Upgrades in Hearing Technology – A reminder of how far we have come

By Eric Jackson, ReSound Hearing Advocate

I goofed up during a Kayak Bass Fishing Tournament a couple of weeks ago on Kentucky Lake. I decided I wanted to go for a swim and put my Resound ONE hearing aids that I wore for the tournament in my hat and went swimming.  

When I got out, I forgot they were in my hat, and I lost one somewhere before I got to the hotel.

Luckily, I still have my ReSound LiNX Quattro hearing aids which I was very in love with a just a year ago. I called my audiologist to order another ReSound ONE and a right mold for it. No biggie, I’ll just wear my LiNX Quattro until they come in.

My first experience back with the Quattros was “whoa! That is loud!” I needed the noise filters on, and still the sound was nothing like my ONEs. More artificial sounding in comparison to my ONEs, and I lost all directional awareness of the sound that I was now used to with the M&RIE system. (M&RIE = Microphone and Receiver in Ear)

What the heck, I thought. I remember that I really hated my original hearing aids…but that each generation after that was a huge improvement. The LiNX Quattros were the first hearingaids that I felt were ready for primetime technology wise. However, the ONEs are SO much better.

If you own an older generation of hearing aids, like the Quattros, or any from other brands, you will be very happy you got the Resound ONEs if you go that way.

It is a reminder of how I design kayaks. People say, “that must be the best kayak in the world! They can’t get any better than that!” My response is always: “No, this kayak isn’t perfect or complete.” It is the best available in the world today, but in 5 years you will want to be in my next generation kayak and will not want to have to paddle this one. It is the best thing going today, but it will be improved upon in a year or two. As long as there is room for improvement, improvement will happen. Competition assures that.   

My ReSound ONEs are the same. I am still saying “WOW” when I use them. ReSound will have a next generation version of it eventually and I am excited to see what they are like!

Going backwards is not a good feeling, other than a reminder to be thankful for what we have today!

Watch as four-time world champion and Olympic kayaker, professional bass fisherman, entrepreneur and ReSound hearing advocate Eric Jackson shares some of the secrets to his success in this short, inspiring film. 

Watch now here.

Follow Eric on Instagram @ericjacksonkayak and on Facebook at facebook.com/eric.ej.Jackson.