Budget model reviews
Bernafon Zerena 1:
A new level in affordable hearing delight. Understanding speech is the priority. Best value.
Our Verdict:
This basic tech version is surprisingly good and it is still an RIC model. Bernafon is owned by Oticon – Bernafon are at the moment, trying to recapture the lower price segment. In today’s competitive market, you should be able to negotiate a free trial on all hearing aids. Just ask.
PRICE TO PAY: Around £900 to £1300 for a pair
APPEARANCE AND FEEL:
(the weight, size, shape, how well it fits ergonomically to the ear; the thickness and flexibility of the wire; the shell construction, quality, finish, IP properties, construction of buttons / switches / battery compartment)
Outstanding build quality. Customisable with programming button.
SOUND PRODUCTION:
(tested for how natural sounds are; how owner’s voice sounds; quality of classical and popular amplified music; naturalness of everyday quiet sounds such as indicator click, and loud sounds such as toilet flush, wind)
The Zerena usually sounds great for typical hearing losses especially age-related. A little harsh for high pitched sounds.
BACKGROUND NOISE PERFORMANCE:
(how well the instrument appears to cope with the suppression of background noises, such as party speech babble, traffic noise, loud wind noise, car engine sound)
Copes well in one-to-one and small groups. Adequate in noisy places.
EASE OF PROGRAMMING:
(from the audiologist perspective – how easy and user-friendly the programming software is: this can affect the quality of the results for the end-user)
Not as good as Oticon, but adequate.
MAINTENANCE & RUNNING COSTS:
(cost of out-of-warranty repairs, cost of shell repairs, spare parts, ease of procuring replacement parts, consumables such as domes, wax guards, receiver wires; shell integrity when put under stress)
Parts are becoming easier to get.
OTHER COMMENTS:
he larger part of the cost is set aside for the audiologist’s professional services over a prolonged period. To allow for fine-tuning, retests, and re-calibration.
Overall Score in Budget class:
By MR (Nov 2018) worn for 2 weeks
PHONAK VIRTO V30
(Budget hearing aid, In-the-Ear, CIC tested)
: “Audibly big. Visibly small. With a unique design that fits perfectly into your ear canal for ultimate comfort, there is no other hearing aid this small, capable of this much performance.
• Individually crafted to perfectly fit your ear canal
• Combining performance and discretion
• Ultimate wearing comfort and sound quality”
Also available in RIC style (the Audeo V30)
Our Verdict:
In today’s competitive market, you should be able to negotiate a free trial on all hearing aids. Just ask.
PRICE TO PAY: Around £1200 to £1500 for a pair
APPEARANCE AND FEEL:
(the weight, size, shape, how well it fits ergonomically to the ear; the thickness and flexibility of the wire; the shell construction, quality, finish, IP properties, construction of buttons / switches / battery compartment)
Outstanding build quality, programming button fitted as standard can get pressed accidentally. Avoid the SmartGuard wax guard (too delicate). Re-shells to fix poor fit problems are carried out quickly throughout the whole 2 year warranty period.
SOUND PRODUCTION:
(tested for how natural sounds are; how owner’s voice sounds; quality of classical and popular amplified music; naturalness of everyday quiet sounds such as indicator click, and loud sounds such as toilet flush, wind)
The V30 usually sounds great. A little harsh for high pitched sounds.
BACKGROUND NOISE PERFORMANCE:
(how well the instrument appears to cope with the suppression of background noises, such as party speech babble, traffic noise, loud wind noise, car engine sound)
Seems to adjust very smoothly in moderate background noise. Not so sure in very noisy environments. But for the money……
EASE OF PROGRAMMING:
(from the audiologist perspective – how easy and user-friendly the programming software is: this can affect the quality of the results for the end-user)
Superior wireless connection via iCube II, easy to understand interface makes programming really straight-forward.
MAINTENANCE & RUNNING COSTS:
(cost of out-of-warranty repairs, cost of shell repairs, spare parts, ease of procuring replacement parts, consumables such as domes, wax guards, receiver wires; shell integrity when put under stress)
Parts are easy to get and lowish in cost.
OTHER COMMENTS:
The best ever hearing aid chip? – is now within reach of almost everyone. This aid even has ear to ear buttons (press the right aid button to turn up the volume of both aids, left for down) and wireless-to-Bluetooth (works with streaming devices such as ComPilot Air II).
Overall Score in Budget class:
By BL (September 2017) worn for 4 days
PHONAK AUDEO B30 10:
“Phonak Audéo V is a Receiver-In-Canal (RIC) hearing aid, making it highly discreet. The fashion and fun colors ensure we have something to suit every style”
Our Verdict:
A feature-packed RIC aid that will be adequate for the majority of hearing losses. A truly convincing product in the affordable price bracket.
In today’s competitive market, you should be able to negotiate a free trial on all hearing aids. Just ask.
PRICE TO PAY: Around £1200 to £1900 for a pair
APPEARANCE AND FEEL:
(the weight, size, shape, how well it fits ergonomically to the ear; the thickness and flexibility of the wire; the shell construction, quality, finish, IP properties, construction of buttons / switches / battery compartment)
Robust, attractive design, with wireless (ear to ear) button, Bluetooth and Wireless connectivity all fitted into the tiny shell.
SOUND PRODUCTION:
(tested for how natural sounds are; how owner’s voice sounds; quality of classical and popular amplified music; naturalness of everyday quiet sounds such as indicator click, and loud sounds such as toilet flush, wind)
The V30 usually sounds great. A little harsh for high pitched sounds.
BACKGROUND NOISE PERFORMANCE:
(how well the instrument appears to cope with the suppression of background noises, such as party speech babble, traffic noise, loud wind noise, car engine sound)
Seems to adjust very smoothly in moderate background noise. Less positive in noise and wind.
EASE OF PROGRAMMING:
(from the audiologist perspective – how easy and user-friendly the programming software is: this can affect the quality of the results for the end-user)
Superior wireless connection via iCube II, easy to understand interface makes programming really straight-forward.
MAINTENANCE & RUNNING COSTS:
(cost of out-of-warranty repairs, cost of shell repairs, spare parts, ease of procuring replacement parts, consumables such as domes, wax guards, receiver wires; shell integrity when put under stress)
Parts are easy to get and lowish in cost.
OTHER COMMENTS:
The best ever hearing aid chip? – is now within reach of almost everyone. This aid even has ear to ear buttons (press the right aid button to turn up the volume of both aids, left for down) and wireless-to-Bluetooth (works with streaming devices such as ComPilot Air II).
Overall Score in Budget class:
By BL (Aug 2018)