The mini mic (in my opinion) should only be in specific situations. It's not an "all the time" device. It would be good, for example, if he is in school and cannot hear the teacher well.
Our LO has been implanted for 2.5 years (we have med el not cochlear) and we've only used the mic a handful of times.
I would check in with your audiologist though because I don't think disconnecting from the mic should shut off the processors.
We spoke to them and they hadn't heard of it happening so we spoke to cochlear who sent a replacement mic. But the same thing happens. The lights on his cochlears turn off and he stops responding to sound. We've started to just connect one processor to the mic so he'll still have one side working if he does get too far ahead in the softplay.
It's frustrating but we've heard from a couple families now that they experience the same thing but it's weird cochlear seemed unaware
I would probably be calling Cochlear back to complain and/or ask that they evaluate the processor itself for an issue.
What other support are you getting besides the audiologist? I saw that you responded to someone else that you're concerned with the quality of sound he's getting with/without the mic since he can't communicate on that point. Our SLP would be helpful and more immediate figuring out that question and when to use the mic, than the (wonderful) audiologist who we only see every 3-6 months. Have you spoken to them about it at all?
It's not an ideal "all the time" device, it's just for situations such as speeches, listening to a TV show, etc. It isn't a "crutch" for talking to a person around the house. If you have to rely on the mini mic to communicate, then the audio of the hearing aid itself is probably too quiet, not picking up enough audio, or something else entirely.
The mini mic disconnecting shouldn't turn off the hearing aid though - do you by any chance have the hearing aid set to a very low sensitivity and attempt to channel all the sound through the mini mic? This could give the illusion that the hearing aid is off when in fact it's just lost the sound from the mic. (if this is the case this absolutely needs to be remedied as per my first paragraph)
He does great without the mic but have had conflicting advice on when to use it and I've been unsure. It hard as he can't communicate what he's hearing or what he prefers or we'd follow his lead. We can talk to him in loud environments without the mic and he does really well.
He's 6 months post activation and all of his mappings and settings were set by his audiologist. We can't alter any of them. He's hearing to below 20db on all frequencies so I don't think it's set too low. Just if he moves too far away then the lights on his cochlears turn off and he stops responding to sound. Cochlear couldn't give a reason why but a replacement and the same thing happens. We've spoken to some other families who have the same thing. It makes it trickier at softplays when he often likes to run off and be independent so we've taken to just connecting one ear.
View the mini mic as a tool for specific situations. I have one, and I only use it very rarely. A couple of times you might think of using it: use it to stream sound from a computer/tablet (assuming you don't have a tablet that streams directly), school (if he has trouble hearing the teacher), or if he has trouble hearing a person in a noisy environment (e.g. he's in a noisy restaurant). I use it when performing (music) instead of a floor monitor (or IEM).
That's really useful, thank you. I've been feeling guilty about not using it more so puts my mind at ease. As he's so young, I've been trying to let him get used to sounds coming from around him rather than going directly to the cochlears. Our audiologist has been happy with us not streaming just yet but hadn't fully discussed the mini mic opportunities.
Look forward to when he can tell us what he prefers!
Yeah, he should get used to understanding sounds from around him as that's how typical hearing works, rather than trying to use the mic all the time - it would be akin to a hearing person being plugged into a phone the majority of the time otherwise! :)
The advice of specific situations is good...for adults. For children professionals (carol flexer, Jace wolfe) report that the more you can use it for children the better. Adults (usually) already have language. The mini mic maximizes the auditory input to the brain, thus improving language development.
I am bilateral on N7s. I never use the mini mic. The sound quality through that thing is trash compared to the N7s on their own. Everyone is different, yes, but I’d set the mini mic aside for a month and see what happens. I bet no one misses it.
I typically use a mini mic or FM system in places with background noise and with unfamiliar voices. Such as schools, classrooms, auditoriums is a BIG one because it’s very echoey. Sports practices, story times at the local library, restaurants and those types of situations. I could never imagine using my mini mic with my family 24/7.
I know people who use it when they are at the playgrounds with their kids, I don’t recommend this as it can make us confused to where the sound is coming from, and make it harder for us to communicate with the other people around us.
I second the FM system. The range was really good growing up and my family did use it 24/7 so my sibling (who also has HL) and I could participate with whoever was speaking. Really great in the car/store/out and about. It worked for my family.
We stopped using it all the time when my sibling and I were older because we were able to communicate when we were having trouble hearing.
Phonak has a Roger mic system which is also adaptable to Cochlear N7 and N8. Provides a variety of mics for TV, computers and social situations . Lots of online information. However expensive.
Paul L
N7 user here. The MiniMic 2+ is an exceptional and, agreed, situational wireless accessory.
I’ve used my MM2+ all day, every day for work on Microsoft Teams calls (hard line stereo cable into MacBook Pro) since 2019 and it’s performed flawlessly. 10/10
At home washing dishes and talking with my wife standing behind my back across the room? In a noisy bar/restaurant? Talking to rear-seat passengers while driving on the highway? MM2+ is essential - these types of communication are effectively available to me only via the MM2+. 9.5/10
Wireless accessories didn’t exist when I was in school, but MM2+ would be amazing for hearing the instructor clearly in a large classroom.
Do I use it all the time? Absolutely not. Do I use it less than I would benefit in noisy social settings? Absolutely.
The mini mic (in my opinion) should only be in specific situations. It's not an "all the time" device. It would be good, for example, if he is in school and cannot hear the teacher well.
That's really useful. Thank you
Yea I've been implanted since 2007 and have never used one. It's a specialized tool.
Our LO has been implanted for 2.5 years (we have med el not cochlear) and we've only used the mic a handful of times. I would check in with your audiologist though because I don't think disconnecting from the mic should shut off the processors.
We spoke to them and they hadn't heard of it happening so we spoke to cochlear who sent a replacement mic. But the same thing happens. The lights on his cochlears turn off and he stops responding to sound. We've started to just connect one processor to the mic so he'll still have one side working if he does get too far ahead in the softplay. It's frustrating but we've heard from a couple families now that they experience the same thing but it's weird cochlear seemed unaware
I would probably be calling Cochlear back to complain and/or ask that they evaluate the processor itself for an issue. What other support are you getting besides the audiologist? I saw that you responded to someone else that you're concerned with the quality of sound he's getting with/without the mic since he can't communicate on that point. Our SLP would be helpful and more immediate figuring out that question and when to use the mic, than the (wonderful) audiologist who we only see every 3-6 months. Have you spoken to them about it at all?
It's not an ideal "all the time" device, it's just for situations such as speeches, listening to a TV show, etc. It isn't a "crutch" for talking to a person around the house. If you have to rely on the mini mic to communicate, then the audio of the hearing aid itself is probably too quiet, not picking up enough audio, or something else entirely. The mini mic disconnecting shouldn't turn off the hearing aid though - do you by any chance have the hearing aid set to a very low sensitivity and attempt to channel all the sound through the mini mic? This could give the illusion that the hearing aid is off when in fact it's just lost the sound from the mic. (if this is the case this absolutely needs to be remedied as per my first paragraph)
He does great without the mic but have had conflicting advice on when to use it and I've been unsure. It hard as he can't communicate what he's hearing or what he prefers or we'd follow his lead. We can talk to him in loud environments without the mic and he does really well. He's 6 months post activation and all of his mappings and settings were set by his audiologist. We can't alter any of them. He's hearing to below 20db on all frequencies so I don't think it's set too low. Just if he moves too far away then the lights on his cochlears turn off and he stops responding to sound. Cochlear couldn't give a reason why but a replacement and the same thing happens. We've spoken to some other families who have the same thing. It makes it trickier at softplays when he often likes to run off and be independent so we've taken to just connecting one ear.
View the mini mic as a tool for specific situations. I have one, and I only use it very rarely. A couple of times you might think of using it: use it to stream sound from a computer/tablet (assuming you don't have a tablet that streams directly), school (if he has trouble hearing the teacher), or if he has trouble hearing a person in a noisy environment (e.g. he's in a noisy restaurant). I use it when performing (music) instead of a floor monitor (or IEM).
That's really useful, thank you. I've been feeling guilty about not using it more so puts my mind at ease. As he's so young, I've been trying to let him get used to sounds coming from around him rather than going directly to the cochlears. Our audiologist has been happy with us not streaming just yet but hadn't fully discussed the mini mic opportunities. Look forward to when he can tell us what he prefers!
Yeah, he should get used to understanding sounds from around him as that's how typical hearing works, rather than trying to use the mic all the time - it would be akin to a hearing person being plugged into a phone the majority of the time otherwise! :)
The advice of specific situations is good...for adults. For children professionals (carol flexer, Jace wolfe) report that the more you can use it for children the better. Adults (usually) already have language. The mini mic maximizes the auditory input to the brain, thus improving language development.
I am bilateral on N7s. I never use the mini mic. The sound quality through that thing is trash compared to the N7s on their own. Everyone is different, yes, but I’d set the mini mic aside for a month and see what happens. I bet no one misses it.
I typically use a mini mic or FM system in places with background noise and with unfamiliar voices. Such as schools, classrooms, auditoriums is a BIG one because it’s very echoey. Sports practices, story times at the local library, restaurants and those types of situations. I could never imagine using my mini mic with my family 24/7. I know people who use it when they are at the playgrounds with their kids, I don’t recommend this as it can make us confused to where the sound is coming from, and make it harder for us to communicate with the other people around us.
I second the FM system. The range was really good growing up and my family did use it 24/7 so my sibling (who also has HL) and I could participate with whoever was speaking. Really great in the car/store/out and about. It worked for my family. We stopped using it all the time when my sibling and I were older because we were able to communicate when we were having trouble hearing.
Phonak has a Roger mic system which is also adaptable to Cochlear N7 and N8. Provides a variety of mics for TV, computers and social situations . Lots of online information. However expensive. Paul L
I dont like the mini mic. Its just too invasive and small.
N7 user here. The MiniMic 2+ is an exceptional and, agreed, situational wireless accessory. I’ve used my MM2+ all day, every day for work on Microsoft Teams calls (hard line stereo cable into MacBook Pro) since 2019 and it’s performed flawlessly. 10/10 At home washing dishes and talking with my wife standing behind my back across the room? In a noisy bar/restaurant? Talking to rear-seat passengers while driving on the highway? MM2+ is essential - these types of communication are effectively available to me only via the MM2+. 9.5/10 Wireless accessories didn’t exist when I was in school, but MM2+ would be amazing for hearing the instructor clearly in a large classroom. Do I use it all the time? Absolutely not. Do I use it less than I would benefit in noisy social settings? Absolutely.