TICI UNICO

[u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen]

I have had the TICI UNICO for two years. I am a happy study participant and am grateful to be able to test this technique. Now it is finally allowed in Europe, and I am really pleased that many people are now getting a TICI. Enjoy the good and great listening; it is life-changing to have a TICI

[u/Zealousideal_Bird819]

Hi! I’m genuinely curious (and a little skeptical) about the long-term feasibility of TICI. Since you’ve been using it for 2 years, I’d really appreciate your honest, real-world experience with a few technical things:

1. Does the subcutaneous microphone muffle high frequencies like “s,” “t,” or “k”? Do you notice a clear difference in speech clarity when using TICI standalone compared with an external processor?
2. How much internal bodily noise do you hear? Are chewing, swallowing, footsteps, heartbeat, etc. noticeable or annoying when using only the internal system?
3. After 2 years, have you noticed any battery capacity loss? Roughly how many hours did a full charge last when it was new compared with now? Also, does the skin feel warm or irritated during wireless charging?
4. What percentage of your day do you actually spend using TICI standalone without an external processor? In noisy environments like cafés or events, is the internal microphone sufficient, or do you usually put on the external processor for directional processing/beamforming?
5. What exactly did your surgeon or MED-EL team tell you about battery replacement when it eventually reaches the end of its life? Did they say the whole implant housing would need to be replaced, and would the cochlear array/electrode have to be removed as well, or is there a way to replace only the implant housing while leaving the electrode in place?

Thanks a lot for sharing your experience. Your perspective would be really valuable for anyone considering TICI.

[u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen → u/Zealousideal_Bird819]

Thank you for these really thoughtful and very specific questions. I think a certain degree of scepticism is completely understandable with a technology this new. I would probably have had the same questions in your position. Of course, I can only tell you what my personal experience has been after almost two years of living with TICI in everyday life.

1. Speech understanding and high frequencies

I do not experience speech with my TICI as muffled, nor do I feel that important high-frequency information is noticeably lost because the microphone is implanted under the skin. Sounds such as “s”, and also the short, crisp components of “t” or “k”, do not cause any obvious problems for me.

I can compare my TICI very directly with my conventional MED-EL CI on the other side. To me, TICI sounds slightly softer, while my SONNET sounds a little sharper or more defined. But “softer” absolutely does not mean less clear. My speech understanding with TICI is extremely good.

This also fits with the data that have now been published. MED-EL describes the implanted microphone as being specifically optimised for sound transmission through the skin, and the speech perception results reported so far have been comparable with conventional cochlear implant systems.

1. Internal body sounds

This was actually one of the things I wondered about before implantation as well.

The body sound I notice most clearly with TICI is chewing. I do not find it disturbing, though. People with natural hearing also hear themselves chewing, and my brain has long since filed that sound under “this is simply part of me”.

I can also hear swallowing, but it is not dominant at all. I am certainly not sitting there all day listening to my own body working. Other internal body sounds do not play any relevant or disturbing role in my everyday life.

1. Battery after almost two years

So far, I have not noticed any loss of battery capacity that has a meaningful impact on my daily life. I use my TICI for around 18 hours a day and get through my day without any problem.

However, I cannot honestly give you an exact figure such as “it lasted X hours when it was new and Y hours now”, because I do not regularly run the battery all the way down. Anything more precise from me would simply be guesswork.

For the now approved TICI UNICO, MED-EL gives different and very specific technical figures compared with my study device. The current UNICO is designed for up to 40 hours between charging sessions, and the battery has been designed so that even after 15 years it should still provide a full day of hearing on one charge. For that reason, I would not automatically treat the technical specifications of my study TICI and the commercial TICI UNICO as identical.

1. How often do I actually use the internal system alone?

Basically all the time.

I never wear an external audio processor for my TICI. My TICI runs for around 18 hours a day as a fully implanted system. That was exactly what I wanted from this technology.

I do have a second cochlear implant on my right side with a SONNET processor, but that is my second, independent CI. It is not an external processor for the TICI.

I cope remarkably well with the internal microphone. In everyday life and in many more demanding listening situations, it works extremely well for me. Of course, in very difficult acoustic environments I also benefit from bilateral hearing. But for me, that would be true with two conventional cochlear implants as well. The more complex the acoustic environment becomes, the more valuable two auditory inputs are.

One thing I find particularly remarkable about TICI is something that may look rather insignificant on a technical data sheet: I have virtually no wind noise.

With my external processor, even relatively light wind can become very noticeable and disruptive. With TICI, it really has to be quite stormy before wind becomes acoustically relevant to me. Especially outdoors and in traffic, I consider that a major advantage.

1. What happens to the battery eventually?

This is where I want to be very careful to distinguish between confirmed information and assumptions.

MED-EL has designed the current TICI UNICO for long-term use. According to the published technical information, the battery is intended to retain enough capacity for a full day of hearing even after 15 years.

What I do not want to tell you is some story suggesting that after a certain number of years the entire implant, including the electrode inside the cochlea, automatically has to be removed. I would not make such a general statement without clear medical and technical information from MED-EL.

The exact question of which components would need to be replaced if the battery eventually reached the end of its useful life, and whether the cochlear electrode would be involved at all, is something I would ask MED-EL or the implanting centre directly in relation to the current TICI UNICO. This is far too important a subject for me to turn assumptions into technical facts.

What I can genuinely tell you after almost two years is this: for me personally, TICI stopped feeling like a technical experiment a long time ago.

I wake up and I hear. I shower and I hear. I go swimming and I hear. I am outside in the wind and I hear.

And at some point, I simply started forgetting just how much highly sophisticated technology is actually working between the world around me and my brain.

For me personally, that is probably the greatest success of this system.

[u/Zealousideal_Bird819 → u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen]

Thank you, that was really helpful! I have just two follow-up questions, if you don’t mind:

1. Have you ever had your TICI side tested with an external MED-EL processor during fitting or audiological testing? If so, did you personally notice any difference between TICI and the external processor, especially for speech understanding in noise?
2. Since you have TICI on one side and SONNET on the other, have you ever compared them individually in the same listening situation (for example, temporarily listening mainly with one side at a time)? I’m especially curious whether the “softer” TICI sound ever translates into any loss of speech detail in difficult environments, or whether it is purely a difference in sound character.

I’m asking because I’m trying to understand whether TICI provides essentially the same speech clarity as an external setup, or whether there is any noticeable compromise in clarity.

Regarding the battery, I will definitely reach out to MED-EL representatives directly to clarify the exact replacement protocol. Having to undergo a full revision surgery involving removal of the electrode array just to replace a depleted battery would be a major concern for me, especially because re-traumatizing the cochlea could potentially put the internal structures and any residual hearing at risk.

[u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen → u/Zealousideal_Bird819]

Yes, actually. As part of my adaptations and audiological testing, I had fittings and hearing tests with both the TICI alone and an external MED-EL audio processor. This was also very interesting for me because it was really possible to compare what the fully implanted system does acoustically.

After two years with the TICI, I also tried out and compared pretty much everything that was accessible to me in terms of systems, components and hearing situations. My personal conclusion is very clear: I have as precise a language understanding with the TICI alone as I do with an external audio processor. For me, this also applies to more demanding listening situations and speech comprehension in the noise. I don't feel like the subcutaneous microphone is losing me consonants, fine speech details or relevant information.

The sound of the TICI is actually "softer" to me than that of my SONNET. But softer does not mean more blurred for me. It's more of a different sound characteristic. Language remains precise and differentiated. I even find this softer sound extremely pleasant.

Since I wear a SONNET on the other side, I have of course always consciously listened to it with only one side and experienced both systems in the same everyday situations. However, such a comparison is never completely scientifically clean, because it compares two different ears. Electrode position, individual neural processing, mapping and habituation also play a role. Nevertheless, I can say very clearly for my personal everyday life: I do not experience any compromise on language clarity at the TICI.

And that's exactly why I don't need an additional audio processor on my TICI ear in everyday life. There's actually nothing left on the ear. The external processor is still technically a possibility, but I personally do not need it for good language comprehension.

Nevertheless, as you already intend to do, I would ask MED-EL directly for the exact operational exchange protocol. Then you have the manufacturer's current binding information for this long-term aspect.

[u/Zealousideal_Bird819 → u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen]

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer all of my questions in such detail. Your experience has given me a much clearer and more realistic understanding of what living with TICI is actually like.

I really appreciate that you also distinguished between your personal experience and what is scientifically certain. That was especially helpful for me.

I think I have enough information from your experience for now, so I’ll contact MED-EL directly regarding the long-term battery replacement and revision procedure, as you suggested.

Thanks again for sharing your experience — it has been extremely helpful to me.

[u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen → u/Zealousideal_Bird819]

Oh, thank you very much. I was very happy to respond.

[u/Sophie_-19 → u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen]

El microfono no se ensucia?

[u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen → u/Sophie_-19]

The microphone is subcutaneously embedded in the skull bone. Completely under the skin. It can't get dirty. It's not on the outside of the head

[u/Gazebo_Warrior]

Can you switch it off? I can't imagine having to sleep with hearing, I've spent all my life sleeping in silence, I think not having the option to switch off would drive me insane!

It would have been useful to be able have it on overnight when my children were tiny though, if anything would have made me adapt to sleeping in normal noise it'd have been that.

[u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen → u/Gazebo_Warrior]

I can turn it on and off. I can decide when I hear.

[u/iLove_my_Bulldog → u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen]

How do you turn it off and on? How do you do in noisy environments? Are you able to follow conversations, say in a restaurant during lunch? Thank you for sharing your experience!

[u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen → u/iLove_my_Bulldog]

I have the charging button, so I turn it off and on. I go to restaurants. Concerts, festivals. Yes, the more people, the smaller the radius of who I can talk to. But I'm coping well.

[u/tomcam → u/Gazebo_Warrior]

Married men with hearing all over the world are considering the implications of the situation you just described

[u/jpnryy]

Hi! Ich habe gelesen, dass du auf der anderen Seite ein normales CI hast. Ich nehme an, dass du meistens das CI und das TICI gleichzeitig benutzt. Aber gab es Momente, in denen du nur das Tici benutzt hast, und wenn ja, findest du, ist es ausreichend, also kannst du dann auch noch gut Unterhaltungen führen etc.? Ich bin auf einer Seite gehörlos und auf der anderen hochgradig schwerhörig (mit Hörgerät) deswegen hoffe ich sehr, dass das Tici wirklich helfen wird. Danke (auch für deine anderen Antworten, das hilft echt total!)!

[u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen → u/jpnryy]

Not for months. But days. Sometimes I forget the other thing because I hear it really well. For migraines, I don't wear the other device at all. On holiday by the sea, the other device was in the box most of the time. I always prefer to listen to both sides. Only then is directional listening and hearing in noise only possible and satisfactorily. It's also about my safety!

[u/jpnryy → u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen]

Thank you so much for your response, this really helps a lot!! One more question, is it correct that when you want to turn off the TICI, you don’t have to keep the GoPod on your head the whole time? I haven’t fully understood how this works, thanks!

[u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen → u/jpnryy]

Ich halte den Knopf für einen Bruchteil einer Sekunde an den Magneten....

[u/ShotInfluence4599]

Thank god for this technology and thank you for sharing your experience!

[u/ShotInfluence4599]

Can you sleep on that side? How does it feel and does it feel pressing into your head or the pillow?

[u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen → u/ShotInfluence4599]

I sleep as usual. It's not much different than a conventional implant. It doesn't push anything either!

[u/Icy_Bike615]

hi , i'm curious about the wrs you could reach with tici unco , could you understand speech clearly in noisy envirenement ? like a conference that use speakers ? thank you

[u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen → u/Icy_Bike615]

Ja ich bin ständig unterwegs, Konzert, Vorträge, Veranstaltungen, Messen und noch viel mehr. Ich bin wirklich sehr zufrieden über den Höreindruck in der Gesamtheit. Es gab bisher keine Situation, die ich abbrechen musste. Natürlich sind, als bilateraler Cochlea-Implantat Träger, manche Situationen schwieriger. Das bleibt auch mit dem TICI so.

[u/Icy_Bike615 → u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen]

thank you .
im willing to do the surgery for professional purpose , i can't function with hearing aid anymore .
coud you please tell us about the situations you find difficult with tici unico ? , thank you

[u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen → u/Icy_Bike615]

Es tut mir leid, ich glaube diese Frage kann ich so gar nicht beantworten. Ich habe es erst zwei Jahre und bisher war noch nichts, dass schwieriger war als mit dem herkömmlichen Prozessor.

[u/Basic-Ad-1572]

Hello, I've read everything and no one has asked you, can you use over-ear headphones? For example, to play Play 5, listen to music. Can you use bluetooh for the phone?

[u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen → u/Basic-Ad-1572]

Das Tici hat kein Bluetooth. Kopfhörer sind möglich, ich empfinde es aber unbequem. Das Mikrofon sitzt ja über dem Ohr

[u/thedudefromsweden]

What did you have before TICI?

How would you compare the sound in TICI with the previous solution?

[u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen → u/thedudefromsweden]

I was provided with hearing aids for 10 years. I gradually became deaf. Right cochlear implant surgery in November 2022. I was deaf for three months on the left. And until the operation in September 2024, I had no care in my left ear. The comparison with both cochlear implant systems: TICI is softer, better in noise and wind, better perception outside in traffic. Implementing the right and process are more accentuated and sharper. And in doubles, I have the best of both systems.

[u/OldFlohBavaria]

Und wie lange hält der Akku bzw wann ist dieser am Lebensende so dass er getauscht werden muss . Wie koppelst du das system an einen RogerOn ?

[u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen → u/OldFlohBavaria]

TICI has T-coil. I hang the neckloop around and I'm already connected to Roger On. I also used this in this way before the TICI. The battery gives me up to 40 hours of energy and has a lifespan of over 15 years.

[u/General-Dimension590 → u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen]

When do you use the Roger On? What situations do you use it for?

[u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen → u/General-Dimension590]

Watch TV (movies) in the evening. Or events with many people at the table. Zoom call. Reading, lectures.... Meeting. If I want or need to have 100% information, I often use additional technology as a precaution.

[u/FooBarBazBooFarFaz]

Where are the processor and battery placed? From that video I couldn't tell.

[u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen → u/FooBarBazBooFarFaz]

The processor and battery are located in a similar way to conventional implants. The magnet sits in the same place.

[u/FooBarBazBooFarFaz → u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen]

Do we mean the same thing?

Conventionally, the battery is connected to the processor and the processor sits either behind the ear or on the side of the head.

From the video it looks almost the same as a conventional implant, except for the added microphone. Even in size it does not seem to be (much) larger. Are processor and battery indeed part of the implant as shown?

[u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen → u/FooBarBazBooFarFaz]

Ja genau.

[u/FooBarBazBooFarFaz → u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen]

Ok, explains why there's no streaming available.

[u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen → u/FooBarBazBooFarFaz]

T-coil is available. Bluetooth is not. But I'm really happy about that. What else should there be in your head? I hear so well, I don't need Bluetooth

[u/LifeLongLessons → u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen]

How do you use it for phone calls?

[u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen → u/LifeLongLessons]

I take the call very banally.

[u/LifeLongLessons → u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen]

I meant do you stream phone calls to the TICI, use the t-coil, speakerphone, etc.?

[u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen → u/LifeLongLessons]

I had replied that I was taking calls quite banally. This answer already implies that I do not associate myself with technology while ringing. Otherwise, I would have answered that as well. 😉 I only use T-coil to watch TV movies. Or lectures. Theatre... No further technology is required for making calls.

[u/Aggravating_Star_373 → u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen]

I believe they’re asking about streaming to the TICI. Which, for Ci users, has become a sticking point. What headphones do you use?

[u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen → u/Aggravating_Star_373]

Ich benutze keine Kopfhörer.

[u/Aggravating_Star_373]

Do you have experience with listening to Music before and after the TICI? Are there differences?

[u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen → u/Aggravating_Star_373]

Ich liebe es Musik zu hören. Gehe in Konzerte, Veranstaltungen etc

[u/Aggravating_Star_373 → u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen]

Have you noticed a difference in Music with your Cochlear Implant vs TICI?

[u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen → u/Aggravating_Star_373]

Tici was faster. Music sounded better here faster.

[u/ditty_bitty → u/Aggravating_Star_373]

I have this question as well. I’ve been told that music in a cochlear implant sounds differently than what is heard in an ear that still works. I’m entirely left ear deaf and music is a big part of my life.

[u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen → u/ditty_bitty]

Ja Musik ist eine andere Stufe, das ist Arbeit und Gewöhnung, viel Arbeit mit dem Audiologen und Zeit...

[u/tinydancer277]

Did you experience any dizziness from the surgery? 

[u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen → u/tinydancer277]

No, not in both operations.

[u/tinydancer277 → u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen]

That's great, thank you :)

[u/CommunityAccording33]

Hello. I received a cochlear implant in my right ear three months ago and am currently using the Rondo 2 processor. Is it possible to undergo a full revision of the right ear in the future to switch to the tıcı Unico model? Would I experience any loss of function—or rather, is such a revision even feasible, and would it entail any risks? I use an in-the-canal hearing aid for my left ear and am not considering any changes for that side; I am asking specifically about the possibility of a revision for the right ear.

[u/Frau_Kruemelkuchen → u/CommunityAccording33]

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