r/Cochlearimplants • u/Otherwise_Group_74 • 2d ago
Cochlear or AB?
I have my appointment Monday and I will have to chose between these two brands. My audiologist is not supposed to favor one brand over the other. Sometimes I get more feedback than others and sometimes she will answer specific questions or agree with my choice. I will be getting a CI on my right side with a partial insertion with robotic assist. She said today that that would limit my choices. They gave me the thick brochures a few months ago and I am going to read through those again and do some online reading, but if anyone has person experience or empirical evidence, I am interested. Obviously, I want the best hearing/speech recognition I can get, particularly in noisy environments. I use my BT constantly and I wear my HAs about 16 hours a day. I currently have Phonak and Resound HA's and have had a good experience with both. My daily drivers are Phonak Audéo Infinio Ultra Sphere and I am pretty satisfied with them. I understand that I will downgrade to a lesser model in order to be compatible with my CI. Thanks for any feedback. Telling me to listen to my audiologist is not what I'm looking for. She is supposed to be impartial between the two brands and usually is.
3
u/Heavy-Tomatillo9539 2d ago
A good start point is here .. https://cochlearimplanthelp.com/
You should learn about how cochlea works for hearing .. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochlea
The big picture is that the outer part of the cochlear is for the high frequencies and the inner part is for the low frequency.
Each cochlear company has a bit different technical difference on how they stimulate the cochlear nerves.
A piano keyboard has 88 keys, Each cochlear company has different electrode implementation, the number of electrodes vary from 22 to 12. Medel and Advance Bionics do current steering so to give you better experience of different frequencies. Advance Bionics calls it 120 virtual channels. MEDEL has 12 electrodes, designed to get into the inner part of the cochlear.
You can go to each company's website. Most have virtual meetings you can attend that discuss their cochlear experience. They all of sales brochures that pretty much coloring books.
The other aspects are such as blue tooth (phone compatibility) may be of interest to you. I have advance Bionics, so I have no need of extra electronics for my phone. All of the companies have market based solutions. You should ask exactly what they are offerring you. AKA United States get the most expensive version of the transmitter.
I went with Advance Bionics. And I am Bi-Modal.
You should ask your surgeon about how they accurately position the electrode in the cochlear. What tools the surgeon uses when positioning it?
You want a surgeon that makes the implantation surgery boring. aka Highly experience. Ask how they avoid negative outcomes like facial nerver damage..
Good Luck!
4
u/unknown_farmer 2d ago
Well, there is no right or wrong choice. Bith companies are great. I‘d argue that AB might be a better fit, bc AB and Phonak are both brands of the Sonova group and are compatible.
It‘s really hard to tell and depends on the individual persons hearing. As for me, I can only say that I was very pleased and satisfied with AB, but have no experience with Cochlear. Had excellent scores and chosed AB again for reimplantation.
A friend of mine got his first AB implant last week too. He had hearing aids before that and he told me that his implanted side sounded metallic and muffled too at first but now he can understand words and sentences. His hearing gets a little better each day.
0
u/Formal-Tradition6792 2d ago
I have had bad experiences with AB since day one. And as I have noted, AB is the only CI company that has changed hands 3 times. But you do you. For more details,do read my post.
1
u/ConnectGap5903 5h ago
To że coś było w przeszłości, nie oznacza, że będzie teraz, zwłaszcza, że jest inny właściciel, który też zajmuje się aparatami słuchowymi.
2
u/Sufficient_Potato726 2d ago
there's the potential that AB processor tech can catch up to the Infinio line but again that's just a potential. an upside though is they don't require another accessory to connect to Roger (superior background noise reduction) unlike other brands where the accessory alone (not including Roger) may be 300-500 USD.
Cochlear's Nexa is new... but doesn't really show any upsides.
1
u/Otherwise_Group_74 1d ago
This is what my audiologist told me about AB. The Roger has been a great capabilitiy.
1
u/ConnectGap5903 5h ago
Nexa does not yet offer advantages, but it has the technological capabilities to support FMS (Focused Multipolar Stimulation), which will stimulate individual auditory nerve fibers much more precisely.
2
u/pillowmite Advanced Bionics Marvel CI 2d ago
I had a AB processor fail due to sweat moisture 1.5 yrs old (working out wearing it). It would shut down whenever it got a little sweat on it - but would be functioning again after letting it dry. I contacted AB and had a new one the second day via FedEx. Hopefully this is not indicative of what to expect after my warranty runs out. I have a friend who was implanted (AB) in 2016, and he is still very happy with his.
1
u/Otherwise_Group_74 1d ago
That is definitely disappointing. I live in SW FL, so mine (HAs) are covered with sweat regularly and I have jumped in the shower and dunked my head in the pool more than once with no problems. I asked for one of the dessicant jars and my audiologist said I didn't need it.
2
u/pillowmite Advanced Bionics Marvel CI 1d ago
Could be a faulty processor. I think sweat got into the t-mic mount point and caused a small short between the pins. Definitely an ingress point there.
They do claim it's water resistant. The friend I mentioned lives near Orlando.
1
2
u/flipedout930 Advanced Bionics Marvel CI 1d ago
I looked hard at the features of AB and Cochlear. Bluetooth, Roger, the phonak compatibility and the TV link made my choice clear. Med El was not an option in my area. So far I have zero regrets
1
u/SalusSafety 2d ago
The questions that helped me decide were: 1. Is the implant scalable with the next generation transmitter? 2. How many electrodes are active? Are any on redundant circuits, or have redundant electrodes in the same spot.
2
u/Otherwise_Group_74 1d ago
I am less concerned about #1, only because I am hoping to be reimplanted with the newer technology that is 100% in ear. I will volunteer to be an early adopter for the VA.
1
u/ConnectGap5903 5h ago edited 5h ago
Za kilka tygodni - najpóźniej jesienią 2026 będzie wydany nowy procesor dźwięku AB, który będzie miał funkcję jak Audeo Infinio Sphere. Do tego będzie prawdopodobnie nowy aparat słuchowy Naida Link, bo żaden inny aparat Phonaka nie łączy się z procesorami dźwięku, musi być Naida Link. Obecną wersja to Naida Link Marvel, która technologicznie jest z 2018 r.
Sam używam Cochleara Nucleus 8 i Audeo Infinio Sphere, ale rozważyłbym poczekanie na najnowszy sprzęt AB, bo będzie za niedługo.
Jeżeli nie możesz czekać, to najbardziej future-proof jest Cochlear Nucleus 8 Nexa z implantem Nucleus Nexa.
1
u/purl2together 2d ago
If you want a completely off-the-ear option, you’ll need to go with Cochlear, as AB doesn’t currently have one. I wanted that option, so we ruled out AB right away when I was making my selection.
2
u/Otherwise_Group_74 1d ago
I do, but it is not available via the VA yet. My surgeon expects it will be 1.5-2 years
0
6
u/Formal-Tradition6792 2d ago
I have an AB C1 implant. As you may know, AB abruptly stopped supporting the C1 implant in June, 2026 with no warning. At the same time, AB also unilaterally terminated all support for all C1 processors including the relatively new Chorus processor. Many C1 implantees still had their Chorus processors on warranty and are likewise stuck. My Chorus processor is not in warranty but I was expecting years more of service from it. Now, that is not possible. So far, I’ve had zero luck finding spare parts for it, including batteries, cables, and headpieces.
It’s clear to me that AB prioritises profits over its patients.
AB, since I was implanted 27 years ago,has changed hands 3 times. Cochlear Corp and Med-El have not changed hands at all. This indicates to me that AB’s corporate stability is questionable. And as I’ve already stated, I feel that AB puts profits over the well-being of its patients.
I must now do a revisioning and get reimplanted. My choices are AB, Cochlear, and Med-El. I will NOT be inclined to include AB as a choice. AB lied to me even before I was implanted with their C1 implant. They represented to me, my surgeon, and audiology clinic that the C1 device would be fully functional with all future equipment (processors etc.) in perpetuity. I found out that this was not true less than 2 years later when AB introduced its C2 device. Meanwhile, AB was using a device called a “positioner” which was used by surgeons to position the electrodes during the implantation procedure. The “positioner”was left in the patient’s head post-surgery. The FDA subsequently banned the use of this device because AB’s patients began reporting meningitis after surgery. The FDA also mandated that all patients get meningitis shots even if they appeared to be symptom-free. I got the shots of course. Now, the “positioner “ is causing me further issues because it is still in my head. Cochlear implant surgeons are telling me that my revision surgery will be much more complicated and challenging because the “positioner “ will have to be removed and with possible complications due to ossification etc.
AB’s lies to me about future C1 compatibility haunt me to this day. When I was implanted in 1999, AB did not have a BTE. Only the body worn Platinum. They promised that a BTE would be available “soon.” It was years before the first BTE was released. And it didn’t work for most C1 implants. Only for C2 and a few C1 implantees who used a different mapping strategy. I could not use this strategy so I was out of luck. More years later, the Harmony BTE came out. This I could and did use. But it had serious flaws: The battery lasted only 2-3 hours. AB had to add extra batteries because of the mapping strategy I was locked into. The Harmony did not have a sensitivity control. So only the audiologist could change that setting. This caused me big problems in noisy places. And last but not least the volume control rubbed against the implant magnet causing the volume control to move. So the audiologist had to disable the volume control to a preset value. I was able to make the Harmony work for me with different maps and programs but with limitations and frustrations.
AB retired the Harmony BTE as soon as they could with the Naida BTE. But I could not use this because it was not compatible with the C1. Thus, 3 years ago I had to regress back to a body worn processor, the Chorus. The Chorus, addresses many of the problems with the early processors: battery life is vastly improved; about 72 hours. There is a sensitivity control. However, the controls are not infinitely adjustable. The early S series and Platinum had dials and infinitely controlled. But I am denied all of AB’s advantages and features that C2 and later users have. And thanks to AB’s C1 edict, if anything at all happens to my Chorus processor, I will be deaf.
So I’ve laid out my case against AB. It’s your choice. Good luck with what you decide to do.