I had been resisting getting custom earmolds for a couple of years, afraid that blocking off the sound that leaks around the dome would result in a tinny, unrealistic sound quality. After watching this video and trying the simple experiment you gave, I was convinced that I had been on the wrong track! I am a veteran with a profound loss of hearing in the higher ranges. As good as the Phonak devices were that the VA got me, I was not letting them do their job. I just got my custom earmolds fitted and hearing aids adjusted for them yesterday. This makes a greater difference in the quality and ability of my hearing aids to allow me to hear than anything I have ever done! I can't thank you enough for prodding me along this path! I would never have gotten the earmolds if I hadn't seen this video. These earmolds as well as "Roger" have incredible potential in my life!!!
Dr. Cliff, What can I say other than to say all the thank yous in this whole wide world are not enough! I just finished listening to your video about the Companion App and here I am watching this one! I am collecting as much information as possible in order to get ready for my next hearing aid fitting come March! I will be going in a very well informed patient, thanks to you!🙏🏽☮️
I started out with a vented dome on my Lumity Life. But I was having issues with background noise. We switched to a Phonak Custom C Shell. OMG what a difference. Everything improved dramatically. If you are still using Domes and have any doubts, stop. You are doing yourself a disservice. Make the jump to Custom, you wont regret it!
@@kaylasmusic You are not correct. The Phonak Custom C shells have a small vent size specifically designed for my hearing prescription. They are not occluded. With my reverse slope and low frequency hearing loss they do keep extra sound inside my ears which is what I desperately needed. Dr. Cliff has an excellent video on this site where he talks about the benefits of custom vs domes.
@@gbkworf I’m my case, I’ve had better luck with the domes but for you since you have a different hearing loss, you’re probably better off with the molds but even with the vents, they still occlude the ear canal and there’s no way to fully eliminate the occlusion for me at least. I have a moderate flat hearing loss and tried using molds and even with the prescription being met and the vent size being the right size, I still had occlusion and with the vented or closed domes I have no occlusion at all
THIS!!! 🙌 I'm 24 and I've been using RIC hearing aids since I was 10. I still remember the time I swiched from my childhood BTEs to RICs, it was HORRIBLE because of the domes. Constant itching and pain in my ear cannal and everything sounded way "softer". No one gave me any other solution so I eventually got used to it. I used domes for around 8 years till I found out on social media that you could make custom ear molds for RICs, and not only in acrylic but in silicone like the ones I was used to. 🤯 Still, it took me a while to convince my audiologists as they tried to convince me back that silicone ones were not possible. 🤦♀ They eventually made ones for me (silicone micro custom earmolds) and the moment I started using them I fell in love. NEVER GOING BACK 😂😂 Fast foward to this day now I wear RICs with full shell (black w/ colourful glitter) silicone custom ear molds. I learned pretty fast that, more often than not unfortunately, if you don't advocate for yourself and do your own research, many audiologists won't tell you all the options out there for you. At least in my country, they just assume that, if you don't ask for earmolds is because you're happy with your domes. How am I supposed to ask for earmolds if I don't even know they exist or are a possibility? It sucks, honestly. One of the many reasons I'm on my way of becoming an audiologist. Thanks for the video Doctor Cliff!! You rock! 🤟
I am glad you found your best fit solution. I have active ear canal that really deforms when I talk and chew, so non-silicon custom ear molds always fell out. Domes were better holding in. My question to you is, do silicone custom ear molds provide some room for canal dynamic deformation so they stay in tight please? I mean are they something like memory foam plugs that never fall out when chewing or talking?
@@Nick_Kb @Nick_Kb 🤔🤔🤔 Wow, yours is a very interesting case! I'm still an audiology student and I'm not, by any means, a custom earmolds' specialist. But I do know that silicone earmolds (among the other materials) are the ones used in cases of active ear canal, and they also come in different densities (measured in 'shore'), meaning that some of them are more flexible and soft than others, so they can better adapt all kinds of ears. So they might work for you! You can definitely ask your audiologist about this! 👍🏻☺️
@@irumaita . interesting to hear about different densities silicon earmolds Aitana. Thanks for that tip. My audiologist seems to not recall those to be a thing in the UK apart from few cases for IIC hearing aids, while what I have is the over the ear Phonak Life P90. Are you aware of silicon earmolds being used for shells for over ear hearingaids like mine (ones with a detachable cable recever)? is it a thing in your country (which I don't know what country that is)?
@@Nick_Kb Yes! I also wear RIC hearing aids (Resound ONEs) and I wear them with full shell silicone earmolds! I'm not surprised that your audiologist is not aware of it. Unfortunately, it's not common that patients are fitted with custom earmolds for their RICs in the first place, and it's even more uncommon that they order them in silicone (normally, they are ordered in acrylic as default). My current audiologists had to get informed and learn about them along the way and also search for a different earmold provider. And when I finally got them we were very pleased with their good quality! I assure you it's a 100% possible to make them, so don't be concerned about it being a cable receiver. And I'm from Spain, btw! My earmold provider is "Novapro". I believe it is a Spanish provider but maybe you can order and get them dispatched to the UK too! (Ask your audiologist for doing that, oc) I also know this other very famous provider, called "Microsonic" but they are based in the US and Hungary (?), we never ordered from them so I can't tell you about them. Hope you found my reply helpful, I was really hoping I could upload a picture and show you how they look like but it's not possible here 😂Well, let me know if you need a picture, maybe I can DM you or something. 🤗
I’m always trying to help my mom with her hearing issues and am so glad I found this channel! I didn’t even know about domes let alone custom molds. My mom’s hearing aids don’t have anything but a little white tip. No wonder she claims her hearing aids have never worked right!
Thanks, Cliff, great video! My PHONAK 50s just experienced a broken cable, so it's no longer connected to the receiver in the canal. I've decided to have my local audiologist send them back to PHONAK but also do a custom mold for me as well. Can't wait to get them back! I'm confident that my hearing will be much improved!
I still hear best with my 10 year old Bernafon hearing aids with double domes. I have a Phonax and my newest hearing aids are the Rexton. This is great information. Thanks
I bought a set which cost over $10,000 Aus dollars, with that I would of thought that the audiologist would of mentioned custom moulds, considering how expensive they are, Im so glad I came across this as I know I'm not getting the full best possible these aids, Ive had these for over 6 months now and I will chase up my Audiologist on my next day off
I am on my second set of Resound,, previously "Lynx" now Resound One. I was not able to retain rubber domes and have been fitted with ear molds with "canal locks". These stay in securely and are comfortable. I have had the canal lock break off on previous and current Resound HA's. Requiring factory repair. Canal locks are a small clear plastic curved piece that is apparently just glued to the plastic back of the ear mold. I recently had a canal lock break off and luckily found it. I carefully cleaned ear mold and canal lock and glued it back on using a small amount of CYA (crazy) glue thus avoiding a 2-week turnaround time for a factory fix and audiologist visit.
I have custom molds, but unfortunately one is extremely uncomfortable due to surgical changes in that ear. These molds were made and remade after the ear was all healed from surgery (1+ year later). It is also my ear with severe/profound loss (2 of the bones are gone). Are there custom mold options that are softer than others?
I currently have Shockey Evolv AI with close the dome tips. Hearing in crowds is terrible. But that is not my big problem. Since wearing hearing aids I've accumulated tons of earwax together with a inner ear infection reoccurring about every three months or so. no fun!! Never had the problem before. Would the ear molds make any difference? Or advice?
Tried custom fit...exostosis made wearing in left ear painful...finally gave up after a bunch of adjustment tries. But vented domes have done well with them since...even better than closed domes.
I have pains in my ears and the pain hurts so i stopped wearing my hearing aids for it to heal up. but now I know what it maybe the rubber dome on my hearing aids....will another kind of hearing aid help?
Thanks for another informative video. You mentioned the Phonak Active-Vents auto-close when streaming music. Can they also auto-close when background noise is suddenly up or constant (e.g. turning on to a noisy street whilst in a conversation with someone); since these are the times I need to REALLY try hard to hear or guess every syllable of what is being said, whilst lip-reading (if no mask worn). Thanks.
I had to remove my custom molds after they continued to break wires on my Phonak Paradise Rt 90s. Wires break at entrance to mold due to stress point. Switching back to rubber molds eliminate breakage.
Please I would love to see you do a best of 2023 high power; super power; and ultra power hearing aids? Thank you. From a vet that has severe hearing loss do to my mos.
I have been wearing hearing aids for over 40 years. Needless to say, my experience predates rubber domes by decades, and in the beginning custom ear molds were the only option available.. I’ve found that there is a very inconvenient truth involving custom ear molds. They are shaped to your ears at a specific point in time, when the ear impressions were made. But your ears are living tissue that changes shape. For example when you chew, or if you retain water. When this happens, the custom ear molds no longer conform exactly to your ears and you get problems with feedback and frequency response changes. Every time my provider brings up the possibility of going custom, I bring these points up and they have no answer. I also want to say that the first time I tried using a closed-dome RIC hearing aid, it was a godsend! The dome changed shape along with my ears, and I had never felt a hearing aid that comfortable in my life!
Same here. I have active ear canal that really deforms when I talk and chew, so custom ear molds always fell out. Domes were better, but I even went further into carving my own domes from good foam ear plugs, that did seal the deal... try it
@@twincams350 Hello, The great thing about foam is that it takes the shape of your ear canal if you wear it right as Dr Cliff shows in his video “How to use FOAM hearing protection” The carving is for opening a suitable tunnel in the centre for the receiver and its cable to pass. That depends on their size. I used some needles and nails heated on fire to make such tunnel. For the receiver tunnel, it must be slightly smaller than receiver to grip on it, and not too deep so receiver is not buried inside the foam. Use good quality stretchy foam and i ruined few till i get what i need. Note you might need to shorten the foam and/or get a receiver with a longer cable as your ear requires. Passing the receiver cable might be tricky so i taped it to a thin needle to pass it through foam. Not easy work but i think it's worth it... good luck
Recently got hearing aids. Was using the open domed ones while my custom ones were being made, there was a delay because they weren't right. My custom ones are softer silicone ones and they do seem to work well. I knew my hearing was bad. Labeled as close to profound in both ears with one really bad. One ear isn't amplified but sound gets sent to the other aid. It definitely takes a while to adjust.
I have borderline severe hearing loss in left ear. Mild hearing loss in right ear. Had to switch left ear to power dome because of feedback. But it’s somewhat irritating. Would you suggest custom ear mold. I am new hearing aid wearer. I have the newest phonak audio infinio and like them a lot.
I have partial hearing aid loss. It is exactly the same hearing loss you are talking about. My loss is in the upper frequencies. I have to use RIC hearing aids because of tinnitus. I've worn hearing aids for 5 years and those first hearing aids worked ok with me using open domes. Two years ago, I needed new hearing aids, and I switched vendors. For a year, I used open domes and they worked ok. Then the specialist urged me to switch to closed dome stating I was not benefiting from my hearing aids' full capacity. So I switched to closed dome and struggled for 8 months with the occlusion of natural sound for my normal hearing. After countless trips back, we agreed it was time to go back to open domes. I hear fine in quiet situations. Any noise injected into the situation and forget it. So I do wonder if I wouldn't do better with a specialized dome like a custom dome that would also allow natural sound through. I will need to ask about custom domes!
I just came across this video...I tried custom ear molds but had an issue with my ears sweating and moisture accumulating in the ear canal. This caused them to go bad after a few months. Have there been any upgrades to the custom molds within the last three years?
Open domes are pretty much designed for my loss. Perfect lows (-10) up to 1k. -20/1.5k, -15/2k, -35/3k, -40/4k, -90/6k, -85/8k. I really want westone otoblast earmolds though because of the comfort (had otoblast hearing aid listening stethoscope). I also play hockey and have tried wearing them but they fall out with domes. On top of the issues with streaming, but because of my loss they barely pump out any lows even with a perfect seal.
Good video as always I'm trying to figure out whether to get one and whether or not The VA hospital would give me one according to what my hearing loss is thank you for this video
You may have to ask repeatedly. I did. But finally I will get to try in about a month. C- shell titanium for phonak lumity. I have high frequency hearing loss. Also getting some custom ear plugs from the VA. Just remember it's worth a try. If they don't work for you. You can easily have them switched back.
I have noticed with my domes I still miss sounds. I stick the ear pieces that Hikent have given me and even though they do not go straight into my ears they give a better quality of sound. I cannot afford to go private but I am going to mention that when I do stick my fingers in my ears my sound quality is better. At first they did give me comes that were way too big. I have really tiny domes. Even my son says I would be better off with moulded hearing aids so I can hear better.
How can i get the custom ear molds? Can we talk? I'm not sure my present hearing aid provider offers this service. Plus I don't know the cost. I want to talk to you. How do I get in touch?
Yes! I’ve been using aids since the 80’s so I’ve literally used every kind of hearing aid since then. For me nothing beats a custom mold in the canal. I’m currently using Phonak’s Paradise with custom cshells and they’re the best I’ve used.
You just answered my question. I use a single Phonak Paradise in my Right ear and currently really struggle with the high frequency sounds. I'm going to talk to my audiologist about a custom mold for my aid!
@@juancarlosnavas1 Very similar to the example Dr Cliff shows in the video except my right ear does the opposite of the example and bites down into the severe range for the 2 and 4K. And yes I have venting, my doctor let the Phonak team set that, I think.
Hi. I am totally deaf in my left ear with significant hearing loss in the right ear. I use a BCROS Oticon system that is 4 years old. Do any of the aid manufacturers have a new technology for me?
Hello Dr Cliff. I have substantial loss in low frequencies and I am currently using the Phonak Audeo P90. I tried many domes and still not getting a great seal. Years ago, I tried custom molds for IIC but always became loose when I talk or chew. The question is, do the Phonak custom C-shell earmold provide some elasticity for canal dynamic deformation while talking and chewing to stay in place with tight seal? I mean are they something like memory foam plugs that never fall out when chewing or talking? Try not to laugh, but the best thing that worked for me so far is carving my own domes from good quality foam ear plugs!!
I think I need custom moulds (which I've had in the past). I started listening to a Bach fugue (BWV 578) on RUclips recently. When the theme moved to the pedals I couldn't hear it at all. I'll bring this up with my audiologist next visit.
I’m due to pick up a pair of Phonak Lumity Life hearing aids tomorrow. As I’m in the profound category my audio guy has ordered custom moulds. Whether they will have active vents I don’t know. I presume the people who deal with your prescription at the factory decide what’s best. What this space.
Hi doc, I have struggled in getting custom ear molds made from an audiologist…and them being sent to Weston and they not turning out right and being to small and not being deep enough in my ears.
I just ordered ReSound Nexia RIC after having very old Phonak Sky BTE with custom vented mold. After shelling out money for the best HA I could afford, I will have to wait to get custom molds ($90/ear). I hope I don’t have to wear domes for long. I’ve always hated earbuds because no matter what size dome, they always fall out or hurt. I have severely sloping HF hearing loss.
While my right ear demands a custom mold, my left ear does not. After using a rubber dome for my left ear, I asked for a custom mold. The improvement was major. Variability has been reduced. Streaming is a pleasure.
How much are the custom molds, please? I’m so tired of adjusting my new Phonak hearing aids via the program. The hearing aids were supposed to be the best.
Your sample graph looks very similar to mine. I have custom molds because the buds kept coming out. I’ve often felt that the clarity wasn’t all it could be.
Hello Dr Cliff, I get middle ear infection every time when I wear the BTE hearing aid with ear mould. Is there a hearing aid that does not require inserting an ear mould in the ear canal?
Can you use custom ear molds with M&Rie receiver? Retention is an issue with domes. Tried different sizes open fit with standard receiver and tulip with M&Rie. Tried longer receiver wire. Mild-Mod high frequency SNHL. Love the M&Rie receiver, but the tulip domes are big and I’m constantly pushing them in more.
Any suggestion for those of us that do have custom molds, on keeping them in place while sweating or generally skin oils that let them slide out a little? I’m constantly pressing them back in because the feedback/whistling is so annoying…
A very interesting video. Early in it you showed a picture of 3 designs of open domes, I'm guessing that each let's a different amount of sound in from outside. I use Tulip domes which I think are the middle of the 3 types and was wondering if I was to change to the 3rd type (I've seen them called Power domes) would my experience of streamed music be better? But would this require a reprogramming of my hearing aids?
Can everyone wear custom ear molds? I have the pretty common normal low frequency hearing and sloping to severe in the high frequency loss. I wear open domes with retention wires and I like them. My audiologist wanted me to try custom molds because my ear canals are curvy and she didn’t think the receiver was staying in that sweet spot. But even with the largest venting holes she could do (she actually tried making them larger) I couldn’t get used to the occlusion. So I am back to the open domes, but I wonder if I am getting the maximum benefit from my hearing aids. TIA
I used to have the skeleton ear mold and that felt uncomfortable So my audiologist gave me a custom canal earmold instead of skeleton or dome. And it's more comfortable than skeleton
@The Gadget Guru no the skeleton retention part was popping out of my ear constantly. I had to constantly push it back in the ear canal and it was ignoring especially when I have to work. With the ear canal only I don't have that issue
@@taylorbaldwin1776 it must have not been fit properly. Have you had your audiologist try to remake it? Thats surprising because those type usually are less pressure inside the ear
Can you solve the Phonac software issues that drop the phone connection settings for noise cancelation whenever another app is opened? The static sound is so annoying!
My audiologist is having a hard time with my mold for my resound omnia 9 hearing aid. We're on attempt # 4. None of them will stay in my ear canal. I'm not sure what to think. I'm a lifetime user of hearing aid in the left ear.
Could you please tell me if there is a specific type of hearing aid that is best for a "cookie bite" hearing deficiency or does it have more to do with the degree of hearing loss and ear shape?
I understand you may not be able to answer this question but am curious as to what ear piece a person with reverse cookie bite prescription would be best fitted with. I have poor low and high frequency and just outside normal mids.
After my evaluation the audiologist said that words which sound the same I will not hear and it canno be treated with my $7500.00 hearing aid. I will need to ask for clarification for words that sound the same. That makes no sense to me. She also noticed my canals were difficult to fit with the ear plugs used for the test; I always thought they were different because I have never been able to use ear buds or ear plugs. Now I'm wondering if she is not being forthright asking me to accept not being able to make out words that sound the same; and she never even brought up the mold option. I am so nervous. Next week picking up the hearing aids at South Shore Hearing in Hanover which has a great reputation for decades here on the south shore in MA. :(
I had custom molds done and it always felt like I had water in my ears. I tried to get used to the feel for several months but ended up getting them removed and having vented domes installed.
I couldn't wear the eider domes- they ended up scratching my ears! I have the smallest egg shaped ones. Also i have to make sure they are snapped on properly to device bc I've had some come loose inside my ear.
Hi, I’m having issues because I have reverse slope hearing loss. It’s only moderate but I really struggle because I have RIC, my ear canals are really narrow and slope directly up to the sky. The RIC gets stuck on the bottom and faces the walls so I get no sound, they also fallout all the time and sound is inconsistent. We had M receivers but had to switch to S receivers which is lower in power (really not ideal as I’m already using more volume on M) so that they would actually fit. We also have to bend the wire 90 degrees which damages it. I just got impressions for a c shell but I’m concerned that all the components of RIC and vent won’t fit / won’t slope up. I’m also concerned that they’ll keep falling out. Audeo really doesn’t want to switch to BTE because I might have less good sound. Any ideas ?
My custom ear mold keeps falling out, I prefer the dome. I have one side dome and other side custom ear mold. The mold was necessary because of squeelling (10mm too small, 12mm too big and they do not make an 11mm).
I use the Veterans Adminstration for my hearing aids. They are the largest supplier of hearing aids in the world. At least some locations have real ear testing. As far as I know they do not offer custom ear molds. My Father had cheap hearing aids,
My VA Audiologist (Colorado Springs) has ordered custom ear molds for me when I reported that physical comfort with domes was at best a "6" or so. Our VA clinic, at least, is very anxious to please, and didn't hesitate to suggest the ear molds. Expecting them in a couple weeks. We'll see how it goes.
Nice video Dr Cliff. Although i have a unilateral severe hearing loss between 2000 - 8000 hz and normal hearing between 0 and 1500 hz (very steep slope between 1500 and 2000 hz). i never been able to be fitted with a hearing aid mainly cause the feedback prevents the prescription gain required to my hearing loss. I have not tried custom molds yet cause then i would need a huge vent to naturally use the my good low frequencies hearing and thereby creating too much feedback. Do you think i could still benefit from a custom mold with a big vent. Oticon says the Xceed is able to cut down the feedback with new build-in technology. What do you think it would be my best product/option? I am desperate to get into a hearing aid cause my tinnitus is increasing rapidly as there is no brain stimulus to my high frequency hearing cells.
Im hearing the best ive ever heard in a long time with rubber power domes im rather new at this my hearing DEVICE came from Specs Savers Australia under the Name of Advance i choose the convenient level of hearing level that my hearing care professional recommended including the changing of the wax filter in which i found rather daunting that i had to go back and make sure i did it right apart from that one ear canal needs a a small dome and the other a medium dome....pls dont diss on the ear domes...as i love real time hearing xxoo
On the bottom of the RUclips player I believe there is a setting for speeding up or slowing down the speed of a video. I have never used it but plenty of people use it to both speed up and slow down a video. Maybe this could help.Go to settings-- Playback-- and then you will see the different speeds. I just looked and it looks like there is a 3/4 speed which could work. He does speak pretty fast so you may enjoy this setting.
I just came frome seeing my audiologists and tested my hearing. I've been wear Phonak full shell for the past 3 years. My test read that speech clearly has taken 20% dive. She said there's nothing she could adjust to my hearing aids for clarity. My question is there any thing I can do?
I suggest you get a second opinion. As Dr Cliff has stated, not all HA providers are equal. Another professional may have a better understanding of how to help you.
THIS!!! I'm 24 and I've been using RIC hearing aids since I was 10. I still remember the time I swiched from my childhood BTEs to RICs, it was HORRIBLE because of the domes. Constant itching and pain in my ear cannal and everything sounded way "softer". No one gave me any other solution so I eventually got used to it. I used domes for around 8 years till I found out on social media that you could make custom ear molds for RICs, and not only in acrylic but in silicone like the ones I was used to. Still, it took me a while to convince my audiologists as they tried to convince me back that silicone ones were not possible. They eventually made ones for me (silicone micro custom earmolds) and the moment I started using them I fell in love. NEVER GOING BACK Fast foward to this day now I wear RICs with full shell (black w/ colourful glitter) silicone custom ear molds. I learned pretty fast that, more often than not unfortunately, if you don't advocate for yourself and do your own research, many audiologists won't tell you all the options out there for you. At least in my country, they just assume that, if you don't ask for earmolds is because you're happy with your domes. How am I supposed to ask for earmolds if I don't even know they exist or are a possibility? It sucks, honestly. One of the many reasons I'm on my way of becoming an audiologist. Thanks for the video Doctor Cliff!! You rock!
I am strongly considering going to the phonak audeo lumity life hearing aids. I also think that I’m a good candidate for custom ear molds or the active vent receiver. Will these options work with the Phonak charging case?
@@DrCliffAuD i have the lumity and am getting costom molds,.. I find that the small acrylic kind or the small slimtip ones are very hard to get in. Would putting a skeleton mold in it cause the wire to stick out too much?
@@DrCliffAuD actually i just got the cshell acrylic skeleton molds and they’re actually amazing and easier to help get it in to my ears,.. not sure why you’d say it’s worse.. it’s actually just like the regular cshells just with the additional added outer part, which is actually really helpful for me being id have trouble getting it in my ears otherwise.. the silicon slimtip was just awfully hard to get in my ear, especially being that they were probably a bit too big as well maybe that could be why they would’ve been too hard to get in , and actually the wire doesn’t stick out at all like it did with the others
Do the Widex Moment respond well to custom domes? My audiologist did not recommend them even though I wanted better streaming sounds. I also have to constantly keep pushing my rubber domes back into my ears all day long. They added the little wisp that is supposed to help, but it still does not really work for me. Can I insist on getting a custom ear mold?
I have a question: I did get the custom ear molds made for my Widex Moments. I do not feel like it really made the music quality any better. But the biggest issue I have right now is that my left ear begins hurting after just a few hours from the mold cutting into my ear. I am thinking of just going back to the rubber domes... I have also thought of possibly heating up the bad ear mold and trying to reshape it myself. Does anyone know the process of how my provider would deal with an issue like this? I hate to complain, but they are pretty much useless to me for any day long wear. Thanks for any feedback.
You hate to complain? I understand that but you’re paying for a medical service. Your provider should have no issue with reviewing your custom molds. I had a similar issue at one point - my audiologist had a new mold made which was a few millimeters shorter. That fixed the discomfort issue for me. Please keep in mind that you’re not asking for a favor; this is an important issue which affects your quality of life.
@@imarc1701 Hello and thanks for the good advice. I did call them shortly after posting this. Yes they are happy to help me out and will start with possibly just buffing down where the mold is hurting my ear. Of course they won’t know until I come in on Tuesday. Thanks again and have a blessed Easter weekend!
My canals are too big due to surgeries so I have to wear rubber domes. It'd be nice to have custom made domes with good ventilation but I don't think no one makes them. They would really benefit surgical ears.
I dont know any other option for my ears. With my level of hearing loss my hearing aids whistle and the domes that i have barely fit to stop it. My doctor gave me some type of cream to apply to the domes to help them stay in place but it dont really help.
I had been resisting getting custom earmolds for a couple of years, afraid that blocking off the sound that leaks around the dome would result in a tinny, unrealistic sound quality. After watching this video and trying the simple experiment you gave, I was convinced that I had been on the wrong track! I am a veteran with a profound loss of hearing in the higher ranges. As good as the Phonak devices were that the VA got me, I was not letting them do their job. I just got my custom earmolds fitted and hearing aids adjusted for them yesterday. This makes a greater difference in the quality and ability of my hearing aids to allow me to hear than anything I have ever done! I can't thank you enough for prodding me along this path! I would never have gotten the earmolds if I hadn't seen this video. These earmolds as well as "Roger" have incredible potential in my life!!!
Dr. Cliff,
What can I say other than to say all the thank yous in this whole wide world are not enough!
I just finished listening to your video about the Companion App and here I am watching this one! I am collecting as much information as possible in order to get ready for my next hearing aid fitting come March!
I will be going in a very well informed patient, thanks to you!🙏🏽☮️
That's for sure. I've learned a lot, too.
Got ear-molds 2 months ago. Man what a difference. I recommend these to everyone. Be sure to have audiologist tune them in.
What is the cost?
@@SF-oz9kf$100 to $200. Well worth it.
I started out with a vented dome on my Lumity Life. But I was having issues with background noise. We switched to a Phonak Custom C Shell. OMG what a difference. Everything improved dramatically. If you are still using Domes and have any doubts, stop. You are doing yourself a disservice. Make the jump to Custom, you wont regret it!
The dome shaped one plugged my ears ,I switched to the vented ones and it’s night and day
High frequency is my main issue. The closed dome plugged my ear so I switched to a vented dome and it’s much better
Domes offer much better sound quality and don’t have occlusion like the molds do, I’ve have both and much prefer domes in most ways
@@kaylasmusic You are not correct. The Phonak Custom C shells have a small vent size specifically designed for my hearing prescription. They are not occluded. With my reverse slope and low frequency hearing loss they do keep extra sound inside my ears which is what I desperately needed. Dr. Cliff has an excellent video on this site where he talks about the benefits of custom vs domes.
@@gbkworf I’m my case, I’ve had better luck with the domes but for you since you have a different hearing loss, you’re probably better off with the molds but even with the vents, they still occlude the ear canal and there’s no way to fully eliminate the occlusion for me at least. I have a moderate flat hearing loss and tried using molds and even with the prescription being met and the vent size being the right size, I still had occlusion and with the vented or closed domes I have no occlusion at all
THIS!!! 🙌 I'm 24 and I've been using RIC hearing aids since I was 10. I still remember the time I swiched from my childhood BTEs to RICs, it was HORRIBLE because of the domes. Constant itching and pain in my ear cannal and everything sounded way "softer".
No one gave me any other solution so I eventually got used to it. I used domes for around 8 years till I found out on social media that you could make custom ear molds for RICs, and not only in acrylic but in silicone like the ones I was used to. 🤯
Still, it took me a while to convince my audiologists as they tried to convince me back that silicone ones were not possible. 🤦♀
They eventually made ones for me (silicone micro custom earmolds) and the moment I started using them I fell in love.
NEVER GOING BACK 😂😂
Fast foward to this day now I wear RICs with full shell (black w/ colourful glitter) silicone custom ear molds. I learned pretty fast that, more often than not unfortunately, if you don't advocate for yourself and do your own research, many audiologists won't tell you all the options out there for you. At least in my country, they just assume that, if you don't ask for earmolds is because you're happy with your domes. How am I supposed to ask for earmolds if I don't even know they exist or are a possibility?
It sucks, honestly. One of the many reasons I'm on my way of becoming an audiologist.
Thanks for the video Doctor Cliff!! You rock! 🤟
I am glad you found your best fit solution. I have active ear canal that really deforms when I talk and chew, so non-silicon custom ear molds always fell out. Domes were better holding in. My question to you is, do silicone custom ear molds provide some room for canal dynamic deformation so they stay in tight please? I mean are they something like memory foam plugs that never fall out when chewing or talking?
@@Nick_Kb @Nick_Kb 🤔🤔🤔 Wow, yours is a very interesting case! I'm still an audiology student and I'm not, by any means, a custom earmolds' specialist. But I do know that silicone earmolds (among the other materials) are the ones used in cases of active ear canal, and they also come in different densities (measured in 'shore'), meaning that some of them are more flexible and soft than others, so they can better adapt all kinds of ears.
So they might work for you!
You can definitely ask your audiologist about this! 👍🏻☺️
@@irumaita . interesting to hear about different densities silicon earmolds Aitana. Thanks for that tip.
My audiologist seems to not recall those to be a thing in the UK apart from few cases for IIC hearing aids, while what I have is the over the ear Phonak Life P90.
Are you aware of silicon earmolds being used for shells for over ear hearingaids like mine (ones with a detachable cable recever)? is it a thing in your country (which I don't know what country that is)?
@@Nick_Kb Yes! I also wear RIC hearing aids (Resound ONEs) and I wear them with full shell silicone earmolds! I'm not surprised that your audiologist is not aware of it. Unfortunately, it's not common that patients are fitted with custom earmolds for their RICs in the first place, and it's even more uncommon that they order them in silicone (normally, they are ordered in acrylic as default). My current audiologists had to get informed and learn about them along the way and also search for a different earmold provider. And when I finally got them we were very pleased with their good quality! I assure you it's a 100% possible to make them, so don't be concerned about it being a cable receiver.
And I'm from Spain, btw! My earmold provider is "Novapro". I believe it is a Spanish provider but maybe you can order and get them dispatched to the UK too! (Ask your audiologist for doing that, oc) I also know this other very famous provider, called "Microsonic" but they are based in the US and Hungary (?), we never ordered from them so I can't tell you about them.
Hope you found my reply helpful, I was really hoping I could upload a picture and show you how they look like but it's not possible here 😂Well, let me know if you need a picture, maybe I can DM you or something. 🤗
I’m always trying to help my mom with her hearing issues and am so glad I found this channel! I didn’t even know about domes let alone custom molds. My mom’s hearing aids don’t have anything but a little white tip. No wonder she claims her hearing aids have never worked right!
You gotta get her to a good Audiologist.
@@notneeded1 thanks I needed to be reminded of how poorly I handled the situation… trusting the doctor and all..:
@@DrCliffAuDcan these new Phonak custom molds be used with something like a Oticon Opns2?
@@LastTrump7 no, but Oticon can create some custom molds for you as well.
Thanks, Cliff, great video! My PHONAK 50s just experienced a broken cable, so it's no longer connected to the receiver in the canal. I've decided to have my local audiologist send them back to PHONAK but also do a custom mold for me as well. Can't wait to get them back! I'm confident that my hearing will be much improved!
I still hear best with my 10 year old Bernafon hearing aids with double domes. I have a Phonax and my newest hearing aids are the Rexton. This is great information. Thanks
I bought a set which cost over $10,000 Aus dollars, with that I would of thought that the audiologist would of mentioned custom moulds, considering how expensive they are, Im so glad I came across this as I know I'm not getting the full best possible these aids, Ive had these for over 6 months now and I will chase up my Audiologist on my next day off
The reason they didn’t tell you is because they will charge you more money for the inner ear mold, ITS ALL A $$$ money grab and actually, corruption!
Would have, not would of.
I am on my second set of Resound,, previously "Lynx" now Resound One. I was not able to retain rubber domes and have been fitted with ear molds with "canal locks". These stay in securely and are comfortable. I have had the canal lock break off on previous and current Resound HA's. Requiring factory repair. Canal locks are a small clear plastic curved piece that is apparently just glued to the plastic back of the ear mold. I recently had a canal lock break off and luckily found it. I carefully cleaned ear mold and canal lock and glued it back on using a small amount of CYA (crazy) glue thus avoiding a 2-week turnaround time for a factory fix and audiologist visit.
Dr. Cliff,
Thanks, as always,for this extensive post! 👂
I have custom molds, but unfortunately one is extremely uncomfortable due to surgical changes in that ear. These molds were made and remade after the ear was all healed from surgery (1+ year later). It is also my ear with severe/profound loss (2 of the bones are gone). Are there custom mold options that are softer than others?
I currently have Shockey Evolv AI with close the dome tips. Hearing in crowds is terrible. But that is not my big problem. Since wearing hearing aids I've accumulated tons of earwax together with a inner ear infection reoccurring about every three months or so. no fun!! Never had the problem before. Would the ear molds make any difference? Or advice?
Tried custom fit...exostosis made wearing in left ear painful...finally gave up after a bunch of adjustment tries. But vented domes have done well with them since...even better than closed domes.
For fuller bass is an open dome better than a closed dome?
@@jamesamatore8717 the opposite. The more closed the dome, the greater bass perception.
Thank you.
I have pains in my ears and the pain hurts so i stopped wearing my hearing aids for it to heal up. but now I know what it maybe the rubber dome on my hearing aids....will another kind of hearing aid help?
Thanks for another informative video. You mentioned the Phonak Active-Vents auto-close when streaming music. Can they also auto-close when background noise is suddenly up or constant (e.g. turning on to a noisy street whilst in a conversation with someone); since these are the times I need to REALLY try hard to hear or guess every syllable of what is being said, whilst lip-reading (if no mask worn). Thanks.
Thanks for the info need new hearing aids and will make sure I get the correct fitting.
I had to remove my custom molds after they continued to break wires on my Phonak Paradise Rt 90s. Wires break at entrance to mold due to stress point. Switching back to rubber molds eliminate breakage.
Please I would love to see you do a best of 2023 high power; super power; and ultra power hearing aids?
Thank you. From a vet that has severe hearing loss do to my mos.
I have been wearing hearing aids for over 40 years. Needless to say, my experience predates rubber domes by decades, and in the beginning custom ear molds were the only option available.. I’ve found that there is a very inconvenient truth involving custom ear molds. They are shaped to your ears at a specific point in time, when the ear impressions were made. But your ears are living tissue that changes shape. For example when you chew, or if you retain water. When this happens, the custom ear molds no longer conform exactly to your ears and you get problems with feedback and frequency response changes. Every time my provider brings up the possibility of going custom, I bring these points up and they have no answer. I also want to say that the first time I tried using a closed-dome RIC hearing aid, it was a godsend! The dome changed shape along with my ears, and I had never felt a hearing aid that comfortable in my life!
Same here. I have active ear canal that really deforms when I talk and chew, so custom ear molds always fell out. Domes were better, but I even went further into carving my own domes from good foam ear plugs, that did seal the deal... try it
@@Nick_Kb , thanks for that suggestion! How did you do the carving, and do you have any tricks for getting them into the right shape?
@@twincams350
Hello,
The great thing about foam is that it takes the shape of your ear canal if you wear it right as Dr Cliff shows in his video
“How to use FOAM hearing protection”
The carving is for opening a suitable tunnel in the centre for the receiver and its cable to pass. That depends on their size. I used some needles and nails heated on fire to make such tunnel. For the receiver tunnel, it must be slightly smaller than receiver to grip on it, and not too deep so receiver is not buried inside the foam. Use good quality stretchy foam and i ruined few till i get what i need. Note you might need to shorten the foam and/or get a receiver with a longer cable as your ear requires.
Passing the receiver cable might be tricky so i taped it to a thin needle to pass it through foam.
Not easy work but i think it's worth it... good luck
Recently got hearing aids. Was using the open domed ones while my custom ones were being made, there was a delay because they weren't right. My custom ones are softer silicone ones and they do seem to work well. I knew my hearing was bad. Labeled as close to profound in both ears with one really bad. One ear isn't amplified but sound gets sent to the other aid. It definitely takes a while to adjust.
I have borderline severe hearing loss in left ear. Mild hearing loss in right ear. Had to switch left ear to power dome because of feedback. But it’s somewhat irritating. Would you suggest custom ear mold. I am new hearing aid wearer. I have the newest phonak audio infinio and like them a lot.
I glad you went over this
I have partial hearing aid loss. It is exactly the same hearing loss you are talking about. My loss is in the upper frequencies. I have to use RIC hearing aids because of tinnitus. I've worn hearing aids for 5 years and those first hearing aids worked ok with me using open domes.
Two years ago, I needed new hearing aids, and I switched vendors. For a year, I used open domes and they worked ok. Then the specialist urged me to switch to closed dome stating I was not benefiting from my hearing aids' full capacity. So I switched to closed dome and struggled for 8 months with the occlusion of natural sound for my normal hearing. After countless trips back, we agreed it was time to go back to open domes.
I hear fine in quiet situations. Any noise injected into the situation and forget it. So I do wonder if I wouldn't do better with a specialized dome like a custom dome that would also allow natural sound through.
I will need to ask about custom domes!
Thanks Dr. Cliff.
I just came across this video...I tried custom ear molds but had an issue with my ears sweating and moisture accumulating in the ear canal. This caused them to go bad after a few months. Have there been any upgrades to the custom molds within the last three years?
Open domes are pretty much designed for my loss. Perfect lows (-10) up to 1k. -20/1.5k, -15/2k, -35/3k, -40/4k, -90/6k, -85/8k.
I really want westone otoblast earmolds though because of the comfort (had otoblast hearing aid listening stethoscope). I also play hockey and have tried wearing them but they fall out with domes.
On top of the issues with streaming, but because of my loss they barely pump out any lows even with a perfect seal.
What do ‘custom hear molds’ actually look like once they are fitted in the ear?
TY for this concise video.
Good video as always I'm trying to figure out whether to get one and whether or not The VA hospital would give me one according to what my hearing loss is thank you for this video
You may have to ask repeatedly. I did. But finally I will get to try in about a month. C- shell titanium for phonak lumity. I have high frequency hearing loss. Also getting some custom ear plugs from the VA. Just remember it's worth a try. If they don't work for you. You can easily have them switched back.
If I get a custom ear mold will I be able to use my hearing aids for ear protection for hunting?
I have noticed with my domes I still miss sounds. I stick the ear pieces that Hikent have given me and even though they do not go straight into my ears they give a better quality of sound. I cannot afford to go private but I am going to mention that when I do stick my fingers in my ears my sound quality is better. At first they did give me comes that were way too big. I have really tiny domes. Even my son says I would be better off with moulded hearing aids so I can hear better.
How can i get the custom ear molds? Can we talk? I'm not sure my present hearing aid provider offers this service. Plus I don't know the cost. I want to talk to you. How do I get in touch?
Hi Dr. Just curious, what type of hearing aide do you wear now? I'm using oticon intent 1 from the VA
Yes! I’ve been using aids since the 80’s so I’ve literally used every kind of hearing aid since then. For me nothing beats a custom mold in the canal. I’m currently using Phonak’s Paradise with custom cshells and they’re the best I’ve used.
You just answered my question. I use a single Phonak Paradise in my Right ear and currently really struggle with the high frequency sounds. I'm going to talk to my audiologist about a custom mold for my aid!
What kind of hearing loss you have (low and high frequencies). do you have venting?
@@juancarlosnavas1 Very similar to the example Dr Cliff shows in the video except my right ear does the opposite of the example and bites down into the severe range for the 2 and 4K. And yes I have venting, my doctor let the Phonak team set that, I think.
But don’t RIC aren’t they just for milder hearing losses or can moderate, severe and profound hearing losses use them? Thanks for clarification.
Can a hard acrylic canal lock mold be made for thr M&RIE?
Hi. I am totally deaf in my left ear with significant hearing loss in the right ear. I use a BCROS Oticon system that is 4 years old. Do any of the aid manufacturers have a new technology for me?
Hello Dr Cliff. I have substantial loss in low frequencies and I am currently using the Phonak Audeo P90. I tried many domes and still not getting a great seal. Years ago, I tried custom molds for IIC but always became loose when I talk or chew. The question is, do the Phonak custom C-shell earmold provide some elasticity for canal dynamic deformation while talking and chewing to stay in place with tight seal? I mean are they something like memory foam plugs that never fall out when chewing or talking?
Try not to laugh, but the best thing that worked for me so far is carving my own domes from good quality foam ear plugs!!
You will likely need a canal lock added, but that should prevent movement and migration of the earmold.
I think I need custom moulds (which I've had in the past). I started listening to a Bach fugue (BWV 578) on RUclips recently. When the theme moved to the pedals I couldn't hear it at all. I'll bring this up with my audiologist next visit.
My high frequency hearing loss drops off a cliff. Severe loss. Ear molds really helped and eliminated feedback with my Widex aids.
Thank you! Those domes come off and stick in the ear canal. I HATE the domes!
I’m due to pick up a pair of Phonak Lumity Life hearing aids tomorrow. As I’m in the profound category my audio guy has ordered custom moulds. Whether they will have active vents I don’t know. I presume the people who deal with your prescription at the factory decide what’s best. What this space.
Hi doc,
I have struggled in getting custom ear molds made from an audiologist…and them being sent to Weston and they not turning out right and being to small and not being deep enough in my ears.
I just ordered ReSound Nexia RIC after having very old Phonak Sky BTE with custom vented mold. After shelling out money for the best HA I could afford, I will have to wait to get custom molds ($90/ear). I hope I don’t have to wear domes for long. I’ve always hated earbuds because no matter what size dome, they always fall out or hurt. I have severely sloping HF hearing loss.
While my right ear demands a custom mold, my left ear does not. After using a rubber dome for my left ear, I asked for a custom mold. The improvement was major. Variability has been reduced. Streaming is a pleasure.
Can I custom ear molds after I have already bought my hearing aids
How much are the custom molds, please? I’m so tired of adjusting my new Phonak hearing aids via the program. The hearing aids were supposed to be the best.
Likely a few hundred dollars an earpiece. We'll worth the cost to get your expensive hearing aids to perform at their best!
I just ordered the Jabra Enhance Select 200 HA's..... Can I get these custom molded earpieces for my Jabra's??
Not really. Thise devices are locked and can't be programmed in clinic.
Your sample graph looks very similar to mine. I have custom molds because the buds kept coming out. I’ve often felt that the clarity wasn’t all it could be.
Hello Dr Cliff,
I get middle ear infection every time when I wear the BTE hearing aid with ear mould.
Is there a hearing aid that does not require inserting an ear mould in the ear canal?
Can you use custom ear molds with M&Rie receiver? Retention is an issue with domes. Tried different sizes open fit with standard receiver and tulip with M&Rie. Tried longer receiver wire. Mild-Mod high frequency SNHL. Love the M&Rie receiver, but the tulip domes are big and I’m constantly pushing them in more.
Any suggestion for those of us that do have custom molds, on keeping them in place while sweating or generally skin oils that let them slide out a little? I’m constantly pressing them back in because the feedback/whistling is so annoying…
Excellent video. God bless.
Dr CLiff, I wish you would do a video review on Zip Tips "The instant custom tips"
I have Oticon More. Have trouble just keeping domes in place. How is the tech and quality of Oticon custom ear molds? 7:54
Much better than their domes.
A very interesting video. Early in it you showed a picture of 3 designs of open domes, I'm guessing that each let's a different amount of sound in from outside. I use Tulip domes which I think are the middle of the 3 types and was wondering if I was to change to the 3rd type (I've seen them called Power domes) would my experience of streamed music be better? But would this require a reprogramming of my hearing aids?
You talk so fast Doc!
He is nervous
I put the closed captions on , I just read what he is saying:)
Agreed
You can slow down the speed of the video. Hit the circular cog settings icon, go to playback speed and pick the speed that best suites you.
Is English your second language or are you deaf? He speaks well , plus like all RUclipsrs, gaps are edited....
@Doc Cliff can you stil perform REM measurements with activent receivers? Thanks for the anwsers
Thnx
Can everyone wear custom ear molds? I have the pretty common normal low frequency hearing and sloping to severe in the high frequency loss. I wear open domes with retention wires and I like them. My audiologist wanted me to try custom molds because my ear canals are curvy and she didn’t think the receiver was staying in that sweet spot. But even with the largest venting holes she could do (she actually tried making them larger) I couldn’t get used to the occlusion. So I am back to the open domes, but I wonder if I am getting the maximum benefit from my hearing aids. TIA
I used to have the skeleton ear mold and that felt uncomfortable So my audiologist gave me a custom canal earmold instead of skeleton or dome. And it's more comfortable than skeleton
Ah yeah that makes sense why was the skeleton mould uncomfortable for you did it poke your ears of something of that sort?
@The Gadget Guru no the skeleton retention part was popping out of my ear constantly. I had to constantly push it back in the ear canal and it was ignoring especially when I have to work. With the ear canal only I don't have that issue
@@taylorbaldwin1776 it must have not been fit properly. Have you had your audiologist try to remake it? Thats surprising because those type usually are less pressure inside the ear
Can you solve the Phonac software issues that drop the phone connection settings for noise cancelation whenever another app is opened? The static sound is so annoying!
My audiologist is having a hard time with my mold for my resound omnia 9 hearing aid. We're on attempt # 4. None of them will stay in my ear canal. I'm not sure what to think. I'm a lifetime user of hearing aid in the left ear.
Could you please tell me if there is a specific type of hearing aid that is best for a "cookie bite" hearing deficiency or does it have more to do with the degree of hearing loss and ear shape?
I think cliff covered that in a video some years back
I understand you may not be able to answer this question but am curious as to what ear piece a person with reverse cookie bite prescription would be best fitted with. I have poor low and high frequency and just outside normal mids.
After my evaluation the audiologist said that words which sound the same I will not hear and it canno be treated with my $7500.00 hearing aid. I will need to ask for clarification for words that sound the same. That makes no sense to me. She also noticed my canals were difficult to fit with the ear plugs used for the test; I always thought they were different because I have never been able to use ear buds or ear plugs. Now I'm wondering if she is not being forthright asking me to accept not being able to make out words that sound the same; and she never even brought up the mold option. I am so nervous. Next week picking up the hearing aids at South Shore Hearing in Hanover which has a great reputation for decades here on the south shore in MA. :(
what type of molds can be made for Phonak Lumity L90 Slims?
I wish I could get an answer .... doesn't seem to help doing a search to answer this
Interesting, I tried the "stick your fingers over the ric domes" and listened to the video & it WAS better. Hmm. Does COSTCO do custom?
Yes they do.
@@DrCliffAuD Thanks, btw big fan, you are a great asset to hearing impaired.
Great video, thanks. Please make a video on the new Oticon real 1 hearing aids.
In editing right now.
@@DrCliffAuD you are the best!
I have Phonak Audeo Marvel HA's. Do these earmolds work on them?
Yes
I had custom molds done and it always felt like I had water in my ears. I tried to get used to the feel for several months but ended up getting them removed and having vented domes installed.
I couldn't wear the eider domes- they ended up scratching my ears! I have the smallest egg shaped ones.
Also i have to make sure they are snapped on properly to device bc I've had some come loose inside my ear.
Hi, I’m having issues because I have reverse slope hearing loss. It’s only moderate but I really struggle because I have RIC, my ear canals are really narrow and slope directly up to the sky.
The RIC gets stuck on the bottom and faces the walls so I get no sound, they also fallout all the time and sound is inconsistent.
We had M receivers but had to switch to S receivers which is lower in power (really not ideal as I’m already using more volume on M) so that they would actually fit.
We also have to bend the wire 90 degrees which damages it. I just got impressions for a c shell but I’m concerned that all the components of RIC and vent won’t fit / won’t slope up. I’m also concerned that they’ll keep falling out.
Audeo really doesn’t want to switch to BTE because I might have less good sound.
Any ideas ?
How do you do real ear measurements with a custom mold?
The same way you do it with any hearing aid. Watch my video where I explain how I do REMs.
My custom ear mold keeps falling out, I prefer the dome. I have one side dome and other side custom ear mold. The mold was necessary because of squeelling (10mm too small, 12mm too big and they do not make an 11mm).
I had a Phonak ear mold but it was irritating my ear canal because they had some sort of raised numbers on it. It was awful!
I use the Veterans Adminstration for my hearing aids. They are the largest supplier of hearing aids in the world. At least some locations have real ear testing. As far as I know they do not offer custom ear molds.
My Father had cheap hearing aids,
The VA can and should do custom earmolds if they are needed.
VA very much can do earmolds. It is based on the persons need. Please reach out to your audiologist
@@DrCliffAuD right but I'd imagine a criteria would have to met right?
My VA Audiologist (Colorado Springs) has ordered custom ear molds for me when I reported that physical comfort with domes was at best a "6" or so. Our VA clinic, at least, is very anxious to please, and didn't hesitate to suggest the ear molds. Expecting them in a couple weeks. We'll see how it goes.
Nice video Dr Cliff. Although i have a unilateral severe hearing loss between 2000 - 8000 hz and normal hearing between 0 and 1500 hz (very steep slope between 1500 and 2000 hz). i never been able to be fitted with a hearing aid mainly cause the feedback prevents the prescription gain required to my hearing loss. I have not tried custom molds yet cause then i would need a huge vent to naturally use the my good low frequencies hearing and thereby creating too much feedback. Do you think i could still benefit from a custom mold with a big vent. Oticon says the Xceed is able to cut down the feedback with new build-in technology. What do you think it would be my best product/option? I am desperate to get into a hearing aid cause my tinnitus is increasing rapidly as there is no brain stimulus to my high frequency hearing cells.
You need a custom earmold BADLY!!!
Im hearing the best ive ever heard in a long time with rubber power domes im rather new at this my hearing DEVICE came from Specs Savers Australia under the Name of Advance i choose the convenient level of hearing level that my hearing care professional recommended including the changing of the wax filter in which i found rather daunting that i had to go back and make sure i did it right apart from that one ear canal needs a a small dome and the other a medium dome....pls dont diss on the ear domes...as i love real time hearing xxoo
The little dome gets stuck in my ear canals! Don’t use them!!
I got the lumity 90 awsome hearing aid but ya has the open dome so no bas in music streaming but very good outbord sound
Thanks for sharing so much info. It would be awesome if you could speak more slowly!
On the bottom of the RUclips player I believe there is a setting for speeding up or slowing down the speed of a video. I have never used it but plenty of people use it to both speed up and slow down a video. Maybe this could help.Go to settings-- Playback-- and then you will see the different speeds. I just looked and it looks like there is a 3/4 speed which could work. He does speak pretty fast so you may enjoy this setting.
I just came frome seeing my audiologists and tested my hearing. I've been wear Phonak full shell for the past 3 years. My test read that speech clearly has taken 20% dive. She said there's nothing she could adjust to my hearing aids for clarity. My question is there any thing I can do?
That's a loaded question without knowing all aspects of your hearing.
Thank you
I suggest you get a second opinion. As Dr Cliff has stated, not all HA providers are equal. Another professional may have a better understanding of how to help you.
If shinola was snow, you'd be a blizzard.
can custom molds be soft instead of hard?
Yes, silicone instead of acrylic
Would it be a hassle to take off both custom ear molds and put AirPods Pro 2 and vice versa?
THIS!!! I'm 24 and I've been using RIC hearing aids since I was 10. I still remember the time I swiched from my childhood BTEs to RICs, it was HORRIBLE because of the domes. Constant itching and pain in my ear cannal and everything sounded way "softer".
No one gave me any other solution so I eventually got used to it. I used domes for around 8 years till I found out on social media that you could make custom ear molds for RICs, and not only in acrylic but in silicone like the ones I was used to.
Still, it took me a while to convince my audiologists as they tried to convince me back that silicone ones were not possible.
They eventually made ones for me (silicone micro custom earmolds) and the moment I started using them I fell in love.
NEVER GOING BACK
Fast foward to this day now I wear RICs with full shell (black w/ colourful glitter) silicone custom ear molds. I learned pretty fast that, more often than not unfortunately, if you don't advocate for yourself and do your own research, many audiologists won't tell you all the options out there for you. At least in my country, they just assume that, if you don't ask for earmolds is because you're happy with your domes. How am I supposed to ask for earmolds if I don't even know they exist or are a possibility?
It sucks, honestly. One of the many reasons I'm on my way of becoming an audiologist.
Thanks for the video Doctor Cliff!! You rock!
Did phonak already solve the issue, with non working phone app with the cros solution?
I hear that it is coming soon!
I asked them today. Still no app/CROS option. Maybe soon
I am strongly considering going to the phonak audeo lumity life hearing aids. I also think that I’m a good candidate for custom ear molds or the active vent receiver. Will these options work with the Phonak charging case?
It is a tight fit, but most custom earmolds will still work inside of the new Phonak Chargers.
@@DrCliffAuD i have the lumity and am getting costom molds,.. I find that the small acrylic kind or the small slimtip ones are very hard to get in. Would putting a skeleton mold in it cause the wire to stick out too much?
@@kaylasmusic the skeleton molds would be even worse.
@@DrCliffAuD which ones would you recommend? Would the acrylic Cshells be better then the silicon slimtip?
@@DrCliffAuD actually i just got the cshell acrylic skeleton molds and they’re actually amazing and easier to help get it in to my ears,.. not sure why you’d say it’s worse.. it’s actually just like the regular cshells just with the additional added outer part, which is actually really helpful for me being id have trouble getting it in my ears otherwise.. the silicon slimtip was just awfully hard to get in my ear, especially being that they were probably a bit too big as well maybe that could be why they would’ve been too hard to get in , and actually the wire doesn’t stick out at all like it did with the others
Do the Widex Moment respond well to custom domes? My audiologist did not recommend them even though I wanted better streaming sounds. I also have to constantly keep pushing my rubber domes back into my ears all day long. They added the little wisp that is supposed to help, but it still does not really work for me. Can I insist on getting a custom ear mold?
Yes, Widex does make custom earmolds.
@@DrCliffAuD Thank you for your response!
You mean the retention wire right?
@@meric12131415 Yes, I did not know its name. Thanks 🙏
@@BrianVallotton no problem 😁
I have a question: I did get the custom ear molds made for my Widex Moments. I do not feel like it really made the music quality any better. But the biggest issue I have right now is that my left ear begins hurting after just a few hours from the mold cutting into my ear. I am thinking of just going back to the rubber domes... I have also thought of possibly heating up the bad ear mold and trying to reshape it myself. Does anyone know the process of how my provider would deal with an issue like this? I hate to complain, but they are pretty much useless to me for any day long wear. Thanks for any feedback.
You hate to complain? I understand that but you’re paying for a medical service. Your provider should have no issue with reviewing your custom molds. I had a similar issue at one point - my audiologist had a new mold made which was a few millimeters shorter. That fixed the discomfort issue for me.
Please keep in mind that you’re not asking for a favor; this is an important issue which affects your quality of life.
@@imarc1701 Hello and thanks for the good advice. I did call them shortly after posting this. Yes they are happy to help me out and will start with possibly just buffing down where the mold is hurting my ear. Of course they won’t know until I come in on Tuesday. Thanks again and have a blessed Easter weekend!
Thanks🙏
Stick with the closed dome!
My canals are too big due to surgeries so I have to wear rubber domes. It'd be nice to have custom made domes with good ventilation but I don't think no one makes them. They would really benefit surgical ears.
A lot of companies could make those.
I dont know any other option for my ears. With my level of hearing loss my hearing aids whistle and the domes that i have barely fit to stop it. My doctor gave me some type of cream to apply to the domes to help them stay in place but it dont really help.
I see now, I watched this 9 months ago!👏🏽
Gonna watch this. I love rubber domes.
I have costume ear domes and i hear my own voice back more then with rubber domes?
That’s because molds give an occlusion
Why does my audiologist tell me the lowest priced phonak aid is best for my severe hearing loss? She is charging me $3600 vs top end phonak at $7100
My custom molded totally eliminated feedback. Much better sound.
My Picasso I1600 is a custom fit