Confusion on choosing processor

[Rashmi]

Hello friends..

This is for my child who is 1 year and a month old. We have planned for bilateral CI to him in a week. We are confused whether to go for SONNET (BTE) or RONDO (OTE) for him. Rondo 2 is not yet officially launched in our country (India). I have not seen children using RONDO yet . Please provide your inputs.It will be of much help.

Thanks,

Rashmi.

 

 

[Mary Beth]

Hello @Rashmi and welcome!

 

I have both Rondos and Sonnets.  Both are awesome processors.  

 

The ease of a one piece unit is quite enticing.  Just turn it on, plop it on your head and hear all day long.  Smile.  Disposable batteries last three 16 hour listening days for me so I just put in new batteries every three days.  Very easy.  Sounds great.

 

The Sonnets are newer tech than the Rondos and offer dual mic settings, however many audiologists keep young children in omni mic setting due to their age which uses one mic.  So check with your audiologist about which mic setting would be used for your young child.  If it is omni (which sounds great.... you can disregard the discussions about dual mics).  The Sonnets have built in wireless 2.4 connectivity but the intermediary devices have not been released yet by Med-El so it is still inactive.  If you plan on using the Roger System with your child, it is easier to use it with the Sonnets.

 

I know several parents of young Med-El users and many of them use Rondos for ease.  Some others use Sonnets and various headbands etc.

 

I don’t think there is a wrong choice.  Both processors allow me to hear great.

 

Wishing your child the best.

[Rashmi]

Thanks a lot Mary  . Will reach you incase of any further queries...

[Rashmi]

Hi Mary,

I have one more query. How about automatic volume control and wind noise reduction factors in both processors ? Do you have any experience of using dacapo rechargeable battery with RONDO? 

 

[MED-EL Moderator]

Hi @Rashmi

Thank you for reaching out to the HearPeers community, and it's great to hear your child will be joining the MED-EL Family. As @Mary Beth says, there are a lot of great features about both processors, and the choice often comes down to lifestyle. You can find more information about the RONDO and the Sonnet here, while our blog has some useful stories from real life users - this post from the Mom of a child with hearing loss might be expecially interesting for you. And please don't hesitate to reach out to the HearPeers community to ask any more specific question you may have - we are all here for you during this time! 

Kind regards,

Leigh

[Mary Beth]

Hi @Rashmi

I do use DaCapo batteries with my Opus2 but to use it with the Rondo, you have to use the mini battery pack which has a thin cable running from the Rondo to the actual battery pack that hooks to your clothing.  Being bilateral....that means 2 mini battery packs hooked to clothing.  I do not choose to do that but it can be done.  The thin cable can run under your child’s shirt or between two layers of shirts so it is out of the way.

 

Both the Rondo and Sonnet have automatic volume control.  I never need to adjust my volume on either processor.  I stay in one program all day and do fine.  Some people switch between programs for different things like music etc.  You can do that with either processor.

 

Wind noise.....the Rondos have a protected mic and do great in wind for me.  The Sonnet mics are exposed on the top and sensitive to wind noise.  The Sonnets do best in wind when in the omni mic setting for me.  There are wind block settings (off, mild and strong) that our audiologists can choose for our programs.  My friends have had mixed success with mild and strong windblock settings.  It seems to be a very individual preference.

 

Stick around and ask all the questions you want.  There are many helpful people here.

[Rashmi]

Thanks @leighf  . The real life user story blog seems interesting and useful 

@Mary Beth ,

Thanks a lot Mary for clearing my doubts  . 

 

[Mary Beth]

@suzcohen

Thanks!

[suzcohen]

Congratulations on giving your child the gift of hearing!  As Mary Beth and others have said, you can't go wrong with Sonnets or Rondos.  My son was implanted with MED-EL as a 1-year old as well; the MED-EL external speech processors have progressed so much since our son was implanted 14 years ago.  Now, as a teenager, my 15-year old prefers the sound quality of the Sonnet (as has the ability to do slightly more advanced automatic sound management with two microphones); additionally, he uses a FM system at school which couples more efficiently with the Sonnet.  Many audiologists don't recommend a FM system until the child is two or three years old. Finally, the RONDO, while amazing technology and so simple as a Single Unit Processor, is quite heavy and is too easily knocked off my son's head as an active teen who is constantly in motion, playing sports and wrestling with his older brother.  For an infant, I think both processors are great.  We used the "Baby BTE" configuration of a processor that looks much like the Sonnet with our son when he was a baby.  We secured the processor to the shoulder of his clothing until his ear grew large and sturdy enough to have the Behind-the-Ear Sonnet-like processor at ear level.  

I think you have two great options and encourage you to talk more with your audiologist to determine what might be the best fit for your child now, next year and up until the time when you will be eligible for an upgrade.

On a totally different note, my son had the opportunity to meet and talk with a player from our local football team, the Seattle Seahawks.  You should have seen me tear up, watching my deaf teen not only meet and hold his own talking with a professional NFL football player, but participate in an interview with 15 different microphones and cameras aimed at him.  He said today, and has said in the past, that he is so grateful that we chose to give him MED-EL cochlear implants.  You are giving your son the gift of a lifetime.  I'm so excited to hear more from you as you, your son, and your family start this incredible process.

Best of luck to you,  Suzanne Cohen (mom to Max, bilateral Sonnet 15-year old recipient)

[Mary Beth]

@suzcohen

 

How cool for Max!  Which player did he meet?  (Even though I am a Packer fan...smile)

[suzcohen]

@Mary Beth  Max met Doug Baldwin #89, a wide receiver, and he got to play Madden football on Xbox with him!  What a kind, genuine and articulate young man.  Go Seahawks!  And go Packers!

 

[Mary Beth]

What a cool experience for Max!

[Cara Mia]

Hi Suzcohen, nice to see Seahawks fans here on the forum besides me. Glad for your son!

[Mary Beth]

Go Pack!  Smile.

@Karen T

@Joan

[Joan]

And Raiders, too!! :-)

@Mary Beth

[hadron]

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1145849835547865&id=632949626837891

[Rashmi]

Thanks @suzcohen for sharing your experience. Finally we have chosen RONDO for our kid considering it's ease of use. Bilateral CI completed successfully with Synchrony Implant last week  . Activation will be in another 2 weeks . Excited to see how he reacts  

[suzcohen]

 @Rashmi Congratulations!  I can't wait to hear how activation goes!  Such an exciting time for your child and your family.  Take Care,  Suzanne

 

[Mary Beth]

@Rashmi

 

wonderful!  Keep us posted 

[stream2525]

May I ask in which hospital did you have the surgery ? Have you paid from your won pocket? How much was it ? 

[ghasemy hosein]

Hello friends..

This is for my child who is 1 year and six months old. We have planned for bilateral CI to him in a week. We are confused whether to go for SONNET (BTE) or RONDO (OTE) for him. Rondo 2 is not yet officially launched in our country . I have not seen children using RONDO yet . Please provide your inputs.It will be of much help.

Thanks,

[Ivana Marinac]

From the user's experience, would you find easier for using Rondo over Sonnet for children?

Even later in their lives, parents find that BTE model of the outer unit makes more pressure on their children's earlobes than it would make Rondo model...?

[Mary Beth]

Both processors are great.  I hear well with my Rondos and my Sonnets.

Sonnets have babywear and activewear options now too in addition to the many available headband designs for young children.

There are lots of options.

[Mary Beth]

@Rashmi

Wishing you the best at your child’s activation next week!  Then the fun begins.  Smile.

[dare_v]

Hello.

I am a parent of a young boy (currently 7 months) that is soon to be implanted and I am facing the same decision as OP. If only Sonnet and Rondo would be a choice we would decide for Sonnet, but as Rondo 2 is around the corner we just dont know. Each processor have its pros and cons and there seems to be no clear answer.

Rondo 2, if delievered as promised, will be so easy to handle that even a child could do it as it requires zero maintenance. Learning our child how to handle its own processor seems like a very positive experience and a good path on his independency. While Sonnet requires quite some work; batteries, drying unit, it have ti be clipped on from start or worn with a band...

The only thing that seems like a dealbreaker or why we havent decide for Rondo 2 yet is its thickness, 11.7mm. I find this as a potential issue when wearing hats, helmets and similar. For this I find the sonnet to be a better option. But then again, for pool or sea time, I find the Rondo 2 to be a better option.

Good for us we have around 4-5months to decide and in the meantime I try to gather as much information as possible, and experience from other users.