My review is mostly based on my previous experience with the "Simplicity Smart Touch Digital Over-the-Ear Hearing Aid" sold through Wal Mart's web site. That unit sells for approximately the same price as the Otofonix unit here. Based on the great reviews I decided to try the Otofonix after I lost my SImplicity. The two devices are quite similar in many ways, but with some key differences. The toggle-type volume/program control on the Otofonix is easier to adjust than the single button on the Simplicity, and the number of volume settings and four separate programs are a real plus, and the main reason I decided to try this unit rather than purchase the Simplicity again. The Simplicity only has four amplification settings and no additional program settings. The Otofonix is slightly larger, which is noticeable when putting on glasses, but not really problematic. It is quite comfortable otherwise.

For me, the Simplicity has one real advantage though. I have the normal high-end hearing loss that most people experience as they age. The Simplicity unit seems to emphasize these highs better than the Otofonix unit does. While the published specifications provided by both manufacturers are limited, they do seem to bear out what I'm hearing. The Simplicity has a higher published frequency range, 8,000 Hz vs. 5,500 for the Otofonix. That meant when I put on the Simplicity I would notice big increases in things like birds & crickets chirping that I normally don't hear very well. With the Otofonix, the difference is not as great. I'm am able to compensate somewhat for this with volume and program settings, but the Otofonix always seems to amplify the whole frequency range instead of just the highs that I really need. While the Otofonix might seem more "natural" sounding, the Simplicity unit is better for normal conversation, where it makes it easier to distinguish between consonants like "f" and :"s". I give the natural sound of the Otofonix the edge in noisy environments, but it's less useful to me overall. One of the reasons I decided to buy hearing aids in the first place was because I was walking the dog one day and couldn't hear a rattlesnake that both my girlfriend and my dog alerted me to. I haven't had such an encounter since I got hearing aids, but I suspect that the Simplicity would allow me to hear this much better than the Otofonix would.

That said, the Otofonix four programs and ten volume settings are very useful. If they had an additional program that accentuated the high frequencies more, the Otofonox would be close to perfect.

the first one stopped working in a week or 10 days I contracted Trish and sent it back and a week later I received a new one. Trish was very nice to deal with and I do love the product. John Gladden

I tried this out for my left ear which has mild to moderate loss in high frequencies, using the "open" ear piece. There is much to like about this device: Can get voice telephone support from friendly and helpful people; the size of battery makes for easy insertion and removal; the battery actually stays in place when slightly opening the door for it; the volume/channel switch is sized well to make it very easy to manipulate when behind the ear. The four different programs may well be very useful with someone else's hearing deficiencies, but for mine only 1 program seemed useful. An issue I had was that in a large room setting (actually my church) where I tried to increase the volume to hear the preacher, the unit start squealing too much and I had to back off to my more normal use setting. But that meant that I could not hear the preacher as well as I wanted to. For that reason, I decided to return the device during the evaluation period because another device I tried out worked better for me in church. But because of all the positives I have listed, I think others should certainly give this an evaluation and might be very happy with its match to their own hearing deficiencies.

The Hearing Amplifier is working great at this time. It took a few weeks to get used to size of the amplifier behind her ear, as it was a bit wider in width than her normal hearing aid. She quickly figured out how to adjust the amplifier for her needs, and now that she has gotten used to it, she is very pleased with it. Her hearing has improved significantly in her right ear, and she is now planning to get a Otofonix for her left ear. You can't beat the price and Otofonix provides excellent instructions for adjusting for optimum performance.

For once I have a hearing device where the battery stays put. Sound is very good.