Comparison of Rondo 2 versus Sonnet

[Jdashiell]

Valentin 

that is a difficult comparison as it is two ears. 

 

[Valentin]

You have right. I forgot we can not use the processors in both ears because the mapping is different. 

[Bindu]

Hi All,

My daughter (5yr old) started using RONDO-2 since 2 weeks and we still have an option to exchange 2nd RONDO-2 processor with Sonnet.

Can you all please suggest what would be good option to choose. 1 Rondo2 + 1 Sonnet or 2 Rondo-2 processors.

In the Medel website, I found there is no noise reduction/wind protection for Rondo-2.will be there any due to this.

[Mary Beth]

Hi @Bindu

Many people like to have one of each so they have choices depending on their activities or listening situations.

Rondo 2 is an easy processor for a child to use independently.

If your daughter may need to use a Roger mic at school, the Sonnet is easier for that depending on which Roger option you selected in her kit.

I would choose two Rondo 2s for my young child but everyone will have different opinions.  What does her audiologist recommend?

[Bindu]

@Mary Beth

My Audiologist recommended 2 Rondo-2 processors initially as it will be easy to use along with spectacles.  but only 1 processor is activated as of now and she gave us an option to choose between Sonnet and Rondo-2 for the 2nd processor. 

in these 2weeks, I felt very easy with Rondo-2. She is using from 8AM to 10PM daily.

We got Roger Select + Roger MyLink in her kit but did not start using yet. 

Below are the basic questions I have.can you please help me in understanding.

1) As Rondo-2 is sitting behind, will the people talking in front can be heard?

2) I read all the posts. Sonnet is having 2mics and Rondo-2 is having 1 mic. is there any difference in hearing in noisy place. 

2)Will be there any issues in using Rondo-2 during play time and with helmet

3) How she can hear with RONDO-2 while wearing a helmet.

 

[Mary Featherston]

Hello @Bindu - my opinions (I have Sonnets and Rondo2s):

1. Yes, even though Rondo2 is farther back on the head, I hear extremely well with it, that's not a problem.  I hear people in front of me well.

2.  Yes, in fact Sonnet is better in noise.  I normally wear my Sonnets to work because we have a lot of noisy equipment and the adaptive program helps a lot.  I had my Rondo2s at a noisy restaurant last weekend and could barely talk with my husband.

3.  I don't know about play time - I'm WAY older than your daughter.  But if you have the tether to make sure she doesn't lose it you should be fine.  Also, you can get headbands with little pockets to hold the processor on her head, that might work.  A helmet may be an issue, you'd have to try it and see, it depends on the helmet and the location of her implant.

4.  Sorry, no experience with hearing in a helmet.

[Mary Beth]

@Bindu

Wow your daughter is adjusting to her CI very well!  Terrific!  I wish her the best.

The one piece processor mic placement is connected to where our internal magnet is placed.  That varies from person to person and surgeon to surgeon.  My Rondo sits in a great place.  I hear sounds from the front and all around perfectly. The ONLY time my Rondo mic placement is at a disadvantage is when there is a nearby loud voice behind me and I am listening to someone a couple of feet in front of me.

I know many people who prefer the one piece processor.

I love the simple design and ease of use of the Rondo 2 and look forward to upgrading from Rondo to Rondo 2 when I can.

We will use many different processors during our lifetime.  

Whichever you choose will be fine.

[Bindu]

Thank you @Mary Beth & @Mary Featherston. I will talk to my audiologist and get her suggestions as well.

 

 

[Jewel]

Hi @Bindu

As much as I love my Rondo2, the Sonnet is good for some situations. Take for instance last Sunday I was in a large auditorium which was not fully enclosed. I was wearing my Rondo2. Although I was able to make out most of what was being said I had to contend with the wind. 

Then I remembered that less than a month after activation I went to the same venue and wore my Sonnet and I heard much better than I did on Sunday. 

So I prefer having one of each. 

[Rana elyazouri]

So which one is better because I am preparing a package price and I've a lot of contradictory opinions

[Mary Beth]

@Rana elyazouri

They are both great and different CI users will prefer different ones based on their own preferences.

 

 

[Mary Featherston]

15 hours ago, Mary Beth said:

@Rana elyazouri

They are both great and different CI users will prefer different ones based on their own preferences.

 

 

Or different situations.  There are many factors.  Do you routinely find yourself in situations with a lot of background noise?  Sonnet's dual mics can help.  If you like to exercise and are concerned about moisture, Rondo2 is great.  Rondo2 is much simpler - but if you are concerned about your power grid's reliability, you might have a problem since there's no way to use disposable batteries as a backup.  My earlier post upthread for Bindu has my own opinions, but I'd suggest talking to your audiologist about your own situation as well as asking for opinions here.

 

Good luck!

[Mary Beth]

Good points @Mary Featherston.

The Rondo 2 can be used with rechargeable DiCapo battery or regular battery in the mini battery pack BUT that mini battery pack is not convenient.  And in my opinion it is not actually mini.  It requires a special Rondo 2 adapter/cable that runs down to the mini battery pack which can be worn at your waist or in a shirt pocket.  If you are bilateral, you would need to use two of these.  

In some countries, the mini battery pack is included in the Rondo 2 kit. 

In the US, I don’t think it is included in the Rondo 2 kit.  Maybe someone who chose Rondo 2 for their activation kit (not in the plus Rondo 2 promo) can let us know if the mini battery pack was included in their kit.

 

[Lalith]

So finally which is good Rondo2 or Sonnet in all prespective

[Mary Beth]

@Lalith

They are both great.  It comes down to personal preference.

[Lalith]

On 4/21/2019 at 5:08 PM, Mary Beth said:

@Lalith

They are both great.  It comes down to personal preference.

What is the difference in rondo and Rondo2, I found only in design rondo is depth and Rondo2 little length

[Mary Beth]

@Lalith

Rondo 1 uses disposable batteries.

Rondo 2 uses built in rechargeable battery that is powered up by a charging mat each night.

 

Rondo 1 has a design integrated mic cover that sticks up a bit.

Rondo 2 has a flat mic cover that we change every 3 months which gives options for what the Rondo 2 looks like.

 

There are other changes like the link check and a slight difference on input dynamic range I believe.

[Richard Cummings]

Hi

My Mom had her CI surgery in October last year and got a Sonnet in November. It was a miracle at first. But she had a horrible time putting the thing on!! She has a hand disability which may play into it, or maybe it's the first signs of dementia possibly, but she kept trying to put the part that goes behind your ear on backwards. Eventually she'd get it or come to me for help. She lives with me, as we both have chronic health issues and help each other. 

 

I'm in Canada, and our amazing health care system pays for all of this. So the surgeon's office replaced her Sonnet with a Rondo 2 for free in January. The idea being she could simply pick it up and plop it on her head. The Rondo 2 hadn't been available to us when she got the Sonnet, and the Rondo 1's battery situation was just impossible for my mom's hand disability. She could manage the the Sonnet but not the Rondo, go figure. 

 

So I can compare the WORKINGS of the 2, and she can answer how they sounded to her as a layperson.

 

She says even though the Rondo 2 technically seems interior to the Sonnet mic wise, it sounds BETTER to her. That's right....she likes the sound the Rondo 2 has over the Sonnet. Her audiologist copied the programming over exactly too so it's not that. 

 

She can put this one on a lot easier. You just have to find "the sweet spot" of where your magnet is in your skull, which is much harder without the winner's earpiece to help guide you. 

 

The idea of having a small invisible object you can hide isn't quite accurate. You MUST secure the Rondo 2 in some way, because it is very very easy to knock it off your head and send it shattering to the floor. It's apparently really easy to break because they ship it with 4 extra covers, knowing you will likely break them. The solution is either use "Gripware", which is just double sided tape essentially, to help hold it on better than the magnet alone, or use special clips that attach to the Rondo 2 by elastic wire. You can clip them to your glasses or your clothes or hair. They act as a lifeline for WHEN your processor falls, which it will. Even using the strongest magnet, my mom's still falls off sometimes. These clips are REALLY annoying. They are ugly and break easily. My final solution is to use 2 clothes clips at once and combine their wires into one wire. That's much stronger. 

Note: when I used just a single clothes clip the thing actually snapped in half after a very very short while. Med-el replaced it under warranty. 

 

Charing and battery:

This is so so much better on the Rondo 2. Her old Sonnet batteries died like clock work at the same time every day. The Rondo 2 lasts ALL DAY. She puts it on when she wakes up and takes it off when she goes to bed. No changing of the battery. 

 

But here's the best part: it uses standard Qi wireless charging. Any Qi charger work except watch chargers like the Samsung ones and the Apple watch ones. Apple does something to their Qi charging standard on their iWatches so nothing else works. 

 

I bought a small 2.5" x 2.5" power bank battery pack with a Qi pad built in that is amazing for travel or emergencies. Works GREAT!! My mom keeps it in her purse, and can use it to charge her kindle or phone as well. And if you have this you can pull it out when you're not using the processor for a bit and get a quick 10 minute charge in. That will help boost from 18 hours to even more.

 

One thing to note: when charging, the Rondo 2 gets HOT. So if you put it on just as it's charging it will be quite hot when it goes on your head unless you let it sit for a bit, or it finishes charging and gets a chance to cool down.

 

Feel free to ask me any questions you might have about them. I'll do my best to answer. Keep in mind it's my mom with the CI, not me, but I work with her equipment constantly.

 

Richard

 

[Mary Beth]

@Richard Cummings

Does the Rondo 2 get hot when you use the charger Med-El supplied?

 

Can you post a link to the travel charger you found?

 

Rondo 2 uses ASM 1 (automatic sound management 1) which I find sounds different than the Sonnet’s ASM 2.  And Rondo 2 has an omni mic.  I use the omni mic setting on Sonnet but most people use the dual Natural mic setting.

 

I agree that 2 mics is not necessarily better than 1 mic.  And I like ASM 1 very much.

 

Wishing your mom the best.

[Mary Beth]

@MED-EL Moderator

Is the Rondo 2 supposed to get quite warm/hot when it charges?  Are we supposed to wait until it cools off before using it?

[Jewel]

@Mary Beth

My Rondo2 does get very warm while charging. So I'm glad I charge it overnight as it is fully charged and has cooled off by the time I wake. 

[Mary Beth]

@Jewel

That is very interesting.  I guess I am a bit confused because Med-El says we can pop the Rondo 2 on the charger for a shorter charge to extend the battery life if it runs out and I don’t recall ever reading about making sure the Rondo 2 cools down before wearing it.  It sounded like we could just give the Rondo 2 a quick charge and pop it on our head and be back to hearing.

Thanks for letting me know.

Are you still enjoying your Rondo 2?

[Mary Featherston]

@Mary Beth they are great!  I use my Sonnets mostly at work, but I put the Rondo2s on when I get home.  They give my ears a break, they sound great and when I work out - I just now got off my treadmill after 75 minutes.  I'm sweaty and a mess.  But the Rondo2s don't care, they sit on the implant and the sweat doesn't pool behind my ear like with the Sonnets.

And really, the sound's very good.

[Jewel]

@Mary Beth

If I charge the Rondo2 for 20-30 minutes it may not be very warm but if it just finished charging for 4-5 hours it is very warm. But it cools quickly. 

I have not been wearing the Rondo2 for the past week or so. Too many meetings at work and I just changed the mic cover for the Sonnet so I have been sticking with the Sonnet.

I went to a play on Sunday similar to Broadway. Although I was in the 6th row I couldn't hear everything. I regret not having worn the Rondo2. 

I am going to an Air Supply concert in June. Guess I will take both processors. Which one do you usually wear at such events?

If I could get the Sonnet omni to be as loud as the Rondo2 I would be happy. I definitely need more volume but have to wait until August for that. 

When do you have to choose your next processor? 

[Mary Beth]

@Mary Featherston Terrific.  The Rondo 1 is great with sweat too.  It just runs around the bottom edge of the processor.  

@Jewel I am 4 years into my CI journey now.  I am not sure of the exact timing for my upgrade but it will fall into the period when Rondo 2 and Sonnet 2 are processor options.  I wore my Rondo 1 a lot last week at the beach in waterwear and it sounds fabulous.  I wore my OPUS 2 at night and it sounds the same as Rondo 1.  (Since I was flying with headphones I left my Sonnets at home.).  There is something about ASM 1 that I really like.  Rondo 2 uses ASM 1 so that appeals to me.  I am still anxious about the battery situation for Rondo 2.  I do not get as long of battery life as other users in any processor.

In the meantime I will enjoy learning all about everyone’s Rondo 2 experiences.

I have worn all three processors to music concerts and Broadway shows.  If I have a great MAP on the processor, it doesn’t matter which one I use.  I have had times when I stopped wearing my Sonnets because the MAPs needed to be adjusted more.  For me, the Sonnets have been the most difficult processors to get perfect MAPs set.  I think that is because I have had problems with Sonnets that have had to be replaced and problems with DL-coils that have had to be replaced.  In the end, things get sorted out but the OPUS 2 and Rondo 1 processors have been so easy and reliable.  This has heightened my interest in Rondo 2 processors.

 

i appreciate both of your willingness to answer my many Rondo 2 questions!  Thank you!