I recently obtained some very nice Bose headsets (Quiet Comfort 35) and have been experimenting with the audio settings. A bilateral CI user or bimodal user (CI and hearing aid) can enjoy some very interesting stereo sound from high-end products like Bose. Consider headsets that have large earcups that cover your entire audio processor for the best sound quality.

A “stereo” sound is simply a high-fidelity sound produced by (or through) two or more audio channels — which creates the impression of hearing the sound from multiple directions. Audio from a stereo source through stereo headphones allows listeners to hear sounds from different channels through each earcup. For instance, while listening to music through stereo headphones, you might hear different instruments and vocals in each ear.

NOTE: Bimodal users with hearing aid on the other ear may experience some feedback on the hearing aid side – due to the earcup covering the hearing aid’s microphone.

User with Single-Sided Deafness that wear a CI on the deaf ear, could possibly benefit from the stereo sound.

For unilateral users – wearing only one CI and the other “deaf” ear is unaided – a stereo setup is not ideal since they are only hearing a part of the entire audio. The solution to this is to convert the audio to MONO where all the channels stream into one – giving a full range of sound.

To change these settings for an iPhone:

• Settings/Accessibility/Audio Visual/then check the Mono so that it is green. You are now listening in Mono. 
• To convert back to stereo, turn the Mono off so that it is no longer green.

For Android 4.4:
Menu / System Settings / Accessibility / Mono Audio

For Samsung 4:
Settings / My device / Accessibility / Hearing

(NOTE: actual menu items may be different among different phones. Check your user manual or online resources.)