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Surgery date scheduled insurance approved, RONDO 3 vs SONNET 2


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Looks like insurance has approved my surgery, ENT has the surgery scheduled for the 29th of Dec.   I'm thinking of getting both the Rondo 3 and Sonnet 2,  does anyone have a good comparison of the two of them?

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@MitchT

There are fans of both processors.  A benefit of going to a two processor center in the US is the option of getting both connected to your surgery.  Then you can find out which style you prefer since future upgrades will only be one per ear.

In summary-

Sonnet 2 offers more connectivity options, including direct from phone/tablet BT streaming with the AudioStream battery cover.  It also has battery options which allow us to swap them out when they die.

 

Rondo 3 is off the ear and that style is sooo wonderful in waterwear for water based activities.  It has a built in rechargeable battery which can not be changed by the user.  It has less parts so upkeep is easier.

 

As far as sound quality- they offer the same settings to our audiologists and both have a faster computer chip than previous models.  They sound very similar to me.

Thank you! I also just noticed the nice comparison chart on the Med-el site.  https://www.medel.com/hearing-solutions/cochlear-implants/audio-processor-comparison

Looks like the biggest differences as you said are streaming abilities with Sonnet 2 and the wireless charging with the Rondo 3.  Your point about water activities reminds me, how powerful are the magnets on these devices, does anyone find a situation where the device gets knocked off,  like playing sports or putting on eye glasses etc?

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@MitchT 

I got implanted in early January 2023 and activated in late January for single-sided deafness.

I did what you were thinking of doing - a Rondo 3 and Sonnet 2 with Audiostream.  I'm glad I did. 

Everyone will have different experiences/preferences.  I go back and forth which one is worn more often but it might be roughly equal. I find the Rondo 3 much more comfortable to wear, "all day" battery life, and better water resistance.  For me the compelling reason for using the Sonnet 2 is the Audiostream's much better streaming or very rarely when I want to use  my baseball hat made for my CI. 

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As to your question about it falling off. 

Swelling for the initial weeks means that the connection is particularly loose to get started.  During that time, I had the Sonnet fall of in the car without noticing until later and spent an hour searching anxiously for it.  I was very lucky it didn't get lost or damaged.  That got me in the habit of wearing a retention cord/clip at all times.  I'm not at all self-conscious about my CI being visible - perhaps it will even help others feel less self-conscious about addressing their own hearing issues.

I still occasionally knock it off my head changing shirts/coats, etc. but it hasn't hit the ground yet.

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Feel free to ask any other questions.  We've all been there and the Hearpeers community is great.

Happy to help in any way I can. 

 

 

To deal with the initial swelling that Tim mentioned I used a slightly stronger magnet for the first couple months. By three months I was back to the default magnet strength for my Rondo3. While it can be knocked off, for me that requires it to be bumped by something. It doesn't just fall off because I am moving rapidly. It comes with optional clip attachments so that it will just hang if it gets knocked off. 

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@Anthony Canada Similar story. I started with a default magnet strength of 3.   At my first remap, my Audi ordered the next up stronger magnet (4). 

By the time the magnets arrived, the swelling had gone down enough that I didn't even feel it necessary to swap them in.

Just for clarity, the swelling may not even be visible.

  • 2 months later...

I use both (just started Dec. 2023).  So far I prefer Sonnet 2.  The microphone sits on the ear so it sounds a little more natural than the microphone sitting higher on my head.   I like using AudioStream with it and with the Rondo 3 you need the external AudioLink device (which I didn’t get yet but I am supposed to during one of my next appointments).

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I usually wear a cap to play sport (mostly tennis) which helps keep the processor in place (Sonnet).  But it has only come off for me if I 1) undress and forget to remove it first, or 2) put my head too close to a metallic surface and the magnet coil jumps off my head (I have done this on the fridge, car door and umbrella pole).  It has never come off in daily use otherwise. But I do not play heavy contact sports so can't account for that experience.

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@Kylie Fellow tennis player!  My wife and I just played a mixed doubles league match on Friday night.  I always wear my Rondo for tennis with a clothes clip.  It seems to come off at least once each time I play but the clothes clip keeps it from hitting the ground. 

I should probably try the hat & Sonnet 2 or the headband. 

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@Tim

any headband would probably do the trick although thinner material would dampen sound less.

8 hours ago, Kylie said:

I usually wear a cap to play sport (mostly tennis) which helps keep the processor in place (Sonnet).  But it has only come off for me if I 1) undress and forget to remove it first, or 2) put my head too close to a metallic surface and the magnet coil jumps off my head (I have done this on the fridge, car door and umbrella pole).  It has never come off in daily use otherwise. But I do not play heavy contact sports so can't account for that experience.

Yes, Kylie. It happened to me once. On a rainy day, while walking on the road, the sound suddenly stopped. I said no, the device fell into the water! 🫢
I searched for maybe 15-20 minutes on the ground. Just as I was losing hope, I noticed that the device was swinging on the umbrella. 

I realized that when I brought the umbrella too close to my head, the magnet in the coil clung to the metal part of the umbrella! 😀😀😀

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