Do you use the Kirkland/Rexton XPhone or Signia TwinPhone feature?

Hearing Aids
#1

I’m trying to figure out what my choices are for using a landline phone without streaming when I get my Kirkland Signature 8.0 fitted. It seems the KS8 uses the same feature as the Rexton XPhone, and Signia TwinPhone. Some questions:

  1. Do you use the magnet on the phone speaker method to initiate it?
  2. Is it reliable?
  3. Does the sound improve when you use the feature compared to not using it?
  4. When the magnet initiation method is used does it need one program set to XPhone mode?
  5. If not, do you set one program mode to XPhone anyway to use any phone without a magnet on it?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

#2

My experience with both KS8 and Phonak, which have similar landline programs, is that it does work well. I use it sometimes on one phone that I can’t use at all without this program. It makes the mic on the phone side really sensitive and the phone call is loud and clear in both ears.

I personally like to have it as a manual program and on the KS8 i had it as my last program, which was one click away, so I could activate it quickly and use it on any phone.

#3

So just to be clear, are you saying that when you use the magnetic feature only, it does not need to be in a program?

#4

no manual feature is must its separate program. if you do not have magnet then you have to switch the program manually. thats it. so you can use any phone but if you put magnet it will switch to xphone automatically. it will work on only that phone(automatic switching) so just tell other side person to say after 2-5 sec i experianced some dely for first 5 sec so that speech gone other wise ok

#5

Thanks for the input. Perhaps I could word my question a bit differently. There is only room for 6 programs on the KS8 hearing aid. Do I have to dedicate one program to the XPhone to get it to work automatically with the magnet?

#6

I think it is set up separately but I really don’t remember. You probably won’t really need 6 programs. I’ve used extra programs to test out a change before committing to it, but never needed 6 different programs except for those temporary tests.

At first, though, you will probably be pretty limited. There is an adjustment period where your brain is getting used to the new sounds, and you will need to stay on automatic as much as possible.

It is also a good idea to start slow, with one on one conversations in a quiet area, and over a few weeks work your way up to louder or more complex situations.

#7

I noticed your hearing has a steep slope and some asymmetry and I’m assuming you have had hearing loss for a long time? If that is true the acclimation phase may be extended.

#8

I had hearing loss since my 20’s but didnt get hearing aids until my 50’s. When I got my first hearing aid everything sounded too loud and clanking dishes and even potato chip bags were annoying. All higher pitched sounds sounded harsh, tinny, and distorted. I thought that’s just the way hearing aids are.

Music sounded terrible. About 6 months later I was in an environment where music was playing and it was a high piano part, and I realized it was no longer distorted. In fact, it was beautiful. I couldn’t believe it.

#9

Don, in the long run I suspect I will not use 6 programs. I would just like to test out some different programs without having to go back to the fitter at Costco for changes. That is why I was thinking of not using one program for XPhone initially. In the longer run when I eliminate the programs that are probably redundant, I will ask for the XPhone to be put in as a program for the infrequent situations where I need to use a phone that does not have a magnet.

The dip in my left ear has been there from shooting in my youth, so yes a long time. From hearing tests I had done regularly when I was working, the right ear was always pretty good, and the left ear at higher frequencies was not bad either. I suspect the general high frequency slope down in both ears has occurred slowly due to age over the past 10 years.

I have entered the word recognition scores in my Hearing Tracker here several times, but for some reason they will not display. In any case both ears are at 88% which I think is not too bad?

#10

According to the Costco fitter I saw today, you have to dedicate one program to XPhone to use it either with the magnet initiation or with a program selection. She basically said it works poorly and they don’t recommend using it, but they will set it up if I really want to try it.

#11

Serra,
My experience with XPhone and KS8s is that XPhone is very unreliable. It may have a software bug that might be fixed with an update.

  1. I have an XPhone program.
  2. When I switch it on, I hear nothing but static (Edit: in the right ear).
  3. When I receive a call and answer it, I hear nothing from the right ear, no matter how I reposition the phone or place a magnet.
  4. My Audi sent the KS8s to the factory and when they came back, the same thing happened. I doubt the factory did any troubleshooting - they may have just sent a new pair of hearing aids back.
  5. A different Audi at a different location tried to get XPhone to work from his phone. After a half hour of trying many different possibilities, I did hear a clear signal in the right ear for about 20 seconds while he held the receiver to some “unknown” position on my (left) ear. When he moved it slightly, the sound quit and the session was over.

My conclusion: KS8’s XPhone software probably has a serious bug and should be updated ASAP. Hoping to get some action in this regard because using Automatic setting has also proved to be very difficult to hear phone on KS8s. Far too many “Whats?”
-JCH

#12

88% is pretty darned good for word recognition scores.

#13

Phonak DuoPhone (which is the same thing as this thread is about) is very reliable.

#14

I have used the phone once with the KS8 HA’s, without the XPhone. My right ear was basically fine, but it wasn’t all that bad without HA’s either. I would like to use my left ear so my right hand is free to write. Have not tried that yet…

#15

Serra,
My Audi set up my left ear as the phone ear and the right as the receiving ear so I could take notes while talking.

#16

Update two weeks later:
I received my third set of KS8s and they also cannot run XPhone calls into both HAs simultaneously even though my Audi did a fresh setup. The previous KS8 set (#2) has already been sent to Rexton engineering for a complete autopsy to pinpoint the source of the problem…

It might be a good idea for every KS8 owner on this forum to retest XPhone and report performance and aquision date on this thread! The KS8s are so good in noisy environments and other problem areas it would be a shame to have unreliable performance in phone calls.
-JCH

#17

I go for my first follow up fitting on Thursday. I was going to ask them to set one program to XPhone. Will try to remember to update the thread with my experience.

I see in the Connexx software that you can set which phone uses the XPhone. The 50 dB gain is elevated for the XPhone program. And, there is a manual gain reduction setting for the opposite hearing aid. I would think that is to reduce the effect of background noise in the opposite side ear.

#18

Sierra,
I will be fascinated to know if the XPhone program works with your KS8s. :thinking:
EDIT: Please be sure to test XPhone in both ears before leaving Costco!
-JCH

#19

When I went into Connexx to check how it is set up, there are two options for a phone program. One is a regular phone, which I suspect just reduces gain on one ear and perhaps changes the microphone pattern. The other choice is the XPhone.

#20

Had the Costco fitter set up the XPhone feature in a program yesterday. When you select that program it certainly sends the phone signal to the opposite ear. However, at the same time it seems to increase gain and noise. And for some reason it causes some clicking sounds in the opposite ear. Overall it certain does increase audibility, but at the cost of some noise and less natural sound.

I tried the magnet on the phone trick, and it did not automatically start the XPhone mode. Perhaps they deleted that function on the KS8? I even tried a stronger magnet right on the HA and again nothing. That part is too bad, because when you get an incoming call it take too much time to switch to XPhone before you answer it. So, what I end up doing is answering the phone first, and then switching to XPhone while I am talking…

The best solution is the iPhone streaming, That is certainly the clearest.