u/Budget-Box7914

Well, I gave them a month, and I can't stand them. One-on-one in a quiet environment, they're just fine. But in noisy environments, they are intolerable. In All-Around mode, it's a crapshoot who the hearing aids are going to decide to amplify. "Hear in Noise" is excellent at amplifying the voices of people behind me while doing a lousy job of eliminating ambient noise. I also had them programmed with "Outdoor" and "Music" modes; it turns out that "Music" is probably the least awful because the "AI" chip interferes less.

I _REALLY_ wanted to like these; I wore OTC Jabras for about 3 years before going the prescription route. I liked the Jabra ecosystem (with my Enhance Select OTCs). The devices (the Multi Mic and TV Streamer 2) worked fantastically.

The Multi Mic+ is MUCH worse. There is a lag of just a few milliseconds between what the Multi Mic sends to the HAs, but that lag is just enough to make the mic unusable.

I tried two different Auracast streamers to replace my old TV Streamer 2, and they both suffered the same issue; one channel would (the left) would consistently cut out. That seems like a pattern, not a coincidence.

I've tried these in a bunch of different environments (in my car... a Wrangler, which is not a quiet vehicle); restaurants; concert venues, a couple of comedy shows), and for me, the Jabras are essential unusable in any environment where there is a LOT of ambient noise / competing voices.

What a letdown. I'll be trying the Philips HearLink 9050.

I have been a Jabra fanboi for several years because of the robust Bluetooth / MFI integration, but I would happily give up all Bluetooth functionality for better audio quality. Getting my Slacks read to me is nice; being able to hear well is essential.

I picked up my Sonite Rise HAs from Costco yesterday. I was previously using OTC Jabras.

There is a lot to like about the Sennheiser/Phonak hearing aids, but I have one issue that is proving to be bothersome.

When the HAs are connected via bluetooth to my phone or another Bluetooth audio source, and that device sends any sound over bluetooth (i.e. the "click" my iphone makes when I turn off the power button, or the "ding" of a Slack message coming in on my PC), the hearing aid noise cancelling is temporarily interrupted. It sounds like the HAs are temporarily changing sound programs for the duration of the Bluetooth audio event. After a couple of seconds, the program settings kick back in.

If I'm in an environment where something in the background is being filtered by the hearing aids (like in my office with the ceiling fan on, or in my car driving), this is REALLY distracting. Whatever sound is being attenuated briefly goes to full volume. It is jarring.

Is this something that can be overcome (a) using the Easy Line app, or (b) with a programming change by my Costo hearing center guy?

I am standing at the edge of an abyss. In front of me is a dark gray void. It’s nearly completely black. I strain my eyes, but there is no light. I can see no bottom, no sky, no opposite edge. The dark is formless and silent. It is not foreboding or frightening. It is not welcoming. It is just empty.

I look back over my shoulder. I see in the near distance a warm glow. From that glow I hear familiar sounds – laughter, the echo of voices. I can just make out my wife’s voice, and I think I hear other family members and friends. It sounds like they’re having a great time. There are smells, too. I think I smell freshly baked bread. There are also hints of nutmeg and cinnamon that remind me of Christmas cookies. Maybe it’s my imagination, but I think I smell my wife’s hair and traces of her favorite perfume. I have a flash of a memory - warm blankets on a cold morning, the sleepy indulgence of a lazy winter Sunday.

I turn forward again and survey the featureless dark. I still see nothing. I hear nothing. I smell nothing.

Inexplicably, I realize that some part of me longs to take a step forward into this abyss of profound emptiness. The thought startles me. I feel a twinge of anxiety in my chest. I remain perfectly still.

I do nothing for an entire minute. Then I take a deep breath, turn my back to the nothingness, and walk toward the light.

I qualified on my new Taurus, uploaded the qual cert, and submitted my modification request on May 19. I received payment notification just two days later, on May 21, and paid my $10. Today (May 29), I was notified that my modified permit has been mailed.

10 calendar days! Epic!

...and then walked away from the jumping-off place - thanks for doing the hard things, for embracing sobriety and recovery, and for choosing life over nothingness. Keep it up.

For those of you who haven't yet embraced recovery, you can do this, and AA can help.

Finally selling the P89 I bought new back in the 90's. It's too heavy to EDC, it's always been kind of sloppy while cycling, and I REALLY found myself missing my Ruger Security Six I got rid of last year, so I ordered up a new Taurus 605 from DGM Santee. Looking forward to being back in the revolver game.