Unitron Conversa.NT Digital ITE User Manual

Conversa.NT

™

Digital ITE
Guide

Table of Contents

Your Conversa.NT™Digital Hearing Aids .........................1

Practical Solutions to Everyday Problems ......................2

Getting the Most Out of Your Conversa.NT

™

Hearing

Instruments..................................................................3

Using the Conversa.NT

™

Digital ITE Guide......................4

Turning Your Conversa.NT

™

Hearing Aids On and Off.....5

Inserting and Removing ITE and CIC Hearing Aids.........6

Feedback-Free Listening.................................................7

Operating Instructions ITE and CIC.................................7

Replacing the Battery....................................................12

Caring for your Conversa.NT

™

Hearing Aids..................14

Cleaning your Conversa.NT

™

Hearing Aids ...................15

Warnings .......................................................................16

Troubleshooting Guide..................................................18

Warning to Hearing Aid Dispensers .............................20

1

Your Conversa.NT

™

Digital Hearing Aids

Hearing Healthcare Professional: _________________________

_____________________________________________________

Telephone: ___________________________________________

Model:_______________________________________________

Serial Number: ________________________________________

Replacement Batteries: Size 10 Size 312 Size 13

Warranty: ____________________________________________

Use Program 1 for: ____________________________________

Use Program 2 for: ____________________________________

Use Program 3 for: ____________________________________

Date of Purchase:______________________________________

2

Practical Solutions to Everyday Problems

Congratulations on choosing Conversa.NT™ITE (In-the­Ear) digital hearing instruments.

For 40 years, Unitron Hearing has been committed to
making life better for people with hearing loss. This
means a commitment to developing high-quality hearing
solutions that incorporate special features to solve the
everyday problems and concerns you have with hearing
loss and hearing aids.

Conversa.NT includes high-value, advanced features that
make conversations a priority. With Conversa.NT you can
enjoy listening to conversations in quiet and noisy
situations. Conversa.NT also dramatically reduces
whistling so you can enjoy chewing your food or
conversing with friends on the telephone without being
interrupted by annoying whistling.

3

Getting the Most Out of Your
Conversa.NT

™

Hearing Instruments

Adjusting to your new hearing instruments will take
some time. In the beginning it is important that you do
not use the hearing aids for longer than is comfortable.
Depending on your previous experience with hearing
instruments, a few hours a day may be enough and then
you can increase wearing time gradually. Once you have
become accustomed to your hearing aids, you should
wear them all day everyday since frequent use will help
you adapt to your hearing aids and enjoy their full
benefits. The quicker you get used to the everyday
sounds around you, the less you will notice that you are
wearing hearing instruments.

4

Using the Conversa.NT

™

Digital ITE Guide

Refer to the table of contents for a complete listing of
the topics covered in this guide.

Use the diagram below to identify some of the
components on your hearing aids. Because each aid is
custom-designed and molded to fit an individual ear, the
physical appearance and exact positioning on your
hearing aids may vary slightly from those shown.

Legend

1 Microphone

2 Battery Door

3 On/Off Manual

Volume Control

4 Vent

5 Removal Handle

6 Program Button

2

3

4

6

1

2

3

4

6

1

Full Shell

Half Shell

Canal

MIni Canal

CIC

2

3

4

6

1

1

2

3

4

6

1

2

4

5

6

5

Turning Your Conversa.NT

™

Hearing Aids

On and Off

Your Conversa.NT hearing aids may have
a volume control that also serves as an
on/off switch. To turn your hearing aids
on, rotate the volume control towards
your nose. Note: If the start up mute is activated, your

hearing aids will not turn on until the program button
is pushed.

To turn your hearing aids off, rotate the volume control
away from your nose.

For hearing aids without a volume control, close the
battery door to turn your hearing aids on. Open the
battery door or remove the battery to turn your hearing
aids off.

6

Inserting and Removing ITE and CIC
Hearing Aids

ITE and CIC hearing aids are color-coded red for the right
ear and blue for the left ear. The color is indicated either
on the shell or on a label on the hearing aid.

To insert ITEs and CICs:

1. Hold the hearing aid between your thumb and index
finger with the battery door away from your ear.

2. If your hearing aid is a CIC, insert by holding the
hearing aid with the removal handle at the bottom.

3. Gently insert the canal portion of the hearing aid into
your ear using your index finger to push back and
tuck the hearing aid completely into place.

To remove ITEs and CICs:

1. If your hearing aid is a CIC, gently pull on the removal
handle. To remove ITE hearing aids, grasp the aid with
your thumb and index finger.

2. Move your jaw up and down or apply pressure to the
back of your ear to help loosen the aid.

Note: Never use the volume control or the battery door
to remove your hearing aids.

7

Feedback-Free Listening

Your Conversa.NT hearing aids have an optional start up
mute that can be activated by your hearing healthcare
professional. If the start up mute is activated, your
hearing aids will not turn on until the program button is
pushed, even if you rotate the volume control. The
hearing aids return to the start up mute position each
time you turn your hearing aids on. This allows you to
insert your hearing aids without experiencing whistling.

If you wear hearing aids now, you may have experienced
whistling from your hearing aids when you talk, chew,
use the telephone or hug someone. Conversa.NT’s
feedback technology dramatically reduces this
uncomfortable whistling before you or anyone else can
perceive it.

Operating Instructions ITE and CIC

Changing Programs on Your
Conversa.NT™Digital Hearing Aids

Your Conversa.NT digital hearing aids may
have up to three programs. Each program has been
individually tailored by your hearing healthcare
professional to meet your particular listening needs.

Conversa.NT has a push-button for switching between
programs. Each time you push the program button, you
will move to a new program. Your hearing aids beep to
indicate which program you are in (i.e. one beep for

8

program 1, two beeps for program 2, etc.) If you prefer,
your hearing healthcare professional can adjust the pitch
and loudness of the program beep or turn it off entirely.

Adjusting the Volume

The volume on your hearing aids may adjust
automatically in response to the loud or quiet sounds
around you. If you have a manual volume control, you
can further adjust the volume on your hearing aids.
Rotate the volume control towards your nose to increase
the volume or away from your nose to decrease the
volume. Note that your volume control may be disabled
by your heairng healthcare professional and, therefore,
could be inactive.

Setting Your Ideal Volume

Conversa.NT digital hearing instruments equipped with
manual volume control have an ideal volume indicator. A
single beep indicates when the volume control has
reached its ideal level for your particular hearing loss, as
pre-set by your hearing healthcare professional.

Listening in Windy Environments

Conversa.NT’s wind noise manager will engage
automatically based on whether wind conditions are
moderate or high. When wind noise manager is
engaged, sounds such as speech, may become quieter
because the wind noise manager is working to reduce
the loud noise produced by the wind. When you are no
longer in a windy environment, the wind noise manager

9

will not be active and desirable sounds, such as speech,
will once again become louder.

Listening in Quiet and Noisy Environments

Your Conversa.NT digital hearing aids may have a
directional microphone system to meet your listening
needs in different environments. The directional system
focuses on sounds in front of you (i.e., speech) while
reducing sounds from the sides or behind you (i.e., noise)
and is activated by the push of the program button. The
directional microphone system may be preset to adjust
automatically to changing noise levels or to adapt to
moving noise sources. Even if sounds are continually
moving, the adaptive directional microphone system
intuitively adapts to reduce background noise. Your
hearing healthcare professional will explain which type of
directional microphone system you have and which
program(s) contain the directional microphones.

Using Conversa.NT with the Telephone

Conversa.NT has the ability, depending on hearing loss,
vent size and style of hearing aid to provide feedback­free phone use without program changes. For many
wearers this means, when the phone rings, all you have
to do is pick up the telephone and hold it to your ear
normally. In some situations when using a cell phone, you
may experience digital interference that sounds like
static, buzzing or beeping. If you experience interference,
increase the distance between your hearing instrument
and the phone receiver.

10

Using Conversa.NT™with Easy t-coil for the Telephone

Conversa.NT can also come equipped with an optional
Easy t-coil (automatic telephone coil) that can help you
listen on the telephone. The Easy t-coil automatically
switches your hearing instrument into a telephone
listening mode with hearing aid compatible phones.
If your phone is hearing aid compatible, it will have a
magnetic coil and the Easy t-coil will activate
automatically when the telephone is held to the ear. Once
the telephone is removed from the ear, the hearing
instrument will switch back to the normal listening mode.
Since the location and strength of the magnetic coil
varies among phone manufacturers, it may be necessary
to move the telephone receiver slightly to find the best
reception. If the hearing instrument does not switch to
telecoil automatically when the telephone receiver is
placed in proximity, the magnet for Easy t-coil hearing
instruments should be attached to the telephone
receiver. The magnet is designed to strengthen the
magnetic coil in hearing aid compatible telephones.

To affix the Easy t-coil magnet:

1. Clean the telephone receiver.

2. Hold the magnet near the “listening end” of your
telephone receiver and release it (figure 1). The
magnet will flip to the appropriate side and seek the
optimal position on the telephone receiver.

11

3. Place the double-sided tape in this optimal position on
the telephone receiver (figure 2) and attach the
magnet to the tape (figure 3).

Warnings

• Be sure the magnet is securely affixed to the
telephone.

• Keep loose magnets away from children.

• If magnet falls into your ear, contact your hearing
healthcare professional.

• If magnet is swallowed, contact your physician
immediately.

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

12

Replacing the Battery

1. Gently swing out the battery door with your
fingernail.

2. Grasp the battery with your thumb and index finger
and remove.

3. Insert the new battery into the battery door with the
plus (+) sign on the battery facing the same way as
the plus (+) sign on the edge of the battery door. This
will ensure that the battery door closes properly.

Note: If the battery is inserted incorrectly, the door will
not close.

4. Close the battery door.

Low Battery Warning

When you hear one long beep, your digital hearing aids
are warning you that their batteries are low. You will hear
the warning approximately every 30 minutes until you
change the batteries or the batteries die. After the first
warning, you may experience some reduction in sound
quality. This is normal and can be remedied by inserting

Plus (+)
Signs

Plus (+)
Signs

13

fresh batteries in the hearing aids. If you prefer, your
hearing healthcare professional can change the pitch
and loudness of the low battery beep or turn it off
entirely.

Caring for Batteries

• Always discard batteries carefully.

• To prolong battery life, remember to turn your hearing
aids off when not in use.

• Remove the batteries and keep the battery door open
while hearing aids are not in use. This will allow
internal moisture to evaporate.

Warnings

• Never leave hearing aids or batteries where small
children and pets can reach them.

• Never put hearing aids or batteries in your mouth. If a
hearing aid or battery is swallowed, call a physician
immediately.

14

Caring for your Conversa.NT

™

Hearing

Aids

• Always remove your hearing aids when using hair
care products. The hearing aids can become clogged
and cease to function properly.

• Protect your hearing aids from excessive heat (hair
dryer, vehicle glove box or dashboard) and moisture
(bath or shower). Do not immerse the hearing aids in
water.

• If your hearing aids do become wet, do not attempt to
dry them in an oven or microwave. Do not adjust any
controls. Open the battery doors immediately and
allow your hearing aids to dry naturally for 24 hours.

• Regular use of a dehumidifier, such as a Dri-Aid kit,
can help prevent corrosion and prolong the life of
your hearing aids. See your hearing healthcare
professional for more information.

• Do not drop your hearing aids or knock them against
hard surfaces.

15

Cleaning your Conversa.NT

™

Hearing Aids

• Ear wax is natural and common. Ensuring your
hearing aids are free of ear wax is an important step
in your daily cleaning and maintenance routine.

• Using the brush that was provided with your hearing
aids, clean ear wax from your hearing aids everyday.

• Never use alcohol to clean your hearing aids.

• Do not use sharp tools to dislodge ear wax. Sticking
household items into your hearing aids can seriously
damage them.

• Talk to your hearing healthcare professional about
regular appointments to have the wax removed from
your hearing aids.

16

Warnings

• Hearing aids should only be used as directed by your
physician or hearing healthcare professional.

• Hearing aids will not restore normal hearing and will
not prevent or improve a hearing impairment
resulting from organic conditions.

• Do not use your hearing aids in explosion hazard
areas.

• Allergic reactions to hearing aids are unlikely.
However, if you experience itching, redness, soreness,
inflammation or a burning sensation in or around
your ears, inform your hearing healthcare
professional and contact your physician.

• Remove your hearing aids for CT and MRI scans or for
other electromagnetic procedures.

• Special care should be exercised in wearing hearing
aids when maximum sound pressure levels exceed
132 decibels. There may be a risk of impairing your
remaining hearing. Speak with your hearing
healthcare professional to ensure the maximum
output of your hearing aids is suitable for your
particular hearing loss.

17

Precautions

• The use of hearing aids is only part of hearing
rehabilitation; auditory training and lip reading
instruction may be required as well.

• In most cases, infrequent use of hearing aids does
not provide full benefit. Once you have become
accustomed to your hearing aids, wear your hearing
aids everyday all day.

• Your hearing aids use the most modern components
to provide the best possible sound quality in every
listening situation. However, communication devices
such as digital cell phones can create interference (a
buzzing sound) in hearing aids. If you experience
interference from a cell phone being used close by,
you can minimize this interference in a number of
ways. Switch your hearing aids to another program,
turn your head in a different direction or locate the
cell phone and move away from it.

Labeling

For most ITE hearing aids, the year of manufacture is
located above the serial number. The first two digits
indicate the year of manufacture.

18

Troubleshooting Guide

SYMPTOM CAUSE POSSIBLE REMEDY

No sound • Not turned on

• Low/dead battery

• Poor battery contact

• Battery upside down

• Hearing aids blocked
with ear wax

Not loud • Low volume
enough

• Low battery

• Hearing aids not
inserted properly

• Change in hearing

• Hearing aids blocked
with ear wax

Intermittent • Low battery

• Dirty battery contact

One long beep • Low battery

• Turn on

• Replace battery

• Consult your hearing
healthcare professional

• Insert battery plus (+) side up

• Refer to section “Cleaning your
Conversa.NT Hearing Aids”.
Consult your hearing healthcare
professional.

• Turn up volume; see hearing
healthcare professional for
models without a manual volume
control or if problem persists

• Replace battery

• Reinsert carefully

• Consult your hearing
healthcare professional

• Refer to section “Cleaning your
Conversa.NT Hearing Aids”.
Consult your hearing healthcare
professional.

• Replace battery

• Consult your hearing
healthcare professional

• Replace battery

19

SYMPTOM CAUSE POSSIBLE REMEDY

Whistling • Hearing aids not

inserted properly

• Volume too loud

• Hand/clothing near ear

• Poorly fitting hearing
aids

Not clear, • Poorly fitting hearing
distorted aids

• Hearing aids blocked
with ear wax

• Change in hearing

• Low battery

"Motorboating"

• Low battery

sound • Dirty battery contact

Weak on the • Volume control set
telephone too low

• Telephone not
positioned properly

For problems not listed in the guide, contact your hearing healthcare
professional. If you do not have a hearing healthcare professional, please
contact the nearest office listed on the back page of this booklet.

• Remove and reinsert

• Turn volume down

• Remove hand/clothing from ear

• Consult your hearing healthcare
professional

• Consult your hearing
healthcare professional

• Refer to section “Cleaning your
Conversa.NT Hearing Aids”.
Consult your hearing healthcare
professional.

• Consult your hearing healthcare
professional

• Replace battery

• Replace battery

• Consult your hearing healthcare
professional

• Turn up volume

• Move telephone receiver around
ear for clearer signal. For models
with Easy t-coil, refer to section
“Using Conversa.NT with Easy
t-coil for the Telephone”.

20

Warning to Hearing Aid Dispensers

A hearing aid dispenser should advise a prospective
hearing aid user to consult promptly with a licensed
physician (preferably an ear specialist) before dispensing
a hearing aid if the hearing aid dispenser determines
through inquiry, actual observation, or review of any
other available information concerning the prospective
user, that the prospective user has any of the following
conditions: (i) Visible congenital or traumatic deformity of
the ear. (ii) History of active drainage from the ear within
the previous 90 days. (iii) History of sudden or rapidly
progressive hearing loss within the previous 90 days. (iv)
Acute or chronic dizziness. (v) Unilateral hearing loss of
sudden or recent onset within the previous 90 days. (vi)
Audiometric air-bone gap equal to or greater than 15
decibels at 500 hertz (Hz), 1,000 Hz, and 2,000 Hz. (vii)
Visible evidence of significant cerumen accumulation or a
foreign body in the ear canal. (viii) Pain or discomfort in
the ear. Special care should be exercised in selecting and
fitting a hearing aid whose maximum sound pressure
level exceeds 132 decibels because there may be risk of
impairing the remaining hearing of the hearing aid user.
[This provision is required only for those hearing aids
with a maximum sound pressure capability greater than
132 decibels (dB).]

21

Important Notice for Prospective Hearing Aid
Users

Good health practice requires that a person with a
hearing loss have a medical evaluation by a licensed
physician (preferably a physician who specializes in
diseases of the ear) before purchasing a hearing aid.

Licensed physicians who specialize in diseases of the ear
are often referred to as otolaryngologists, otologists or
otorhinolaryngologists. The purpose of medical
evaluation is to assure that all medically treatable
conditions that may affect hearing are identified and
treated before the hearing aid is purchased. Following
the medical evaluation, the physician will give you a
written statement that states that your hearing loss has
been medically evaluated and that you may be
considered a candidate for a hearing aid. The physician
will refer you to an audiologist or a hearing aid
dispenser, as appropriate, for a hearing aid evaluation.
The audiologist or hearing aid dispenser will conduct a
hearing aid evaluation to assess your ability to hear with
and without a hearing aid. The hearing aid evaluation
will enable the audiologist or dispenser to select and fit
a hearing aid to your individual needs. If you have
reservations about your ability to adapt to amplification,
you should inquire about the availability of a trial-rental
or purchase-option program. Many hearing aid
dispensers now offer programs that permit you to wear a

22

hearing aid for a period of time for a nominal fee after
which you may decide if you want to purchase the
hearing aid. Federal law restricts the sale of hearing aids
to those individuals who have obtained a medical
evaluation from a licensed physician. Federal law
permits a fully informed adult to sign a waiver statement
declining the medical evaluation for religious or personal
beliefs that preclude consultation with a physician. The
exercise of such a waiver is not in your best health
interest and its use is strongly discouraged.

Children With Hearing Loss

In addition to seeing a physician for a medical
evaluation, a child with a hearing loss should be directed
to an audiologist for evaluation and rehabilitation since
hearing loss may cause problems in language
development and the educational and social growth of a
child. An audiologist is qualified by training and
experience to assist in the evaluation and rehabilitation
of a child with a hearing loss.

Uni tro n Hea rin g Dis tri buto r s

Cor p o r ate Off i c e / In t e r n at io n a l

20 Beasley Drive, P.O. Box 9017, Kitchener, ON N2G 4X1 Canada

Aust r a l i a

Level 2, Norwest Quay, 21 Solent Circuit, Baulkham Hills, NSW, NSW 2153

C a n a d a

5 Cherry Blossom Road, Unit 2, Cambridge, ON N3H 4R7

Chin a

No. 200 Suhong Road, Export Processing Zone 4D, Suzhou Industrial Park 215021

Eu r o p e

Daimlerstrasse 22, 70736 Fellbach-Oeffingen, Germany

Fr a n c e

2, rue Maryse Bastié, 69500 Bron, France

Net h e r l an d s

Archimedesbaan 19, P.O. Box 1214, 3430 BE Nieuwegein

New Ze a l an d

10/215 Rosedale Rd., M277 Private Bag, 300987, Albany, Auckland

Uni t e d K i n g do m

St. George House, Cygnet Court, Centre Park, Warrington, Cheshire WA1 1PD

U.S . A .

2300 Berkshire Lane North, Plymouth, MN 55441

Man ufac tur er

Un it ro n H ea rin g Lt d.

20 Beasley Drive, P.O. Box 9017, Kitchener, ON N2G 4X1 Canada

Dist r i b u t o r

B/06-001 029-5451-02 Printed in Canada