Thanks for the reply KenP. With my current HA’s (Quintra’s) I find I don’t touch the volume control on the HA much at all. But it sure is nice to access on the Hearing aid itself without needing an external device. How valuable and useful is the cell phone connectivity I wonder? (Rhetoric for myself) But I do wonder if others find it useful on a regular continual basis?
How is the speech quality and overall sound quality of the Kirkland Signature V6?
If you click on my link below, you’ll see my word recognition sucks. I am having no trouble with understanding with the KS6. I am in the profound category. Even the worst ear gives me a nice improvement. It isn’t as crisp as the other ear but they combine for a very full tone for all speech so far.
Pulled the trigger today on the KS6, fitting in a week. It was one of three HAs the fitter recommended after running the tests, which is good- the streaming feature is important to me. Time I replaced these old Rextons, and I was told my hearing wasn’t bad enough to warrant the ear moulds I’ve been wearing with them for the past 8 years. Oh, well, the Kirklands were amazing walking around the store, hard to credit how well they deal with background noise.
The button on the KS6 (based on ReSound Linx) will only cycle through the programs (up to 4), but can not control volume. The newer ReSound Linx2 has a programming option for long and short press, thereby allowing for volume control and program control on the same button, but of course it is not available at Costco. Like you, I prefer Android. I have the phone clip+ with my KS6, and allows for volume control (but not left and right independently), program control, and mute. It also has a mic, and can be used for hands free calls via bluetooth. The android Kirkland Signature Navigator app has the same basic functions as the phone clip, but allows for independent volume control for the left and right, and streaming volume can be adjusted independently. I stream music via the phone clip and have no issues with the sound dropping, perhaps this is more of an iphone issue. I have no problems having the phone clip in one pocket and my phone (Galaxy S4 mini) in the other pocket, and streaming music. I have even walked around my office leaving the phone and phone clip on my desk without the stream being affected. Bluetooth phone calls work great. There is apparently an android app in the works for the KS6 similar to ReSound Smart which will allow direct connection to the HAs without the phone clip, but it will likely only support the Galaxy S5 (same as ReSound Smart), and will not allow direct streaming like the iphone.
As for sound quality with the acoustic guitar, you may have to decide for yourself. That’s where it is handy to have the Costco 90 day trial. But the KS6 seems to be very well received so far judging by information posted on this forum.
Has this happened to anyone:
I was on the All Around program and both hearing aids were working fine. I then switched to Restaurant. The right HA was Ok for about 2 seconds then quit. The app said I was still connected with full battery power. Even the volume slider showed I was connected but moving the slider did nothing. I opened the battery compartment and started the hearing aid again. Again, it worked for about 2 seconds then quit. I said to myself, I must have a defective HA, but then I tapped the All Around program again and the right HA started working. So I tapped the Music program and the right HA still worked, then I tapped the restaurant again and lo and behold it worked. I tested the battery with a battery tester I got from Costco for these batteries and it showed full power as well.
This thread has gotten into specifics, so excuse this general question. Last Oct 2014 when I first started looking for aids, I seem to recall that the COSTCO “branded” aid was about $3000 a pair at my local store.
Now the 2015 “equivalent” new model is under $2000 a pair?
Is that basically true?
I could use some assistance. I am coming up on my 4th week with the K6 and have yet to be able to get a satisfactory setting. These are my first experience with hearing aids so that is a factor I realize. Secondly I work as a manager in a very busy and noisy restaurant. That I realize is also a challenge, but my job and future really depend on my success with these hearing aids. Additionally I have a reverse slope loss rated as moderately severe. The point is with any program so far given me I still find it difficult to understand most speech while at work. I can be right in front of a guest or employee and still only hear garbled sounds. Current settings are restaurant with high noise cancelation, all round, and party that is set to pick up just sound in front of me. I’ve been back to Costco each week trying to get the settings right, but still little change. Does anyone have experience with this type of situation and what seemed to be the best solution.
I have just finished my 5th week with my HA’s noted below. I have no experience with the K6’s but I can say that I have been happy with mine from Day 1 with no issues other than for a while the left one was sliding out of my ear. The only reason I mention this is that this is also my first experience with hearing aids so I don’t think that is an excuse for them not working properly. It seems to me that if they’re set up right they will work. Granted it takes some time to get used to them but the issues you’re talking about don’t seem to be related to that. Good luck!
Can you post your audiogram and word recognition scores? It is hard to provide suggestions when we don’t know the severity of the hearing loss…Thanks.
how do you know they will work for him whenyou dont know his loss?
Ist this HA able to cover my hearing loss or its waste of time for me to look at?
I am tempted to try the Signature V6.0, but it seems that most people posting on this thread have some sort of issue. Somewhat concerning. When I asked the clerk at my local Costco HA center about them she said they are selling tons of them and people are happy. I am wearing Rexton Quintra 2C HA’s that I got from Costco in October 2013. They have been very reliable (until one died last week). But they will replace that. When it comes back, I am tempted to demo and try the Kirkland Signature V6.0. Welcome any feedback from those who might have tried the Quintra’s but prefer the Kirkland Sig 6?
I think our grousing is the normal hearing loss individual looking for more. I’m wearing the KS6 now for several weeks and I’m not complaining. It a solid aid and my loss is a profound one and I have word recognition issues. I will say I am not overly impressed with the iPhone setup. I got it to use as a controller and am finding I don’t really need the control. The aid is pretty good about controlling the environment without my intervention. My “real” phone is an Android and I find I have a good experience with it off my ear a couple of inches. I’ve actually had to turn down the phone volume.
Here are my audiogram and word recognition scores. My desire is to have the ability to direct the fitter to give me the best settings for my unique environment. I believe these are very good HA’s, its just my learning curve I have to deal with. I appreciate any help you all may have.
SRT R 50 / L 30
WRS R 70dB 96% L 65dB 100%
| 250 | 500 | 1K | 2K | 3K | 4K | 6K | 8K | |
| L | 55 | 50 | 50 | 30 | 25 | 45 | 25 | 60 |
| R | 45 | 60 | 65 | 35 | 40 | 40 | 15 | 50 |
I have had my hearing aids about 4 weeks now. The right one has dropped to a very low volume and will not connect to my Phone Clip. It was sent in for repairs today and will take about 10 days. You gotta love Murphy.
I asked the Costco tech if they had a list of programs available so I may possibly try something a different on. One program I did have was the normal one but without the high frequency compression - it didn’t make a difference to me. I asked if she had a list of the programs that I might possibly try a different one from what I currently have. She said she didn’t have such a list. I thought with the different posters here we could make a list ourselves. I will start with the current ones I presently have and people can add any additional programs. (She was also able to print out the info for me as well.)
Normal
Restaurant
Music
Outdoors.
Perhaps the variants that can change a program might be useful as well.
The fitting/programming section of the Costco Software has a drop down list of available pre-set “programs”. ReSound has pre-set programs with their Costco software which should be easily accessible when assigning a program to one of the 4 available program slots. I saw a drop down box with various programs listed when my fitter added the Music program. Here is a partial list taken from the Aventa software, so the Costco names may be slightly different: Acoustic Phone, Basic, Basic + Softswitching, Music, Binaural Directionality, Outdoor, Party, Restaurant, Traffic. Keep in mind that any of these programs are just starting points, and any of them can be adjusted to make a custom setting.
The KS6 datasheet shows 4 different fitting ranges based on one of 4 receivers used (S, NP, HP or UP). The datasheet shows a fitting range up to 110-120 dB HL with the higher power receivers. This should accommodate your loss, but I am not an expert in this area, so perhaps the pro’s could provide some additional information. The Costco fitters should at least be able to tell you if the KS6 would be a good option for you.
What type of domes are you using? Open domes may not be the best option due to your low frequency loss. If you have more than a 40 dB HL at 1K and below, you will get very little gain at these frequencies with open domes. Tulip domes, double domes, or custom molds would be better. Your WRS is awsome compared to mine, so you should be able to find a good setup for your work environment. Sometimes an old fashioned acoustic solution works better than a programming solution.
Thanks for the reply. I have tulip domes now, but was thinking of asking for double domes. If by acoustic solution you mean just straight volume, I was thinking the same thing. It seems that with all the voices around me at work, they just have a hard time determining just what is to be filtered. I was going to ask for a fourth program that just added volume and see how that worked.
Your aids can’t selectively filter out voices. You could have them install a forward, strong directionality. That would emphasize where you are looking.