A stream of thoughts about my Widex Passion Hearing Aids:
The name is a tad cheese. I’d like to meet the people that come up with these names. Is the name intended to invoke steamy images from the uncensored version of One Thousand and One Nights?
Incredibly small hearing aids. This is a plus and a minus. So small no one sees them- maybe I like that but now people don’t know I’m wearing hearing aids…They can’t look at my ears and explain away behavior that seems odd otherwise.
Partly attributed to their small size- the filters on these hearing aids get easily clogged up with wax. Its not unusual for the wax buildup to completely block the sound from the speaker in the ear. I keep a small brush handy.
They are so light I can’t feel them in my ears. There have been a few times where the aids were dangling precariously off the side of my ear. I fixed that problem with custom molds.
Custom molds are a must. I absolutely hate the little nubs that come with the aids. If one is going to spend $6,000 dollars for a pair of hearing aids, why fit them with a stupid little pair of nubs that don’t fit the contour of ones ear? Spend $50 dollars more, a whopping 1% of the price of the hearing aid. The custom molds also improve they acoustics ten fold. I think Widex ought to just provide these molds because they are essential to an improved customer experience
They are stronger than they look. The battery compartment looks like a weak point- but its engineered well- if you put too much pressure on the swinging battery door- it will just come off instead of breaking off. The weak point is the speaker (the part that resides inside the ear and helps to allow the behind the ear segment to be as small as it is). Luckily that is an easily replaceable part.
I’ve hiked through a Laotian jungle in sweltering heat- sweating all over these things. The behind the ear segment of the hearing aid did great with that. The speaker inside the ear did not. My audiologist won’t give me an extra speaker to replace for those conditions because it voids the warranty. I would have liked an extra speaker. It kind of annoys me that I tell my audiologist about that problem, ask for backup for a month long trip where I have no access to audiologists, and then the exact thing I was worried about (the speaker part of the hearing aid breaking) happens. I went two weeks without my left hearing aid.
The music mode is awesome. I love playing music on a set of great speakers and listening to the difference between not wearing hearing aids, putting the hearing aid on the mode I use for everyday life, and then switching the hearing aid to music mode. Amazing. I can hear the cymbals ride out and the faint sound of a brush (versus a regular drum stick), richer tones from guitars and basses, and even the lovely hiss of a record. Really makes a difference for my particular hearing loss.
The transpositioning is a deal breaker for me. I might have considered the Oticons over this aid and I didn’t because of this feature. I’ve written about this before..
When I take off my hearing aids (and sometimes I NEED to do this if my ears and hair are very wet for example) and put them in a small pouch- I need to make sure to take the batteries out of the hearing aid which is both inconvenient and expedites the death of the battery. If I leave the batteries in the hearing aids they would feedback and whistle away. My current thought: this is a necessary compromise- if the hearing aid were designed with an on/off switch then the aid would need to be bigger than it is.
I did need to send in an aid once for repair and Widex couldn’t figure out how to fix it promptly. Instead of drawing out the repair time, they sent the hearing aid to a department where they could research the problem my hearing aid had and sent me a brand new one- free of charge. Widex has a reputation for good service and it counts in a situation like that.
Why doesn’t Widex take a stance on the current state of insurance coverage, or I should say, LACK of insurance coverage for hearing aids. They are a fairly large corporation with lobbying power. They say they care about their customers.. and thats sometimes their customers care about. Paying for hearing aids is no joke.
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15. March 2009 at 9:04 am
Hi David,
I’ve just found your blog. It’s wonderful.
I am commenting here because I feel a deep need to defend the stupid little nubs!
I wear hearing aids very similar to those in the pic. Mine are Oticon Epoqs in baby pink (haha) and I love the airy feeling of the stupid little nubs. I hated the occlusion effect of my previous hearing aids so much so that I did not wear them. My audiologist said that I would hear more with the molds, like you pointed out in your experience, but I elected to go with the nubs. So far they have been great. I often forget that I’m wearing them and they do allow me to hear a lot more. I feel that if these stupid little nubs didn’t exist, I would be still not wearing hearing aids and still suffering the effects of that.
I love nubs! I love nubs!
[punches fist into the air]
I agree about the names though! Epoq, Passion, Vimo, Invisa, Prisma… how pretenious. I call my aids ‘Lavern and Shirley.’
Again, great blog. Cheers!
12. May 2009 at 1:09 pm
Hi, I’m commenting for several reasons, as follows:
I have mild loss (high frequency) so noisy places can be a bit challenging at times especially hard walls, floors, etc.
I have a Widex Diva SD – 9 with a traditional e/m in my right ear that is worse than my left. It’s very comfortable to wear – no wind noise, etc, but the vent hole is fairly large so I don’t feel bunged-up.
Got a pair of Octicon Delta 8000′s two years ago with the “mico-domes” (or buds). Did find they can work loose so I tried the “micro-moulds”. Both have pros and cons. I even got in the shower once forgetting I had got them in, but quickly took them out without any damage! I think (or find) the custom moulds more comfortable, BUT the open vent domes have a better sound compromise – especially in noisy situations.
Off to the audio tomorrow for a 6 month review. I’m considering “test-driving” the new Widex Mind 440-M4-m-CB; technology has moved forward so much this last 2 years, so what I wear may be somewhat technically obsolete by current advances. Haven’t a nick-name for them, except my “portable friends”
Enjoyed your comments – manufactures may claim things – but the users another!
Great blog.
Martin.
11. June 2009 at 8:57 pm
I am in trial currently for the widex mind-m4-m-cb. I like them a lot, they seem to help at work a great deal. The one thing I don’t like about them is the lack of a t-switch. I can’t hear with them when using the phone and I find I have to take the aid out to hear better. I have custom molds due to a loss across all frequencies. If Martvear sees this I would love to hear more about his impressions of the aid.
15. June 2009 at 7:51 pm
My husband has been having terrible problems with his Passion hearing aids. He’s not been happy at all with Widex. They’ve been returned three times, and they have NEVER offered to replace. He is beyond frustrated. He posted a comment on a forum – http://www.hearingaidforums.com/showthread.php?t=4163
Does anyone have any recommendation for help? Thanks…from a frustrated wife as well…
15. June 2009 at 8:20 pm
Cheryl,
I’m frustrated for you that your husband has to deal with this crackling and popping sound he mentioned. Its hard for me to say what the problem with the hearing aid might be- but it sounds like he ought to just have a new pair of hearing aids that don’t have this problem (and I’m assuming his audiologist is replacing the other parts of the hearing aid like the wire and speaker that attach to the hearing aid separately). This wasn’t my experience with Widex but it sounds like they are dropping the ball with you guys. I’m going to go ahead and send them a letter about this one. Maybe other people can send letters as well? If anyone else here has a better idea I’m open to it.
I’ll mention one other thing- I too have noticed popping or crackling noises – but for me these have been rather rare occasions. I’m almost certain that when it does happen its associated with moisture- high humidity in the air, my own sweat, and wet ears after swimming or showering are all culprits. I find that if I put the hearing aids in a whats called a “mini-dri aid” (essentially a little plastic container that sucks the moisture out of the aids) overnight the problem will go away.
I’m going to update my list of comments in this article to reflect these findings.
David
16. June 2009 at 4:27 am
Thank you, David.
I am “Cherylquilts’” husband, and I have just a couple of points of clarification – my wife sees the frustration but not the details
I too thought that sweat was the culprit. That’s not uncommon, living in South Florida! I quickly developed the habit of taking my hearing aids off whenever I was going to be working outside or in my shop (garage), not because of noises but because I did not want to damage the aids.
I keep them in a dry-and-store box overnight and clean them each morning before using them.
I agree that temperature/humidity may have a bearing on the issue, since have noticed an increase in the noises after changes in temperature in either direction – going into an air conditioned building after walking in from the car in a sunny parking lot, for example. Yesterday I was driving the car and the sun was coming in through the window and hitting my left ear. The A/C was on and the windows rolled up. After less than 5 minutes’ driving, the noises started, and continued for another 5 minutes or so, until I reached my destination, a restaurant. Things were quiet for a few minutes inside the restaurant (Air conditioned, of course) and then sputtered for a few minutes and stopped.
I’m especially concerned when occasionally, the noises are followed by a noticeable change in the high-frequency response of the hearing aid, either increasing or decreasing, like changing the treble control on an audio system.
I truly don’t understand Widex’s attitude in my case. As I said on the forum, I am used to manufacturers simply replacing items like PDAs and Cell Phones – they are small, have minimum shipping cost and extremely high profit margins, similar to the hearing aids. As often as not, the manufacturers simply scrap the defective device rather than attempting to repair it.
Thank you for offering to write to Widex. My own attempts, via their web site, just resulted in a referral back to my audiologist.
Walt
19. June 2009 at 7:10 am
Thanks for your help and encouragement!
Widex has agreed to exchange my hearing aids, and I now have two new ones. So far they are working perfectly.
Walt
20. June 2009 at 10:16 am
Walt,
Great news! – did your audiologist get them to give your new aids? or did Widex contact you personally?
I was going to add in the conversation that a good audiologist should have a strong relationship with the companies they supply from- and be able to negotiate through these sorts of issues successfully.
David
24. June 2009 at 4:00 pm
I am trying out the Widex Passion’s for hearing loss of high frequencys plus tinnitus. Today waqs my 1st day and it was different hearing things I have not heard in a while. Are the Widex Passion a good set of hearing aids as these must be like diamonds as they are pricey. Can you give this 1st time wearer any ppointers so I do not get burned. $4600 would also help pay for 1 of my 3 childrens college cost.
Thanks,
Paul
24. June 2009 at 6:44 pm
Paul,
In my opinion the Widex Passions are great hearing aids but I could also recommend a couple others (all are as pricey as diamonds): Insound Medical’s Lyric, Oticon, Phonak, all make great “top of the line” hearing aids. A good rule of thumb: if you can hear the difference then its worth buying. I justify paying for the best because the aids have such an enormous impact on my quality of life- more than buying a car, computer, or other big ticket items. I’ve had good experiences with Widex’s customer service- but they don’t have a perfect record (See the previous posts from Walt).
Yes, I agree that the price is appalling and its difficult to be faced with the dilemma of paying for a college tuition or a great hearing aid. I actually payed a good deal more than 4,600 dollars because I was also paying for the service I get from my audiologist. Ouch. I’m also disgusted with the insurance companies out there that refuse to pay or even give a modicum of support towards my hearing health.
Theres no two ways about it: you are most likely going to shell out a lot of cash for the hearing aids. I would make your first priority this: find an audiologist that you trust that has an established relationship with the company you’ll buy your hearing aids from. Ask around and find people who had good experiences. This is important- hearing aids break, things go wrong, and be ensured that your getting the most of the hearing aid you paid so much for. Its terrible that so many people buy the cheapest deal they can find on the internet but they aren’t even using the hearing aid to its fullest capacity. I see that as a wasted purchase in lot of ways. I would lean towards a private audiologist practice versus a dispensary that often has poorly trained technicians.
There are some places that people have gone for financial support on my blog (some successfully and others not so much). Vocational Rehabilitation programs that exist in every state will often pay for the full price of a hearing aid. Look up the vocational rehab for your local state and ask to get in touch with the person in charge of the deaf and hard of hearing community- https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/oesp/providers.nsf/bystate. Tell them would like some assistance in getting hearing aids. You’ll find that that they will ask you to jump some hoops and you might just get the run around. You might also get a free pair of hearing aids.
Sorry that I don’t have an easy answers. We can all do our part by writing our congressmen and letting them know what a lousy situation this is- little or no insurance coverage for expensive aids. There is a hearing aid tax credit bill that’s lingering in the “finance committee” collecting dust – we need it passed: http://www.hearingaidtaxcredit.org/
David
25. June 2009 at 11:29 am
David:
God bless you my friend for taking the time to reply. I have avery good audiologist who has taken extra time to explain things to me which was great and I really like her. She has been doing it for over 20 years. I found the same hearing aids on EBay for 1/2 the price which is tempting, but as you pointed out no service or one on one consultation. What are your thoughts on Simeons 700 Life hearing aids? Yes I was shocked to learn my insurnace pays $0.
Many Thanks for your great site and info,
Paul
27. June 2009 at 3:11 am
Hi,
i am a 24 years old guy from Germany. I found your blog while searching for information about the Widex Passion aids. Its a very nice and informative blog.
i tested the Passion models 105 and 110. The 110 was much better than the 105. Then i asked if i can compare them to the 115, just to here the difference (or not to here the difference). My audiologist told me, that the 115 model was recently replaced by a completely new version, the Passion 440. I tested them and the experience was amazing. Another big step compared to the 110 model. My audiologist told me that the difference wouldn’t have been so great with the old 115 model.
Of course the price is higher, but i have to wear them for about 6 years. So i think this is worth paying. Its my hearing and that is very important for me. A good hearing aid improves life quality so much.
Fortunately, my parents (who will have to pay the aids because i am a student and i do not have so much money) agree with that.
Next week i will get my custom molds, which are also produced in a new way. Then i have completely new high-tech aids in my ears.
Chris
29. November 2009 at 6:58 pm
I’ve been using a small Oticon for two years,but my hearing problems have increased quite a bit recently which calls for a more advanced different hearing aid— My audiologist, who I have a lot of confidence in- is recommending that I try two hearing aids that have a frequency transfer feature which is a feaature that she she feels I need. One of the models is the Widen passion 440– and I appreciate the above input. The other is the Phonak Audeo Smart. Can anyone give me any imput on these two models in terms of comparative use? THank you. Stu
12. August 2010 at 10:10 am
I have been wearing Widex Aikia for one year after Widex Senso Diva. There is one word which describes AIKIA in my case. Suffering. I used to be a cheerful person but everyone around me tells me that I have changed. I am bitter and withdrawn. In my opinion and experience, Aikia has gone badly backward in providing engineering solution and hearing experience.
These are the main reasons:
1.While I could follow a conversation in a group with Senso Diva, the speech in a group is all mixed up and I cannot follow it with Aikia. My brain cannot cope with a mumble of voices and noises.
2.Every evening my back part of my head ache. Whereas Diva noise level dropped down within 1 second it takes 16-17 sec for Aikia. That is even longer then Oticon which were bad at smearing any sound at higher level such as raised voice. I found noises to be too sharp. Working in the kitchen is a painful experience nowadays.
2. Moving air such as breeze blowing over microphones is very irritating. As you can rarely hear on TV programme when a TV presenter has to deal with a very strong wind effect over microphone I hear it most time with breeze. When it does not blow or I am indoor I hear my hair crackling which drives me mad.
3. I experience a blank angle (over my shoulders) when I cannot hear nearly anything including approaching cars. It becomes dangerous for me to be on streets.
4. Additionally, two microphones in one hearing aid are of different value by nearly 50% which means anything behind me and moving towards my back sounds weak but when passing me the sound vanishes in the blank angle then it rises too much (another source for headache) which makes me jumpy and frustrated.
6. Lastly, the sound quality of music is awful. I love music and I miss it very badly. I miss bird songs in nature. I miss ability to hear whisper. I miss my Diva Senso very badly because these were truly very good ones. The richness of sounds, violin playing, bird songs, ability to pick up voices against the noisy background, ability to hear people talking behind you when walking in a group, no pillow hearing whistling, no annoying wind blowing over microphone, no hair crackling constant noises. All that what made Senso Diva good went wrong with AIKIA and yet I paid a awful lot of money for those. I have to travel to see the audiologist, wait a long time and pay every time for fixing session knowing it does not provide real life sound experience. I paid so much and I suffer so much. As I enjoyed every day with Senso Diva, nowadays I hate waking up and putting Aikia on.
I wonder how can I find a good audiologist. I still would like to sort it out.
18. August 2010 at 5:47 pm
I am an audiologist in the UK. I fitted 84 patients with Passions and
had to stop as domes came off in peoples ears, 60% of recievers failed,
the cases crack and fall to pieces if a battery is inserted incorrectly.
I can say that the sound quality is fantastic on the 115 and 440 model
but the 105 and 110 model are easily beaten by the Phonak mini V or III.
I can’t believe an audiologist wouldn’t provide an extra set of speakers
for someone. We have to do this due to moisture problems. This is a clear
and obvious design flaw
23. August 2010 at 2:58 pm
Hi Mike, Yeah Im happy with the sound quality on the 115 model that I'm wearing- but after three years I've become intimately acquainted with these design flaws you mentioned. I haven't had a cracked case yet but I've had to return my aids for repair every 8 months or so.
As for my audiologist not providing me an extra pair of speakers-I was annoyed with the stingy sentiment behind that- I didn't feel they were going to lose much by doing so. I think they told me something about the warranty being voided if they did so. Nonetheless- small gestures like that would have brought me back in that office for future aids. I won't be going back- I've found another audiologist to work with for my future aids.
27. August 2010 at 8:50 pm
I am in the market for a new hearing aid but I have been out of the market for about 9 years. I have had the same pair for 9 years now, so I guess you could say I need some new ones.
I’ve been researching three different aids and would like to see what people say about them. The ones in my price range are:
1.The Phonak Milo Plus, which I haven’t found a lot of information on
2.Widex Passion 105, which I’ve been reading these posts and they are making me wary of this hearing aid, because I live in Georgia and have the constant temperature change from leaving the humidity of the outdoors to going to the frigid air conditioning of the inside.
3.Avio 5 from Costco (wary of this because it is from a wholesaler). What I’ve read about this sounds good and have the qualities of a hearing aid that I like, and are reasonably priced (for hearing aids), but I don’t know because the only information I can find is on their website. I haven’t seen user reviews on it.
I would appreciate any feedback and help I can get. My goal is to have new hearing aids before October.