In your testing the various brands which you deemed had the best background noise control, I found the SONY & the AIR POD PROS TWO to equally have the best sound in a room, not nearly as good in a noisy environment. I was listening using Air Pod Pro Twos, have below moderate hearing loss on my audiogram, & LOW FREQUENCY LOSS. (Which creates an enormous problem understanding every day speech - most speech is garbled whether using Widex BEYOND, Widex MOMENT or a two week trial with SIGNIA PURE C&G IX. AIR POD PRO TWOS give me perfect speech sound, but, of course not enough volume unless I stand right next to the person.)
I painfully have to admit that I wanted the AirPods Pro to be the winner, but…..from my hearing loss perspective and while using AirPods Pro to listen to this test: 1. Sensorial hearing loss 2. Moderate to severe left, severe on the right Lucid Engage was #1, and Sony coming at #2 for me. I am surprised you didn’t chose the Signia Pure C&G 7-IX since they are outstanding for noise cancellation, may I know why? I admire your very professional opinion and videos, as well as your voice which is VERY clear and with the perfect speed for all to understand.
My Audiologist had Oticon Exceeds now because they are supposed to be better to hear Speech with background sounds and have most Amplification possible now. I had Siemens Ultra power Hearing Aids that did the same thing because I do not hear the Speech with the background sounds around me because everything blends together and I am not able to pick out the Speech. I am not sure how it sounds Hearing with my Hearing Aids because I have so much Amplification to Hear I think that the sound is processed a lot for me to hear it seems like to me. I like it better without Vents so I can get the sound I need to hear sent to my Hearing Aids without the background sounds around me always getting in the way of Hearing anything. I Tested lower in the Hearing Testing so my Audiologist know that I was not Hearing Speech so I get these kind of Hearing Aids and he did not try other kinds with me because they would not have enuf Amplification and you need Amplification to Hear.
so, In my opinion, the Phonak was just a bit better than the Oticon Prescription hearing aids. I struggle with speech clarity so this is a big deal to me. I am currently wearing Phonak hearing aids, but an older technology. I'm currently waiting for an appointment with an Audiologist to get new hearing aids. I have to admit, the OTC hearing aids sounded pretty good. But, as you said, nothing can replace having an Audiologist in recommending and evaluating my hearing loss. Thanks again for this video.
Hey Garrison, thanks for reaching out and taking the time to comment. I hope you get on well in your next appointment and your audiologist is able to recommend something that can help. Matthew
Matthew, Thank you very much for producing this excellent video. I'min process of replacing my 4 year old Resound Linx with Oticon Ral1 RITE's. I have a moderate hearing loss and the additional volume that the Oticon's achieve as well as their sound isolation in noisy environments ias a game changer. I've been using a pair of demo units for the past week and recognize that this may not be a long enouigh time for a proper comparison. On the other hand, my very rent experience with the Resound's is still fresh with the differences more apparent. My audiologist has also recommended a custom ear mold, that I'm keen to try for outside noise reduction and enhanced performance while listening to music. I thought that the testing protocol that you used was well-conceived, as it accurately replicated the way that I perceive sound in a cafe environment. Thanks again for a great job. i'm looking forward to the next viseo on music streaming quality!
I have mod to severe hearing loss and use Phonak hearing aids. I used my Doqaus headphones (without using my hearing aids) to listen to the video. To my utter amazement the AirPods Pro 2 were the clearest for me!
Hey Matthew, listening with my Widex Moment Sheer 440s; for me, the Phonaks were most natural sounding. I did have trouble understanding the initial statement in the Cafe setting - "Did you hear the news last night?" and the Sony CRE let me hear it most clearly. That was a surprise.
I'm going to Costco next week for hearing aides. They have the Phillips 9040, Jabra pro 20 and Rexton. Which would you recommend for overall performance in general? My big problem like most people is hearing in noisy environments and after reading Consumer Reports on hearing aides they say that none of the hearing aides tested were very good in noisy environments. Would love your feedback on this. Thanks.
This test is extremely helpful, but the duration is waaaaay too short. Why not repeat with like 30 second test samples. And add more devices. But love the idea, love the tests.
Matthew, thank you so much for taking all the trouble to give us the results of your extensive testing and your professional opinion. Incredibly helpful for someone who loses her expensive hearing aids all too often.
I listened 3X and felt the AirPods bested in noisy environments. So I assume the AirPods had noise cancelling on, something not available in other models and not mentioned. My 3 year old Phonak P90s deliver the best overall sound quality but only my Airpods Pro2 with cancelling on are comfortable streaming in high noise, like downtown traffic. So I use them both and they are pretty good about automatically switching between my various streaming devices
I agree. The intelligibility was superior in noisy environment. I use AirPod pros in high reverberation environments for improved intelligibility. I use only one pod at a time. Works great for me.
Lots of new OTC hearing aids have come out recently. The Sennheiser All Day Clear is a major step up from the Sennheiser Conversation clear units and Orka is a new entry in the field with a supposedly advanced processor. I'd like to see this test updated regularly with new units as they are released.
Really useful test that helps demonstrate the range of potential benefits. Listening via my new Phonak Lumity 90’s I would say the Oticons gave a more natural sound. The other dimension to the test could be cost v benefit. Very happy with my L90’s over previous Signia Active Pros, which are similar to / rebadged by Sony for their OTC offering
Great video!! Is the Phonak Lumity similar to the Sennheiser behind the ear hearing aides, I believe it's the same company. I would love to see the same test done with IIC and CIC hearing aides. Thanks.
I placed Oticon Real at number one, followed by Lucid Engage on second, and Sony on third. It was hard for me to hear any significant difference between the Phonak Lumity and the Airpods Pro, which is quite surprising and a bit disappointing considering the difference in price and primary user story for these two devices. Thank you for sharing this!
Great video!!! I know the in the canal hearing aides are not as good as the behind the ear models in a noisy environment but it would be cool to see how well the top ones perform in this test. I have Eargo 5's and they are terrible in background noise. Thanks
Well done. Finally an interpretion which discusses how to block background moise. The airpods sound better, I'm very sensitive to backgrounr noise. Mt Oticon aids are great for voice but I'm very sensitive to background noise, such as road noise and or restaurant etc. The airpods seemed to mask the background noise. Maybe because the airpods block the ear canal via the pods?
I have mild to moderate loss along with tinnitus. I use Apple AirPods all day, one at a time because the battery life is so short. I have not had hearing aides before. For me the 2 prescription ones, highlighted the sounds of paper crinkle and the pencil drop far too much. The middle 2 were a good balance between voice and background. The last two earbud style suppressed the background totally. I think the Sony may be a good start into hearing aids I could actually wear all day .
Starting at 17:30 Best to me (50-60 db hearing loss range for upper frequencies most effected, audiogram looks like a fairly flat normal curve): 1.Lucid Engage 2. Sony e10s
I found the Phonak less tinny and more comfortable than the Oticon in the quiet room, but less distinct from the background (yet more normal tones) than the Otic in the noisy room. Couldn't make out the first sentence in the noisy room on any of the devices, though the last 2 sentences were clear. FYI, listened through Phonak Audeo Paradice hearing aids on both tv bluetooth transmitter and again on android phone bluetooth.
My comment relates to my profound heart loss in right ear and severe loss in left ear. The voices were trebly and unreal. You have not mentioned the elephant in the room and that’s the cost of them, more specifically the lack of saleability of your old aids. Over 5he last 10 plus years I’ve been forced, because of hearing degradation, to repeatedly buy new aids. I’ve had the top models of resound, oticon and phonax. I’m about to buy the phonax sphere brand new aids in mid late September. Also I’m intrigued with the fitting in the ear domes or moulds I’ve had both and now looking to go back to moulded ears. But my issue with previous moulds was the occlusion you get, ie the sound is in your head rather like a heavy cold blockage. I’m hoping that they and open vent enough to prevent this, and , but what about active vented ears? Will they work with open moulds. Lastly my particular issue is with the incoming speech offering clarified and fully understood. I would be very happy for your views on the above. Why no resale market for old devices. Why do manufacturers not offer rental with update periods of 1 and 2 years, every one’s ear deteriate over time. The are many issues with remote mikes and I’d be happy to share my views on the many types I used resound, oticon and phonax, all have server limitation and in my view miss the mark. Lastly for my needs it would be great to limit in coming sound to about 6/8 ft and dull out anything further so truly getting speech in crowds. Regards Phil coombes
Also an idear is a haptic vibrator when speech detected from behind, normally, to give you feedback back that someone or something is attracting your attention. Regards Phil
I wonder how the airpods pro perform with the new software update :) the conversation clarity seems to be vastly improved, and the ambient noise reduction and ability to change the color of the sound make it a clear winner for me with moderate hearing loss! also, first comment on your videos but you got me to switch from my costco/phonak hearing aids to airpods pro 2s and it's been life-changing!! love your content and so incredibly needed right now
Hey Gwendolyn, thanks for taking the time to comment. I'll look into this thanks for the heads up!! I am delighted to hear that the videos are making the difference. Hopefully its the first comment of many. Matthew 😀
Excellent work Matthew@@HearingTracker . I'm not giving up on my Phonaks yet but my AirPods Pro 2s plus a cheap wireless noise cancelling mic beat out my P90s both in noisy streaming and when using my noisy wireless Roger On INs. I'm betting the AirPods you tested were using active noise cancellation. Ear pods which both block and cancel ambient noise are going to win over any reduction strategy. I think the hearing industry needs to step up their game quickly. As much as I like to hear about the new chips and AI i'm quite certain cancellation strategies are going to triumph over reduction strategies. As a first step I think the providers should allow us to use remote NC mics as does Apple with its Live Listen feature. I can't do that with my Phonaks and they should be ashamed.
Really interesting. The sonys seemed to cut off far less speech,when they talk about the news letter? before he says getting a break. The others seemed to rip that part of the speech right off. I would say the sonys sounded more natural but that's because they're processing far less. I couldn't personally tell much of a difference between oticon and Phonak but I'd be really interested to demo them both. I have no eyesight so I guess I'm particularly sensitive to the sound of "sound" being messed about with.
Comparing all of them for best speech clarity and understanding I would, surprisingly, rate the Sennheiser the best overall. For prescription HA (I am a Oticon More wearer), I would rate the Phonak slightly better in this evaluation. I found both the Oticon and Phonak to be subpar in this test.
Also an idear is a haptic vibrator when speech detected from behind, normally, to give you feedback back that someone or something is attracting your attention.
I am just starting to look into this . I have a couple easy questions I think at least.looking at prescription sets with Bluetooth . 1 . While streaming audiobooks will I be able to hear outside noise like vehicles. I work outside on the roads as a mailman. 2. Is there a brand that is better for outdoor exposure with the cost ?I will definitely worry being out it the rain all day .
Thank you for this video. I'm still in the process of watching. But, I have a question for you. What is your opinion of using a "Hearing aid dispenser" ? This is someone who doesn't have the education of a audiologist and gives basic hearing tests. I've been going to a dispenser for the past few years. I did have a great Audiologist that I just loved and she was the best. She diagnosed my type of hearing loss and with that information, she was able to recommend the hearing best for me. Dispenser to me is like a car salesman. The know a little about the hearing aid and have limited knowledge of which would be best for me. All this to say that I have decided to see an audiologist to get the right hearing aid for me hearing loss. Thanks again for this and all your videos.
It's hard for me to say as I don't know the exact qualification route in the US to become a hearing aid dispenser. I think that if you find the right person who eats, sleeps, and breathes hearing aids *and* gives listens to your needs, assesses properly AND fits the hearing aids well then title doesn't necessarily matter. You can get bad audiologists and bad hearing aids dispensers and vice versa.
Surprised to say that hearing what was said was best for me with the Senheiser and Air Pods. They both did a notably superior job of reducing background noise so that the voices were more clearly heard. All the others seemed to amplify background noises too much. I say this while wearing the Oticon Real 3s.
The Real really nailed it in BGN. The Lumity is quite nice in quiet but a smidge worse in BGN. Missing those first few words in the cafe. I found all the OTC far worse than the rest but surprising the airpod pros sounded very processed in the quite settings, even gated almost. Very cool. Love this real world testing. Nice.
I have been wearing Oticon aids for 5 years, and definitely have a love/hate relationship with them. Tinny sound being one of my complaints. I noticed John's voice in the video was very tinny with the prescription aids, but the girls voice more natural. I was listening to the video on my computer with my old Apple earbuds plugged in. In fact I use these for watching movies on my iPad instead of the hearing aids, as sound is more natural and easy to understand. After that I listened to the video again with my Bose headphones plugged in to the computer. All in all, for me the Oticon in the video was slightly better than the Phonak. I was surprised at how natural the other others sounded. Looking at getting new aids next year - I may try the Sony or Apple AirPods first and see how that goes.
In my opinion, the Airpods were the clear winner out of all of these examples. That has me very concerned because I'm just saw an audiologist who diagnosed mild- to moderate- loss in the upper band (above 2500 hz) and I'm watching this video to help determine which hearing aid makes the most sense...NOW I have to wonder whether I should wait longer for hearing aid manufacturers to catch up with the technology that is available and/or the technical know-how of the likes of Apple. What would you recommend??
I prefer the Oticon I have to say that no hearing aid I’ve tried streams music very well, not even close. At home I EQ my stereo and headphones to my audiogram. And for being out and about I wear headphones over my hearing aids.
I find my Phonak 90s stream music very well, limited as they are in the higher frequencies as are the Oticons. On the other hand I fully appreciate your use of headphones and often use a set of noise cancelling headphones. It's really about noise cancelling which can be much more effective then reduction. Listening to an in-flight movie using ear buds or even most headphones is near impossible but a good NC headset makes it very comfortable. The AirPod 2 Pro has real NC as do some of the other OTC models. Some can be used with external NC wireless mics and not much more expensive than a good headset.
It would be helpful if you were able to link to the audio files of the other models which didn't make it to the top of the list. I'm looking at getting hearing aids as I cannot understand speech in noisy environments. I'd like to get Costco ones however I don't know how much they will help in noisy environments. I see you have a few videos on the Philips Hearlink 9040 available at Costco, I'd love to hear how they go in your testing compared to the above winners, if they were in the list of the 50 tested. It might be that they aren't as good, in which case, I'm wasting my time with Costco.
Lucid Engage was best for both the conversation and the noisy environment. Very interesting to see the comments and it seems there is quite a lot of variety of opinion.
It would be great to compare over end hearing aides to higher level ones. I bet there are some OTC one that perform almost as well as the high end ones. Maybe best value in hearing aides.
I found the Oticon real and Lucid Engage clearer in the coffee shop, surprised that the Phonak were just a little muffled in the coffee shop. I listened using a Jabra Hearing aid then without with same results. I am in a quiet room with tow small Bose speakers facing me.
I have good hearing I hope. Studying for my father. From this video, Oticonhas more clarity to my ear. I can understand from the other due to my first understanding from oticon. Couldnt decide it at first,had to listen back several times.
ATM I am have tested the Starkey Genesis AI 24 and now trialing Phonak Audeo 90... Phonaks I find very metallic, and Starkey sounds more natural... accessories are a plus for Phonaks... But just comparing HA I would choose Starkey... Between the above of your list... Both prescription HA win a slight edge to the Oticon. I will probably purchase the Starkey because as you know as a customer we can not trial every single one of the top 6 prescription HA brands. I have mild to moderate hearing loss.
Thank you for putting in the work to do the testing we really need! I'm curious can the Sennheiser CCP be set up as CROS hearing aids? If not are there any earbuds you would recommend for single sided deafness?
I listened to your video through my headphones. I was very surprised that the apple ipod sound test was the easiest to listen to since it was the less harsh of your group. Why the prescription devices sound as smooth?
Maybe someone can report back on ANC wireless mics. On my iPhone mFi ANC wireless mics work very well except there is quite a bit of latency on my AirPods pro 2 giving me an echo effect. I understand the next gen AirPods should fix the latency problem but I still like the extra features of my Phonaks Audeo P90 aids, My Phonak remote Roger mics do not have noise canceling and are pretty much useless in noisy environments. The test I would like to see is a mFi compatible Hearing Aid (Phonaks are not) with a plugin ANC mic ($100). The best test would be to wear an ANC headset over the hearing aids to block out all noise and just stream speech from the remote mic.
For what it's worth... I own a pair of Oticon Reals and a pair of Phonak Paradise (precursor to the Lumity) and for me the Phonak Paradise are FAR superior to the Oticon Real in background noise. Granted, one pair (the Oticons) are RICs and the other (Phonak) are ITEs, but nonetheless, I'm far happier with the performance of my Phonaks, and I expect this would probably be true with the Lumity as well, though can't be certain until the day comes to upgrade to another pair. Also find the Phonak app far superior, as mentioned in this video.
Is it me or is the sound strange in the video? Every time you speak it starts off quiet and then towards the end of the sentence it gets really loud….might be my hearing aids?
I dont enjoy streaming through my hearing aids. For this, I was very impressed with the Airpods. BUT they will not stay in my ears no matter how I try. Apple needs to offer a color other than white
I actually thought all were lousy in background noise. The apple were perhaps a bit better at noise cancellation, but not enough to deal with the lack of prescription and poor batterlife. I really do not care about "sound quality" if I can just hear/understand the person I am looking at!!!!!!!!!
Awesome! I wanted to keep the video as short as possible to not lose people. For the next version I’ll make it longer. Thanks for the feedback Dave! Matthew
Digital Hearing aids have been around for years. I do not understand why, in 2023/4 ANY digital hearing aid cannot perform the task of sorting out background noise. with all the technology of the past years in many scientific fields Hearing aid manufacturers cannot sort out back ground noise . I have 10 year old hearing aids and I intend having them re programmed by an audio professional (the software is still available) and if that does not work I will carry on with my present hearing aids .I will not be purchasing any new ones . I am tired of the latest so called model upgrades, that perform way below what is expected for the cost Interesting video .
What was your process for narrowing to those specific devices? Why were so many left out? This is 95% marketing puffery and 5% science. Buyers beware of the growing number of these showy hucksters masquerading as experts.
Thanks for your feedback Brian. Quite the opposite, as mentioned in the video all of the info is available on how we tested them over on the Hear Advisor website to eliminate the ‘puffery’ that you’re talking about. Perhaps you need to rewatch. Thanks and looking forward to your videos, Matthew
Hey barombodaromba, the 6 sound files demonstrated today came out on top in the HearAdvisor tests from ALL prescription and ALL OTC hearing aids. I'm happy to make a video comparing all prescription hearing aids if you'd like? Let me know. Matthew
@@HearingTrackerYes, if I could please. I’d appreciate it very much. For example, Phonaks, which I had trialed, didn’t help me at all and I’ve achieved best results with a pair of Widexes I’m wearing now. But I have severe to profound sensorineural loss so no typical mild HL hearing aid user here.
I believe signia has a video on YT. I do not think they described how they captured the audio. They sounded pretty good to me but damn they are expensive. They do provide some tinnitus stuff which I think would help me too.
Seeing a comparison like these between all the major HA brands would be amazing. So hard sometimes to figure which aids are better when trialing a new pair.
Also an idear is a haptic vibrator when speech detected from behind, normally, to give you feedback back that someone or something is attracting your attention.
Which Hearing Tech sounded best to you overall? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Matthew
Hey could you review the Loop Switch earplugs and maybe compare the experience to the engage?
In your testing the various brands which you deemed had the best background noise control, I found the SONY & the AIR POD PROS TWO to equally have the best sound in a room, not nearly as good in a noisy environment. I was listening using Air Pod Pro Twos, have below moderate hearing loss on my audiogram, & LOW FREQUENCY LOSS. (Which creates an enormous problem understanding every day speech - most speech is garbled whether using Widex BEYOND, Widex MOMENT or a two week trial with SIGNIA PURE C&G IX. AIR POD PRO TWOS give me perfect speech sound, but, of course not enough volume unless I stand right next to the person.)
I painfully have to admit that I wanted the AirPods Pro to be the winner, but…..from my hearing loss perspective and while using AirPods Pro to listen to this test:
1. Sensorial hearing loss
2. Moderate to severe left, severe on the right
Lucid Engage was #1, and Sony coming at #2 for me.
I am surprised you didn’t chose the Signia Pure C&G 7-IX since they are outstanding for noise cancellation, may I know why?
I admire your very professional opinion and videos, as well as your voice which is VERY clear and with the perfect speed for all to understand.
My Audiologist had Oticon Exceeds now because they are supposed to be better to hear Speech with background sounds and have most Amplification possible now. I had Siemens Ultra power Hearing Aids that did the same thing because I do not hear the Speech with the background sounds around me because everything blends together and I am not able to pick out the Speech. I am not sure how it sounds Hearing with my Hearing Aids because I have so much Amplification to Hear I think that the sound is processed a lot for me to hear it seems like to me. I like it better without Vents so I can get the sound I need to hear sent to my Hearing Aids without the background sounds around me always getting in the way of Hearing anything. I Tested lower in the Hearing Testing so my Audiologist know that I was not Hearing Speech so I get these kind of Hearing Aids and he did not try other kinds with me because they would not have enuf Amplification and you need Amplification to Hear.
so, In my opinion, the Phonak was just a bit better than the Oticon Prescription hearing aids. I struggle with speech clarity so this is a big deal to me. I am currently wearing Phonak hearing aids, but an older technology. I'm currently waiting for an appointment with an Audiologist to get new hearing aids. I have to admit, the OTC hearing aids sounded pretty good. But, as you said, nothing can replace having an Audiologist in recommending and evaluating my hearing loss. Thanks again for this video.
Hey Garrison, thanks for reaching out and taking the time to comment. I hope you get on well in your next appointment and your audiologist is able to recommend something that can help. Matthew
Thanks for all your work on this. Including sound samples really sets it apart.
Hey Bruce, comments like this make it all worthwhile. Thank you for taking the time to reach out, Matthew
In the noisy environment, the Airpods isolated the speaking the best for me. Noisy environments is the only thing I really need a hearing aid for.
Matthew, Thank you very much for producing this excellent video. I'min process of replacing my 4 year old Resound Linx with Oticon Ral1 RITE's. I have a moderate hearing loss and the additional volume that the Oticon's achieve as well as their sound isolation in noisy environments ias a game changer. I've been using a pair of demo units for the past week and recognize that this may not be a long enouigh time for a proper comparison. On the other hand, my very rent experience with the Resound's is still fresh with the differences more apparent. My audiologist has also recommended a custom ear mold, that I'm keen to try for outside noise reduction and enhanced performance while listening to music. I thought that the testing protocol that you used was well-conceived, as it accurately replicated the way that I perceive sound in a cafe environment. Thanks again for a great job. i'm looking forward to the next viseo on music streaming quality!
I have mod to severe hearing loss and use Phonak hearing aids. I used my Doqaus headphones (without using my hearing aids) to listen to the video. To my utter amazement the AirPods Pro 2 were the clearest for me!
Hey Matthew, listening with my Widex Moment Sheer 440s; for me, the Phonaks were most natural sounding. I did have trouble understanding the initial statement in the Cafe setting - "Did you hear the news last night?" and the Sony CRE let me hear it most clearly. That was a surprise.
Hey Tom, thanks for sharing! I have plans to share a lot more so watching this space. There are many more surprises to come! Matthew
I'm going to Costco next week for hearing aides. They have the Phillips 9040, Jabra pro 20 and Rexton. Which would you recommend for overall performance in general? My big problem like most people is hearing in noisy environments and after reading Consumer Reports on hearing aides they say that none of the hearing aides tested were very good in noisy environments. Would love your feedback on this. Thanks.
This test is extremely helpful, but the duration is waaaaay too short. Why not repeat with like 30 second test samples. And add more devices. But love the idea, love the tests.
Hey Jay that’s a great call! I’ll add longer clips for the next video that’s similar. Thanks, Matthew
@@HearingTracker Thanks so much. I'll be looking for it.
Matthew, thank you so much for taking all the trouble to give us the results of your extensive testing and your professional opinion. Incredibly helpful for someone who loses her expensive hearing aids all too often.
Great informative video as always, and great add on the framing with the mirror. Bravo!
Thanks Matthias! Matthew 😊
I listened 3X and felt the AirPods bested in noisy environments. So I assume the AirPods had noise cancelling on, something not available in other models and not mentioned. My 3 year old Phonak P90s deliver the best overall sound quality but only my Airpods Pro2 with cancelling on are comfortable streaming in high noise, like downtown traffic. So I use them both and they are pretty good about automatically switching between my various streaming devices
AirPods Pro is the best. My opinion.
Cheers Kim 😊 Matthew
Should these be used as hearing aids ? I don’t believe so however I’m open to understand.
I agree. The intelligibility was superior in noisy environment. I use AirPod pros in high reverberation environments for improved intelligibility. I use only one pod at a time. Works great for me.
@@Pinkyandthebrain290
Lots of new OTC hearing aids have come out recently. The Sennheiser All Day Clear is a major step up from the Sennheiser Conversation clear units and Orka is a new entry in the field with a supposedly advanced processor. I'd like to see this test updated regularly with new units as they are released.
Really useful test that helps demonstrate the range of potential benefits. Listening via my new Phonak Lumity 90’s I would say the Oticons gave a more natural sound. The other dimension to the test could be cost v benefit. Very happy with my L90’s over previous Signia Active Pros, which are similar to / rebadged by Sony for their OTC offering
Thanks for sharing your experiences! Matthew
Great video!! Is the Phonak Lumity similar to the Sennheiser behind the ear hearing aides, I believe it's the same company. I would love to see the same test done with IIC and CIC hearing aides. Thanks.
I placed Oticon Real at number one, followed by Lucid Engage on second, and Sony on third.
It was hard for me to hear any significant difference between the Phonak Lumity and the Airpods Pro, which is quite surprising and a bit disappointing considering the difference in price and primary user story for these two devices.
Thank you for sharing this!
I agree except for top pick. Mine was lucid and then Sony. I listened with galaxy ear buds.
@@tonyk438 I was using a Sony headset and my hearing aids from Resound.
You're welcome! Thanks for taking the time to feed back. Matthew
Great video!!! I know the in the canal hearing aides are not as good as the behind the ear models in a noisy environment but it would be cool to see how well the top ones perform in this test. I have Eargo 5's and they are terrible in background noise. Thanks
Leave it with me! Thanks for taking the time to commend Rich - Matthew
Well done. Finally an interpretion which discusses how to block background moise. The airpods sound better, I'm very sensitive to backgrounr noise. Mt Oticon aids are great for voice but I'm very sensitive to background noise, such as road noise and or restaurant etc. The airpods seemed to mask the background noise. Maybe because the airpods block the ear canal via the pods?
I have mild to moderate loss along with tinnitus. I use Apple AirPods all day, one at a time because the battery life is so short. I have not had hearing aides before. For me the 2 prescription ones, highlighted the sounds of paper crinkle and the pencil drop far too much. The middle 2 were a good balance between voice and background. The last two earbud style suppressed the background totally. I think the Sony may be a good start into hearing aids I could actually wear all day .
Starting at 17:30
Best to me (50-60 db hearing loss range for upper frequencies most effected, audiogram looks like a fairly flat normal curve):
1.Lucid Engage
2. Sony e10s
Best hearing aid Phonak Lumity L 90. Speechsensor. Congratulations on a brilliant presentation. 🎉
I found the Phonak less tinny and more comfortable than the Oticon in the quiet room, but less distinct from the background (yet more normal tones) than the Otic in the noisy room. Couldn't make out the first sentence in the noisy room on any of the devices, though the last 2 sentences were clear. FYI, listened through Phonak Audeo Paradice hearing aids on both tv bluetooth transmitter and again on android phone bluetooth.
My comment relates to my profound heart loss in right ear and severe loss in left ear. The voices were trebly and unreal.
You have not mentioned the elephant in the room and that’s the cost of them, more specifically the lack of saleability of your old aids.
Over 5he last 10 plus years I’ve been forced, because of hearing degradation, to repeatedly buy new aids. I’ve had the top models of resound, oticon and phonax.
I’m about to buy the phonax sphere brand new aids in mid late September.
Also I’m intrigued with the fitting in the ear domes or moulds I’ve had both and now looking to go back to moulded ears. But my issue with previous moulds was the occlusion you get, ie the sound is in your head rather like a heavy cold blockage.
I’m hoping that they and open vent enough to prevent this, and , but what about active vented ears? Will they work with open moulds.
Lastly my particular issue is with the incoming speech offering clarified and fully understood.
I would be very happy for your views on the above.
Why no resale market for old devices.
Why do manufacturers not offer rental with update periods of 1 and 2 years, every one’s ear deteriate over time.
The are many issues with remote mikes and I’d be happy to share my views on the many types I used resound, oticon and phonax, all have server limitation and in my view miss the mark.
Lastly for my needs it would be great to limit in coming sound to about 6/8 ft and dull out anything further so truly getting speech in crowds.
Regards
Phil coombes
Also an idear is a haptic vibrator when speech detected from behind, normally, to give you feedback back that someone or something is attracting your attention.
Regards Phil
I wonder how the airpods pro perform with the new software update :) the conversation clarity seems to be vastly improved, and the ambient noise reduction and ability to change the color of the sound make it a clear winner for me with moderate hearing loss!
also, first comment on your videos but you got me to switch from my costco/phonak hearing aids to airpods pro 2s and it's been life-changing!! love your content and so incredibly needed right now
Hey Gwendolyn, thanks for taking the time to comment. I'll look into this thanks for the heads up!! I am delighted to hear that the videos are making the difference. Hopefully its the first comment of many. Matthew 😀
Excellent work Matthew@@HearingTracker . I'm not giving up on my Phonaks yet but my AirPods Pro 2s plus a cheap wireless noise cancelling mic beat out my P90s both in noisy streaming and when using my noisy wireless Roger On INs. I'm betting the AirPods you tested were using active noise cancellation. Ear pods which both block and cancel ambient noise are going to win over any reduction strategy. I think the hearing industry needs to step up their game quickly. As much as I like to hear about the new chips and AI i'm quite certain cancellation strategies are going to triumph over reduction strategies. As a first step I think the providers should allow us to use remote NC mics as does Apple with its Live Listen feature. I can't do that with my Phonaks and they should be ashamed.
Really interesting. The sonys seemed to cut off far less speech,when they talk about the news letter? before he says getting a break. The others seemed to rip that part of the speech right off. I would say the sonys sounded more natural but that's because they're processing far less. I couldn't personally tell much of a difference between oticon and Phonak but I'd be really interested to demo them both. I have no eyesight so I guess I'm particularly sensitive to the sound of "sound" being messed about with.
Comparing all of them for best speech clarity and understanding I would, surprisingly, rate the Sennheiser the best overall. For prescription HA (I am a Oticon More wearer), I would rate the Phonak slightly better in this evaluation. I found both the Oticon and Phonak to be subpar in this test.
So is there a video on which are the best for those with profound hearing loss?
Also an idear is a haptic vibrator when speech detected from behind, normally, to give you feedback back that someone or something is attracting your attention.
I am just starting to look into this . I have a couple easy questions I think at least.looking at prescription sets with Bluetooth .
1 . While streaming audiobooks will I be able to hear outside noise like vehicles. I work outside on the roads as a mailman.
2. Is there a brand that is better for outdoor exposure with the cost ?I will definitely worry being out it the rain all day .
Thank you for this video. I'm still in the process of watching. But, I have a question for you. What is your opinion of using a "Hearing aid dispenser" ? This is someone who doesn't have the education of a audiologist and gives basic hearing tests. I've been going to a dispenser for the past few years. I did have a great Audiologist that I just loved and she was the best. She diagnosed my type of hearing loss and with that information, she was able to recommend the hearing best for me. Dispenser to me is like a car salesman. The know a little about the hearing aid and have limited knowledge of which would be best for me. All this to say that I have decided to see an audiologist to get the right hearing aid for me hearing loss. Thanks again for this and all your videos.
It's hard for me to say as I don't know the exact qualification route in the US to become a hearing aid dispenser. I think that if you find the right person who eats, sleeps, and breathes hearing aids *and* gives listens to your needs, assesses properly AND fits the hearing aids well then title doesn't necessarily matter. You can get bad audiologists and bad hearing aids dispensers and vice versa.
Which are the recommended ones for noisy environments conversations with a one sided higher frequency mild/moderate hearing loss?
Surprised to say that hearing what was said was best for me with the Senheiser and Air Pods. They both did a notably superior job of reducing background noise so that the voices were more clearly heard. All the others seemed to amplify background noises too much. I say this while wearing the Oticon Real 3s.
The Real really nailed it in BGN. The Lumity is quite nice in quiet but a smidge worse in BGN. Missing those first few words in the cafe. I found all the OTC far worse than the rest but surprising the airpod pros sounded very processed in the quite settings, even gated almost. Very cool. Love this real world testing. Nice.
I have been wearing Oticon aids for 5 years, and definitely have a love/hate relationship with them. Tinny sound being one of my complaints. I noticed John's voice in the video was very tinny with the prescription aids, but the girls voice more natural. I was listening to the video on my computer with my old Apple earbuds plugged in. In fact I use these for watching movies on my iPad instead of the hearing aids, as sound is more natural and easy to understand. After that I listened to the video again with my Bose headphones plugged in to the computer. All in all, for me the Oticon in the video was slightly better than the Phonak. I was surprised at how natural the other others sounded. Looking at getting new aids next year - I may try the Sony or Apple AirPods first and see how that goes.
I wish you were near where I Live. I would really like to come to your clinic to get my hearing aids.
What a lovely message! Thank you.
In my opinion, the Airpods were the clear winner out of all of these examples. That has me very concerned because I'm just saw an audiologist who diagnosed mild- to moderate- loss in the upper band (above 2500 hz) and I'm watching this video to help determine which hearing aid makes the most sense...NOW I have to wonder whether I should wait longer for hearing aid manufacturers to catch up with the technology that is available and/or the technical know-how of the likes of Apple. What would you recommend??
I prefer the Oticon
I have to say that no hearing aid I’ve tried streams music very well, not even close. At home I EQ my stereo and headphones to my audiogram. And for being out and about I wear headphones over my hearing aids.
I find my Phonak 90s stream music very well, limited as they are in the higher frequencies as are the Oticons. On the other hand I fully appreciate your use of headphones and often use a set of noise cancelling headphones. It's really about noise cancelling which can be much more effective then reduction. Listening to an in-flight movie using ear buds or even most headphones is near impossible but a good NC headset makes it very comfortable. The AirPod 2 Pro has real NC as do some of the other OTC models. Some can be used with external NC wireless mics and not much more expensive than a good headset.
I listened with my air pods in, and agree the Oticon REAL is the winner. Cannot wait to see what you find with the Oticon Intent now in 2024 from!
It would be helpful if you were able to link to the audio files of the other models which didn't make it to the top of the list. I'm looking at getting hearing aids as I cannot understand speech in noisy environments. I'd like to get Costco ones however I don't know how much they will help in noisy environments. I see you have a few videos on the Philips Hearlink 9040 available at Costco, I'd love to hear how they go in your testing compared to the above winners, if they were in the list of the 50 tested. It might be that they aren't as good, in which case, I'm wasting my time with Costco.
Lucid Engage was best for both the conversation and the noisy environment. Very interesting to see the comments and it seems there is quite a lot of variety of opinion.
Did you test the new Resound Nexia with M&Rie?
It would be great to compare over end hearing aides to higher level ones. I bet there are some OTC one that perform almost as well as the high end ones. Maybe best value in hearing aides.
I found the Oticon real and Lucid Engage clearer in the coffee shop, surprised that the Phonak were just a little muffled in the coffee shop. I listened using a Jabra Hearing aid then without with same results. I am in a quiet room with tow small Bose speakers facing me.
I have good hearing I hope. Studying for my father. From this video, Oticonhas more clarity to my ear. I can understand from the other due to my first understanding from oticon. Couldnt decide it at first,had to listen back several times.
ATM I am have tested the Starkey Genesis AI 24 and now trialing Phonak Audeo 90... Phonaks I find very metallic, and Starkey sounds more natural... accessories are a plus for Phonaks... But just comparing HA I would choose Starkey... Between the above of your list... Both prescription HA win a slight edge to the Oticon. I will probably purchase the Starkey because as you know as a customer we can not trial every single one of the top 6 prescription HA brands. I have mild to moderate hearing loss.
Thank you for putting in the work to do the testing we really need! I'm curious can the Sennheiser CCP be set up as CROS hearing aids? If not are there any earbuds you would recommend for single sided deafness?
Phonak #1 Sennheiser #2 Thank you!
Independent testing is very exciting
Hey FluentPC, you’re telling me! Woop 😊 Matthew
The Airpods were best for me.
Thanks for sharing! Matthew
Which AirPod Pro version is the best for hearing?
In terms of background noise like busy cafe. Oticon Real is the best. OTC Sennheiser Conversation Clear Plus is very good.
Totally agree! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Matthew
I listened to your video through my headphones. I was very surprised that the apple ipod sound test was the easiest to listen to since it was the less harsh of your group. Why the prescription devices sound as smooth?
Why you did not test Genesis AI from Starkey?
Airpods rocks for the price!
Hi, why are not Resound here?
Hey there, they didn’t make the cut. Thanks, Matthew
It seems like all of them either sounded great in a quiet environment but lacked clarity in a noisy environment or the other way around.
Maybe someone can report back on ANC wireless mics. On my iPhone mFi ANC wireless mics work very well except there is quite a bit of latency on my AirPods pro 2 giving me an echo effect. I understand the next gen AirPods should fix the latency problem but I still like the extra features of my Phonaks Audeo P90 aids, My Phonak remote Roger mics do not have noise canceling and are pretty much useless in noisy environments. The test I would like to see is a mFi compatible Hearing Aid (Phonaks are not) with a plugin ANC mic ($100). The best test would be to wear an ANC headset over the hearing aids to block out all noise and just stream speech from the remote mic.
4:29 Why talk about colors in a video about background noise handling?
Giving an overview of the tech…
I've always wondered as to how many of the people who are evaluating and testing hearing aids actually are hearing aid wearers.
Check out the criteria for the testing we’ve done. It’s pretty bulletproof! Thanks, Matthew
Phonak luminity is the best!!
Thanks for sharing your feedback Carla 😊 Matthew
For what it's worth... I own a pair of Oticon Reals and a pair of Phonak Paradise (precursor to the Lumity) and for me the Phonak Paradise are FAR superior to the Oticon Real in background noise. Granted, one pair (the Oticons) are RICs and the other (Phonak) are ITEs, but nonetheless, I'm far happier with the performance of my Phonaks, and I expect this would probably be true with the Lumity as well, though can't be certain until the day comes to upgrade to another pair. Also find the Phonak app far superior, as mentioned in this video.
Is it me or is the sound strange in the video? Every time you speak it starts off quiet and then towards the end of the sentence it gets really loud….might be my hearing aids?
Hmm I'm not sure. Anyone else noticing it? Thanks for reaching out, Matthew
For me, and I have a severe level of hearing loss, the Phonak was best.
Thank you for the feedback Merril! Matthew
samples are informative but way too short to form a purchase opinion
I dont enjoy streaming through my hearing aids. For this, I was very impressed with the Airpods. BUT they will not stay in my ears no matter how I try. Apple needs to offer a color other than white
I actually thought all were lousy in background noise. The apple were perhaps a bit better at noise cancellation, but not enough to deal with the lack of prescription and poor batterlife. I really do not care about "sound quality" if I can just hear/understand the person I am looking at!!!!!!!!!
Sample too short and lack range of words. Look forward to concert (music), restaurant, meeting, outdoor sound. Great idea but slim useful results.
Awesome! I wanted to keep the video as short as possible to not lose people. For the next version I’ll make it longer. Thanks for the feedback Dave! Matthew
Digital Hearing aids have been around for years. I do not understand why, in 2023/4 ANY digital hearing aid cannot perform the task of sorting out background noise. with all the technology of the past years in many scientific fields Hearing aid manufacturers cannot sort out back ground noise . I have 10 year old hearing aids and I intend having them re programmed by an audio professional (the software is still available) and if that does not work I will carry on with my present hearing aids .I will not be purchasing any new ones . I am tired of the latest so called model upgrades, that perform way below what is expected for the cost Interesting video .
I could not detect any difference in clear speech.
But I have a moderate to severe hearing loss
Thanks for sharing your feedback! Matthew
oticon real best
Oticon Real sounded best to me.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Georeimonn 😊 Matthew
Lucid and Sony.
Thanks for the feedback Tony! Matthew
Option Real
WHERE IS PHILIPS HEARLINK AI ?
I use Widex, so this video does nothing for me.
Sennheiser
Air Pods best
Phonak poor
Sennheiser sounded best to me
What was your process for narrowing to those specific devices? Why were so many left out? This is 95% marketing puffery and 5% science. Buyers beware of the growing number of these showy hucksters masquerading as experts.
Thanks for your feedback Brian.
Quite the opposite, as mentioned in the video all of the info is available on how we tested them over on the Hear Advisor website to eliminate the ‘puffery’ that you’re talking about.
Perhaps you need to rewatch. Thanks and looking forward to your videos, Matthew
Sennheiser was best
Where's Widex, Resound, Signia and Starkey, this test is a joke....
Hey barombodaromba, the 6 sound files demonstrated today came out on top in the HearAdvisor tests from ALL prescription and ALL OTC hearing aids. I'm happy to make a video comparing all prescription hearing aids if you'd like? Let me know. Matthew
@@HearingTrackerYes, if I could please. I’d appreciate it very much. For example, Phonaks, which I had trialed, didn’t help me at all and I’ve achieved best results with a pair of Widexes I’m wearing now. But I have severe to profound sensorineural loss so no typical mild HL hearing aid user here.
@@miroslavscherkl3533 leave it with me 😊
I believe signia has a video on YT. I do not think they described how they captured the audio. They sounded pretty good to me but damn they are expensive. They do provide some tinnitus stuff which I think would help me too.
Seeing a comparison like these between all the major HA brands would be amazing. So hard sometimes to figure which aids are better when trialing a new pair.
Phonak
Video trying to cover to much and types not relatable. Hearing loss has nothing to do with Air buds
Hi John, thanks for the feedback. It has everything to do with them. The world is changing my friend. Matthew
… For me Sony sounded much better.
Thanks for sharing! Matthew
.
All of these hearing aids sounded horrible to my ears.
They were all bad, did not understand any of them.
This video was very disappointing
I’d love to know why. Let me know and It will help me to improve it for my next version! Matthew
Also an idear is a haptic vibrator when speech detected from behind, normally, to give you feedback back that someone or something is attracting your attention.