Hearing aids update

[Tsuno]

Hello,

 

Apologies if this topic has already been discussed at length but I couldn't find anything recent about this. 

 

Could anyone recommend a decent shop in Chiang Mai that sells quality hearing aids and where the staff are knowledgeable and speak a bit of English?

 

I currently have hearing aids via RAM hospital which are not great quality (metallic sound) and impractical. One of them broke down a week or so after the warranty expired. They costed me 30,000 Baht each. Am prepared to invest a bit more for something that is reliable and of better sound quality. 

 

Thanks for your recommendations / experiences.

 

[FolkGuitar]

There are two shops on Suthep Road, both on the south side of the street. One is just in the middle of the block before the turn onto the Wing 41 road, and the other about 2 blocks further east. I bought mine at the shop nearer the Wing 41 turn, and have been very happy with them. They are multi-programmable, with 4 separate programs that can be optimnized to your specifications (i.e. one for general conditions, one for crowded restaurants, one for watching TV, etc.) There is also a volume control. Both aids are connected via Bluetooth to each other, so changing the program or volume on one changes it for the other as well. The people at the shop speak enough English to get the job done right, but it does take a few trial and error adjustments before it is set perfectly for your needs.

[rebo]

1 hour ago, FolkGuitar said:

One is just in the middle of the block before the turn onto the Wing 41 road

 

[sfokevin]

1 hour ago, FolkGuitar said:

I bought mine at the shop nearer the Wing

What was the cost and how easy is it to change and adjust the modes?

[FolkGuitar]

Rebo, your photo is of the place two blocks east of the Wing 41 road. But I knew those folks when they had a shop in Panthip Plaza, and they seem to know their stuff too.

[FolkGuitar]

3 hours ago, sfokevin said:

What was the cost and how easy is it to change and adjust the modes?

 

I paid 25,000 baht each. Mine are the middle-priced model from this company (Sonic.) The shop had more expensive ones with just a 'bit' better sound quality, but at a significantly higher price, but these were good for me. Certainly a LOT better than the ones I had been wearing for several years before.

 

Changing the program is as simple as pushing a button on the device once the programs have been established in the device. The button presses cycle through all four programs (if you don't want all four, you don't have to set them.) It generates a tone for each program so you know which you are using. There is also a rotary volume control on the end of the device. This particular brand is Bluetooth compatible, so with an optional remote, you can connect to your Smartphone, computer, or any other Bluetooth device.

 

Unfortunately, these are not self-adjusting (my last ones were...) so when you want to make sound frequency adjustments, you need to go back to the shop and get plugged into their computer. They are pretty efficient and effective at setting up the devices, and I've only needed to make three adjustments since I bought them last year. I wanted more punch/power in my general use program, I wanted less treble in my restaurant program, and I wanted to turn the fourth program completely silent to use as ear plugs when riding motorcycles. They are very customer service oriented, and made the changes quickly.