CI and the hearing aid in my other ear.  When you say it’s tricky with Rondo 3 could someone explain more?  I use them often for listening to lectures in rooms with a loop system.  Does anyone have experience of using Rondo 3 in that setting, and are there any workarounds for a Rondo?

And yes I do sometimes stream from a device, usually by using a neckloop, which I find easier than changing the battery cover on my Sonnet.  What would I have to use with the Rondo?

[Anthony Canada]

@Vera I'm a lifetime HA user having something off my ear was important a major reason I selected the Rondo 3.

Pros:

• off the ear
• compact
• being a sealed unit makes it more water resistant
• rechargeable battery
• can be tethered to charge on the go
• limited streaming capability

Cons (some of these were not important to me):

• by being off the ear it can be knocked off easier
• the placement of my surgical implant makes wearing hats near impossible because of where the Rondo 3 sits
• no true wireless capability (requires intermediatory device)
• no built in telecoil
• no expandability - because it is a sealed unit any expandability such as for auracast would need something that plugs into it. 

Maybe people with a Sonnet 2 can tell you how well it streams and if it drops audio during calls the same way HAs do. 

[Lauren]

@Vera

Happy to give my two cents. I’m still in my activation kit era and went to a two processor clinic so was able to get both Sonnet 2 and Rondo 3.  I’ve been wearing both since 2021 (left side) and November 2022 (both sides)  

In a nutshell I’d say let your lifestyle dictate which processor you get. Both have pros and cons, at the same time both are great too. 

Rondo 2: 

1) More comfortable to wear due to it being off ear. This is really the only reason it’s become my daily wearer. After 25 ish years wearing bilateral hearing aids it’s so nice to have my ears “free”

2) It’s a simple device. No maintenance, only thing needing to be replaced is the mic cover depending on sweat, dust etc. One button for on/off. The wireless charger pad comes with it.

3) Battery life for at least me last all day. The wireless charging pad is flat and the Rondo 3 isn’t well balanced so it might move around on you. @Tim invented a cradle to hold it in place and since using it I’ve had zero charging issues (thanks again!)

4) Streaming… this is where it falls short IMO. The best/only option is the AudioLink device and it’s not a favorite of mine. I pretty much only use it cabled into my TV. If using just for phone calls it’s fine but to stream other audio via Bluetooth to a phone/tablet you’ll need the Audio2Ear app running in the background. 

5) Waterwear: I’ll be using this for the first time shortly and I like how seamless and form fitting it looks compared to the Sonnet 2’s

6) Misc: I wear magnet strength 3 and the processors are solid. Unless I do something to knock them off they stay put. Durability, pretty good. However despite no damage I’ve just started the process to replace my left Rondo 3 for the second time. First time was due to a bad battery and this time there was an unknown failure. It’s a simple one piece device so nothing to diagnose. Also keep in mine the battery is 100% internal and like all other rechargeables it can degrade in quality over time. Not a problem if in warranty. 

Sonnet 2:

1) This has become my situational processor. For some reason the same MAPs sound better on the Sonnet 2 for me so if I go to a movie theater, busy restaurant, conference, have a big work meeting, etc I switch to these. Other users don’t report hearing a difference though, so keep in mind I’m just about a sample size of one here. 

2) Streaming: This is my go-to for phone/tablet streaming. It’s leaps and bounds better than Rondo 3. First you have more options. You can still use the AudioLink however there is the Bluetooth battery sleeve AudioStream for the Sonnet series that doesn’t need an app running in the background at all. Just stream to your heart’s content. There’s also a battery sleeve that allows for cabled options and as @Mary Beth mentioned, T-Coil will work easily and seamlessly with this processor. 

3) Stating the obvious: more maintenance to do and parts that can fail than with Rondo 3. 

4) Sports with helmets: I haven’t gone biking with either processor yet (or at all) but if I were biking or some other sport with a helmet involved I’d use Sonnet 2 as the coil would fit under easily. Possible with Rondo 3 but would involve cutting the helmet to make a spot for it. 
 

That’s all I can think of for right now. If you have questions or anything just ask and I’ll do my best to answer. 

[Lauren]

1 hour ago, Vera said:

When you say it’s tricky with Rondo 3 could someone explain more?  I use them often for listening to lectures in rooms with a loop system.  Does anyone have experience of using Rondo 3 in that setting, and are there any workarounds for a Rondo?

And yes I do sometimes stream from a device, usually by using a neckloop, which I find easier than changing the battery cover on my Sonnet.  What would I have to use with the Rondo?

The Rondo 3 as @Mary Beth mentioned is “tricky” because it doesn’t have telecoil built in. It has a telecoil adapter that plugs into the processor. If not included with your upgrade, and I don’t think it will be, you’ll have to purchase it separately. Myself and other users experience an annoying ticking sound the second it’s plugged in.

Workaround from Med-El is to put the Rondo 3 into flight mode. To do so you must turn the processor off and on four times (I think, I lost count). It stops the ticking sound because Flight Mode disables the built in Bluetooth of the Rondo 3. 

The catch is that in doing so you cannot use your phone’s AudioKey2 app to change settings OR the physical FinerTuner Echo remote to do same. If you find yourself needing to change volume or anything you’d have to take Rondo 3 out of flight mode. Once you do, if the adapter is still plugged in, you’ll get that annoying ticking sound. Rinse/repeat to stop it. 

Tried it once just to see the process. Can confirm flight mode stops the ticking and allows telecoil streaming  however I don’t like all the steps needed to use it so I do not stream via telecoil to my Rondo 3s. 

[Tim]

My situation is pretty similar to @Lauren's. 

I was wearing my Sonnet 2 more often when I was doing a lot of streaming.  I've been taking some time off from intense rehab until I get my ABF adjustment/rollback.  The result is that I'm not doing streaming for the last week and instead have enjoyed the comfort and simplicity of the Rondo 3. 

These were mentioned already but if I'm not doing streaming - I grab my Rondo 3 because:

• All day battery life instead of needing to manage mid-day battery replacement on my Sonnet 2/Audiostream.
• More comfort of nothing on my ear/interferance with glasses
• Better water/dust protection means that I don't stress over a walk outside. 

I'm glad that I didn't need to choose. 

[Mary Beth]

@Vera

You can continue to use a BT neckloop with Rondo 3 and your hearing aid.  Lauren explained it well. Most Rondo 3 users report an audible and annoying ticking sound as soon as the telecoil adapter is attached.  This puts Rondo 3 into MT mode mixing at 50/50.  (To get a T only mode with telecoil audio only our audiologists must create a special program for that.). So flight mode solves the ticking sound BUT users find it annoying to put the Rondo 3 into flight mode every time they wish to use the neckloop and while in flight mode we can not access any program, volume, sensitivity settings.  Actually to be honest, I do not know any Rondo 3 user who is choosing to use telecoil because of how inconvenient it is.  As a bimodal user though, telecoil is usually a much sought after feature.

 

On a positive note, I have listened with Rondo 3 and I think it sounds great.

 

Using a way to prevent the Rondo 3 from rotating slightly on the charger and then not actually charging overnight is important but this can be solved easily with a rubberband, hair tie or 3-D printer holder that Lauren mentioned above.

 

For me, Sonnet 2 is a better fit.  Built in telecoil with the ability to easily choose MT or T in any program slot and the ability to use disposable batteries so I am never without a functioning processor due to battery/charging issues .  And as a bilateral CI user, the direct from phone/tablet AudioStream.

But the Rondo 3 is a simple to use processor (except for telecoil).

 

[Vera]

Thank you @Lauren @Mary Beth @Tim @Anthony Canada

That’s all very helpful.  I’ve contacted MedEl in the U.K. and my CI hospital for more information.