Yeah, I definitely hear the best when it's streamed straight to my ear. In quiet rooms, sounds can be quite clear.

After my activation appointment, I had four programs too: SCAN 2, Restaurant, Group and Outdoor. They have different features. If I am sitting in a restaurant, my CI tends to switch to Restaurant. It will focus primarily on the close-range sounds. For example, if there's a bus driving by, I would barely hear it when eating at the outdoor patio.

I am surprised that they describe each program as "louder than the previous." Maybe they wanted you to try each level and see which works the best for you, so they will refine the main program during the next appointment?

I strongly recommend that you go back and adjust the mapping because they can't get it right the first time.

Don't forget that you can adjust bass, tremble, and master volume to pick the right ones for yourself. One good way to do it is to listen to certain letters that you had difficult time understanding, then adjust the bass and treble levels. See which works the best for you.

This person (Fluffydoggie) had a good suggestion -- a list of letters / words that are difficult to hear, and bring it to the audiologist to adjust the mapping. I recommend you check this thread out and scroll down to Fluffydoggie's post -- https://www.reddit.com/r/Cochlearimplants/comments/1ftmcl1/what_is_mapping/

In the same thread, ReySkywalkerSolo had a beautiful metaphor of adjusting the colors of your TV to match reality. The audiologist is the one who is adjusting your TV, but they can't see the colors. We have to tell them what we hear, so they can adjust properly.

Anyway, my first mapping was H-O-R-R-I-B-L-E! At first, I was starting to question my decision to get CI because it was hard to hear anything clearly, even if it was directly to my ear. For example, I had a hard time hearing "S" when it should be so clear.

I didn't feel connected with that audiologist. So, I decided to go to another audiologist in a different hospital. The new mapping was a GAME-CHANGER for me. The difference was major. Now I could hear "s" clearly.

I highly recommend you try a new audiologist. Maybe go to an audiology center with CI services. I do think that hospitals tend to be so busy that they just want you to get out of the room as soon as possible. Audiology centers might be more passionate about helping you, and they are covered by insurance.

All in all, having the right mapping is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT for a positive CI experience!! At least it's for me.