New to the forum. I was fitted at Costco yesterday with Brio 3 R-C and I am VERY impressed with them. Costco was very precise with everything including the REM and it shows in the operation of my HA’s.
A happy camper !!
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I got the same HA’s at Costco also. First ever hearing aids and have had them for about a month. I was very impressed with the hearing test and service. So far really liking them. Got the TV Connector a few days ago.
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Well, I’m glad I found this forum. I tend to be verbose, but I’ll try to stay on topic. I spent 2 years in Vietnam which pretty much trashed my right ear hearing - I’m not sure of the loss level about I hear about 1/3 as much as my left, but even that had been damaged. I “tried” HA’s some years ago, but all they did was to amplify the b/g noise along with speech. I know many advancements since then, and I knew my Medicare advance provided paid up to $3k ENDING this year, so I started looking. Used Consumer Reports as a reference and they listed Phonak as top model and Connect as best retailer. Found out today Connect doesn’t accept my insurance, so I called Costco and they don’t accept insurance at all but she told me they had Phonaks for $2500 a pair. In the short conversation, she said the model they carried was specific to Costco (?) and that they were “auto adjusting” and rechargeable. Having no experience, it was good to read the comments here. A question I have is that from what I’ve read on CR, the BTE (I’m getting used to the acronyms here) were the most powerful, but my issue is that anything behind my ears is very irritating. I got laser eye surgery in 2000 as much to get rid of the irritating eyeglass over my ears as the other reasons. So, I’m considering IIC or ITE. Am I going to be able to get my hearing “near normal” (I know that is subjective) with the ITE or IIC? Also, I know the VA will provide HA’s but I have no idea what make/models available. I’d rather pay for something that I’m happy with that get something free that just doesn’t work well. I will have to call them on Monday. Costco person said I could try to get reimbursement from my HC provider, but since they can’t get in me in for testing until January, that’s now a moot point. It would be great if the VA had the Brio 3’s, but I kind of doubt that. And, from the comments, I’m best going with the RC’s, correct? I appreciate all the prior comments and TIA for any answers to my queries. ETA: The Costco person made the valid point in that “If you get $3k insurance, but pay $6k at a retailer for what we sale for $2500, what good is the insurance?” Valid point, so I guess I’m paying a couple $k out of pocket regardless (unless the VA has the make/model I want) HAPPY TURKEY day, everyone
I have profound hearing loss and talked to a new unbiased audiologist. I asked her about the Phonak Brio 3 vs Naida B aids. The Brio is old SWORD technology and Naida B is the new Beyond technology. Costgo sells older Phonak technology hearing aids so Phonak gets rid of older hearing aids.
Brio 3s are based on the Beyond platform. They have a model that uses the Sword chip similar to the Audeo B Direct. They also have BTEs similar to Naida Super Power and UltraPower aids. They’re actually pretty current, but I’m guessing it will be sometime before they have something based on Marvel platform. VA will not have Brio3s. Brio3s are Costco only item, but VA will have Audeo B and Audeo B Direct, and will likely get Marvel platform pretty soon.
Impossible to say if IIC or ITE could meet your loss as we don’t have your audiogram. VA has latest technology so if you qualify for their services, it seems a no brainer to go check them out.
Only you can determine what is best for you, but RICs can be remarkably inobtrusive. I don’t notice mine at all most of the time.
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No Brainer - Get VA hearing aids.
Beware of tricks, such as Brio2 and Brio3 are the same hardware.
Costco person’s valid point is no such thing. $2500 spent at Costco when you can get better from VA (for Free!) is no valid point. But start a separate thread if we need to go down this rabbit hole.
Costco does not accept insurance, BUT they helped me fill out the form and I filed on my own. My insurance pays $2500 once every 3 calendar years. In Ohio, there is no sales tax on medical appliances. So, my only out-of-pocket was the TV Connector.
Since the Costco hearing aid specialist is not a Dr, she could not write in the diagnosis code on my claim form. So, I looked up the code on the internet and entered it myself. It worked.
I tried and have the KS 8s. After going through a lot of adjustments I still wasn’t happy with them for voice recognition. They seemed too sharp and had a lot of noises just when shifting around. I got the Brio 3 R C about two months ago and the initial settings were a huge improvement. I really like them for the most part. Meanwhile I am seriously considering trying the Bernafon Zerena instead after a basic demo. They sounded very good and higher end sounds I need are smoother. The audi says most people she has put on them prefer them to the KS 8. The feature I miss from the KS 8(that the Zerenas include) is that they can stream and connect through both ears on an iPhone, something the Phonaks cannot do without and extra accessory.
I have the Brio 3 but they don’t work well the the iPhone 10. I can call out but the person called can’t hear me although I can hear them. I have reset the iPhone as well as the aids but that was no help.
You need the ComPilot. Are you using the ComPilot?
No I’m not, the fitter at Costco said nothing about needing the ComPilot. Is the ComPilot something you wear or carry with you?
Depends on which version of the Brio 3s he has. If the one’s based on the Audeo B Direct, he shouldn’t need an intermediary device and it should be hands free as it uses one of the hearing aid microphones.
Ah hadn’t realised there was a Direct version.
Brio 3 problem solved, it was a Wi-Fi problem that cause the iPhone to mess up.
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When a call is made with the iPhone Xs the called party can not hear you.
What about flip top phones?
If the phone has Bluetooth (it probably does) you could use it hands free with a Phonak Compilot 2 device. The new Phonak Marvel connects to Bluetooth phones directly, without a device.
Thank you Don for your reply,but what I was asking is that everything seem to be about hearing aids and these smart phone connection with them,I only have a flip top and very happy with it ha so my question was, can I use any of the hearing aids without having to go out and buy a $400 or $500?