7 Self-Fitting FDA-Cleared OTC Hearing Aids - Most Advanced Model, Virtually Invisible CIC, Rechargeable, Lifetime Customer Support

Eargo 7 reviewI have been wearing the Eargo 7 hearing aids for just over 3 months and so far am very satisfied with the sound and quality of these OTC hearing aids. I have mild to moderate hearing loss and have worn prescribed CIC hearing aids for over 10 years, so I can offer a good comparison between the two options.Sound: The Eargos are my third pair of hearing aids and I find the sound to be as good as the sound from the hearing aids I bought from audiologists (both were high end Phonak brand). Adjusting to new hearing aids can take some time as the sound will seem a bit harsh and unnatural at first as your brain adapts to the sound. After I wore the Eargos for about a month I redid the Sound Match adjustment and have been very happy with the sound since. This is definitely one of the pluses of the Eargos as you can redo the basic Sound Match on your own and if you need help, it is just a phone call away. No need to run to the audiologist and you can repeat each test sound as often as you need to be sure you are hearing it.Comfort: The Eargos are easy to insert and remove. They are not as perfect a fit as my old hearing aids made from a custom mold for my exact ear shape, but they are comfortable and nearly invisible. I prefer the sound with the closed petals (fuller, richer sound) and have persevered through the itchiness (it does get better, but you really have to keep wearing them and deal with the itchiness for a while).Programs: I love that you can set up programs for a variety of hearing situations in these tiny hearing aids. Using ultrasound from your cell phone to do this is genius as most CIC hearing aids can’t be adjusted for different settings. I am using TV, Restaurant and Music and still playing around with the adjustments to find what I like best. At first, I would switch to the TV setting for watching television, but now I find the normal setting works fine for most shows and only switch when there is a lot of background music as in movies. The Restaurant setting is great and really does make conversations in noisy restaurants more enjoyable. I find the Music setting especially good for instrumentals. You can also adjust the volume, treble and base to your liking for each of these programs and enable Sound Adjust which I prefer.Care: I have waxy ears and that was a problem with my custom hearing aids as I needed to take them to the audiology office often for a thorough cleaning. The Eargos are so easy to keep clean. I follow the recommended schedule and I bought the deep cleaning kit to start. You can find more alcohol wipes on Amazon for a very reasonable price and you only need a tiny bit of the putty for each deep cleaning.Fit: It takes some experimenting with different sizes and style of petals to find the best fit, but they fit pretty well for something that isn’t customized for your ears. For my right ear, I wish there was a half size between the medium and large closed petals.Case and battery life: Excellent! My Eargos last all day and I can get two days of charging without having to plug the charging case back in for a charge.The one problem I have had with the Eargos is the pull thread and I see others have had the same experience. The pull thread for my right hearing aid has already come off. Fortunately, I can easily remove the hearing aid with out the pull thread (most likely because of the shape of my right ear canal). I will see about warrantee repair service for this when I am back in the US.

I’ve been using hearing aids my whole life—I’m bald and in my 50s. My poor wife often gets upset with me because I frequently mishear her, plus I work in various environments, both hot and cold. Over the years, I’ve tried several different brands and styles, and here’s what I’ve found: In-the-ear, molded types give me splitting headaches. Despite multiple refittings, the temperature changes still cause massive discomfort, so I cannot use molded in-the-canal hearing aids.I decided to try over-the-ear types because they are essentially earplug style. They work great, and I don’t get headaches. However, being bald, I find that when I wear these in public, people often talk to me as if I belong in a nursing home. While I don’t have public anxiety, the way people treat me can be disheartening.I’ve tried some of the less expensive in-the-canal brands but found that they just magnify all sounds, making it even more difficult to hear the person I’m with. Also, using these style hearing amplifiers gives me a headache from the continuous noise. I needed to find a smart hearing aid but didn’t want to make an appointment with a hearing specialist, as I have spent so much money with them over the years.After extensive research, I decided to try these discreet, in-the-canal style hearing aids. They are incredibly comfortable, and no one really notices I’m wearing them, so life continues as normal. They are so comfortable that one night I went to bed and forgot to take them out. I only realized they were still in my ears the next morning when I could barely hear anything and found them not in the charging case but still in my ears. The battery had died during the night because they were on the entire previous day.About a week after receiving the hearing aids, I scheduled a phone meeting with someone from the EARGO company. She was incredibly patient and helped me understand the aids and the app, making my life even easier. I am truly grateful for her assistance.The EARGO app works wonderfully. I appreciate how I can make adjustments on the fly, and I’ve found that the auto-adjustments work great on their own.The only issue I have is that the microphone and plug caps are small, making them a bit difficult to handle with my carpal tunnel and larger fingers. However, this is a minor inconvenience. Here are my pros and cons:Cons:• Very small, making them a bit difficult to clean for people with larger fingers.• No phone connectivity for listening to music or talking on the phone.Pros (which unequivocally outweigh the cons):• No need to visit a hearing specialist for adjustments—a big plus for me.• Extremely comfortable.• Long-lasting battery life.• Very discreet when worn.• Self-adjusts in different environments.• Much less expensive than those from a hearing specialist.• Easy to maintain.• Rechargeable, so no batteries to change.• (If needed) Easy to adjust using the EARGO app.• Excellent support.• Did I mention they are not only discreet but also super comfortable?So, finally! After over 50 years, I have found a pair of hearing aids that I am proud to wear daily, more importantly I am enjoying a happier wife.