SoundPoint is quite honestly an answer to my dream for you…

Truth is that over the past 35 years, I have desperately wished (and dared hope for) the day when hearing aids could be adjusted in part by you. As an audiologist, I realized long ago that the fine tuning of hearing aids is a combination of science and art. The science or objective portion involves setting the sound to your hearing loss thresholds and the art or subjective segment involves adjusting to make the sound clear, natural and “just right” to your ears.

That’s where the “Make your sound finger perfect” part comes in…

So imagine that you have already had the audiologist or clinician spend considerable time setting the sound, but you are still missing some conversation or the sound quality is a little off and hard for you to describe exactly how. Here is where SoundPoint dove tails in beautifully. At this point, you just sit comfortably in front of the computer and move your finger around the screen as the sound adjusts in real time. Many people wonder if it’s hard to do. I assure them it is not only very easy, but it is fun. Simply listen to the conversation and tap you finger when the sound seems better. You can even pick several possibilities and then compare them all before selecting your favorite.

But what are the results for people using SoundPoint?

Let me answer that in two ways. First of all, field trials showed that 45% of the hearing aid users felt the sound was better using the cliniician combined with their SoundPoint settings. In my experience about 60-70% of people have preferred the end result they reached after completing SoundPoint. Part of the beauty of this is that you have a chance to find out if the clinician-set sound was appropriate or if your extra adjustments make a real difference.

Take the captain’s seat…

My process, my belief , is I am here to listen, educate and advise.

So whether you simply want to get more information about having your hearing tested, investigate if hearing aids are right for you, or possibly want to try out SoundPoint – The process should be interactive with you playing a crucial role.

Want to know more? Two easy choices.

Call: 541.201.3201

Email: barbstreet@mac.com

Don’t take my word for it. Instead please listen to the words of a special Ashland hearing aid user…

“Barika Audiology is a well run organization. I’m impressed with Barb’s efficiency from start to finish.   Everything is explained in a clear and easily understandable way. She treated me as an individual patient and not “just one more person”.  How do you explain sound, or what you do or do not hear? Barb has a natural gift of understanding and the patience of a saint.

When I received my first hearing aid from Barb, more than 15 years ago, tears streaked down my face – I was hearing sounds I hadn’t heard in years. When I looked at Barb, she was crying too. That’s because she was on my hearing journey right along side me.

It can be difficult to explain what you hear, but with the power of the computer Barb gave me the controller and I was able to fine tune my hearing aid. Now I forget I’m wearing it and often times go to bed forgetting to take if off. It has simply become a part of me.”

~Darla Case

 Barb, do you know if SoundPoint is right for me?

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. I have been testing and diagnosing hearing since 1978. I’ve worked in both private practice and clinical settings. Have been around the block more times than I care to admit, and can tell you with certainty that “one size fits all” solutions don’t exist. A fact of life you and your audiologist must always keep in mind. What worked for someone with a hearing loss “exactly” like yours, or what worked for your friend who lives down the block, does not mean the same solution will be right for you. The key to success is working together to find what works best for your needs and unique perceptions.

So is SoundPoint right for you? The answer is, it depends. Everybody has a psychoacoustic reaction – how you perceive a sound and what is means to you. Your psychoacoustic signature is as unique as your fingerprint, iris, and DNA. With the advent of digital hearing aids using advanced algorithms to shape sound, psychoacoustic research has taken a more prominent role. We don’t understand why two people with seemingly identical audiometric results have such different reactions, despite having the same parameters set in their hearing aids.

SoundPoint simply acknowledges that you are the best judge of what sounds right to you. What your psychoacoustic preference is. Here’s how SoundPoint works (I’ll describe the iPad version because it is the most intuitive to use, but a monitor and mouse can be used as well).

You will start with your finger pressed to the middle of the screen. While a sound file is played, simply drag your finger in a roughly circular pattern around the starting point. Each quadrant of the screen that you slide your finger through will cause rapid-fire changes to the algorithms effecting the quality of the sounds you hear.

If you like what you hear, tap your finger on the screen, then continue moving it around as you listen. After a short period of time a pattern will appear. There will be more taps in one area than any other.

The grouping of taps is your preferred “listening style”. The audiologist then locks those settings to your hearing aid. If you later change your mind, simply do the process again. It take only a few seconds to set up and use.

If you want to explore further, you can download an article written by two Starkey PhD audiologists who describe and analyze a study they did using SoundPoint (with, as I recall, only 29 patients). The pdf is available on a site for Starkey Professionals, but nothing will stop you from accessing the paper, so don’t fret about the for-professional’s-only part (no registration required).

I hope I have piqued your curiosity. SoundPoint is a nice tool, but what is most important overall is not which tool or product to use, but how well you are connecting with your family, friends, and people from all over the world.

Want to know more? Two easy choices.

Call: 541.201.3201

Email: barbstreet@mac.com

The Lyric holds a one-of-a-kind position in the world of hearing aids. It is certainly one of the most discreet hearing aids ever built. As I write this, Starkey is the only other manufacturer with anything even remotely similar (I’ll have a review of that model near the end of May). The Lyric has generated a lot of press coverage, which is unusual for a hearing aid. There are also conflicting claims to be found about the comfort and performance of Lyric hearing aids. Here are insights of what I have discovered thus far, as I learn along with you.

What to really like.

Most striking is how comprehensive and thorough the Lyric fitting protocol is. Nobody else does it as well. Why do I mention this first? Because it is a key factor to your satisfaction both initially, and throughout the years ahead. I’ll bet you have heard people say “I tried hearing aids once, but they didn’t work.” That’s not too surprising, considering there have been tremendous advances in hearing aid technology, but there has been scarce improvement in methods to help audiologists select the best aid for you. An audiologist’s intuition can work wonders in many ways (that’s why you want to choose a really good one), but intuition is not very good at selecting the perfect instrument for your needs. The Lyric protocol is quite a leap forward in this regard.

As mentioned, its small size is attractive. This thing really is invisible. While I’m sure the tiny size will be appreciated, there are substantial acoustic benefits as well. Our ears are well-designed collectors of sound. They sort and define what we hear. Unfortunately, most hearing aids alter that natural ability to the point that an audiologist must add significant additional correction to compensate for what the hearing aid takes away. Because Lyric sits deep in the canal, your natural hearing abilities are retained and very little compensation is necessary. Your audiologist can instead focus on helping you hear better. (That’s the really fun part.)

Lyric has programmable analog amplification, and I like that. This seems an odd comment to make in a world that is rapidly going digital, but there are still situations where an analog circuit is a better choice and I believe this is one of those cases. A lot of people seem to agree. According to stats provided by InSound Medical, 90% of those who try Lyric think it sounds better than their previous aid. Because the speaker is so close to the eardrum, you need less power plus you get better correction for your hearing loss. The result is natural sound quality and a long battery life. That’s a good combination.

The Lyric is designed to be replaced about four to five times a year, and the replacement process is fast – ten to fifteen minutes per visit. This means you will never have to wait days or weeks for your hearing aid to come back from repair. That alone is good, but the part that really impressed me is this: When improvements are made, whether it be to comfort, size or performance, you will always get the latests developments at no additional charge. Wow. I love that idea.

Adding to my “Like It” list is how wonderfully simple the Lyric is to operate and wear. It’s as close to set it and forget it as there is (for a few months!). You will not have to change batteries. There is a volume control, which has recently become an endangered species. I know the majority of my patients want a volume control, so this feature is a welcome surprise. My thought is if a hearing aid has a volume control, you can choose whether to use it or not.

What’s not so great.

There are three areas of concern that I noticed. First, if you have a severe hearing loss or worse, you’re out of luck. Maybe someday that will change.

The second area of concern regards how a Lyric fits into the ear canal, and this concern actually has two components. Your ear canal has to be of the proper diameter and shape. Though soft and pliable, a Lyric doesn’t fit everyone. My other concern centers around reports of people who experience ear soreness. It appears this complaint, while frequent with the first version, seems to have all but disappeared after InSound made changes to the flanges that keep the aid in place. Knowing that soothes my concern a great deal.

The last “not so great” applies only if you are an avid swimmer. The Lyric is water resistant, not water proof. Shower with it and there’s no problem unless you angle your head to fill your ear with water. If you like baths, don’t do a Julia Roberts-like, Pretty Woman head dunk unless you like to spend money foolishly. Soapy water and bubbles do nasty things to hearing aids. For swimmers, you need to seal your ear canal so water can’t get in. Don’t worry though, there are products that will do this.

And the verdict is……

Keeping in mind that your opinion and thoughts are what really matter, here’s my take. The Lyric seems to be a remarkable, solid product for those whose hearing loss, ear size and lifestyle fit within the confines that InSound Medical has painstakingly created. The ease of use, good sound quality and performance are what initially got my attention, and is why I’m really excited about this. In a short time I’ll know even better if there are other points worth mentioning, and I’ll update my thoughts here when I learn more. In the meantime, feel free to ask me your questions and add your comments.

Wait. Didn’t you forget something?

You can go to the Lyric website to find all kinds of testimonials about how great the comfort is, how simple it is to use, and about the nice sound quality. Every large manufacturer, including InSound Medical, has teams of researchers who ask people these types of questions every day, and I have no reason to question the accuracy of the claims made by individuals. Yet because I have absolutely no way of knowing beforehand what your experience will be like, I feel better just pointing out that people’s reactions vary. What is most important is how well something works for you. Please remember that I’ll listen to you and take your observations very seriously. They are my roadmap and bible when working with you.

Thank you for your and interest, and patience! I appreciate both, and truly look forward to meeting you.