SSD Technology?

[Survival Nate]

Transear looks looks and sounds cool BUT I dont like it, I get the "AS SOLD ON T.V." feeling when reading about it. I would be more than willing to try it but I wouldnt pay anything till more reviews are out.

Nate the PC Tech

[Patti UT]

Transearexpert,

    I would like to know how well it works for SSD with severe continual tinnitus.

Patti UT

[Brendalu]

I would like to know that also.  I thought that you had to have the 8th cranial nerve for any sound to come across.  I am totally in the dark.
BrendaO

[TransEarXpert]

There is no clinical evidence yet that suggests TransEar as a tinnitus reduction device. At least one neuro-otologist disagrees, but until we see the evidence, our official position is that it is not indicated for mitigating tinnitus.

To answer question #2, TransEar works exactly like BAHA but without surgery, through bone conduction. Instead of driving a receiver/speaker, our hearing aid processor drives an oscillator which sits in a hard shell in the dead ear. That shell has a long canal, thus carrying the oscillations to the bony portion of the ear canal, which is covered by only a very thin layer of skin. The shell is made by laser from a scanned image of the impression of the ear, as fit and comfort are important issues. Each TransEar is a custom product, and the transfer unit has the owners initials embedded in it.

Since TransEar was new in 2005, I am not aware of any studies comparing it to BAHA. I'm sure there will be at least one by the end of 2006, however. The key difference is of course, surgery. Both BAHA and TransEar are good products, but they are not indicated for the same conditions, except for SSD.

I hope this answers the two questions recently posted.

[Patti UT]

transearexpert,
     I am not so concerned with wheather or not the trans ear would be a tinnitus reduction device (but wouldn't that be a miricle) but how well it would work for someone who suffers from tinniuts. One of the bigest issues for people with the tinnitus is background noises muffling out speach we are trying to hear. Something that amplifies or conducts all of the sound around us may not be of help, would the trans ear send all sounds throught he bone or just the speach??  I am just starting to explore the possibilites of a hearing air and am not very familiar with all the different types and what they do. I just know that amplifing would not be of help to me, although I hve SSD and tinnitus, I am also sensitive to loud sounds, and the background noises.
I would appreciate your input

Patti UT

[TransEarXpert]

Patti UT:

I think TransEar can only help your situation. Because of your SSD, you are only receiving acoustic signals from one side. In a quiet environment, one theoretically needs only 6 dB of added gain to overcome what is called "the head shadow." This number goes up as background noise increases. The higher the background noise, the less you are able to discriminate. I would think that tinnitus makes it even more difficult. With TransEar, you will be receiving information from both sides - even though it is the good cochlea that processes both. Thus background noise will be much less a problem for you. Note that I did not say "no problem for you." While digital hearing aid technology allows us greater ability to filter noise, the holy grail for the industry has not been, and may not ever be, reached. The "grail" is the ability of a computer chip to determine what "noise" actually is. Noise to you might not be noise to me, for example. Since TransEar uses bone conduction rather than acoustic amplification, the fact that you are sensitive to loud noises should not be an issue.

[Obita]

TransEarXpert:

How much is the non-refundable fee if we did not like it?  60 day trial period sounds good but at what cost?

Thank you,  Kathy

ps:  You mentioned the cost of the aid would be the same as a high end digital aid.  Would this be in the $1,500.00 to $2,000.00 range?

[TransEarXpert]

Kathy:

I think high end digital hearing aids are in the $3K area in most regions of the U.S. For TransEar, there is a $150 "hold-back," since the custom transfer unit must be disposed of if returned. Your audiologist might have separate charges, so it is always best to ask.

[Survival Nate]

Hey TransEarXpert I asked you a question in my last e-mail