Sonny Rollins: Way Out West, Fantasy 7530  vinyl

ReSound Metrix ITC all-digital

This recording sounded very good – the composition is simple – there is little complexity in this recording of only a saxophone, bass, and percussion.  All the instruments are playing only simple notes (there are no chords like a piano or guitar, for example).  Rhythm and pace were very good as was timbre.

There was some loss of detail on the drum and bass when playing accompaniment.  Percussion was good, but there was a slight loss of timbre on snare drum where snare was less defined – cymbals less shimmery and some loss of the sense of plucked strings on the bass.

Transient attack (leading edge of notes) was slightly softened on Rollins' sax solos.  There was a very slight overhang of some of the notes, resulting in some loss of air and resolution (this was very slight).

Rollins' sax was more vibrant, more alive sounding with the CC4; background/accompaniment had more detail and better clarity.  Presentation was more lively and dynamic.

Overall, the Metrix sounded good on this recording.  There was just a slight loss of brilliance; I think due to higher distortion (compared with the CC4).

Later, I noticed a slightly leaner sound from Rollins' sax (compared to CC4).  Bass sounded good, nice sense of plucked strings – drum had a slight "thud" quality.  There was some smearing of fast runs in the treble range on the sax.

Phonak Savia CIC all-digital

The instruments had good balance (except percussion at times), and rhythm and pace were good, as was timbre.  This recording sounded the best of all those listened to with the Savia.

Rollins' sax sounded slightly muted and duller sounding.  Transient attack was slower and a little aggressive and heavy.  However, transient decay of the notes sounded natural.  Percussion was very good when it could be heard, however, there was almost no snare timbre.  Bass sounded good, however, little sense of plucked strings – but at times there was!

Presentation was a little duller and less vivid than with the CC4s due to more distortion – clarity was compromised.  There was some smearing on the bass solo, but not always.  Percussion was greatly muted most of the time – it was barely recognizable at times. 

Dick Hyman: From the Age of Swing, Reference RR-59, 180 gr. Vinyl

Etymotic K-Amp CIC (from General Instrument Co.)   

No new discoveries – decay of notes more natural on the CC4s, more revealing – clarity a tad better.

Sheffield Drum Record, Sheffield Lab 14, vinyl

Etymotic K-Amp CIC (from General Instrument Co.)

This is a recording of a drum solo to be used as a test record.  Reverberation was slightly compressed compared to the CC4s, but nevertheless was excellent – cymbals less shimmery.  Drums slower and less articulate, less expressive – transients less vibrant on the K-Amps.  CC4s sound a little leaner overall.

ReSound Metrix ITC all-digital

Transient attack was softened and fuzzy on the Metrix, and the presentation had less energy.  There was little variation between the character of the drumbeats – a sameness of each stroke (transient attack) to the others, very formula-like, very homogeneous, and also with the decay of the impacts.  With the CC4, there was substantial variation of different drumbeats – the character of each drum stroke was differentiated, with more nuance.  The cymbals sounded thinner on the Metrix.

Sheffield Track Record, Sheffield Lab 20, vinyl

Etymotic K-Amp CIC (from General Instrument Co.)

This is a recording of a rock ensemble to be used as a test record.  Dynamics were excellent on the K-Amp, however both macro and micro dynamics were better on the CC4s (but only very slightly), dynamic range also slightly better.  Transients were faster and more assertive on the CC4s.  More expression and emotion with the CC4s.

Cardas Sweep Record

ReSound CC4 CIC        Programmable Analog

Frequency sweep from 30 to 30K hertz – a fair, barely acceptable sweep – no suckouts, one notch, some minor wavering, no warbling.  The notch was at mid-high.  There was excellent high frequency extension.  Deep bass was poor.  Most of the frequency band sweep was even with right and left HAs nearly identical.

ReSound Metrix ITC all-digital

Frequency sweep from 30 to 30K hertz – a very poor sweep – a slight suckout in the lower midrange, and a slight lower-high suckout.  There were two short plateaus where the frequency briefly did not change.  There was some wavering, but no warbling.  There was a very strong midrange to upper-midrange presence.  There was excellent high frequency extension.  Deep bass was very poor and barely audible.  Both aids were not the same but were fairly close.

Phonak Savia CIC all-digital

Frequency sweep from 30 to 30K hertz – there was very restricted low and high frequency response.  Many notches and suckouts from low to high, with wavering and warbling of the tone at times.  There were three plateaus in which the frequency stayed the same for a short interval, in the lower midrange, top of the midrange, and mid-highs.  Each aid was substantially different as its response to the sweep resulted in a very disorienting effect – listening to the same sound but hearing something completely different in each ear!  Overall a very discontinuous response.

Summary of Findings

Analog

Recommended

Etymotic K-Amp CIC (from General Instrument Co.)  non-programmable analog

Unacceptable

Bernafone Audioflex AF 400

Phonak PiCS2 Microzoom P2 AZ

All-Digital

Recommended – None

Unacceptable

ReSound Metrix ITC (using ReSound's music program settings)

Etymotic Digi-K CIC all-digital (from General Instrument Co.)  (using music program settings)

Phonak Savia CIC all-digital (using Phonak music program settings)

Hopeless: all-digital (alphabetical order)

The following reproduced musical events so poorly, they could not be seriously evaluated.

Micro-tech AlpineII CIC

Micro-tech Tacana MC-P ITE

Phonak Perseo 11 CIC

Phonak Valeo II CIC

ReSound Canta 7 ITC

Siemens Triano ITC

Conclusions

Only one auditioned hearing aid could approach the performance of the reference ReSound CC4, and that was the Etymotic K-Amp.  What is very interesting is both of these aids were designed and developed by audiophiles!  The ReSound CC4 by Edgar Villchur and the Etymotic K-Amp by Dr. Mead Killion, given their stature in the Hi-Fi industry, it is not a surprise both sound excellent.  It is also very interesting and tragic that the ReSound CC4 has been discontinued, and the Etymotic K-Amp is being discontinued. 

This is proof that it is possible to design, develop, and easily manufacture high fidelity hearing aids having high sound quality at a competitive price and meet everyday hearing needs.

That programmable analog hearing aids are being discontinued is a very sad day for audiophiles, as many of us will need hearing aids some day as we age, and will no longer be able to enjoy music as we know it in our later years.  Why?  Because according to manufacturers, nobody wants them. What this really means is that dispensers and audiologists won't order them for their patients.  This is because profit margins are higher using cheaper chips, and fitting is much easier with all-digital, and patients/customers never ask about quality sound, they are impressed with "features".  The industry and audiologists have been telling their customers for years that, "Digital is the way to go," or "Of course you'll want digital since it is far superior."

High Fidelity sound quality has no priority with hearing aid manufacturers.  They don't care whether a hearing aid can reproduce music or not, it doesn't matter.  Audiophiles are clueless as to what to ask for, and most hearing impaired have little or no understanding of what they are buying.

From an engineering perspective, considering all the dollars spent on R&D, I am astounded the new generation of hearing aids sound so poor.  I wonder how much better the programmable analog technology would be today if some of the all-digital R&D money had been allocated to it.  It is also interesting to note that this (analog hi-fi HAs) technology was developed in the late 1980's and still kicks all-digital butt in terms of sound quality.  I found the ReSound Metrix to be musical, having made the most improvements in this regard, however it still falls short in meeting audiophile needs, sounding the best with small intimate jazz groups.  Unfortunately, it is only suitable for listening to your boombox while puttering around in your garage or basement.

If you are fortunate to have a pair of ReSound CC4s, I recommend that you have them completely rebuilt, at any cost.  Mine were rebuilt and are just like new, maybe better, since they now benefit from better microphone and receiver (speaker) technology. This should be the same for the Etymotic K-Amp.

The Final Word

Digital technology has replaced the better sounding analog to benefit the profit of manufacturers and to make fitting easier for audiologists to the detriment of audiophiles.  What all-digital aids do to the sound quality of music is tragic.  They make a $20,000 stereo system sound worse than a $25 table radio.

Currently there is a large hole in the marketplace with the discontinuation of the ReSound CC4 and the programmable Etymotic K-amp.  There is a large potential market for a high quality analog hearing aid among musicians, audiophiles, music lovers, baby boomers who grew up on ultra high volume rock music and are losing their hearing, and anybody with significant word discrimination impairment.  This group needs high fidelity hearing aids with superb clarity, resolution, freedom from distortion, and the ability to faithfully reproduce an audio event.  This seriously impacts quality of life.  Aging audiophiles face a very bleak future.

- Wayne Sarchett -

About the Author

The author began playing the piano and trombone in grade school, continuing through college, and played in the concert band, symphony orchestra, and jazz ensembles.  He is a member of the San Francisco Bay Area Audiophile Society (BAAS) and the Boston Audiophile Society.  He also has participated in hearing aid clinical trials of several manufacturers.

The author greatly appreciates the invaluable advice and moral support of Herb Cygan, fellow member of BAAS, in this project.  He would also like to thank his audiologist, Mark Sanford of CSG Better Hearing, for his patience, expertise, and support during the audition period.

Associated Equipment

Audible Illusions M3A preamp, Rega 25 Turntable modified with acrylic platter, Express Machining counterweight and VTA Adjuster, and Ringmat Anniversary Edition turntable mat, Grado The Reference cartridge, Adcom 5800 amplifier, VMPS Super Tower/R Special Edition with ribbon midrange speakers, Kimber KCAG silver interconnects, Cardas Golden Reference speaker cables, Black Diamond Cones and Pucks.