Experiencing feedback with Costco KS9

Hearing Aids
#1

Hi all, thought I’d share my experience so far and, as usual, ask for guidance where I can get it. Thanks in advance…
Following the great help/advice in here I picked up new (long overdue) aids on Saturday. The Audi initially had a large dome fitted to the device…

p.s. I don’t know my domes well, they look similar to the domes I’ve been using in my 10 year old Audeo Yes’ but the new domes are a bit bigger, DON’T have as many holes around the rim (just two pretty microscopic ones right at the ‘point’ of the dome) and they are a rounder (vs. a more conical) shape?

anyway… large dome fitted to start but they seemed way too big, it felt like I couldn’t get the darn thing in my ear! We went smaller, but I had feedback, then Medium, same thing, so we went back to large. I then sort of realized I wasn’t pushing the darn thing into my ear with enough gusto and once I did that it seemed fine. The audi couldn’t hear any feedback and she even put her hand right up to both of my ears and it seemed fine, happy days!

First 24-48 hours seemed pretty good. I wouldn’t call it life changing but I could hear better. The bluetooth tech seemed to work well and I was happy with that. (This tech is a bonus for me for sure but I didn’t buy for that, for me I’m just looking for better 121 ‘hearing’ with the ever growing list of people I simply can’t have a conversation with anymore…) anyway first day in the office and I actively search out chats with all the people I struggle to hear the most. So…it’s better for sure but NOT the revelation I was hoping for… I CAN hear them better but even in small groups I notice that others respond to a speaker when I have clearly not heard what that speaker said… bummer… So, not great but better than where I was and I tell myself I guess I gotta just readjust expectations and live with it. So overall, minus the cool bluetooth stuff, I’d give the hearing/experience improvement score a 6 out of 10.

Now, all of a sudden, feedback! Starts in the morning just a slight whistle and definitely something that was NOT there initially with these new devices (leaning in to kiss my wife, hands up to ears etc.) I now get the feedback ‘whistle’! Even just standing in close proximity to a wall, in a smaller space, I get it. My first thought was wet ears (just out of the shower in the morning etc…) but I’ve made sure the ole canals are dry dry and still, the same thing today… Only way I can get rid of it is turn the volume down by at least two notches. Double bummer!

So the trouble free - I paid a bunch of money - things are gonna be wonderful - experience hasn’t panned out so far…

Cheers kids :roll_eyes:

p.p.s… been reading in the forum about ‘feedback’ OMG what a complex subject! :weary: but in that just been reading this…

blimey seems to have helped, poss… :face_with_monocle: :thinking:

#2

Well my first guess regarding the feedback is the aids don’t fit properly or the domes don’t fit properly in your ears. That’s the first and obvious place to start. So I would take them back

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#3

Hi Dodster,
I had a similar experience on picking up the KS9s. All was ok in the store, then the minute I got in the car this awful feedback kicked in. On my follow up meeting, the Costco tech realized she hadn’t activated the Feedback slider on any of my programs. Activating this did help a lot. I wasn’t particularly happy with the set up of the aids, and felt I could do better, so bought the Noah Wireless device so I could make my own changes. I then realised that the Feedback Manager hadn’t been run at all, so I ran it myself. After this, all feedback disappeared, BUT, looking at the curves, I was somewhat below prescription target gains in some of the frequencies (the feedback manager reduces gains to a “safe” level). I have actually found that this process is too conservative, and I have managed to move myself back up to prescription (by deleting feedback manager I ran, and while keeping the feedback sliders on in the individual programs). I now only get a tiny bit of feedback if I put my hand right up against the ear, but it’s the best compromise. This whole business is complicated for sure, and I’d never have had the confidence to move to self programming if it wasn’t for all the amazing knowledge and insights from this forum. Good luck - I really believe the KS9s are very good, and after a couple of months I am just beginning to get the best out of them. Bob

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#4

Costco! UK! KS9s! We’re kindred spirits Bob!

I’m pretty sure my audi ran the feedback slider up to max…

But Bob what the heck is a…

Right, I’m off to Google it! :face_with_monocle:

Seriously though, thanks for taking the time to write back with so much info, really appreciate it! :+1:

I think… THINK I might’ve solved the problem… based on the late addition to my first post… i.e

I think… as I got more comfortable with the bigger dome (pretty quickly) I just started pushing it further into my ear, the the belief that further in is better…. (phwoar! phwoar!.. sorry… Brit humor…:laughing:) I’ve since (today) tugged the dome out a teency bit and… and… it seems to have eliminated the feedback! I’m nervous it’ll come back… but I’ll keep ya’ll posted. Fingers crossed!

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#5

My thoughts would be that the fitting is not staying in place properly, and leakage by the fitting is the source of the feedback. You may want to discuss other options with your fitter, including custom molds, if you cannot find an off the shelf fitting that works for you. Here is a document that shows the options available with a Phonak (KS9).

Phonak Marvel Components

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#6

Feedback - It is a fit issue and/or adjustment issue. Your pro should be able to quickly solve that, and solve it by not turning down the gain.

Not hearing some voices - I always have to have soft sounds bumped up. Soft sounds, medium sounds, and loud sounds are separately adjustable, so you can boost soft sounds and not blow out loud sounds.

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