Hello all, I have been given 2 x oticon spirit 3 H/As as my first ever hearing aids, A couple of questions for anyone who knows, they certainly appear to help, but the left appears to work much better [clearer and louder] with the right one it does not make hardly any difference if it is on or off, there is no volume control on the aids and make my hearing feel unbalanced, is this normal or should I go back, also as a H/A do they appear to be any good.

thanks steve

Hi Steve,
It's not normal to feel unbalanced unless you have a virtually normal ear and a poor one. Sometimes the aid on a good ear can feel to do less because it needs to do less but generally I would say it is not normal. Obvious things to check for yourself before dashing back.
Change the battery (from a new packet if you have one)
Cup the hearing aid in your hand and see if you get a feedback whistle - if not usually the aid is not working.
If you get no feedback disconnect the aid from the earpiece and see if the aid on it's own whistles if it does your earpiece is blocked and needs cleaning - have a look in your instructions for advice on that.

As for is it a good aid its not too bad getting on a bit now at 4 years or so since launch but middle of the range of aids available when it was launched.
It works well for the majority of people but if you get into demanding listening situations a lot it might struggle.

If you can't fix it yourself with tips above see if you can get a repair appointment at the hospital to sort it out.

thanks for the advise, both hearing aids do whistle but the right one whistles very quiet compared to the left one, will try for a bit longer and maybe pop in and ask when I am at the hospital for my Tinnitus next month.
thanks, steve