Sound Bite Hearing System

[MMFlorida]

I have read about the possibility of my husband getting the Sound Bite Hearing System after he has his AN Translab surgery.  Has anyone here had any experience with it?  It really seems fantastic.  Love to hear from anyone who has tried it and any other suggestions.

[mom of AN pt.]

there are many posts on this forum about the Sound Bite....  My daughter (25) is finally in the process of getting one here in Seattle.  She is very excited about it after trying the demo. the other day,   Sonitus (maker of Sound Bite) has a website as well.  In addition, one of their reps has worked with our insurance and let us know that we will get some coverage...he was up front about the costs...and I have to note, while expensive, its quite a bit less than I expected.

[Rmcfar]

I have ssd on my left side.  I've had the sound bite for a month.  The pros are (1) it's comfortable in the mouth and ear, (2) it works well in most environments.  The cons (1) I hate eating with it although drinking is no problem (2) it only works in really noisy environments when the person is within a 5 foot or so range, (3) it's not programmable by the user.  I've asked my audiologist to program for clarity in more quiet environments.  I've tested other settings which work better in loud environments but they have too much feedback.

As to cost, my insurance did not cover sound bite.  The company charged me $3800 and my audiologist charged me a flat fee of $800 for unlimited programming.  Before getting the sound bite I spoke with several audiologists.  I spoke to one who was very negative about the maker and it's customer service and was concerned about the durability of the device.  It is only warranted for 2 years.

Presuming the device continues to perform as is I feel good about sound bite.  I hope this helps and I will say this forum was a real blessing to me when i was going through the shock of sudden sensory hearing loss.
 

[arizonajack]

I tried the demo at my last support group meeting. Didn't do anything for me.

Make sure you go online and read reviews from owners before you buy it.

[leapyrtwins]

Rmcfar -

have you checked out the BAHA?

In my opinion, far superior to the Sound Bite, and chances are very good that insurance will cover it.

I've had my BAHA since 3/2008 and absolutely love it.

No problems whatsoever.

Best,

Jan