Anyone buy hearing aids lately?
I am in the market too. My ENT of course wants me to get high end computer device, which is not covered by insurance, so I have been holding off.
tomcat said:
I am in the market too. My ENT of course wants me to get high end computer device, which is not covered by insurance, so I have been holding off.
Check out Jabra Enhance. They offer an online hearing test. And what looks like a good product and 100 Day trial. If you start making payments, and after, say, 90 days you decide you don't like them, they refund your payments.
If you have significant hearing loss, you should get tested by an audiologist who will give you a prescription for the exact enhancement you need, Today's hearing aides are programed to meet your specific needs. If cost is an issue, consider going to COSTCO.
I bought hearing aids (Phonak) last year. I've had to return to the audiologist several times to get them adjusted, so I'm glad I bought locally. (and just me, but I still don't feel they're optimal)
I bought rechargeable ones; in hindsight, I wish I'd gone for battery ones. The charge doesn't last long enough (esp if you're on the go from early morning till late evening), and they do not hold a charge--they start to drain as soon as they're off the charger. It's a pain, too, to have to carry yet another charger and cord.
Good luck!
A family member recently had a great experience with Costco. They will test you and help you decide which ones suit your lifestyle.
There is only one way to not get old.
Given that alternative, getting old is fine by me. 
This may be of interest. I own these, but haven't done the audiogram with them yet. I definitely have slight hearing loss in my left ear.
https://bangyourhead.substack.com/p/apple-airpods-pro-2
ETA this is the related app to create the audiogram. Available for other devices, too, I think (not just Apple devices).
Seconding what Joan said above... check out the audiology department at Costco.
I recall having my hearing check at a town health screening day some years ago. Are screening days still being done these days? Ask our health dept. they’re pretty helpful.
Apollo_T said:
I recall having my hearing check at a town health screening day some years ago. Are screening days still being done these days? Ask our health dept. they’re pretty helpful.
No hearing screening at the past few Wellness Fairs run by the Health Department. AARP has one you can do over the phone. These screenings are to determine whether you need to see an audiologist rather than giving one a personalized prescription.
An update.
I've been looking at websites and talking to reps from a few of the hearing aid vendors, Jabra, ReSound, Hear.com, and others and there are so many competing claims, prices, features, technologies, designations, warrantees, etc., that my head is spinning. So, I'm taking joan-crystal's advice and seeing a reputable audiologist, one that is not tied up with any H/A brand or vendor and see what they recommend.
Stay tuned, no pun intended.
Just so happens, I stopped by the hearing center at Costco, where I purchased my hearing aids about 4 years ago, this afternoon. I needed new ear loops and the clerk replaced them free of charge! She called up my account on my 2020 purchase and mentioned that the “life” expectancy for the device is 5 years. I asked what they would cost today, and she said $1,500.
I highly recommend Costco — they provide service, tests, advice, good products, and at reasonable costs. My first aids were purchased over 10 years ago at Sears for an astounding $7,000! But this technology — as all technology — has come a long, long way!
My present Costco aids were about $1,800 if I recall — so much cheaper than the first pair.
I am tempted to consider replacing them sooner than later due to the strides made in hearing aid technology, but at my age, I kind of hesitate. Now if my cat happens to snatch one and kill it, I’ll be forced to take the plunge guilt-free! Costco would be the place to go.
mtierney said:
Just so happens, I stopped by the hearing center at Costco, where I purchased my hearing aids about 4 years ago, this afternoon. I needed new ear loops and the clerk replaced them free of charge! She called up my account on my 2020 purchase and mentioned that the “life” expectancy for the device is 5 years. I asked what they would cost today, and she said $1,500.
I highly recommend Costco — they provide service, tests, advice, good products, and at reasonable costs. My first aids were purchased over 10 years ago at Sears for an astounding $7,000! But this technology — as all technology — has come a long, long way!
My present Costco aids were about $1,800 if I recall — so much cheaper than the first pair.
I am tempted to consider replacing them sooner than later due to the strides made in hearing aid technology, but at my age, I kind of hesitate. Now if my cat happens to snatch one and kill it, I’ll be forced to take the plunge guilt-free! Costco would be the place to go.
thank you for this.
The_Soulful_Mr_T said:
So, I'm taking joan-crystal's advice and seeing a reputable audiologist, one that is not tied up with any H/A brand or vendor and see what they recommend.
I would love to have a recommendation for an audiologist who is independent of the Hearing Aid Industrial Complex.
Thank you.
WhyteCrowe said:
The_Soulful_Mr_T said:
So, I'm taking joan-crystal's advice and seeing a reputable audiologist, one that is not tied up with any H/A brand or vendor and see what they recommend.
I would love to have a recommendation for an audiologist who is independent of the Hearing Aid Industrial Complex.
Thank you.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
WhyteCrowe said:
I would love to have a recommendation for an audiologist who is independent of the Hearing Aid Industrial Complex.
Thank you.
Try your local hospital or medical group.
My medical group/hospital is lined up with any person/group that will increase their bottom line. I'm not sure which they prioritize most, me or my money, but I have my suspicions.
mrmaplewood said:
My medical group/hospital is lined up with any person/group that will increase their bottom line. I'm not sure which they prioritize most, me or my money, but I have my suspicions.
welcome to the American healthcare system.
I have hearing aids from Costco, which cost about $1500 and they are better than the $4000 pair I had before. I think they are made by Phonek, but under the Costco brand, Kirkland. They don't come in the same number of colors as the fancy Phonek ones and the shape is uglier, but I hide them under my hair. If you lose them, they will replace them for free (one time). The testing was as good or more extensive than what I had at the Audiologist's office. They show you photos of your ear canal and tell you to go home and clean them out to a certain level before they will fit you.
The service is friendly and helpful, but sometimes a bit disorganized. They originally spent time customizing my ear pod things because the standard size was too big. But then when I went in to change them (which they do for free every 3 months) they just stuck the regular ones on and I forget which ones I am supposed to have. So my ear sometimes gets sore--I need to go back and get that fixed. They only have maybe one person who does the testing and an admin person who does cleaning and changing parts. Sometimes you have to wait awhile for your appointment, but sometimes I have been able to just swing by when at Costco and get the tips changed.
You have to have a Costco membership to buy and maintain them so that's part of the cost. I'm guessing the $5000+ ones my sister got from Miracle Ear are better but maybe not. Probably they took more time and put in programs for her like I had with my old ones. These are fine for me, and I was thrilled to find something affordable. I sent my 92 year old mother in Florida there and she got them too. She's not happy with the service but she was very happy with the price so she puts up with it like I do.
nan said:
I have hearing aids from Costco, which cost about $1500 and they are better than the $4000 pair I had before. I think they are made by Phonek, but under the Costco brand, Kirkland. They don't come in the same number of colors as the fancy Phonek ones and the shape is uglier, but I hide them under my hair. If you lose them, they will replace them for free (one time). The testing was as good or more extensive than what I had at the Audiologist's office. They show you photos of your ear canal and tell you to go home and clean them out to a certain level before they will fit you.
The service is friendly and helpful, but sometimes a bit disorganized. They originally spent time customizing my ear pod things because the standard size was too big. But then when I went in to change them (which they do for free every 3 months) they just stuck the regular ones on and I forget which ones I am supposed to have. So my ear sometimes gets sore--I need to go back and get that fixed. They only have maybe one person who does the testing and an admin person who does cleaning and changing parts. Sometimes you have to wait awhile for your appointment, but sometimes I have been able to just swing by when at Costco and get the tips changed.
You have to have a Costco membership to buy and maintain them so that's part of the cost. I'm guessing the $5000+ ones my sister got from Miracle Ear are better but maybe not. Probably they took more time and put in programs for her like I had with my old ones. These are fine for me, and I was thrilled to find something affordable. I sent my 92 year old mother in Florida there and she got them too. She's not happy with the service but she was very happy with the price so she puts up with it like I do.
The Philips aids from Costco worked better for whatevertheheckiswrongwithmyears, but those Kirkland aids were a close runner-up, as well as a good deal.
Even when wearing an aid in just one ear, I feel like I'm a bat.
Had a very good audiology exam earlier this week. Confirmed my feeling that I definitely need hearing aids. The brand she recommended for my particular needs is:
Widex Moment Sheer (440, 330, 220, 110) - All models | Widex
. Mid-priced at $4500! The key difference between grades and price points seems to be the noise cancellation technology. The most expensive hearing aids have much better noise cancellation.
I had the Widex for a trial period and liked them, but had an allergic reaction to the in-ear part (extreme itchiness)--ended up swapping them for Phonak. Which I'm less happy with, and yesterday one of them was completely dead (apparently they can just blow out for no apparent reason). It's being replaced (under warranty) but it'll take 10 days or so.
And I mentioned this earlier, but consider your lifestyle when choosing battery vs. rechargeable aids.
ril said:
I had the Widex for a trial period and liked them, but had an allergic reaction to the in-ear part (extreme itchiness)--ended up swapping them for Phonak. Which I'm less happy with, and yesterday one of them was completely dead (apparently they can just blow out for no apparent reason). It's being replaced (under warranty) but it'll take 10 days or so.
And I mentioned this earlier, but consider your lifestyle when choosing battery vs. rechargeable aids.
I brought this question up to the Dr. Her response:
“They have a daily expectancy of 15 hours. That will vary slightly depending on how many hours a day someone is streaming from their phone through their hearing aids and how severe their hearing loss is. For example I had a patient who was listening to audio books four hour a day and streaming through her aids, that did diminish the battery life. I do see many patients weekly and had one or two patients make this complaint out of over a thousand. New York State law allows you 45 days to return or exchange the devices. I would suggest continue as planned and alter if needed.”
Re the charge not lasting: I find it's more like 12-13 hours. if I put them in at 7am, and wear them all day (no streaming, just listening), they're nearly dead by early evening (I use the app to keep an eye on the charge level, and to adjust the sound for different situations throughout the day, so the active bluetooth connection might be contributing).
Unfortunately, I didn't realize this within the trial period, only when I began traveling again for work. YMMV.
I have an appt with my audiologist next week, will mention this conversation!
Tomorrow is the day. I have an appt. for programming and fitting of my new hearing aids. I'm excited.
Hi Maplewoodians!
I'm in the same position. I've been using inexpensive replacements because I don't want to spend $4,000. It's criminal that medical insurance doesn't cover this.
There have been two important developments.
1. Missouri passed a law that capped hearing aid prices at $500. And this is actually possible because hearing aid prices are composed of mostly profit. Mostly, you're paying for the audiologist's time and expertise. And that is worth something but not $4,000. I expect this to bleed to other states.
2. Technology has advanced, of course, and the power in an iphone and a pair of airpods pro are sufficient for some people. That's what I've used recently. Looking at it as a hearing aid replacement, I decided spending $230 for airpods pro with applecare isn't that bad. And to be truthful, the results are mediocre. One reason for that is that it takes an investment of time. I had to make an audiogram for myself, and I probably need to do it again to get best results. And this is how the audiologist earns their money. They understand hearing better than I do, whereas I get frustrated after a while, especially when I'm not sure if a certain setting is helping.
I've heard other rave reviews of Costco. I believe the Kirkland hearing aids are made by a Swiss company we have not heard of. Anyway, the price is good, and people are happy with them, so maybe I'll end up doing it. The trouble is, both the appointment times and the locations are not convenient for me.
So audiologists need to change their business model to adjust for the lower cost of technology. Reading this thread, it seems like they haven't read the writing on the wall yet.
Long time no “hear”, Tom!
There is absolutely no reason why anyone has to pay $4,500 for hearing aids! Spoken by someone who shelled out $7 grand for aids at Sears back in 2007!
Costco has extremely fine hearing aids at $1,600, while also offering more “high end” brands, as well.
My most recent experience (mentioned in another thread) is that Costco service is amazing and supportive. A couple of weeks ago, I made an appointment at my local Costco hearing aid center to learn more about using blue tooth and Amazon dot, with my hearing aids. The results have been magical! Stereophonic sound inside my head — just in time to listen to Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday party in the Hollywood Bowl!
The Costco tech took the time to add my hearing aids device on my Iphone — I am way too late to the party, but better late than never!
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I hesitated to put this in the senior's issues area out of some vanity issues, so I put it here.
I am seriously looking into hearing aids. All indications are that I have some significant hearing loss. The laws have changed, and a doctor's Rx is no longer required. There are a lot of new players in the OTC/DTC market and I'm curious about anyone's experience. I've been talking to the Jabra Enhance people who seem to have a good product and a good service offering. They also provide 0% financing. But the price for their 200 model is quite high.
Anyone? TIA.