I bought the smartRICs when they first came out in Feb of this year. Here is my experience. I wore Lyrics for 13 or 14 years They were fine and really convenient since they stay in the ear 24/7 - also invisible. I wore Insignia IICs for a few years after that. They were OK for voice but music didn't sound great. I trialed the premium versions of all the major brands during the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024. Music sounded awful on all of them. I am a musician - piano and organ and I listen to a lot of live and recorded music. Then I trialed the widex smartRICs. Oh my heck - music sounded glorious - better than I had heard for many, many years. they are comfortable and not too obtrusive. Seven months in, I totally love them. I would also note that I have custom earmolds (needed the power but not the feedback). They work very well and easily fit inside the charging case. They could be bigger and still fit.
Sorry to hear this negative review because I bought the Smart RIC hearing aids last month which I chose above two other brands. For me the Widex sound is more natural and these are noticeably better in noisy environments than my previous Widex Evoke aids. Unlike the others I tried, the Bluetooth connection to my iPhone is flawless. I did miss not having buttons but, even better, I can make adjustments from the Moment app in my Apple Watch , although an extra expense. As far as the case, I have a mold in one ear and fits fine in the case. In the end, it’s the sound quality (including streaming) and performance in noise that matter to me and the Smart RIC came out ahead of the others. Of course, a good audiologist is a must too.
Same here!, I’m a musician and apparently have absolute pitch and i have Widex, they were there only devices i could ever use out of the few i tried, being i wasn’t a candidate when I tried the lyric devices but those were really the best too,.. but widex is really is also perfect for musicians
Just ordered my SmartRIC and feel the same way (guitar) player. The last thing designers and engineers should do when something works very well is completely start over with a totally different approach. But marketing/stock holders often force that rather than just sane incremental change. As a retired R&D engineer, I happen to favor the incremental approach of Widex while preserving their unique and natural sound their users love so much. I see lots of improvement in the SmartRIC and do not see that as a negative. Yes they could have done more but more is not always better, just different and sometimes introduces unforeseen issues that affect what used to work very well.
@@basa820 Open domes? Same with most hearing aids. I used a player with a 10 band equalizer that helps but if you have venting then that will drastically affect streaming sounds
Okay, musician and Widex Moment user chiming in here (so, yeah, obviously biased) :). As always, I appreciate your reviews, Cliff, but speaking of disappointment... I was kind of hoping you compared some more of what I'd consider deeper aspects of hearing aid performance: speech in noise (though I appreciated you touching upon directionality!), practical frequency range, reliability and usefulness of Widex' mode-autoswitching (especially given the lack of a button!). If none of this changed since the introduction of the Puresound platform in 2020, fine, but I'd still love to understand how these new SmartRICs compare to the premier levels of other brands in these aspects. Maybe I'm the only one who doesn't care about streaming (I have great over-the-ear headphones, and my Airpod Pro 2 works awesome in accessibility mode w/ my audiogram inputted, and I guess I just don't make phone calls all that much in public). I really just want to know: for hearing colleagues, for hearing people who whisper, for hearing in noisy environments like trains or bustling cities... how does this SmartRIC compare to Oticon Intent, Phonak Lumity, etc.? Maybe that's just not easy to answer in general?
I just got the basic model which I use with an Apple iPad. I was fully expecting to hate it, however my experience was totally opposite. For me, it’s absolutely perfect, I love everything about it. It connects easily and the sound quality of both speech and streamed music is phenomenal. It’s just what I need and nothing more to get in my way.
I'm demoing these right now and they are much better than my 2020 moment HAs.. I'm not even a fan of Widex and definitely have had my share of grievances towards them but credit where credit is due: the smart rics are fantastic. I'm purchasing them now. And to say that the technology hasn't changed is wrong. The receivers are completely different from my moments. The receivers do sound "loud" and need to be adjusted. The gain is a bit much honestly. However, after two weeks of demoing the new SmartRic, I can confidentially say they are clearer, fit better, and appear to be better quality. Also, I love the new shape. WAY better fit and feel. They are slightly bigger but also light and nimble. You can actually handle them easier they and do not cause ear fatigue like the Widex moments 2020.
Awesome, thanks for that. I have mine on order after demo-ing Moments. They were better than anything I tried, so if the SmartRics are better still, I will be stoked.
Great insight here. I have been using this unit for over a week. My primary goal is to help with tinnitus noise. So far, I am not impressed, but I am sure this takes more time. Otherwise, I have no reference to the competition so your video helps. Nice to know if there is a hearing aid "most desired" for tinnitus patients.
@@MrRonnmaui I was told by a Widex representative to listen to the Tinnitus fractal tones for 15 minutes a day. You can do it while engaged in other activities-no need to concentrate on it. After a week or so, I noticed big improvement.
Thanks for the review. While I realize these SmartRic HA didn't address all the things people want like remote updates easier and LE Audio, for someone that really hates what most HA do to the sound of live music like my guitar, they seem to be the best choice. Yes musicians, "for whatever reason" do have their reasons why Widex is chosen by most making music...they tend to not distort and mess with the tone to the point that as a guitar player I really don't know for sure if I have that treble knob too high, or my amp is distorting, or my bending is accurate or even if the guitar I just bought is really as thin sounding as I perceive it to be! And while I have not tried every brand (only Philips and Lexton), I continue to read about the very same complaints from musicians and singers using other brands while Widex has very few musician/singer complaints. Yes I want to hear better and I do with almost any modern hearing aid properly set up using good practices, REM, etc. Is it perfect? Well no that would be my natural hearing I was born with, lol. But better is good and live music not mangled by distortion is SOOOOOO much better. Getting a set of these in a few weeks (From a local audi that takes my medicare $3K benefit, does REM and appears to have excellent ratings from others) and looking forward to finding out for myself "why". They did sound very natural in my first experience trying them (no guitar though).
Cliff, as an amateur musician and an audiologist with 30 years of experience, 25 years of which is in the area of tinnitus, I would like to suggest that sometimes the only choice for a patient is Widex. Therefore, we will have to deal without the option of AURACAST, and no push button, etc. At the end of the day, most people prefer sound quality; and Widex has great sound quality. But I do agree that this was not a huge upgrade.
I have had the SmartRICs for three months now and am very happy with them overall. I am 66 and have moderate high-end hearing loss and am also a music audiophile. The SmartRICs do a beautiful job presenting music. I feel like I hear music like I was back during my 20s. As far as the features of the SmartRICs, they are enough for me. They stream flawlessly from my iPad and iPhone, and I really like the way you can customize the hearing aids for different environments/uses of the hearing aids. I don’t need extra bells and whistles like health monitoring that are offered by other hearing aids brands. The hearing aids work well at hearing conversations in noisy environments like restaurants. I have had no problem there. The streaming from the IPad or iPhone is great for applications like games, RUclips, movies. For music though, it doesn’t match the performance of dedicated $200+ music earbuds, but that would be unrealistic to expect. Finally, I find the Tinnitus programs to be relaxing and have helped to distract me from my Tinnitus.
@@StevenMasonBranding No, I didn't try the Signias. When I told my audiologist that I am an audiophile and one of my main goals was improving music listening, she immediately said I should try the Widex. She never even mentioned the Signias. That, and a positive review of the Widex Moment by Michael Fremmer convinced me to try the Widex. Once I tried them out, I was hooked.
Thank you for the review. When I was buying my first pair of hearing aids , my research indicated that Widex was not a brand I was interested in purchasing. At that time, the appearance (shape and color) was the only reason to purchase Widex over other brands. The sound quality was a little more natural in the Widex and Oticon than the Phonak that i eventually bought. The biggest factor to switch for me would be battery life. I do a lot of streaming and need to put my devices back in the charger back in the charger after 12 hours of streaming. Although i think that’s great battery life for streaming, it would be nice not to have to pop them back in the charger for an hour to get them through my waking hours.
Dr. Olson, I'm hoping you can give me advice(PLEASE) ... The audiologist i just went to said she didn't think I'd benefit from hearing aids, because my loss is only in the higher frequency ranges, and that raising the sound in those ranges would make my sound sensitivity even worse. But she did say that raising these higher frequency sounds, may lower my perception of the tinnitus. I'd rather deal with some occasional louder noise/sounds, than deal with this high pitched tinnitus 24/7. In your opinion, should i get another opinion from a different audiologist? There are no "best practices" audiologist near where i live.
I had the same issue as you after collecting my Widex 330's yesterday on my Android Phone. I had set up pre-sets and they vanised. My solution was that I rebooted my phone and they were all there again including the ones the Audiologist had set up
Interesting review. On the Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast issue ... the spec sheet seems to suggest that these are supported - is this a recent upgrade for the product?
What would be your best suggestion in hearing aid for a musician other than Widex, or is Widex the best option. Looking to get a new pair next week. I play electric guitar.
Widex is the brand Steve Lukather wears (yes, he did the ad, but he's not the kind of guy to just tout something for a buck). Widex is also the overwhelming choice of Nashville musicians. If you find something better, let us know. My Widex's blew away everything else I tried in terms of sound quality when playing piano, guitar, ukulele, flute, harmonica and when singing. Are they as good as my ears when I was 30, no, but I am glad to hear again and to enjoy playing again after a sudden and serious hearing loss.
@@thebrianchannel9890 Ya Ikr?, I have only had that once but luckily it wasn’t while i was in middle of something but To prevent that, I guess just keep the app not running in the background or disconnect the Bluetooth beforehand to avoid it maybe,.. But i understand it can be annoying if it happens at a bad time. What phone do you have?
HI. Good review. I kind of have mixed feelings. Llike you I do think the upgrade is a bit disappointing and yes they should have added a few new features, LE audio, waterproofing, ability to stream both ways to a device without an accessory etc. I think the thing no one talks about the 0 sound delay, is that when you turn that on, you lose the ability to use a lot of the sound processing. The biggest problem for me personally, as someone who has lost bass freqs, is that the 0delay only allows you to adjust the high bands not anything else. However, the thing about widex, unlike any other hearing aid I've used, they don't tamper with the sound. Even their delayed universal program is significantly faster than most other hearing aids. They don't produce artefacts like the other manufacturers do. As a blind person, I like the fact they keep the world sounding like it should. I do not like hearing aids that tell me what they think I want to hear so all this AI rubbish can go park itself as far as I'm concerned :) turning people down because they're not in my eyeline, as a blind person this is really bad for me. I am really sad they took away the push buttons. I will give these a go though because they're just so natural sounding.
@@meric12131415 water Resistance, but nowhere near as good as say the Lumati's. also, charging contacts being exposed I imagine doesn't work very well with water around. I've taken the 440s in the rain before but I worry about them.
These reviews are for those that like a certain brand. I have had the custom Signia Charge & Go - terrible sound and bluetooth and Phonak Virto also terrible. I tried the Oticon Intent for 30 days not bad sound but bluetooth was not good. I have decided on the Widex 440. The speech and music sound is really good. I don't understand why you are concerned about features. Hearing aids for me are to hear better and streaming music is a plus as I no longer need headphones, so I have to turn off the music when talking not a problem for me. People with normal hearing use phones without a problem. I wear glasses and there is not a problem with the shape of these. Now the kicker is after 7 days of trial I am going back to the audiologist and he claims he can make the sound a lot better as he will be doing REM.
I'm a Moment (first gen) user and I love them but is true that other brands are way ahead with the overall connectivity. It's seems that Widex just want to sell more devices. Widex is what sounds better for me and I will still use the brand but for my job, Bluetooth LE is a game changer so I hope they implement it in the next iteration.
Actually they need to sort out their 0 delay because it has a major issue no one talks about. Once activated, you lose nearly all other processing and many of the adjustment bands. I'd personally love to use the "pure" mode, but I can't because my loss is in the lower bands and you can't adjust those at all once it's set up like this. You also lose any sort of noise canceling or compression with it like this, which is a shame.
I don't care about all the extra stuff to be honest. As a musician, I want the lowest latency possible. That's the whole ball of wax (har har) for me. I just want the product to help my ears hear the way I used to before hearing loss. Nothing more, to be honest. And maybe help me ignore people I still don't want to be able to hear...
You can reboot your hearing aids with a magnet if needed. Whatever issue you are having with Bluetooth isn't anything I have ever seen since it's product release or the previous Moment SRIC release. I have dispensed every major manufacturer and have had many successful fitting with Widex moment and Smart products. It's unfortunate this video comes across as somewhat negative . The extended battery life, portable charger, improved wind noise reduction, less microphone noise due to touch, and most important increase in hearing in noise due to the microphone angles are all great features worthy of a new product release.
the guy is biased towards his own brands, i have tried other brands and the 330 has a natural sound and i can make personalized for different settings, though the graphic equalizer settings already in the app are very good for a quick change in odd situations
I agree with you at the end of this that there should be more things with the white X I have a problem with it just lately sometimes it'll cut out when I am listening to something online maybe they need cleaned or something like that but what I'm not happy with if I did get the new one that there is no extra battery charger we need extra battery chargers with our hearing aids so that we can take them anywhere and not have to worry I'm not going back to battery hearing aids because I don't like having to play around with batteries and my other sets of hearing aids were a flop because I had to worry about it all the time carry batteries everywhere with me batteries would die during my church service and I wouldn't be happy I got the fiddle around with them and then I couldn't hear anything I'm getting a different one I want one that actually has the extra charger I think you would agree with that to get the extra charger it would be more beneficial
I am currently trying hearing aids for the first time. Started out using Oticon Intent 1. Now i am trying Widex Smartric 440. It is hard to compare both of them. I like the Oticon but the Widex have a lot more user programmability with the app making a valid choice. My biggest question is do the Widex Smartric 440 have Bluetooth LE for Auracast . Your video says no but my audiologist was told by a Widex rep that they do. So I don't know who is correct and cannot find a clear answer with web searches. Could you please clarify so I can sleep tonight. Thanks.
My pro and con experience when I tried the Oticon Intent for a week: The Good - 👍 Speech clarity OK The Bad - 👎 Annoying loud jingle when changing programs - 👎 Annoying music when starting up. - 👎 Sharp, flat audio on streaming, including phone calls. - 👎 Low volume on phone calls - App needs to reconnect to hearing aids every time and takes long. - Sound not as full as Widex - Limited controls - No ability to create custom programs - Loses streaming connection sometimes - Distorted scratchy ambient sound - No program announcements by name I chose the Smart RIC 440 and use it with iPhone and Apple Watch
New SmartRIC user here, 1st HA ever. I have to comment some "buts"...but LE Audio is not widely available, great if you have it but most don't yet and not for several years to come. It does support Bt LE and to my surprise works with my 3yrs old Samsung S7fe tablet, which of course doesn't support LEAudio. The Music Program (a subset of Universal) is meant for live music, which has a significant natural sound component to the sound space. Streamed audio on the other hand has zero natural sound, hence it makes total sense to have a different profile to boost the lower frequencies, which otherwise would not be using the program for live music. Surprised that the review did not clue in to that obvious reason for what was demonstrated. That said Ì also keep in mind that an open receiver is far from ideal for streaming, like normal earbuds with sound isolation and larger speaker are and can never compare. It's more a practicality than it is suited for streaming and one should not put too much emphasis on that. I play violin, so far no tonality issues at all for me, no distortion, no feedback, it just works. Wind handling is I think pretty decent. Had the device for 12 days now and I recharged the carrying case once, never ran out of Power with extensive streaming; I'd say pretty darn good, 12 days on 1 recharge wearing them from wake up to sleep time (when storing the HA in the case every night). So just a little different perspective to keep in mind.
@@jazzcats1000 Most open dome fits are terrible for streaming music so I've downloaded an app with 10 band equalizer that helps a lot...not like Apple Ipod Pros but decent.
@@rkars It's called FLAC Player + and is just a music player with the equalizer (using Iphone). So play all my mp3's thru that instead of the std music player.
General reviews don’t help. I got the widex you’re talking about here and the problem is with the hearing aid tip that gets in the ear. I managed to get a good configuration when listening to music from my device. But when I make it revive calls… I have to switch to my favorite configuration fine to hear but doesn’t guarantee the other end hears me well …. 70% of the time people tell me that they don’t hear me well. So not sure how to solve this problem. I went back and forth with my audiologist 15 times so far. It’s been almost 6 months now
I can't figure out how to get it to start on a custom program. When I take them out if the charger they start at "normal" and I have to get my phone and open the app. I tried adding a location but it shows I'm in a forest near my house
IF ANYONE CAN HELP! Much appreciated!! I need to buy hearing aids for a family member. We went to hearing aid doctors and they try and sell you a plan of 3 years that’s over 2k, to have maintenance on the unit. Do we really need maintenance or can we just buy and configure ourselves? Thank you!
Can future hearing aids be combined with hearing protection capabilities ... Did you mean: I afraid of more damage to my ears that can really happening on the streets ..why it is not considered? I already have Hyperacusis and tinnitus ! I believed that hering cells that is already damaged can be more pron for more damages then reg peopel even at much less ds sound ..is it true?
You can mute hearing aids so loud noises are not amplified further. I think it’s important to protect whatever hearing you have left from loud noise, which unfortunately is very prevalent in our society. And ignored by most people. By the way Apple Airbuds have great active noise cancellation. Totally cancels airplane cabin noise. Also my Vitamix blender, which on high is so loud I had to go into another room before I got the Airbuds.
Remember that hearing aids don't provide active noise cancelation, ANC. Something like the Apple Airpod pros do while still enhancing/boosting the sound you hear base on your audiogram, but not really that good at the latter like a real hearing aid and lots of occlusal effect with ear buds. Yes I wish HA manufacturers could figure out even mild active noise reduction but instead they just try not to amplify the noise which really isn't very effective for many of us.
I think HA's filter background noise to enhance speech. It would be difficult, if not impossible to have ANC without killing speech also. Earbuds are intended more for streaming so cancelling ambient sound is doable. Transparency mode in Apple's Airbuds lets ambient sound in while streaming. Noise cancellation mode actively kills ambient sound while streaming. That's my understanding and experience with them.
@@Ice-forming-in-fire24 Impossible is pretty absolute and I think eventually we might see something implemented because noise continues to be an overwhelming problem for many HA users. We were on a drive with a lady that just could not hear a thing we were saying even with maximum noise reduction turned on...noisey Prius Prime but she was so frustrated. If they can determine what is indeed noise then there should be some way to actually do some cancelation of it. I can't believe that HA companies are not working to crack that nut. It would nice to hear from a HA engineering on the subject since I'm just a retired mechanical R&D engineer who learned that impossible should not be part of an engineer's vocabulary, lol. Difficult or unlikely yes. And my newest apple airpod pros still did some amplification while providing some ANC as well. ANC can be used during streaming and transparency mode as well.
OK, for instance I can disable them, but it’s not enough. I need to put ear 👂 plugs 🔌. How that would happen without taking them off that’s total hassle. ? Not sure if anyone knows creative solutions. I was thinking get lyrics. That way I can use earplugs and it’s not gonna be touching the hearing aids.
Hearing aid streaming is limited by the hearing aids themselves, putting a higher quality audio signal into most aids will not make much difference if any. The batteries need to last all day, they have tiny speakers and systems to prevent further loss which will limit sound quality at times. Audio LE will have many benefits, but sound quality for steaming into hearing aids is not one of them.
My opinion is Widex over ReSound -- or anyone over ReSound, for that matter. ReSound is behind the times. They are still playing catch-up with the other manufacturers, with the Nexia adding features that some manufacturers had back as far as 2008. And their premium product is only 10-band for making adjustments, whereas most other manufacturers entry-level products have at least 8-bands, and some of them 12. So, some manufacturers' entry-level products are more advanced than ReSound's most advanced product when it comes to signal processing.
@@sfrink1425 ah yes dr frink I've heard of you by way of dr cliff's videos so I definitely second your opinion on resound hell I tried them and oddly enough it was the nexia and I gotta say it wasn't a good experience way way wayyyyyyyy too many problems for me to continue to use them
So does anyone know how to turn these off without putting them into the charger? I've heard a magnet can do it. No off setting in the app. How would you turn them off if you want to send them in for repair for instance or preserve your battery?
This is not a bug. It is a feature. When you click on an app on your phone or tablet, and the app is the type that emits sound, the hearing aids switch to streaming mode to stream the sound from the app. When you close the app, the hearing aids return to the state they were in before starting up the app. The way to prevent this (for example, when I am listening to music and want to use an app on my tablet), is to temporarily turn off Bluetooth on the phone or tablet. That will prevent the hearing aids from flipping to streaming mode. Then turn Bluetooth back on when you are done with the app. This works great for me, and is not a hassle.
I usually like your reviews, in this one it's just a bunch of complaints without real world tests. Unfortunate review that would have been better left not posted.
dr. cliff i have been a longterm listener of your chanel and even searched for a real ear audilogist because of your recommendations. my widex hearing aids are the best sounding ever- i can hear music like normal again. clearly widex did not pay you or you are not knowledgeable on good sound quality. you clearly have your favorites and i no longer plan to subscribe to your channel.
@@Ice-forming-in-fire24 He actually is not sponsored by Phonak. Some of his videos are, but only when discussing their products. Same for other manufacturers. He's kind of the go-to guy for doing this stuff BECAUSE he's so neutral and even-handed in his reviews. While I disagree with him on some of his assessments (see my long-winded, bullet point-oriented comment on this page for all of them), he's still the best source for unbiased reviews, and has successfully done more to educate the general public on hearing loss and hearing aids than anyone else in the industry.
I bought the smartRICs when they first came out in Feb of this year. Here is my experience. I wore Lyrics for 13 or 14 years They were fine and really convenient since they stay in the ear 24/7 - also invisible. I wore Insignia IICs for a few years after that. They were OK for voice but music didn't sound great. I trialed the premium versions of all the major brands during the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024. Music sounded awful on all of them. I am a musician - piano and organ and I listen to a lot of live and recorded music. Then I trialed the widex smartRICs. Oh my heck - music sounded glorious - better than I had heard for many, many years. they are comfortable and not too obtrusive. Seven months in, I totally love them. I would also note that I have custom earmolds (needed the power but not the feedback). They work very well and easily fit inside the charging case. They could be bigger and still fit.
Sorry to hear this negative review because I bought the Smart RIC hearing aids last month which I chose above two other brands. For me the Widex sound is more natural and these are noticeably better in noisy environments than my previous Widex Evoke aids. Unlike the others I tried, the Bluetooth connection to my iPhone is flawless. I did miss not having buttons but, even better, I can make adjustments from the Moment app in my Apple Watch , although an extra expense. As far as the case, I have a mold in one ear and fits fine in the case. In the end, it’s the sound quality (including streaming) and performance in noise that matter to me and the Smart RIC came out ahead of the others. Of course, a good audiologist is a must too.
Same here!, I’m a musician and apparently have absolute pitch and i have Widex, they were there only devices i could ever use out of the few i tried, being i wasn’t a candidate when I tried the lyric devices but those were really the best too,.. but widex is really is also perfect for musicians
Just ordered my SmartRIC and feel the same way (guitar) player. The last thing designers and engineers should do when something works very well is completely start over with a totally different approach. But marketing/stock holders often force that rather than just sane incremental change. As a retired R&D engineer, I happen to favor the incremental approach of Widex while preserving their unique and natural sound their users love so much. I see lots of improvement in the SmartRIC and do not see that as a negative. Yes they could have done more but more is not always better, just different and sometimes introduces unforeseen issues that affect what used to work very well.
The streaming sound quality SUCKS!
@@basa820 do you have domes on your devices?, you need molds for good streaming as well
@@basa820 Open domes? Same with most hearing aids. I used a player with a 10 band equalizer that helps but if you have venting then that will drastically affect streaming sounds
Okay, musician and Widex Moment user chiming in here (so, yeah, obviously biased) :). As always, I appreciate your reviews, Cliff, but speaking of disappointment... I was kind of hoping you compared some more of what I'd consider deeper aspects of hearing aid performance: speech in noise (though I appreciated you touching upon directionality!), practical frequency range, reliability and usefulness of Widex' mode-autoswitching (especially given the lack of a button!). If none of this changed since the introduction of the Puresound platform in 2020, fine, but I'd still love to understand how these new SmartRICs compare to the premier levels of other brands in these aspects. Maybe I'm the only one who doesn't care about streaming (I have great over-the-ear headphones, and my Airpod Pro 2 works awesome in accessibility mode w/ my audiogram inputted, and I guess I just don't make phone calls all that much in public). I really just want to know: for hearing colleagues, for hearing people who whisper, for hearing in noisy environments like trains or bustling cities... how does this SmartRIC compare to Oticon Intent, Phonak Lumity, etc.? Maybe that's just not easy to answer in general?
I just got the basic model which I use with an Apple iPad. I was fully expecting to hate it, however my experience was totally opposite. For me, it’s absolutely perfect, I love everything about it. It connects easily and the sound quality of both speech and streamed music is phenomenal. It’s just what I need and nothing more to get in my way.
I'm demoing these right now and they are much better than my 2020 moment HAs.. I'm not even a fan of Widex and definitely have had my share of grievances towards them but credit where credit is due: the smart rics are fantastic. I'm purchasing them now. And to say that the technology hasn't changed is wrong. The receivers are completely different from my moments. The receivers do sound "loud" and need to be adjusted. The gain is a bit much honestly. However, after two weeks of demoing the new SmartRic, I can confidentially say they are clearer, fit better, and appear to be better quality. Also, I love the new shape. WAY better fit and feel. They are slightly bigger but also light and nimble. You can actually handle them easier they and do not cause ear fatigue like the Widex moments 2020.
Awesome, thanks for that. I have mine on order after demo-ing Moments. They were better than anything I tried, so if the SmartRics are better still, I will be stoked.
Great insight here. I have been using this unit for over a week. My primary goal is to help with tinnitus noise. So far, I am not impressed, but I am sure this takes more time. Otherwise, I have no reference to the competition so your video helps. Nice to know if there is a hearing aid "most desired" for tinnitus patients.
@@MrRonnmaui I was told by a Widex representative to listen to the Tinnitus fractal tones for 15 minutes a day. You can do it while engaged in other activities-no need to concentrate on it. After a week or so, I noticed big improvement.
@@luis6379-q7k what are the fractal tones? I have a Widex Moment and do not see any tinnitus fractal tone listed in the "list"
Thanks for the review. While I realize these SmartRic HA didn't address all the things people want like remote updates easier and LE Audio, for someone that really hates what most HA do to the sound of live music like my guitar, they seem to be the best choice. Yes musicians, "for whatever reason" do have their reasons why Widex is chosen by most making music...they tend to not distort and mess with the tone to the point that as a guitar player I really don't know for sure if I have that treble knob too high, or my amp is distorting, or my bending is accurate or even if the guitar I just bought is really as thin sounding as I perceive it to be!
And while I have not tried every brand (only Philips and Lexton), I continue to read about the very same complaints from musicians and singers using other brands while Widex has very few musician/singer complaints. Yes I want to hear better and I do with almost any modern hearing aid properly set up using good practices, REM, etc. Is it perfect? Well no that would be my natural hearing I was born with, lol. But better is good and live music not mangled by distortion is SOOOOOO much better. Getting a set of these in a few weeks (From a local audi that takes my medicare $3K benefit, does REM and appears to have excellent ratings from others) and looking forward to finding out for myself "why". They did sound very natural in my first experience trying them (no guitar though).
Cliff, as an amateur musician and an audiologist with 30 years of experience, 25 years of which is in the area of tinnitus, I would like to suggest that sometimes the only choice for a patient is Widex. Therefore, we will have to deal without the option of AURACAST, and no push button, etc. At the end of the day, most people prefer sound quality; and Widex has great sound quality. But I do agree that this was not a huge upgrade.
@@solmarghzaraud4105 agreed
I have had the SmartRICs for three months now and am very happy with them overall. I am 66 and have moderate high-end hearing loss and am also a music audiophile. The SmartRICs do a beautiful job presenting music. I feel like I hear music like I was back during my 20s.
As far as the features of the SmartRICs, they are enough for me. They stream flawlessly from my iPad and iPhone, and I really like the way you can customize the hearing aids for different environments/uses of the hearing aids. I don’t need extra bells and whistles like health monitoring that are offered by other hearing aids brands.
The hearing aids work well at hearing conversations in noisy environments like restaurants. I have had no problem there.
The streaming from the IPad or iPhone is great for applications like games, RUclips, movies. For music though, it doesn’t match the performance of dedicated $200+ music earbuds, but that would be unrealistic to expect. Finally, I find the Tinnitus programs to be relaxing and have helped to distract me from my Tinnitus.
I'm an audiophile and music lover, similar age. Did you try signia IX? I'm curious how you'd compare them.
@@StevenMasonBranding No, I didn't try the Signias. When I told my audiologist that I am an audiophile and one of my main goals was improving music listening, she immediately said I should try the Widex. She never even mentioned the Signias. That, and a positive review of the Widex Moment by Michael Fremmer convinced me to try the Widex. Once I tried them out, I was hooked.
@@luis6379-q7k Thanks. Very helpful!
Thank you for the review. When I was buying my first pair of hearing aids , my research indicated that Widex was not a brand I was interested in purchasing. At that time, the appearance (shape and color) was the only reason to purchase Widex over other brands. The sound quality was a little more natural in the Widex and Oticon than the Phonak that i eventually bought. The biggest factor to switch for me would be battery life. I do a lot of streaming and need to put my devices back in the charger back in the charger after 12 hours of streaming. Although i think that’s great battery life for streaming, it would be nice not to have to pop them back in the charger for an hour to get them through my waking hours.
my smartrics last over 27 hours even streaming all day.
Dr. Olson, I'm hoping you can give me advice(PLEASE) ... The audiologist i just went to said she didn't think I'd benefit from hearing aids, because my loss is only in the higher frequency ranges, and that raising the sound in those ranges would make my sound sensitivity even worse.
But she did say that raising these higher frequency sounds, may lower my perception of the tinnitus. I'd rather deal with some occasional louder noise/sounds, than deal with this high pitched tinnitus 24/7. In your opinion, should i get another opinion from a different audiologist?
There are no "best practices" audiologist near where i live.
I had the same issue as you after collecting my Widex 330's yesterday on my Android Phone. I had set up pre-sets and they vanised. My solution was that I rebooted my phone and they were all there again including the ones the Audiologist had set up
Interesting review. On the Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast issue ... the spec sheet seems to suggest that these are supported - is this a recent upgrade for the product?
What would be your best suggestion in hearing aid for a musician other than Widex, or is Widex the best option. Looking to get a new pair next week. I play electric guitar.
Widex is the brand Steve Lukather wears (yes, he did the ad, but he's not the kind of guy to just tout something for a buck). Widex is also the overwhelming choice of Nashville musicians. If you find something better, let us know. My Widex's blew away everything else I tried in terms of sound quality when playing piano, guitar, ukulele, flute, harmonica and when singing. Are they as good as my ears when I was 30, no, but I am glad to hear again and to enjoy playing again after a sudden and serious hearing loss.
If you are stuck in streaming, restart the bluetooth and and devices and it will go back to the normal homepage
@@thebrianchannel9890 Ya Ikr?, I have only had that once but luckily it wasn’t while i was in middle of something but To prevent that, I guess just keep the app not running in the background or disconnect the Bluetooth beforehand to avoid it maybe,.. But i understand it can be annoying if it happens at a bad time. What phone do you have?
HI. Good review. I kind of have mixed feelings. Llike you I do think the upgrade is a bit disappointing and yes they should have added a few new features, LE audio, waterproofing, ability to stream both ways to a device without an accessory etc. I think the thing no one talks about the 0 sound delay, is that when you turn that on, you lose the ability to use a lot of the sound processing. The biggest problem for me personally, as someone who has lost bass freqs, is that the 0delay only allows you to adjust the high bands not anything else.
However, the thing about widex, unlike any other hearing aid I've used, they don't tamper with the sound. Even their delayed universal program is significantly faster than most other hearing aids. They don't produce artefacts like the other manufacturers do. As a blind person, I like the fact they keep the world sounding like it should. I do not like hearing aids that tell me what they think I want to hear so all this AI rubbish can go park itself as far as I'm concerned :) turning people down because they're not in my eyeline, as a blind person this is really bad for me.
I am really sad they took away the push buttons. I will give these a go though because they're just so natural sounding.
Wait there's no waterproofing?
@@meric12131415 water Resistance, but nowhere near as good as say the Lumati's. also, charging contacts being exposed I imagine doesn't work very well with water around. I've taken the 440s in the rain before but I worry about them.
These reviews are for those that like a certain brand. I have had the custom Signia Charge & Go - terrible sound and bluetooth and Phonak Virto also terrible. I tried the Oticon Intent for 30 days not bad sound but bluetooth was not good. I have decided on the Widex 440. The speech and music sound is really good. I don't understand why you are concerned about features. Hearing aids for me are to hear better and streaming music is a plus as I no longer need headphones, so I have to turn off the music when talking not a problem for me. People with normal hearing use phones without a problem. I wear glasses and there is not a problem with the shape of these. Now the kicker is after 7 days of trial I am going back to the audiologist and he claims he can make the sound a lot better as he will be doing REM.
I had originally gotten the SmartRic, but returned it and got the Signia IX, so much better!
I'm a Moment (first gen) user and I love them but is true that other brands are way ahead with the overall connectivity. It's seems that Widex just want to sell more devices. Widex is what sounds better for me and I will still use the brand but for my job, Bluetooth LE is a game changer so I hope they implement it in the next iteration.
What is the price or cost of these hearing aids and what's the model name , pls advise
Starts from 155000 rs
Actually they need to sort out their 0 delay because it has a major issue no one talks about. Once activated, you lose nearly all other processing and many of the adjustment bands. I'd personally love to use the "pure" mode, but I can't because my loss is in the lower bands and you can't adjust those at all once it's set up like this. You also lose any sort of noise canceling or compression with it like this, which is a shame.
I don't care about all the extra stuff to be honest. As a musician, I want the lowest latency possible. That's the whole ball of wax (har har) for me. I just want the product to help my ears hear the way I used to before hearing loss. Nothing more, to be honest. And maybe help me ignore people I still don't want to be able to hear...
This is one reason why Widex might be better for you, as they have the lowest latency out of any of the manufacturers.
You can reboot your hearing aids with a magnet if needed. Whatever issue you are having with Bluetooth isn't anything I have ever seen since it's product release or the previous Moment SRIC release. I have dispensed every major manufacturer and have had many successful fitting with Widex moment and Smart products. It's unfortunate this video comes across as somewhat negative . The extended battery life, portable charger, improved wind noise reduction, less microphone noise due to touch, and most important increase in hearing in noise due to the microphone angles are all great features worthy of a new product release.
the guy is biased towards his own brands, i have tried other brands and the 330 has a natural sound and i can make personalized for different settings, though the graphic equalizer settings already in the app are very good for a quick change in odd situations
I agree with you at the end of this that there should be more things with the white X I have a problem with it just lately sometimes it'll cut out when I am listening to something online maybe they need cleaned or something like that but what I'm not happy with if I did get the new one that there is no extra battery charger we need extra battery chargers with our hearing aids so that we can take them anywhere and not have to worry I'm not going back to battery hearing aids because I don't like having to play around with batteries and my other sets of hearing aids were a flop because I had to worry about it all the time carry batteries everywhere with me batteries would die during my church service and I wouldn't be happy I got the fiddle around with them and then I couldn't hear anything I'm getting a different one I want one that actually has the extra charger I think you would agree with that to get the extra charger it would be more beneficial
I am currently trying hearing aids for the first time. Started out using Oticon Intent 1. Now i am trying Widex Smartric 440. It is hard to compare both of them. I like the Oticon but the Widex have a lot more user programmability with the app making a valid choice. My biggest question is do the Widex Smartric 440 have Bluetooth LE for Auracast . Your video says no but my audiologist was told by a Widex rep that they do. So I don't know who is correct and cannot find a clear answer with web searches. Could you please clarify so I can sleep tonight. Thanks.
My pro and con experience when I tried the Oticon Intent for a week:
The Good
- 👍 Speech clarity OK
The Bad
- 👎 Annoying loud jingle when changing programs
- 👎 Annoying music when starting up.
- 👎 Sharp, flat audio on streaming, including phone calls.
- 👎 Low volume on phone calls
- App needs to reconnect to hearing aids every time and takes long.
- Sound not as full as Widex
- Limited controls
- No ability to create custom programs
- Loses streaming connection sometimes
- Distorted scratchy ambient sound
- No program announcements by name
I chose the Smart RIC 440 and use it with iPhone and Apple Watch
New SmartRIC user here, 1st HA ever. I have to comment some "buts"...but LE Audio is not widely available, great if you have it but most don't yet and not for several years to come. It does support Bt LE and to my surprise works with my 3yrs old Samsung S7fe tablet, which of course doesn't support LEAudio. The Music Program (a subset of Universal) is meant for live music, which has a significant natural sound component to the sound space. Streamed audio on the other hand has zero natural sound, hence it makes total sense to have a different profile to boost the lower frequencies, which otherwise would not be using the program for live music. Surprised that the review did not clue in to that obvious reason for what was demonstrated. That said Ì also keep in mind that an open receiver is far from ideal for streaming, like normal earbuds with sound isolation and larger speaker are and can never compare. It's more a practicality than it is suited for streaming and one should not put too much emphasis on that. I play violin, so far no tonality issues at all for me, no distortion, no feedback, it just works. Wind handling is I think pretty decent. Had the device for 12 days now and I recharged the carrying case once, never ran out of Power with extensive streaming; I'd say pretty darn good, 12 days on 1 recharge wearing them from wake up to sleep time (when storing the HA in the case every night). So just a little different perspective to keep in mind.
@@jazzcats1000 Most open dome fits are terrible for streaming music so I've downloaded an app with 10 band equalizer that helps a lot...not like Apple Ipod Pros but decent.
@@sdcoffeeroaster Curious what app your found and is it for iphone?
@@rkars It's called FLAC Player + and is just a music player with the equalizer (using Iphone). So play all my mp3's thru that instead of the std music player.
General reviews don’t help. I got the widex you’re talking about here and the problem is with the hearing aid tip that gets in the ear. I managed to get a good configuration when listening to music from my device. But when I make it revive calls… I have to switch to my favorite configuration fine to hear but doesn’t guarantee the other end hears me well …. 70% of the time people tell me that they don’t hear me well. So not sure how to solve this problem. I went back and forth with my audiologist 15 times so far. It’s been almost 6 months now
which would you buy the top level intent or the top level ric
thanks for review
I can't figure out how to get it to start on a custom program. When I take them out if the charger they start at "normal" and I have to get my phone and open the app.
I tried adding a location but it shows I'm in a forest near my house
IF ANYONE CAN HELP! Much appreciated!!
I need to buy hearing aids for a family member. We went to hearing aid doctors and they try and sell you a plan of 3 years that’s over 2k, to have maintenance on the unit. Do we really need maintenance or can we just buy and configure ourselves? Thank you!
Can it be programmed just to increase my lost high pitch frequencies but not total overall louness ?
Yes, absolutely. Your audiologist boosts the volume for the frequencies you're deficient in based on your hearing test.
Can future hearing aids be combined with hearing protection capabilities ...
Did you mean: I afraid of more damage to my ears that can really happening on the streets ..why it is not considered? I already have Hyperacusis and tinnitus ! I believed that hering cells that is already damaged can be more pron for more damages then reg peopel even at much less ds sound ..is it true?
You can mute hearing aids so loud noises are not amplified further. I think it’s important to protect whatever hearing you have left from loud noise, which unfortunately is very prevalent in our society. And ignored by most people. By the way Apple Airbuds have great active noise cancellation. Totally cancels airplane cabin noise. Also my Vitamix blender, which on high is so loud I had to go into another room before I got the Airbuds.
Remember that hearing aids don't provide active noise cancelation, ANC. Something like the Apple Airpod pros do while still enhancing/boosting the sound you hear base on your audiogram, but not really that good at the latter like a real hearing aid and lots of occlusal effect with ear buds. Yes I wish HA manufacturers could figure out even mild active noise reduction but instead they just try not to amplify the noise which really isn't very effective for many of us.
I think HA's filter background noise to enhance speech. It would be difficult, if not impossible to have ANC without killing speech also. Earbuds are intended more for streaming so cancelling ambient sound is doable. Transparency mode in Apple's Airbuds lets ambient sound in while streaming. Noise cancellation mode actively kills ambient sound while streaming. That's my understanding and experience with them.
@@Ice-forming-in-fire24 Impossible is pretty absolute and I think eventually we might see something implemented because noise continues to be an overwhelming problem for many HA users. We were on a drive with a lady that just could not hear a thing we were saying even with maximum noise reduction turned on...noisey Prius Prime but she was so frustrated. If they can determine what is indeed noise then there should be some way to actually do some cancelation of it. I can't believe that HA companies are not working to crack that nut. It would nice to hear from a HA engineering on the subject since I'm just a retired mechanical R&D engineer who learned that impossible should not be part of an engineer's vocabulary, lol. Difficult or unlikely yes. And my newest apple airpod pros still did some amplification while providing some ANC as well. ANC can be used during streaming and transparency mode as well.
OK, for instance I can disable them, but it’s not enough. I need to put ear 👂 plugs 🔌. How that would happen without taking them off that’s total hassle. ? Not sure if anyone knows creative solutions. I was thinking get lyrics. That way I can use earplugs and it’s not gonna be touching the hearing aids.
Hearing aid streaming is limited by the hearing aids themselves, putting a higher quality audio signal into most aids will not make much difference if any.
The batteries need to last all day, they have tiny speakers and systems to prevent further loss which will limit sound quality at times.
Audio LE will have many benefits, but sound quality for steaming into hearing aids is not one of them.
I am sorry that Widex didn't bother adding an on-board telecoil.
So, Resound Nexia or Widex SmartRic, which one to get?
Answer to that, it depends. There's no single best HA for all individual needs.
That's a tricky slope amigo it depends on your phone's os, lifestyle and a bunch of other factors best you discuss it with an audiologist
My opinion is Widex over ReSound -- or anyone over ReSound, for that matter. ReSound is behind the times. They are still playing catch-up with the other manufacturers, with the Nexia adding features that some manufacturers had back as far as 2008. And their premium product is only 10-band for making adjustments, whereas most other manufacturers entry-level products have at least 8-bands, and some of them 12. So, some manufacturers' entry-level products are more advanced than ReSound's most advanced product when it comes to signal processing.
@@sfrink1425 ah yes dr frink I've heard of you by way of dr cliff's videos so I definitely second your opinion on resound hell I tried them and oddly enough it was the nexia and I gotta say it wasn't a good experience way way wayyyyyyyy too many problems for me to continue to use them
So does anyone know how to turn these off without putting them into the charger? I've heard a magnet can do it. No off setting in the app. How would you turn them off if you want to send them in for repair for instance or preserve your battery?
Found out if you press the button on the case bottom and hold it down they will turn off.
My widex hearing aids loose sound when I click on apps or streaming on my hearing aids. Is anyone else having this problem?
This is not a bug. It is a feature. When you click on an app on your phone or tablet, and the app is the type that emits sound, the hearing aids switch to streaming mode to stream the sound from the app. When you close the app, the hearing aids return to the state they were in before starting up the app. The way to prevent this (for example, when I am listening to music and want to use an app on my tablet), is to temporarily turn off Bluetooth on the phone or tablet. That will prevent the hearing aids from flipping to streaming mode. Then turn Bluetooth back on when you are done with the app. This works great for me, and is not a hassle.
Yup the smart ric officially now looks like a boomerang 🤣
I usually like your reviews, in this one it's just a bunch of complaints without real world tests. Unfortunate review that would have been better left not posted.
Anyone suffering from sensorineural hearing loss and does the hearing aid benefitted you from it?
Yes, I have been dispensing hearing aids over 20 years and amplification is the only treatment for a sensorineural hearing loss.
Widex Smart RIC is a wonderful product. I’ve unsubscribed to this channel.
Don't unsubscribe just because you disagree. Stay involve and share your opinion; I did.
Glad to hear that you liked your Smart RIC's. I ordered them, should have them soon.
dr. cliff i have been a longterm listener of your chanel and even searched for a real ear audilogist because of your recommendations. my widex hearing aids are the best sounding ever- i can hear music like normal again. clearly widex did not pay you or you are not knowledgeable on good sound quality. you clearly have your favorites and i no longer plan to subscribe to your channel.
I believe he's sponsored by Phonak so that could explain a lot!
Don't unsubscribe just because you disagree. Stay involve and share your opinion; I did.
@@Ice-forming-in-fire24 He actually is not sponsored by Phonak. Some of his videos are, but only when discussing their products. Same for other manufacturers. He's kind of the go-to guy for doing this stuff BECAUSE he's so neutral and even-handed in his reviews. While I disagree with him on some of his assessments (see my long-winded, bullet point-oriented comment on this page for all of them), he's still the best source for unbiased reviews, and has successfully done more to educate the general public on hearing loss and hearing aids than anyone else in the industry.