I spent an hour and half at Buffalo Hearing and Speech going over the three devices. Sometimes, I wished I had Paula, Randy and Simon with me because all three devices were almost so similar. Actually, it came down to choosing between Advanced Bionics and Cochlear. Med-El did not make the grade because it did not offer a rechargable option. I just dread the thought of having to carry around a pack of 675 batteries plus having to dispose of these little but very environmental-unfriendly dots.

Now for the finalists….drumroll….and the winner is……………more drumroll…………………Advanced Bionics! The primary factor is they are going to be releasing a 120 channel model hopefully before I will be “turned on”. To me, that would be getting the most bang for the buck since the more channels, the more finer the sound. I also liked the fact the microphone was part of the hook that holds the processor in place behind my ear. The microphone itself is right in front of the ear canal which will allow me to place the phone in a much more natural position rather than towards the back of the ear. And lastly, through discussions with others, it seems the batteries/powerpak last longer in the Advanced Bionic version.

Now that the choice has been made, its a matter of waiting it all out…….