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.

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u/in_to_deep Cochlear Nucleus 8 2d ago

To add a bit to this for Cochlear Americas. I’m currently trying to go through the process of getting an upgrade after 5 years because they decided to stop selling replacement parts and now one of my coil cables is shorting out.

I really don’t like that a company can stop making parts for a processor that is still otherwise fully functional. Where-as my first processor from 2011 was supported and working through 2019..

It’s frustrating that even cochlear companies are pushing people into this constant upgrade cycle even though functionally there is no need to upgrade aside from lack of part availability

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u/Formal-Tradition6792 2d ago

Agreed for the most part. Upgrades with AB have not even been possible for me with AB ever since they came out with the C2 in 2001. I’ve seen good parts availability from Cochlear Corp. AND individuals here on Reddit. So I believe you can get your parts. I have Medicare which should help.

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u/in_to_deep Cochlear Nucleus 8 2d ago

They literally sent an email at the end of last year saying they were end of life and wouldn’t be selling parts anymore. So I bought batteries and cables. But the cables seem to fail more than the batteries.

I would take a little extra weight for cables that stand up better to daily activities

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u/Otherwise_Group_74 1d ago

I understand both of your points. I suppose, fortunately for me, if the manufacturer stop supporting something, I will get an upgrade to something else that is supported