Phonak State of the Art CROS II Announced.

[arizonajack]

July 13 2015 Update:

Just thought of something else.

I’ve had the new hearing aids since June 16 and Friday July 10 was the first time I had to change batteries. Even with my limited use, that’s impressive.

[NYLady]

Wow Jack, that is a really long time to go without a battery change.  I am not having the same experience....mine last about 5 days.  From what I understand, this is a better than the former one regarding battery usage, but have no way to compare.  I wear mine from sunup to bedtime every day.  I also understand it depends on the amount of power that is drawn from the batteries.  As I have indicated, my hearing is really bad in the good ear and I have a power dome on it, so maybe that is why there is such a difference in the usage time.  Still,  I love 'em.  Regards.

NYL

[JerseyGirl2]

I think that even 5 days is a long time to go between Bi-Cros battery changes! Mine last about 2 1/2 days, sometimes 3, of all-day wear. I order my Power One batteries on-line, and the cost is quite reasonable. I plan to investigate the Bi-Cros II system before long.

[arizonajack]

Wow Jack, that is a really long time to go without a battery change.  I am not having the same experience....mine last about 5 days.  From what I understand, this is a better than the former one regarding battery usage, but have no way to compare.  I wear mine from sunup to bedtime every day.  I also understand it depends on the amount of power that is drawn from the batteries.  As I have indicated, my hearing is really bad in the good ear and I have a power dome on it, so maybe that is why there is such a difference in the usage time.  Still,  I love 'em.  Regards.

NYL

You're doing quite well with 5 days between battery changes with sunup to bedtime use.

I was in NY a little over a year ago and had my old hearing aids operating also from sunup to bedtime because of constant interaction with family members and I was changing batteries every two or three days.

[arizonajack]

I order my Power One batteries on-line, and the cost is quite reasonable.

Prices seem to have come down a few bucks on Amazon for 60 Power One batteries. $16.30 for the pack.

http://www.amazon.com/Hearing-Battery-Powerone-312-Germany/dp/B001FNW09U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1436826585&sr=8-1&keywords=312+batteries+hearing+aid

Free shipping with a Prime membership. But if you don't want to pay for Prime you can order 3 packs for less than $50.

They have a long shelf life. The samples I got with my new hearing aids say Use By Feb 2019.

[NYLady]

Hi Arizona Jack and Jersey Girl,

I also get my hearing aid supplies (domes, wax traps and batteries) from Amazon.  They offer a good deal for sure.  Jersey Girl, are your hearing aids the new Venture Series or the prior Q series?  I believe the newer platform advertises longer battery life.  My audio did tell me the Cros piece would require a more frequent change than the hearing aid itself.  However, I have found the CrosII lasts about 5 days, and I change both of them at the same time, just so I don't get caught without power.  Probably a bit wasteful, but it works for me.  Do both of you only use Power One batteries? I still had a six month supply of "Rayovac Proline batteries which I am using and they work well too.

NYL

[arizonajack]

I believe the newer platform advertises longer battery life. 

About 30% longer according to the material I got from Phonak.

However, I have found the CrosII lasts about 5 days, and I change both of them at the same time, just so I don't get caught without power.  Probably a bit wasteful, but it works for me. 

Not really wasteful. I've changed one at a time on numerous occasions only to find the other one dead within an hour or so. I do two at a time now.

Do both of you only use Power One batteries? I still had a six month supply of "Rayovac Proline batteries which I am using and they work well too.

The Rayovacs are comparable but more expensive. I've been using the Power One batteries since the beginning three years ago. Both get excellent reviews but the Power Ones are the number 1 best seller on Amazon.

[Echo]

I wear by Bi Cros all day and into the evenings.  I also average 2.5 to 3 days before having to change mine.  It's my only complaint.  I purchase my batteries from Costco.

Cathie

[arizonajack]

I wear by Bi Cros all day and into the evenings.  I also average 2.5 to 3 days before having to change mine.  It's my only complaint.  I purchase my batteries from Costco.

Cathie

http://www.costco.com/hearing-aid-batteries.html

The Kirkland brand? That's a smokin' deal. $8.99 for 40. And they are probably made in the same factory as some of the other brands. I think there are only a handful of manufacturers of batteries.

[Lillygold]

My audiologist said battery life depended on the size of the Cros. The bigger size gets a longer battery life. I get about 5 days.

[Echo]

Yes, Kirkland brand batteries at Costco. I think I paid $9.99 here in Toronto for the last 40 pack I bought.  Compared to pricing in the local drug store it's a great price!

Cathie

[arizonajack]

The Great American Unscientific Informal Hearing Aid Battery Life Comparison Experiment is completed and the results are in.

Drum roll, please.

I started with fresh batteries in my CROS II and Audeo V90 and wore them for approximately 15 hours per day for 6 days.

On the 5th day the battery in the CROS II died after operating for 69 hours and 45 minutes.

The battery in the Audeo V90 kept going into the 6th day and died after operating for a total of 83 hours.

Then I took out my old CROS and Audeo, put in fresh batteries and wore them continuously for 4 days. On the 4th day both batteries quit at the same time after operating for only 44 hours and 45 minutes.

There you have it folks, the new generation of CROS II and Audeo does appear to extend battery life when compared to the older generation of equipment.

[NYLady]

Hi Jack,

Just was to audiologist today and asked about battery performance of new CrosII.  He said it definitely is better than the previous model, but performance also depends on the drain of the amount of amplification needed for the device to be effective by the user.  Apparently, I too, even with severe hearing loss in my "good" ear, am doing quite well with needing to change batteries approximately every five days.  As I have mentioned, I do change them both at the same time--just more convenient I think.

Also got a music program added to Speech in Noise, Comfort In Noise and Mute.  So far, so good....Thanks for all your input.

Best,
NYL

[arizonajack]

am doing quite well with needing to change batteries approximately every five days.  As I have mentioned, I do change them both at the same time--just more convenient I think.

Might be if it was just a matter of a couple of hours. But, considering the extra 12 hours on the Audeo side, you might try changing one at a time and see how that goes.

[arizonajack]

Update:

Thursday 8/6/15 I was at a meeting. About 10 of us were sitting on opposite sides of a rectangular table (5 on each side) with the chairperson at the end of the table and me at the corner next to the chairperson and everybody else to my left.

Several conversations were taking place across the table while I was talking to the chairperson.

I noticed that I could hear all the simultaneous conversations clearly.

This is a significant improvement of the CROS II over the older CROS equipment.