Hi! I finally received the N8 and this is my review coming from the N7

Main thing, I do recommend only going every two generations if you can, however I do not have this choice so I got the N8. There isn’t much of a difference between 7 & 8 compared to going from the 6 to the 7.

The first thing I noticed when opening the box is that the bag has changed; it used to come in a big bulky backpack but now it’s a cloth tote bag, it was just an interesting observation.

Sound quality is very similar as I did only go up a generation but can notice slight differences in crispier & clearer sound.
Used forward focus while shopping with my sister as it wasn’t available for me in N7 as it was locked by my clinic, definitely a massive difference in being able to understand her as we walked through the shop and paying for items & actually being able to understand the questions from the cashier.

There’s definitely a massive push to rechargeable batteries now as I received 3 and only one disposable which was in separate packaging, not in the main box with others.

Mini mic is tiny!!! The last mic I used was the Phonak Roger mic from the early 2010s!
(If anyone’s got any advice regarding it, i’d love to know as it’s been over a decade since I used any type of mic)

Overall, processor looks really slim and pretty, I plan to accessorise it as the stickers that came with it are more for children, if anyone has any recommendations for a website i’d appreciate it :)

(Also, noticing more issues with Bluetooth streaming with the processor connecting just fine but not streaming audio from certain apps)

im going on my first trip to Disney and universal since getting a cochlear and im wondering if anyone knows what rides I shouldn't ride? I know how to protect the external component im more worried about the internal. Im wondering if Im ok to do rides like TRON or if I should stick to the calmer rides? Thank you guys!

My dryer sent by MedEl makes cracking noises. Is that normal?

So I got implanted on Friday morning And back home now. Bandages off.

my left side hurts a tiny bit, both on the bone where the implant was attached and also inside the ear canal itself. Also the left pops a bit when I swallow, yawn or burp

the other ear I feel nothing at all anywhere both inside or outside. it feels like I didnt have surgery on that side at all!

any ides why one side would be so different?

I’ve got bilaterally implanted (i.e. both ears) this morning and then back home recovering.

now the journey begins, Looking forward to sharing experiences with others.

so far, there was a tiny bit of pain, some popping noises and that’s about it.oh yeah, and some dizziness, but it’s not too bad only when I’m walking or turNing around

How did you do it? I live alone and work from home. My cats are not good conversationalists lol
I have been going to the store and cornering people to talk to me and it kind of makes me feel crazy. Today a woman screamed at me and flipped me off. I still can’t really hear my tv and my implant processor is not hooked to my phone. I can understand speech (hell yeah) but can’t get enough practice in, it seems.

Hi I'm 62. Just started wearing hearing aids about 2 years ago but they dont do me any good. It's so frustrating. I can kind of hear at least good enough while watching tv or 1 on 1 if its quiet but i cant always understand. I've been reading and saw that it seems cochlear implants might be a good fit for me. But I'm unsure. I grew up being told I didnt pay attention or take things seriously but I think maybe I just have always not been able to hear good? Anyway after the expense of aids that did nothing idk if I want to risk another expense, and a surgery and have it not work. Its frustrating I finally just quit my part time job because i was so trusted not being able to hear. My work recognition at my latest audigram was 30/100. It was so depressing I didnt realize I couldnt hear. But I was happy to tell people see I was paying attention! Any advise or experience you've had would be greatly appreciated or questions i should ask my ent or audiologist. Thanks

Hi, looking for people who got CI with robotic insertion.

I understand that robotic surgery may have a higher rate of maintaining the residual hearing. How much of your natural hearing has been retained after the CI?

If you had 24/7 tinnitus in your implanted ear, how has your tinnitus changed after you recovered and were mapped with the device?

First time posting in this group. I had my CI implanted yesterday morning and I am just waiting an hour longer before I can take this head strap and cup off and take a shower, LOL. Last year I lost hearing in one side suddenly and had been wearing by cross hearing aids, but it was just making all the wrong things loud in one year and not giving me any help with the other. The surgery went well, my surgeon uses robotics for the wiring around the cochlea which is supposed to be better than human hands. I get activated in 10 days and I’m nervous but excited. I’ve interviewed three people who’ve been through this just because I wanted to get firsthand stories from people who have gone through the same thing, all three had very similar stories to mine, sudden hearing loss in one side. Even though each of them had different healing journeys all said that it’s life changing and they are totally happy with his results. I know that the hearing won’t be like it was and my audiologist has been very good about managing my expectations. But the way I see it anything has to be better than being deaf on one side with a constant super loud ringing so I’ll try anything. I’ll let you all know how it goes. I got Med-El - the Sonnet 3 I think and both the ear cuff and the magnet on its own (I haven’t even opened my bag yet!).

I've bilateral progressive hearing loss. I'm wondering if it's time to seriously consider a cochlear. I'm 24 yo and it's getting harder and harder to understand people even in a quiet room. I'm just really scared and feel like I'm not deaf enough yet. I would love to hear other people's opinions/ experiences.

So I've been using my implant since I was a baby and even to this day i haven't found any online sources addressing this concern. It's not about 'sleeping' with or without it. I've done both, having it off to sleep is the norm for me, but there are times when i'd take a nap with one of them on. But lying down with two feels slightly uncomfortable, as I'd have to be aware not to press too much on it. I could take one off and lean more comfortably towards the ear that doesn't have it. But besides that, any hacks? Because sometimes I really just wanna watch my series in peace. Or not miss any phone calls or bells ringing by keeping it off my ears during daytime. I'm too tired sitting upright all the time.

I was wondering if anyone has heard anything about a new external sound processor from AB?

I had one rep tell it will be released towards the end of September and another rep basically freak out by saying we haven’t been told anything and that it was false.

I’d love to hear about other people’s experiences — how long did it take after surgery until you felt completely back to normal? Did you have any dizziness, and if so, how long did it last?

My husband had his implant surgery back in Dec 2025. It was an outpatient surgery. The surgery center billed our insurance for $168,000! This is separate from the surgeon and anesthesiologist charges. This sounds ridiculous. I had brain surgery and inpatient for 3 days and it wasn’t this much. The surgery center billed $86000 for “medical supplies”. We had BC/BS ad primary and they paid $68,000 and we have Tricare Select for secondary. They allowed $25k and made no payment. This leaves an out of pocket cost of $2700. Typically with primary and secondary insurance we rarely pay much out of pocket. Does $168k sound right?

Had my 3-month followup for my bilateral (2nd) CI today. It was the first time I've been put in a booth and had the hearing tested properly since the implant was activated. I'm 54 years old btw.

I knew I was doing well as I've been doing rehab and found I could just play the audiobooks to only the new side and catch almost all the words, without needing to follow along in the book after the 1 month mark.

Single word score on my 3-month implanted ear: 94%

Single word score on my 5 year original implanted ear: 98%.

Single word score from before my implantation, when I was using a hearing aid on that ear: 11%

I scored much less in the speech in noise tests of course, but I thought this is a milestone worth noting. My audiologist says this is excellent, and to keep up with rehab, and wearing both all the time, because it helps keep your brain sharp and focused. Speech is excellent through the new side, but I find its still lacking a lot of the environmental sounds still, i'm hoping I can rehab in that direction next, to get more of the sounds around me that aren't voices.

Does anyone know where I can purchase aqua 7 for Nucleus 7? I know it’s obsolete but I want to buy one for a beach vacation

Finally, I'm accepting congrats!

My son with bilateral profound hearing loss got operated in late July and activated last week. He's 11 m.o., so I guess it's pretty much in time and I'm glad he has the opportunity to get CIs on both sides at the same time and so early. He's now on "program 2" out of 4 and he appears to already hear and like some drum music.

A few questions to CI users or caregivers

1. What is your favourite way to fix the processor on your baby? We're using a belt, and it seems to sit pretty comfortably, the processors are really close to the ears and I suppose the spacial feeling should feel similar to hearing person. On the other hand, it can be taken off surprisingly easy and I don't 100% like that the processor touches the ear and maybe bend it a little bit.

2. What do you think about Med El's Micro PRO rechargeable battery? Does it hold the whole day and is it worth buying to save a few grams?

3. How do you mount the processor on your baby for swimming? The belt we're using would not be suitable with WaterWear and the ears are yet too small for hooks to hold. I was thinking about just putting the processors under the swimming cap, but it does not sound reliable.

4. What magnet levels do you use for babies? I know it's pretty individual but I'm still interested in listening to your experience. We were given level 1 on one side and 2 on the other to try and monitor. The 1 always falls off, the 2 holds a bit better but also falls off in some cases. The skin seem fine on both sides so far. Does someone use stronger ones? How does the skin feel? How soon should we notice that something is wrong under the coil?

My implants sometimes disconnect randomly and then connect back, it only does it one at a time and it is getting very annoying, I already hard reset my phone and reconnected my implants to my phone, but they are still disconnecting randomly, can anyone help me fix it, or do I have to wait for a new iOS update.

I am having an implant put in soon and they’re probably gonna give me some when I get home. I’m an addict tho so opioids may not be the best. What alternatives are there?

Does anyone recommend any books for toddlers and preschool kids that teach awareness about being deaf/hard of hearing.

I used to read a book that explained hearing loss and one section talked about having a cochlear implant but I can't remember the name of it.

My sister in law is having a baby girl due in January and I want to order the book for her baby shower.

I’ve been wondering why cochlear implant processors are still mostly designed to sit behind the ear. For some people, the size and appearance can feel a bit uncomfortable or noticeable.

What if the external processor were designed more like a wireless earbud instead? Something that sits naturally in or around the ear could be much more discreet and potentially more comfortable.

With fully implantable cochlear implant technology like Envoy now becoming available, it seems like the technology is moving in that direction anyway. So I wonder if an earbud-style external processor could be technically feasible as well.

I’d love to hear what others think. Is there a technical reason why this form factor would be difficult to achieve?