According to the person I spoke to the Magnum Ear are not adjustable for hearing deficiency. They said they do clip the loud sounds totally turning off for that brief period. They also said they are done in hard plastic only and they thought it was better since it did not shrink over time leaving a loose fit for sound to enter.
They only come in digital.
Interesting. I had sent my older pair of analogs in for repair after the 2008 dove season, and they came back 10/9/08 with silicone shells and two sets of electronic test specs. There is a lot more to the specs than I feel like typing here, but the Peak Full-On Gain for the right (R) was 23.6db at peak frequency of 2700hz, and for the left (L) was 24.1db at 2700hz. Frequency range for both is shown at 200hz-6400hz, and there are four sets of frequency response graphs for each side. The L unit shows about 5db of additional gain above the 2700hz peak, compared to the R. Makes sense, because my left ear has more hearing loss at high frequencies than does my R. Units are shown on the reports as Magnum Ear Automatic ITE. There is also a line that shows "The hearing aid is set to []Best Fit or []Patient Settings," so it appears that they do (or did) have the ability to change the settings, although it's not user adjustable except for gain. These were originally ordered in 1999 or 2000, accompanied by a hearing test.
Perhaps the NRA versions are relatively inexpensive because Starkey does not customize the electronics to the individual user? When I bought mine, I went through the same process as if I were ordering hearing aids, which these actually are. If the NRA versions are just noise supressors, the process would seem to be simplified and thus cheaper for Starkey. I should know more when I get a response from NRA/American Hearing Benefits.
The problem with the silicone units is not so much that they shrink over time, but that Starkey has had problems keeping the silicone securely attached to the outer hard plastic cover. Mine exhibited that problem on one side, and then the silicone split, so I had them remolded (way out of warranty, so I paid for it), and they were supposed to remold them in the harder compound but they goofed. That's why they are being redone again in hard plastic. The electronics should last longer than I do.
