cros vs baha

[tenai98]

Me ENT wants me to try the CROS when I return the BAHA on Monday.   Has anyone tested both? What were your findings?  The BAHA is covered under my CHAMPVA but nto the cros, which is running here at $1500 after government grants....The BAHA will be less expensive.  They have a CROS for me to try.  I'll give it a shot and see what its like...
JO

[Sam Rush]

I hated the cros, didn't like anything in my good ear.  BAHA is a better choice.

[Richey]

I have been using a bi-cross for several years. It does help in some ways but hurts in other ways. I think it has a lot to do with how good the hearing is in your good ear. Mine is good, not perfect but pretty good and I hear better without the aid in my ear on that side than with it so it's kind of double edge sword. With the cross function I definitely pickup the sounds from my deaf side but the only way I can get the good side up to what I'm used to is by turning it up and then it tends to be too loud. Also I have had some interference problems from AM radio broadcast with my Interton bi-cross. I actually tried another bi-cross from phonak that had better quality sound but was just always too loud in my good ear and was a rather bulky behind the ear set. I recently tried out the baha demo and it was very good and I'm going to try that option if everything gets approved at the VA. My next appointment is on the 17th and I hope to get a preop appointment then but the wheels turn slow it seems.

[mikjul1]

I had a cros and I hated it BAHA is the best no comparison.

[jlamborn]

I started out with the Phonak Bi-Cros and it worked well for a couple of years.  It really did add additional sound I would not have otherwise heard.  I could really tell the difference because I would put my hearing aid with the bi-cros "shoe" in on my left (hearing) side first, then add the cros part behind the deaf ear; almost like the difference between mono and stereo.  My only complaint with it was that I'm in the computer field and computers make a lot of high-frequency sounds that a regular person doesn't hear, but the RF frequency of the bi-cros picks up.  I could also hear the inteference for a second or two when I walked through the security bars at the entrance of stores.  I got curious about the BAHA, though, and found that my Aetna insurance would actually pay for it because I lost my hearing due to a tumor and it was considered a type of "prosthetic" device that's replacing the inner ear that was removed during the tumor surgery.  The extra sound I get now from it isn't quite as loud as the Bi-Cros I had, but I'm happy not to have the interference anymore, plus the hearing aid on the left side is a lot lighter without the "shoe" receiver snapped on to the bottom of it.