#13

If you don’t mind my asking, what specific advantage are you looking for from the telecoil? We still don’t know your level of loss but if your goal is concerts you may still have the best experience continuing to listen to them without hearing aids in or with them set to a personalized concert program as many hearing aids allow custom programs via your phone now.

Personally I never use the telecoil because in telecoil mode I cannot hear any environmental sounds which is annoying in just about every scenario I would use it and also makes me feel isolated in public settings.

Modern Bluetooth integration lets me set the balance of how much environmental sounds I get vs the streaming sounds to my ears so I can up one or the other based on my needs. It’s much more flexible.

#14

I was thinking about the Metropolitan Opera House, NY Philharmonic, and mid-sized halls, like Broadway theaters, cathedrals, etc. For the first two, I doubt that the orchestras mic are miked, they create enough sound naturally! We don’t go to Broadway much, but we do go to smaller music venues, plus outdoor concerts.

You are probably right that it wouldn’t help that much in many of those situations. This is my first time to successfully gat aids, so I’m learning the ropes. I have read a ton about it all over the years.

I did post my audiogram a while ago tonight. I couldn’t figure out how to post most of the bone conduction and word recognition results, although they’re there. I’ll try again.

I’m in the process of posting my husband’s audiogram. I’m doing the leg-work for him, because he’s slammed with work. He doesn’t have the time or energy to put into this kind of research for aids. But he does need them. He had sudden hearing loss in one ear in recent years. No treatment helped. Plus, the other one has loss, too. What a pair; we’ve been together most of our adult lives, but we keep mis-hearing, or not hearing what the other is saying—arghh. I haven’t heard a bird in years (that’s sad!).

So we may not need telecoils (spellcheck is making it telecoms); I just knew that in some instances halls do have the technology for it. And I need all the help I can get, especially with word recognition: I can’t hear consonants!

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#15

It’s great you are making this happen at last! Now that you have posted your audiogram you should get more targeted responses. I really don’t think a telecoil makes sense in a concert venue unless you want to hear only the sound and have no way of talking to others. If you can get one then of course, why not, but I wouldn’t base your choice off it being there.

Your audiogram looks pretty flat and I’ve heard that tends to be less complicated to fit and correct so holds that holds true for you.

Also, I forgot to mention before but your experience with Amplifon sounds horrendous! I’ve been fortunate to have amazing audiologists and fitters so far but I hear stories like yours and am grateful I’ve not run into that. I hear really good things about Costco so if you can make it happen that does seem like a good option.

Edit: I have terrible memory and your audiogram is a bit more sloped than I remembered when I looked at it first. Still a nice gradual slope though and well within the range for correction by the hearing aids at Costco.

#16

Yeah your loss is moderate to severe, it’s those mid/higher frequencies that gives you bird song, and again why you guys are “miss hearing” each other, those lower frequencies give you the bass…boom sound’s, but as been mentioned any of the hearing aids from Costco will be suitable, a good idea if possible getting custom molds with a vent would be the icing on the cake, however it would mean another trip back in a couple of weeks after the first visit, because it’ll take that long to have them made usually, so go for it, let the audiologist/HIS at Costco do the first fit up, which models are up to you,they may recommend one over the others tho, so you should be able to have a quick trial of each around the warehouse which may help you choose.

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#17

tenkan (spellcheck makes it tendon!), I can’t thank. you enough!! This is all so helpful. Yes, I guess that I got to a Jabra website while looking for Costco Hearing Center, that’s where I got the info that it was all virtual.

That’s great that they can do the REM in the first visit. When my husband asked for it at the audi office on Friday, she said not for the first visit, she put it at 70% (volume, I think), so it wasn’t overwhelming for him. It was loud to him at first. It will take an adjustment. The Omnia that he was trialing made his guitar sound terrible when he played. Not sure if that needs an adjustment or it’s getting used to hearing all of the squeaks on the strings.

That’s great to hear that Auracast will be implemented sooner than I had read.

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#18

As mentioned already Costco sells only the highest levels, and Nexia (Costco’s P20) superseded Omnia.

I have higher degree of hearing loss than you (but a similar, high frequency one) and I’ve never even though about using telecoil. Sometimes I just have to decrease loudness a bit at venues.

Auracast is cheaper to introduce into venues than telecoil and is also of use to non hearing-impaired folks.

Musicians usually require more adjustments, better fit and often a specialized programme.

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#19

Reginald, thank you. I am sold on Costco now, and although I may try the other brands in the store, I think that I’ll likely end up with the Jabra. That’s great to have the confidence that we don’t need t-coils.
Yes, both of us may need more adjustments, fit, programs, due to his being a musician, both acoustic and electric bass and guitar, plus singing, and writing music, and playing in quite variable venues.

I am a former dancer and have always totally loved music, and lot of different kinds. So I would be pretty discriminating, also, about programs and adjustments. I would guess that more than one in-person visit for fitting and adjustments would be good for us before going to just virtual appointments.

You guys rock!! You’re all so helpful. What did we do before we had the internet? I remember, but it’s a fairly distant memory by now.

3 Likes
#20

Costco has a decent range to choose from, they also offer Rextons, which are rebranded Signias (and my current HAs) and Phillips (which come from the same company as Oticons)

#21

Reginald, oh, wow, I had been interested in Oticons; it seemed like they would be a good choice for musicians and music lovers like us. I’ll have to try out the various options in the store. Of course, that is a limited experience, but it would be something to start with.

Do you like the Phillips over the Jabra? Or maybe that wasn’t offered when you bought yours.

#22

I have no experience with Philip’s offerings whatsoever. When I was picking my HAs I was testing Resound/Jabra against Rexton/Signia. Weighting multitude of factors which are going to be different for you. It was a bit over a year ago, new generations came out in meantime and things have changed a little.

Personally I would focus on Jabras, being the newest and most feature rich, second being Phillips. Rextons are waiting to be updated to the latest tech that was introduced in Signias recently and I wouldn’t get them for that reason, at the moment.

#23

New York City publishes a list of places with Telecoil (hearing loops) installed
You can look at the list of local venues with hearing loops
https://www.nyc.gov/site/mopd/resources/deaf-hard-of-hearing.page

#24

Yes, I am most interested in the Jabras, they seem the most up to date and feature-rich. I think that they cannot come with a t-coil (not sure), but people are saying that I really won’t need it.

#25

ronshere,

Wow, what a great resource, thank you! That’s what I thought, much of NYC has t-coil installations. But I am not sure that the Jabras at Costco can get a t-coil (don’t think so)l. And so many people are saying that I won’t need it. And that it blocks out hearing people around me.

Do you use a t-coil? If so, is it really helpful for you in NYC?

#26

So the new update is that Amplifon will not cover the Nexia, according to the audi office, and they also will not pay the audi more for service. So I’m going in Friday to return the aids my husband received and to initiate a refund on what I paid for his in-network deductible of $500.

Next stop Costco, which really rocks!! Except that it is an hour away by subway and bus, or car with problematic parking on either end. And it would be a minimum of two in-person visits. But Costco by far and away is the best for top of the line aids with excellent service and insurance coverage.

I have you guys to thank for your help in finding all of this out. Your help is invaluable. Nothing beats experience!

The Costco Hearing Center nearest us is booked up into March, or even April! But I could try another one, as there are now a few, all about an hour away.

Fist thing though, I have to pick Medicare plans for myself and my husband so he can retire before he drops!! In the meantime, I can set up appointments for us.

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#27

Ha, yeah good idea! You guys deserve better hearing like the rest of us, I’m sure you’ll get a better deal/service now.

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#28

I forgot that t-coil blocks the environment, also the quality would disappoint you most likely, you’re better off with properly fitted HAs.
That being said you can still use t-coil even with Jabras which don’t have it, using this device from Resound (works with Jabras too) which connects to your HAs. https://www.resound.com/en-us/hearing-aids/accessories/multi-mic

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#29

Ah, yes, I saw the reference to that device. People who’ve said I probably won’t need a t-coil may be right. But if not, I could get that device. That’s a thought that I may not be happy with the sound quality of a t-coil.

Both of us are exquisitely sensitive to good sound due to him being a musician, and me a former dancer and total music lover. And we’re used to top quality musicians. NYC is loaded with top quality music. We’re extraordinarily fortunate to live with such bounty.

I do look forward to better hearing with the aids, knowing that it will not be the same as natural hearing, however. But is sounds as if the current aids are fabulous engineering wonders.

Whoever came up with the Costco hearing aid model really did a great thing. Having well-trained non-commissioned dispensers is ideal.

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#30

Yes, all thanks to the help of you guys! Unfortunately, I have had a string of bad audiologist experiences over the years that discouraged me from following through. Plus, many health issues to distract me from trying again. It’s appalling how bad my hearing has been for many years. Well, onward and upward with what sounds like amazing technology now.

I’m preaching to the choir, but the private, or insurance based, audiology market is quite broken. And Costco fixes that, if one is anywhere near one.

PS Both of my brothers have had hearing aids for years, and they are 5 & 6 years younger (yeah bad family history of hearing problems on my mother’s side). They have gotten multiple pairs at Costco. Previous to coming to hearing tracker, I thought that the quality of the Costco aids was not premium. I’m glad to know that’s not true…

#31

It takes some getting used to and some tuning but yes, they can sound quite natural nowadays. Make sure to mention that you’re both musicians, they will have to limit the compression significantly, especially for your husband.

#32

Thank you, that’s good to know Reginald.