My Experience with my new hearing aids Oticon Alta Pro ITC

Just got back from the VA, I have my new aids, new streamer pri 1.2, and new phone connect, and I am using the same TV connect that I already had. So far they are great I can hear sounds that I did not even know was missing. They are feeling great. They are ITC aids, and have no controls or buttons at all on the aids. I will be giving more details about how they are doing as I use them and figure out everything. So far I know that I can use my IPhone and the IPhone app with my streamer pro and I have been able to use blue tooth phone calls with the phone connect and the IPhone also the TV connect is working great. I am hearing my voice some at this time but it is not bad and not bother me at all.

The IPhone app works great and yes there is a little delay, but that is normal, due to the time it takes the blue tooth connections to work.

The TV connect works even better with the streamer Pro than with the streamer. I am loving the IPhone app for setting programs and connecting to the Phone and TV connect. My wife always disliked the fact that the streamer was so visible. So now I can hide the streamer under my shirt and use the IPhone app to make program changes and volume changes. I have a general in noise, music, an phone programs. The streamer pro seems to have a better battery life than the streamer did. I really like the smaller size of the streamer pro and I love the way the loop connects.

Wow I never could get my streamer to work with my computer using Bluetooth, but the streamer pro works great. I am looking forward to going to the movies on Monday to see how the streamer pro works with the movie theater t-loop system.

Went to a movie and for the first time since wearing hearing aids I was able to understand speech. I have the streamer pro with the t-coil and was able to use it in the movie. Speech was loud and clear and the music and other sounds were in the background and at a level that was comfortable.

I have had my new ITC Alta Pros for 11 days and they a very comfortable and sound great. Of course not as good as natural hearing but for me so very close. Also after 11 days I finally had to change the batteries, I estimated that I got 135 hrs of use out of the batteries and that includes about a third of that time using the streamer to either stream the TV or music from my IPhone.

I have to say the longer I wear my new aids the better they sound. I am learning which programs work for me and when to use them. I have a general program which of course I use most of the time. I have a directional program for noisy places, seeing we are retired and not going out that much I have only used this program a couple of times. I have a music program, I have learned that for average TV use that I can use this program, as well as setting on the deck and listening to the birds and bees. I also have a phone program that I do not really need, I am not finding it to be that useful and will ask my audiologist to remove it. I am loving the phone connect and the Bluetooth setup to my IPhone it is great for most of my phone calls. I also have the TV connect and I use it when I am really trying to understand spoken words on the TV, nightly news and some of the series that we watch. And as I noted earlier I have found the t-coil connection of the streamer great when we go to a movie. Also I am finding that I very seldom have to adjust the volume of my aids. My wife is happy that the TV is not so loud. And I have even asked her a time or two to lower the volume of the TV.

Other than the likely removal of the phone program I am not seeing any changes that need to be made to my aids. They are such an improvement over my Duals WX that I can not believe. At least for me the ITC custom Alta Pros are the way to go.

It has been just over 2 weeks now with my new aids and I have gotten to be point that I can not live without them. I am also getting to where I forget that I have them in, and will even at times check to make sure that I have them in. I really can say at least for me they sound very clear and normal sounds. I love going out in to the fields and woods and just setting down an listening to nature. And I can now do that again. I believe Oticon has hit it with their concept of how aids should be.

The reason I went to the ITC is that I also bike ride and power walk. And also I do a lot of yard work and work around the house, and I sweat very much. I had the duals WX, I had a lot of issues with them stopping working when I sweated very much so I would not wear them at all if I was riding my bike are doing my power walks, or working in the yard or around the house. I deal with the VA and they do a great job of getting the aids fixed but returning sometimes takes up to 6 weeks, then there is getting an appointment to get them resetup that can take 2 to 3 months. So I babied my BTE aids. I have been wearing these from the time I get dressed in the morning until I get ready for bed and then put them in a dry and store for the night. I have not had an issue so far. I also believe the fact that I have no controls on the aids helps the moisture issues.

What I am loving now about my bike rides and my walks is that I can hear what is going on around me or I can listen to music using my streamer and Iphone to stream it to my aids. But I have to say most of the time I just listen to nature around me.

It is almost 3 weeks now since I got the Alta Pros and I am finding that I am more relaxed when talking to others, as well as when watching TV and I can now enjoy music again as well as listen to audio books. Would I recommend these aids yes but I also have a belief that everyone is different and everyone has different needs. So yes gives these a try but whither are not they work for you will be your on personal needs and likes.

Just got back from a long trip (915 miles round trip) and I found that my aids are great in that they lower the road noise and I was also able to listen to the radio and also CDs. On the way home I was listening to a cd with classical music and I was surprised at how many of the instruments that I was able to pick out. My wife was able to confirm them for me If I was not able to pick them out. As always aids get better ever year and the Oticon Alta Pros are the best that I have ever had. 
PS I said that too about the Oticon Duals WX that I got in 2010.

I have had my Oticon Alta Pros now for a month. In that month I have not been back for any adjustments I have only changed batteries and I am only on my third set of batteries. I am wearing this aids from the time I get dressed in the morning until I get undressed for bed at night, and average of about 15 hours a day that I wear them. I am listening to a lot more music that I have in the past, and I am also listening to audiobooks and enjoying them. I had given up on audiobooks and music for a long time due to them not being enjoyable. I also get much more out of TV due to being able to understand what is being said. Also I am wearing my aids while exercising and working in the yard, something that I dared not do with my BTE aids due to the way I sweat. The only thing I am going to change is remove the phone program, and see if I can get a program that lets me hear better to my right while I am driving, so my wife and I can talk and I can understand her better with the road noise. 
To say I am happy with the Alta Pros is an understatement. And I am liking the Streamer Pro much better than I ever did the old Streamer. And having the TV connect and the phone connect makes things so much easier. The IPhone App is good and I find it works as they intended for it to work but I would love to see a few improvements to it. One other thing that I have found, when mowing my yard I can mute my aids and they do a great job of being ear plugs.
My wish list for the App are being able to see how much battery life is left in the aids if that is even possible. 
Also be able to change Program Icons without having to remove all programs from the App and reset them up. This is not a big issue to do but should not have to do.

Ok one more thing to say I went out for a walk this morning and the wind is very high, and I did not have any issues with wind noise. That is a first for me. The other aids I have had all had huge issues with wind noise.

One more little bit of information when connected to the TV connect, listening to music using the streamer, or connecting with the phone connect, or using the cell phone with bluetooth connection to the streamer and aids you can mute the mics and you do not have any outside noise or at least very little. This makes things so much better. This muting is done either with the iphone app, or by holding both volume controls at the same time this will mute the mics. To un-mute all you need to do is hit one of the volume controls up or down.

I have had my aids now for over 5 weeks, most would say the honeymoon is over but I have to say that my aids just keep getting better. I believe as they learn my habits and my likes and dislike they adjust, why? I am getting to the point that I do not have to adjust the volume that much any more. They seem to know my needs so much better now. I love these aids more by the day. Also the batteries last for about 140 to 150 hours which is so much better than any of the aids I have had in the past.

I am averaging 140 hrs of battery time out of power one batteries in my aids. How does that compare to any of you with Alta Pros. I do about 30% of the time streaming music or TV

Went out for a long walk for exercise today. Streamed music from my IPhone and muted my mics, this gave me a wonderful walk without any wind noise at all, and I could still hear most of what was around me. The more I have these aids and the streamer pro the more I learn about them and the more I love them. And yes I know that the streamer pro is not streaming in stereo and that is OK with me. It is nice to be out walking and hear the music and no one has to know that I am listening to music and I can still hear more of what is going on around me than the ones that I see with ear buds in their ears.

I am setting here with my Bose Quiet Comfort headset on and I am listening to the 1812 Overture. The Alta Pros are the first hearing aids that I have ever had that I can listen to music with my headset and my hearing aids on at the same time. And it does sound great. No feedback and using my music program wow what a great sound. Then I listened to different music that was piano and it sound great, then Chet Akins playing the guitar and again wow. Yes I know my hearing is still limited but wow it is sounding great

I never was able to use my headset with my BTE RITE aids, like you said to much feedback

I am not sure if I have the 85 or the 90 db either. My average days is putting my aids in at 8:00am and removing them at 10:00pm. I am getting 10 days out of my battries, the VA gives my the power ones. I get a box of 60 batteries at a time. I call as ask for batteries when I get down to 12 left. I will say that I have had batches of the batteries that did not last for even a day in the past. I keep my batteries in a zip lock bag until I need them. I do keep on pack in my billfold and when that 6 are used I get a new pack to keep with me. I am using the streamer to stream the TV and music about 3 hours a day. I am retired so I am on the phone very little anymore. I turn the Streamer Pro off when I am not streaming or I am at home. I use the bluetooth connection to my IPhone for calls only when away from home. I have the magnets on all my phones so my aids switch to the phone connections automatically. And I even have a magnet on my IPhone just encase of a call while at home.  And one other thing I turn the volume down on click on my aids as soon as I put them in in the mornings, to me they seem to loud and I will dressing that issue with my audi the 10th of December. 
I am like you I do not know for sure that the tape works. but I have seen a difference in time since doing it, Also my aids and my batteries go in a dry and store at night. 

Chuck 
Navy Vet 
Been wearing hearing aids since May 2005
Oticon custom ITC Alta Pro with Streamer Pro 1.2, TV connect, phone connect, and IPhone app

khz	250	500	1K	1.5K	2K	3K	4K	6K	8K
rht	10	25	40	55	80	75	70	65	50
lft	10	15	40	50	70	65	65	55	45

Srt
rht 35db
rft 40 db
word recognition
right 56% @ 85 db /76% @ 90db
left 88% at 85 db /92% @ 90db