New to hear peers & Choosing brands

[pdk]

11 hours ago, Rick H said:

@pdk 

for me speech has been great & at times music really comes across great as well but depends on the type of music. My biggest issue I’ve been having lately is the deeper tones for voices are so over powering that the words are muttled  & hard to make out . Of course I’ve only been activated for a little over 3 months but I’m thinking of having the audiologists turn down or turn off the deepest electrode to see how that works. Even at that though my last mapping I tested out at 92% word recognition in the booth with my implanted ear as opposed to 18% presurgery with both ears so I can’t complain! Life is much better now!😁

Rick H

Good to hear such great results. I'm also having voices sounding gravelly by the end of the day.

I thought last night when I woke in the early hours, I'll volunteer to have a Med-El CI in my left ear and then I will be able to say which brand is best. Then I went back to dreaming. 

Peter 

[Mary Beth]

@pdk

Do you plan on going bilateral?

I think having two different brands would be so complicated.  I know several people who chose that though.

Each of my sides (same year, same brand, same brain...smile, same training) took their own unique journeys with speech and music.  I am fortunate that my sides are balanced.  A lot of people do not have sides that are balanced and refer to one side as their better side.  Sometimes it is the first side implanted and other times it is the second side implanted.

It is so fascinating how everyone’s journey ...and every side’s journey......is so unique.

[Rick H]

@Mary Beth

thats interesting about being balanced . Does one side sound different than the other? Right now my HA side gives me the little things my CI doesn’t & really makes speak much clearer yet it does very little on it own. That’s why I really want to wait until the CI is dialed in better & then get the other side done. Did you notice a similar improvement when you had your other side done or did they both sound pretty much alike?

[Rick H]

@pdk

hi Peter

That’s funny, I notice mine can become more degraded sometimes toward the end of the day also. When you say gravelly do you mean more in the deeper tones? 

Rick H

[pdk]

On 2/14/2020 at 8:29 PM, Rick H said:

@pdk 

for me speech has been great & at times music really comes across great as well but depends on the type of music. My biggest issue I’ve been having lately is the deeper tones for voices are so over powering that the words are muttled  & hard to make out . Of course I’ve only been activated for a little over 3 months but I’m thinking of having the audiologists turn down or turn off the deepest electrode to see how that works. Even at that though my last mapping I tested out at 92% word recognition in the booth with my implanted ear as opposed to 18% presurgery with both ears so I can’t complain! Life is much better now!😁

Rick H

Good to hear such great results. I'm also having voices sounding gravelly by the end of the day.

I thought last night when I woke in the early hours, I'll volunteer to have a Med-El CI in my left ear and then I will be able to say which brand is best. Then I went back to dreaming. 

Peter 

[pdk]

Not going bilateral, the hearing aid helps balance the sound. I also can listen to music with headphones and no hearing aid. The gravelly sounds are in the lower frequency range. My low frequency hearing has always been amazing, also percussion instruments sound perfect. The more harmonics in the music the more it is squelchy. The mid range 400-700 hertz are where there is problems. The guitar sounds two different tones, the second tone is lower and delayed. When I sing at that frequency the sound level drops. The ci program needs modifying. 

I get bad results from saxophone, cello, guitar and singing voice. 

It's similar to activation where you hear the sibilants as a higher level which for me disappeared after about 3 weeks. 

So with music I get this higher level squelchy sound. I will have to spend some time to analyze it all before my next mapping. 

I still find the experience fascinating and exiting. I really enjoy the feedback on this forum. 

Peter 

[Rick H]

@pdk

Me too Peter, percussion is spot on & more heavy guitars seem almost exact too. Vocals seem to come across almost like they are an octave lower than normal. I think my midrange is a little off as well I think that’s why the horn instruments don’t come across as well., but like you I’m just amazed at how the experience of learning the sounds from the CI are coming across. I’m thinking the more I listen, rehab & with further mapping it will only get better! 

Rick H

[pdk]

Fo

15 hours ago, Rick H said:

@pdk

Me too Peter, percussion is spot on & more heavy guitars seem almost exact too. Vocals seem to come across almost like they are an octave lower than normal. I think my midrange is a little off as well I think that’s why the horn instruments don’t come across as well., but like you I’m just amazed at how the experience of learning the sounds from the CI are coming across. I’m thinking the more I listen, rehab & with further mapping it will only get better! 

Rick H

I think two things happen. The brain learns and then the mapping can be altered to the now 'best level' and so it goes. My mapping so far only works on soft setting and comfortable level for the whole frequency range. The comfortable level must be equal for the whole range. That in fact caters for all the odd ways I hear each frequency. 

So I must wait until March 16 for my next mapping. 

More good sounds...  Steel guitar, tuba,  clarinet and flute  

Peter 

[Mary Beth]

@Rick H

 

For me, getting a second CI did not make things sound the same.  It made things sound so much better.  Hearing in a balanced stereo fashion is amazing.

No each side does not sound the same.  And this is why I train musical pitch only in the bilateral way.  I trained speech left alone, right alone and bilateral.

 

[Rick H]

@Mary Beth

thanks Mary Beth, that’s really informative. I’m thinking doing my other side later this I just really want to make sure I have the left side dialed in first as it will be all I have once done. Right now I’m still trying to clean it up, the deep tones are so deep that they really distort speech a lot! Once I get that worked out I’m  going to pull the trigger on number 2!😁

thanks 

Rick H

[Mary Beth]

@Rick H

Are you using the Sonnet 1 processor?  I found Sonnet 1 to be very bass sensitive.  We had to create separate Sonnet MAPs for me.  My OPUS 2/Rondo MAPs did not automatically convert well to Sonnet 1.  We specifically addressed the bass on the Sonnet 1 MAPping.

Wishing you the best!

[Rick H]

@Mary Beth

no im using the Rondo2, I’m a few weeks from getting my Sonnet2. Getting excited for that! I just received my audiolink but can’t use it yet because I don’t have the Sonnet2. I was going to see if my audiologists could drop the bass electrodes more but I’m going to hold off until i go in for the new Sonnet2 mapping. Im thinking it maybe an issue with the mic on my Rondo as the voices clean up so much when I cup my hand behind it. She turned them down last time but still having the issues. I’m going to get an Artone3max next week so I can use the mic off the audiolink with my Rondo & see what that does before I have her change settings. Hope it works at least that might help me isolate the problem. 

Thanks 

Rick H 

[Mary Beth]

@Rick H

I may not be following you correctly....but there is no way to use the AudioLink with the Rondo 2.  It only works with Sonnet 1 and Sonnet 2.

The Artone neckloop does not work with the AudioLink.  It is separate.  It connects via BT and we pick up the sound via our telecoils.

Did I misunderstand something?

If you like the sound quality better when you cup your hand near the Rondo 2 mics, you may like a louder MAP perhaps?

Such an interesting journey for each of us.

[Rick H]

@Mary Beth

oh I thought you could connect to audiolink with a neck loop but I guess your right the Artone3max would take care of all streaming! May misunderstanding! Lol. 

Im not sure but it seems like the deep tones are too loud now. They drown out all the other tones & come across so distorted. When I cup it the deeper tone go down & the midrange comes across much clearer.

Rick H

 

[Mary Beth]

@Rick H

I stream everything through my Artone.

 

Follow your instincts and take advantage of the 4 program slots to test out variations in your real life.  Let us know which adjustments you like after you find them.

[Rick H]

@Mary Beth

thanks Mary Beth I’ll give a shot.

yes I was under the assumption that you could pair the audiolink to the Artone3max  via BT & then as long as you where wearing it could stream from the neck loop to the Rondo2, while sonnets would stream direct without a neck loop.  But I’m New to this still & have never streamed before. It’s a learning experience! Lol

thanks 

Rick H

[Mary Beth]

@Rick H

There is a lot for us to learn on this journey for sure!

Here is how the sound travels.....

AudioLink method 

sound to AudioLink (sometimes cabled in, sometimes through its dock, sometimes streaming ) then sent to a special Med-El receiver built into Sonnet 1 or Sonnet 2.  It is proprietary so only works on Med-El processors which have the special built in receivers. Processors stay on M setting.

 

Artone BT neckloop method

Sound to neckloop via BT, then our HA or CI processor picks it up through its telecoil. Must be on MT or T setting.

[Rick H]

@Mary Beth

cool that explains a lot. 

Thanks 

Rick H