Receiver defects

[microbeman]

I have been using behind the ear hearing aids for a good number of years and have have a significant number of difficulties with them. Spectifically with the tubing and the "amplifier" (the part at the end of the tubing covered with a silicon dome). What generally happens that nothing happens: I get no sound. Signia, the manufacturer has a call in center for help. In variably they go through procedures with the IOS software (Settings: Accessibility: Hearing) Devices) to help me with the problem ending with advice to take the hearing aid (usually one) to my audiologist for testing and replacement more likely of the "amplifier" and sometimes the tubing. This has been a recurrent problem over the 3-31/2 years of hearing aid use. I understand that creating hearing aids to function under difficult ie noisy situations is not easy. I do not understand why there seem to be problems with the tubing and the amplifier. On occasion wax has gotten through the wax guard. It is a problem as putting a device in ones ear induces the protective action of wax production and I think that I may produce more that is absolutely necessary (my ENT's opinion). I therefore change the was guard almost daily. The tube, which seems fragile and I manipulated very carefully, but daily, still seems to be a problem. However, and I have asked with no good return why the "amplifier", at the end of the tube, is prone to need frequent replacement? Wax is not the frequent demise. I have asked but the front-line worker (the audiologist or hearing aid tech) has no answer. Nor does the Signia Help Desk.
I'd appreciate any thoughts or experiences that can shed some light on this difficulty?

Thanking you, I am

Sincerely

Martin Weiss

 

[pvc]

Hi Martin; Welcome.

Inside each hearing aid receiver/speaker is balanced armature technology. I believe this works similar to a speaker when the Armature (connected with a pin) vibrates the Diaphragm using that pin connection. And, it seems to me those tiny moving parts inside your ear would certainly be prone to wax damage.

Receiver damage is mostly mitigated by using Wax Filters inside the "Sound Outlet". Maybe your ear wax production is higher than the average person, and therefore you need to change your wax filters more often. Wait, What? You change filters almost daily? That's too much.

 

[pvc]

If you are pulling the receivers out of your ears on a daily basis by pulling on the wire, then that could be a problem. They are not tubes. They are wires for electrical connection to the speakers/balanced-armature and the wires tend to be fragile. Unless they are released from your ears with only a slight pull, then tugging on the wires is prone to failure by breaking the wires.

 

[pvc]

You already change wax filters frequently. I don't change mine for many months. Maybe it's broken wires. When my wires break, sometimes the wire seems to have a weak spot that tends to dangle if you wiggle it back and forth. The "dangling" part of the wire is not very obvious. But it doesn't feel real sturdy like the rest of the wire.

 

[pvc]

If broken wires is your problem, then perhaps custom ear molds is your answer. Custom molds can be built to include a plastic string with a Ball on the end and you can just tug on the ball to pull the receiver out. This relieves all the stress on the wires. Below is a picture of my custom mold, made by the manufacturer (Oticon);

 

[pvc]

Tip: Testing for a dead receiver/speaker.

If you know how to remove and replace your receivers/speakers (watch this uTube-video) then you can swap the receivers left/right.

• if the problem follows the receiver then it's a bad receiver
• if the problems does not follow the receiver then it's something else

Don't forget to switch them back. It's just a test.