Help with hearing aid choice for my father (Who manufactures AGX hearing aids?)

Hearing Aids
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#1

Hello,

I’m totally new to anything regarding hearing aids but I’ve been trying to help my father out more and more with his medical issues. He’s approaching 70 and is in need of his first set of hearing aids. I went with him to an audiologist to get tested and they recommended some AGX branded hearing aids for him which are going to run anywhere between 5000-7000 depending on if we chose the AGX5 or AGX9 based on what type of environments he usually is in. I thought this was really expensive so i started browsing and realized Costco does hearing aids.

I wanted to come here and ask people with more experience if the costco HA are of good quality. Is there a large difference between costco hearing aids and the ones that the audiologists are trying to sell me? I’ve tried browsing this forum but can’t really sort through the noise as I’m very new to this.

My primary goal is getting my dad something that is good quality and will help him hear better. If i can achieve this through costco and save money then thats great! But if the ones issued at the audiologist are significantly better, then we will pay the money.

Thanks in advance for all your help!

#2

Yes, go to Costco. They will be able to provide a very good quality hearing aid for$1700 to $3000. Costco offers more variety because they are not trying to sell one brand of hearing aid. I went to Costco and am happy with my KS7s. If you give us a little more info, we could offer more help.

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#3

AGX are private label aids. Costco aids are branded by manufacturers that lead the industry.

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#4

AGX aids are basically manufactured by 5 of the 6 majors.

DIY - How to get started with self-programming
#5

So the average user won’t know what he’s getting. All he knows is he is paying full boat.

#6

We are talking to Audigy right now about putting their model names as aliases on our product database. I suppose we could do it without them, but would appreciate their blessing.

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#7

I’m still confused about what AGX hearing aids are. The Audigy’s are a sub brand of Starkey. But are we saying that some models are manufactured by 4 other major-6 manufacturers (like ReSound, Phonak)?

Also, will AGX franchises have exclusive ability to program AGX hearing aids?

To the OP, Yes go to Costco because we don’t know much about what AGX hearing aids are?

#8

See if you agree with me about their alphabetically coded Five Product Families:

AGXR: = ReSound AGXR Series - AGX Hearing
AGXS: = Starkey AGXSP iQ Series - AGX Hearing (maybe Audigy sub-brand)
AGXO: = Oticon AGXO G Series - AGX Hearing
AGXsi: = Signia AGXsi Series - AGX Hearing
AGXW: = Widex AGXW U Series - AGX Hearing

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Audigy Group/ AGX / Oticons
#9

Maybe it’s just me, but in a million years I wouldn’t get an AGX branded device. AGX is, AFAIK, just a reseller of aids from the major manufacturers with typical over-stuffed prices and more difficulty in doing DYI or other “non-standard” interactions.

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#10

@mblank (ง︡’-‘︠)ง

Just kidding!! On this we agree.

#11

Wow! Thanks for the responses everyone.

I found this forum through a blog post somewhere saying its a great community and it sure is proving to be so.

So all in all, costco is of good enough quality relative to the other things that cost significantly more? I just dont want to “cheap out” on my fathers hearing. That was my main concern that the costco hearing aids are of sufficient quality and he will get good hearing aids

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#12

costco product information

AGX information

#13

Quality, regardless of location, is as much about the person who will fit the aids as the aids themselves. That is the variable you have to figure out. There are great - good -decent - lousy fitters.

You should be able to figure that out during the trial period – especially with Costco who give the longest trial. If he isn’t getting results, ask to extend the trial or return them if they won’t.

When he starts using the aids there is a shock where the brain has to adjust to the new sounds. This can easily take 30 day or more. He will complain about it being noisy and possibly “tinny” and that is normal as he adjusts. By the end of the trial he should be satisfied with the results and, if it is a normal loss, hear comfortably.

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#14

After further reading it appears that if you buy these re-named AGX hearing aids they will be franchise locked. So even though you have a (ReSound, Starkey, Oticon, Signia, Widex) hearing aid you cannot go to any audiologist to have these programmed. You will have get them programmed at an AGX franchise.

AGX information

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#15

Here’s some additional, fresh information on the whole locking thing: Is it possible to have my AGX hearing aids unlocked? We are moving overseas, and I’m not sure what to do?

#16

I have an AGX5 (Oticon Nera) and my mom the AGX3 (Starkey 3 series i30)
overall happy with mine :smiley:

but yes, mine was expensive as hell
5k and 5k=10k

#17

You mean like these Oticon Nera Pros that you could have bought last week for $170? Seriously, $170 bucks.

#18

I have the 1st verison that came out halfway 2013 actually!