I am not sure where is best to post this but I am hoping there are members with experience of hearing aids. I am looking to buy either Genesis AI by Starkey, or Oticon Intent. Both are similar in price (£4500), and in the reviews , the Oticon may be better at streaming. If anyone has experience or knowledge on hearing aids, I would love to hear from them
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My wife has a pair by Philips she bought from the audiology department at Costco. It is supposed to pair automatically with an iPhone however frequently she needs the magic touch of the IT Department (me) to get it to work and the controls of the app aren’t obvious. I’d strongly suggest personally comparing the apps of the contenders if you can.
My husband has PHONAX (auto correct kept changing lowercase to Phoenix) and they work VERY well. He listens to classical music while taking his walks.
I have researched the question in detail and tried a vareity of models.
Ultimately I chose the Starkey Genesis AI and use them regularly:
(1) They excel where it really matters - speech in challenging situations, including background noise or noisy restaurants. I can even hear speech through a white noise generator when wearing them - something the noise generator is designed to prevent but the Starkey AI algorithm can filter it out.
(2) Battery life is stunning - it really lasts over 48 hours without streaming (as advertised) and well over a full day with streaming. There is no risk of ever running out of battery if you simply charge them a few hours at night.
As for drawbacks there are two with the Starkey Genesis:
(1) Streaming Outside - Streaming works fine inside, such as answering your iPhone in the car or in your office or home. But it the Bluetooth Low Energy technology does not work well outside when there are few surfaces to bounce off of. Interestingly it works best when away from your body or held above your waist; so if you want to use it while exercising you might want to hang your phone from your neck somehow. Otherwise you may get only intermittent sound in one of the ears. It’s passable but not ideal.
(2) Music quality- In order to get the battery life as long as it is, the power output is not ideal for really high quality music; other brand hearing aids are superior in that regard.
Ultimately I concluded if I really want to listen to nice music while exercising I can use regular headphones in addition to the hearing aids; the long battery life and superior ability to hear speech are the fundamental criteria for me for a hearing aid. I am pleased - but no doubt I will uprade when they come out with a better bluetooth LE technology.
PS - You will find a wealth of information here:
And here:
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I have a different brand to the two you listed, so I can’t compare and contrast, but I can offer some tips.
I paid for the most expensive model they sold because it was the best for my level of hearing and activity, and because I could.
- I am so much happier when I wear them.
- I do use them to listen to podcasts etc, when the environment is quiet.
- I bought some fancy over-ear beats headphones that I wear as well as the hearing aids if it’s noisy. The sound is a squazililon times better of course, and, it’s convenient to not have to remove the hearingaids.
- If I go out and about, I take my AirPods Pro. The noise cancelling makes me so much happier. I have to swap the AirPods Pro and the hearing aids, so I take the little travelling case (with a AirTag, which has already paid for itself!) in case I lose it.
So: sometimes I use the hearing aids for streaming, sometimes I use the beats, sometimes I use the AirPods Pro.
I’ve only had the hearing aids for 4 months, but I’m constantly adapting.
The one thing the hearing aids can’t do, is switch between devices like AirPods do, which is a shame, but not a suprise.
Hope that helps.
Some models can if they are advertised as “Mfi” or Made for Iphone compatible. See the iPhone settings for “Control Nearby Devices” and “Audio Handoff”:
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I’ve been wearing hearing aids since 2008. I’ve worn several different types and brands.
- I started out with the in-the-canal type hearing aids. While they are practically invisible and good for the ego, I learned quickly that miniature electronics do not do well in warm moist environments (like your ear canal!). After the first year, I was having to have at least one of them repaired every year.
- After the poor experience with the in-the-canal hearing aids, I switched to the ones that have a slim case that fits behind your ear and a clear thin plastic tube that goes down into your ear. That style has done much much better as far as repairs. It’s my understanding that they can also handle a much wider ranage of hearing loss and are much more powerful.
- I’ve had three different behind-the-ear models and they have all had different strengths and weaknesses. Some do better in noisy environments like restaurants, some not so good.
- I’d suggest you get several recommendations from professionals based on your hearing tests and try out several different hearing aids. I think all of them come with at least a 30-day return period.
- Most of the hearing aids on the market are rechargeable. I specifically looked for ones that took batteries. I sometimes go backpacking for several days and didn’t want to carry a big charger with me. It also eliminated the need for taking a charger on trips and recharging every night. Batteries are relatively cheap and last a week.
I hope this helps. Feel free to ask any questions you might have.
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My wife’s Philips hearing aids are MFI. It connects less than 100% of the time. 
What’s really needed are Apple iAids. Heck, they are most of the way there with the current product lines.