I just got Widex hearing aids last Oct and it has made a difference in being able to hear conversations. I was worried that it would be a negative to my music listening, but it has actually helped.
S Clark,
I would like to hear more about what you did to improve the performance of your hearing aids.
When comparing the latest Widex to the latest Resound, I like the tonality of the Widex, but compared to the Resound, the sound field is shallow, not as broad, and instrument placement is much less exact. The Widex rep changed the unit to a smaller speaker-receiver and smaller split cups. That helped immensely. Resound initially needed reprogramming their spatial characteristics, as they also sounded like all the instruments were coming from the center of the sonic image. After a couple of trials, with changes by my provider, and a few recommended by the Resound N.America office, they really have improved. I've got a couple more days to compare before making a $6500 decision... but so far the Resound is the best option.
An interesting side note- The Resound demo unit crashed during the trial, and although the new unit was programmed exactly like the original, when I took it home and began to listen it sounded like crap. Wore it for a few days before coming back to music and the sound was much improved... Even hearing aids need break in.
Also, with the Widex I'd have to buy a new phone, since all the features are controlled with an iPhone, and I've got a Samsung.