quote:

Originally posted by AKSuperDually:I was $800...

I've just coughed up north of $2600.

Feel my pain.

tac

quote:

Originally posted by tacfoley:
Problem is, the honey-do's are now a lot more detectable.

Are the newest hearing aids always reliable? If they were to go on the blink randomly, perhaps a few things could fall off the list.

quote:

Originally posted by wrightd:
When I pulled into the driveway at home and got out of the truck, I heard leaves rustling in the tree over the end of the driveway.

similar to my experience after my cataract surgery. I've had thick prescription glasses before. And after the surgery, I looked out at some trees in the distance and can see the distinct leaves in the branches instead of just a blur before the surgery.

Life is great, huh? I'm glad you can hear again.

quote:

Originally posted by wrightd:
Apparently the best hearing aids in the world are manufactured in the Scandinavian countries. Apparently US hearing aid companies are not in the top tiers.

I can confirm this statement as my BIL is VP of an American hearing aid company. He says the europeans put more technology in their hearing aides compared to US manufacturers. He also confirmed the VA gets previous generation technology. He is in the process of getting my step-father setup. He was a career Navy man ending with command of the USS Constitution. His current hearing aids suck compared to what my BIL is offering and still not as good as European manufacturers.

quote:

Originally posted by deepocean:

quote:

Originally posted by tacfoley:
Problem is, the honey-do's are now a lot more detectable.

Are the newest hearing aids always reliable? If they were to go on the blink randomly, perhaps a few things could fall off the list.

Costco has a very good warranty and repair cost out of warranty is reasonable.

Also costco has a six month trial. You have to buy but they will refund in the six month period.

Years of Hueys, M-60s, Harleys & loud rock n roll have taken a toll on my hearing.

My wife was to the point where she was tearing Miracle Ear ads from magazines & puting them on the refrigerator door with magnets. Fellow workers would often say, "Are you gonna answer that phone?" "When the f--king thing rings I'll answer it!" "Well, it's ringing, asshole, so answer it."

I couldn't hear bells, chimes, beeps, birds, or anything in the upper frequency ranges. I finally caved in & got hearing aids from a local ENT place. On the way home, I was surprised several times when I heard noises in my truck, like the turn signal, keys rattling, how loud the radio was, etc.

I've had them for about seven years now & I can hear things that I haven't heard in 40 years.

As others have said, Costco it the place to go. They give you good, on site, support and the return policy is excellent. I first bought a pair from them a few of years ago and, after wearing them for 5 months and 3 weeks, decided they weren’t for me. I took them back and they gave me a full refund, no problem. I bought another set about a year ago (Phonak) and have been very satisfied. Big difference in meetings where there are a number of people speaking at different volumes. Also, watching TV with my wife and not having to pump up the volume to hear the dialogue. Plus, the other incidental sounds that you’ve already experienced and didn’t realize you were missing… birds chirping, leaves rusting, the doorbell at the other end of the house, etc. Good luck with yours.

My hearing loss and tinnitus were rated service connected by the VA a few weeks ago. I going to the local VA in Baton Rouge Aug. 29 to get my hearing aids. From talking to a lot of Vets the pass year that have aids from the VA they love them. I don't know where people think they are not the same as the civilian world. I've been told they can get you anything you want from all the best suppliers.
The ones I'm getting can be controlled by my Ihpone.

quote:

Originally posted by jigray3:
While the pricing is very good at Costco, researching them for my Dad indicated the fitting itself can make a big difference. I could be wrong, but I don't believe the hearing aid fitters at Costco are audiologists, so the experience can be hit or miss. That seems to have been the case for my Dad, although it's hard to tell. It's possible he's reached the point hearing aids just can't help very much.

I'm also curious to know if improperly fitted hearing aids can cause further hearing damage if they are set too loud, wrong frequency, etc.? Do we have an audiologist on the board?

Don't know about audiologists, but when I got mine there the young woman did a number of tests, used some instrumentation to determine the frequency ranges where my hearing was better, or worse. I got to see it all on the screen. As in most old farts my hearing loss is in the higher frequencies. Loss is mostly from lots of gunfire without hearing protection. Army back then was not especially sensitive to protecting our ears. Tank gunnery, artillery, 100s of 1000s of rounds of small arms fire, grenades, bazookas, not to forget the mortar fire.

quote:

I bought another set about a year ago (Phonak)

When we went to Costco to get my aids, I was asked about what kind I wanted.

Told the woman I wanted the absolute best they had. I am wearing Phonaks.

quote:

Originally posted by cruiser68:

quote:

Originally posted by wrightd:
Apparently the best hearing aids in the world are manufactured in the Scandinavian countries. Apparently US hearing aid companies are not in the top tiers.

I can confirm this statement as my BIL is VP of an American hearing aid company. He says the europeans put more technology in their hearing aides compared to US manufacturers. He also confirmed the VA gets previous generation technology. He is in the process of getting my step-father setup. He was a career Navy man ending with command of the USS Constitution. His current hearing aids suck compared to what my BIL is offering and still not as good as European manufacturers.

I just showed this to a buddy that worked at the VA in the Audiology center and this was his reply.

The VA hearing aids aren't previous technology. They have to be out on the consumer market for 6 months before we'll put them on contract so the manufacturers have a chance to work out unexpected glitches.
I look at that as a GOOD thing

I picked mine up today at Costco and all I can say is "Wow"!!

quote:

Originally posted by olfuzzy:
I picked mine up today at Costco and all I can say is "Wow"!!

Yep, night and day isn't it?

When I left Costco with mine on, we were walking across the parking lot when I grabbed my wife's arm to get her out of the way of the reversing truck. I heard the reverse bell on a delivery vehicle on the other side of the building, but it was no where near us. She laughed. I guess I'd been missing a lot of what was going on around me for quite a few years.

Inside the store, I could hear the wobbly wheel on a flat cart an isle away.

I have a question for music lovers: I know I have significant high-frequency loss; when you get good hearing aids can you hear musical instruments the way you used to, like the "sheen" of violins?

I'm also interested in any comments about this.

My understanding is that what's gone is gone and not coming back but what's still there is leveled up with the computer ears. I can't hear high frequencies in a certain range but others in a different range have become bearable.

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
I have a question for music lovers: I know I have significant high-frequency loss; when you get good hearing aids can you hear musical instruments the way you used to, like the "sheen" of violins?

Not for me. My music listening days are just a memory.

The only way I can hear some of my favorites, Goldberg Variations, Beethoven Violin Concerto, the Mozart Horn Concerti, etc., is to re-play them in my head.

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Vanwall: The current (7th generation) Costco hearing aids are re-branded Siemans.

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jigray3: You said "I don't believe the hearing aid fitters at Costco are audiologists." That probably varies by location. The Costco near my house had a licensed hearing aid dispenser, or whatever her title was. She is still there, but they now have a second person who is an audiologist. "Aud D" if I remember correctly.

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My previous Costco aids had the receiver behind the ear and the sound was carried to the ear domes by a little hollow plastic tube. The new ones still have most of the electronics in the behind-the-ear case, but the transducer is actually in the ear domes and the electrical signal is carried by wire inside the plastic tube that runs from the behind-the-ear amplifier to the transducer in the ear. This gives a "crisper" sound.

Just received mine from the VA. Have only had the chance to wear them a few times, so I know I have to adjust more to them. Resound Linx 2,they can be controlled from an app on my phone. I love the hearing aids. There are a lot of adjustments and I have played with them all. I have mixed feelings about them, on one hand it's great to hear again, on the other things are way too loud, in certain situations. Me personally, Mine were free, I can't really say how I would feel if I spent thousands on them... My wife likes that I can hear again though. I can honestly say I haven't heard right in over twenty years...still in the adjustment phase...

Oh ya, I'm leaving to go get some lube for the squeaky door hinges...lol

There are many adjustments that the audiologist / hearing aid dispenser can make via their software, and many options that they can turn on or off.

The audiologist that set mine up asked me if I wanted the "spouse switch." It's a software set-up option. If I press and hold either of the buttons on the back of my left ear module, it goes into mute mode -- turns completely off. He said "Once your spouse's lips stop moving, just press one of the buttons again to turn the hearing aids back on."