One reason that Musicians like Widex is that that brand offers more input headroom than many others. At least this was true in the recent past. Other manufacturers may have upgraded their products recently. How this works: Imagine trying to use a very cheap microphone that was designed to record a lecture as a vocal performance mic. The singer’s voice right next to the mic would overwhelm the cheap mic’s capabilities and there would be distortion.
A similar thing happens with many hearing aids. They are designed for speech, not live music. Widex (and I think a couple of other brands) are analogous to a vocal performance mic in that they will accept louder signals with more dynamic range without distorting. If I were you I would eat Ramen for awhile and get the high-end Widex aids over the Costco aids. At least get a definitive answer about input headroom before you buy.
Also make sure your audi sets up whichever aids you buy with a separate program for you to use while you’re performing music. Have the audi minimize (but not totally turn off) the feedback cancellation feature and eliminate all the speech comprehension enhancement features in that music performance program. Those features (especially feedback cancellation) will make music sound harmonically “off” to you.
Also are you sure your insurance won’t cover Costco aids? Mine will; it’s just that, with Costco, I have to pay for the aids up front and then be reimbursed by my insurance. Maybe put the aids on a credit card and pay off the credit card when you get your insurance reimbursement. Hope this helps. Good luck.
Thanks so much! Your answer was so informative! I’m going to go with the upgraded Widex for now. My audiology office is going to work with me for three months for payment for what insurance doesn’t cover, so I don’t have any upfront cost with the Widex and the actual cost to me is the same as the Costco aids. I don’t really trust my insurer to reimburse for Costco because someone else in my office had real difficulty getting reimbursement for his Costco aids, but another person said they paid their audiologist quickly for the aids he got. I can’t risk paying entirely out of pocket and then not getting reimbursed. Audiologist put in for the insurance this morning and as soon as that payment comes through she’ll get me in to fit the hearing aids.
Definitely to the above! I’ve been a singer virtually all my life and a guitarist since I was 12. I’m 67 now. Music was my sole or main source of income for most of the '70s and '80s. (I’m also a paralegal now…) Your first introduction to hearing aids will take some getting used to, but it is a huge enhancement to your life.
You will have issues in that you will be hear the tone (not to mention volume) of your instruments differently than you have in years (assuming your hearing has been gradually deteriorating and not the sudden result of accident or illness).
I’m fortunate in that, I have a fine guitar that I bought 47 years ago when my hearing was fine and I spent a lot of time selecting it over others that I played. It has been my “yardstick”. I know that even if I’m not hearing it exactly as it sounds, IF another guitar sounds relatively good - volume and tone wise - compared to it through my hearing aids, then the new guitar is worthwhile.
Singing while playing puts another wrinkle into the “hearing aids for musicians” equation. Your instruments are coming at you externally, whereas your vocals are a mix of internal perception and external perception.
Do NOT be discouraged at the change and DO work with your tech to get a program or programs to work with your music!
Best of luck!
Dave
I’m also going to underline the importance of a so called ‘music program’ for any HA that you might end up getting. I play classical guitar and having all compression and feedback (and other?) features turned off in this dedicated program is crucial. It’s good to ask if the audiologists at any center you might buy from are familiar with this sort of thing (my Kaiser audiologists were not.)
And another thing that I learned: I was torn between Costco and the highly recommended hearing aid center that I ended up going with. Costco would have saved me $800.00. In the end I didn’t like their aids as much as the ones that I got (Phonak). But more importantly–and I didn’t know this as a HA newbie–there’s a good amount of upkeep involved in hearing aids. I was able to work with my audiologist over several months dialing in my music program. More–I shed a lot of wax and need cleaning, even though I scrupulously use wax guards. My center is open on Saturdays and I can literally wander in and have that done in under a half an hour. AND the center is close by my house. All of this is worth the added cost over the Costco aids. I’d suggest considering this aspect of your purchase beforehand. How ‘available’ are Costco audiologists (or any ) to you.
I can wander into my audiologist’s office around 4 on Saturday or Sunday, get a roasted chicken, and new domes or whatever. 
Costco has been great for me. They are open saturday and sunday. Appointments can be had same week. They will adjust, clean, etc., as much as desired. No audiologist, but the dispenser I use is very skilled and knowledgeable. He used to work for a hearing aid company as a repair tech and has been able to perform some repairs on the spot when anyone else would have sent them back. I had workups by an ENT and audiologist at the start of things to really know what’s what. They have twice the warranty period vs. most others, etc., etc.
Definitely to the above! I’ve been a singer virtually all my life and a guitarist since I was 12. I’m 67 now. Music was my sole or main source of income for most of the '70s and '80s. (I’m also a paralegal now…) Your first introduction to hearing aids will take some getting used to, but it is a huge enhancement to your life.
You will have issues in that you will be hear the tone (not to mention volume) of your instruments differently than you have in years (assuming your hearing has been gradually deteriorating and not the sudden result of accident or illness).
I’m fortunate in that, I have a fine guitar that I bought 47 years ago when my hearing was fine and I spent a lot of time selecting it over others that I played. It has been my “yardstick”. I know that even if I’m not hearing it exactly as it sounds, IF another guitar sounds relatively good - volume and tone wise - compared to it through my hearing aids, then the new guitar is worthwhile.
Singing while playing puts another wrinkle into the “hearing aids for musicians” equation. Your instruments are coming at you externally, whereas your vocals are a mix of internal perception and external perception.
Do NOT be discouraged at the change and DO work with your tech to get a program or programs to work with your music!
Best of luck!
Dave
[/quote]
Thanks so much! It’s so nice to talk with someone that gives such an informative answer. I had heard that I would hear tones differently. Luckily I don’t sing so at least I don’t have to worry about that too. I did just recently buy a Russian balalaika though so that should be interesting with the new hearing aids. I’ll let you know how it goes. Get the new aids on the 15th so I have my fingers crossed.
You all are so helpful! I’m learning so much. When I talked to the audiologist that was exactly what she was talking about for me - a dedicated program with all the “active” features and feedback suppression, etc. turned off. And part of the reason too is the same thing you said as far as getting in easily. The audiology office is very easy to get in and be seen. When I called Costco to try to get an appointment for even an exam, soonest time was three weeks out. Might be difficult for adjustments, which I know I’ll need. Thanks again!
Yes, the most expensive HA’s in the world aren’t worth a damn if the receivers become occluded with wax–which can happen slowly so you’re not aware of it. And then when you are, having to wait for three weeks to get an appt. would be maddening. The receptionist at my center is trained to vacuum off wax from my aids, that’s why I can ‘wander in’. And it’s as great as it sounds, even without take out of roast chicken! I have a habit of going in every three to four weeks on a Saturday morning with no appt.–it tends to be slower for them then and the process is always very fast. And I usually am hearing better afterwards.
There’s member here who goes by Musician that is highly involved in classical music and who plays piano and organ as well as conducts . He has good posts about which HA’s he prefers for music, although in the end it may be an individual thing. You might search this forum for his posts. I became involved in that discussion several years ago when I was choosing my HAs. Maybe try ‘best hearing aids for music’[ or even ‘for playing music/classical music’.
You can extend the 3 year warranty to 5 years merely by using the Costco credit card. Plus they have a 6 month money-back guarantee. Can’t beat that IMO. Larry
I am a musician as well. I sing and play guitar. I do have to fiddle with volume on the Resound Forte 8 hearing aids… but so far I’m quite happy with the music I hear with these. That said, I don’t play in a gig type situation any more.
And classical music is sometimes quite strange, in particular violin based classical. I have actually taken out the hearing aids a few types when listening to my classical collection.
Pop music , soul , etc all sound good with these HA from Costco. I have 6 months to decide if I like them … that works well for me.
I haven’t finished reading the entire thread so this is a reply to the initial question of Widex vs. Costco for a musician.
Answer: Widex, hands down. 440 if within budget.
Once I finish the thread and have time for a more thoughtful response, I’ll post more. From a quick skim, it seems as though others are suggesting brands other than Costco or Widex. I can’t comment about those comparisons but may be able to add to conversation in a bit.
Cheers.
-K
Well, I got the Widex. I’m actually trialing the 330s for now and so far I absolutely love them. Have not found a situation (noisy restaurant/bar, work, church, speak easy, driving, etc.) where I have had any problems. Streaming has been so seamless I’ve actually fallen asleep twice with them on while streaming a Netflix movie in bed. Haven’t had any trouble with drop off in streaming in either ear, which I was a little concerned about. Haven’t had too much of a chance to play yet with the evoke sound sense learning thing because I’ve been working too much and too late in the evening, but I’m looking forward to playing around with it a bit. I lasted 6 days on the 312 battery, with Bluetooth streaming the entire time, which I felt was pretty good.
As far as music, so far I’ve only been able to trial them with my electronic digital grand at home (which I got so I could play at night without driving the neighbors crazy with Beethoven or Brahams late or night, or Carole King (ha ha). So far, it’s not been nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I haven’t had much distortion in the higher registers, which was my biggest concern, and no real issues with feedback or distortion at other levels and frequencies, nor with trying differing sounds, piano, organ, harpsichord, etc. I’m planning on getting some Bluetooth earphones and trying to key in that way so that I can play during the night again (I think there is an adaptor I need to get that I’ve read about through Yamaha).
Will be trialing the aids on a concert grand this weekend, and a three manual pipe organ, so I’ll let everyone know how that goes. I have been able to use them with my office phone without a telecoil just holding it slightly above my ear near the mic, which is nice.
Haven’t had difficulty with wind noise or noise in car either, which the one other time I tried hearing aids was just awful. They seem to pretty seamlessly go from one environment to another without a lot of issues.
One thing I found very nice was when I was playing in a bar environment, there was a very very loud drunken lady to my right slightly behind me. I was able to use the app and position the directional mic such they it toned her down and made her much less unpleasant.
So, so far so good. My audiologist has a musician coming in to meet with me next week for fine tuning regarding the piano (I’ve been keeping track of which notes seem loud or brassy on a chart, so I can show him the frequencies against the notes), so hopefully that helps.
I’ll let everyone know how the next few weeks go. I’ve got my fingers crossed. So far, I’m very pleased.
This all sounds good! regarding the phone: I’m a bit slow, but it finally dawned on me that using the speaker phone really helped with the whole problem we wearers have of positioning the phone right when we talk. Now I just hold the phone in front of me and talk.
@daviskit59, I still haven’t finished reading the entire thread carefully or put appropriate words in screen, but my sense (asssuming it’s worth the financial and opportunity cost/benefit) is that having this kind of individualized attention might not be possible from Costco.
One quick question - apologies if you’ve already answered - why the 330’s and not the 440’s. From what I understand, the biggest cost obstacle is buying into the wider platform to begin with. As a working musician with an active lifestyle and engaging in a very wide array of hearing environments, why not the go for top of the line?
What does the Evoke 440 offer that the 330 does not? Do you need those extras?
Sincere questions - I’m biased but not a shill.
- K
Sounds you like have a gem of an audiologist.
Hi Kermit! I would have loved to get the 440s, but they were like $1,500.00 more. While my insurance is covering part of the 330s, my out of pocket is still several thousand, so coming up with the extra right now is pretty hard (I’m pretty much “ramen-noodling” it for the 330s). What I told my audiologist was that if these don’t work, I would definitely upgrade while I’m still in my trial period, but so far these seem to be working. I raised three daughters on my own and while they are grown now, I’m pretty careful because I’ve learned over the years things happen. I do know I would never have gotten this kind of individualized attention at Costco, and it’s so nice knowing you have an audiologist you feel is bright and cares about your results.
I did meet the Widex rep though in my audiologist’s office on Tuesday. He was great. Engaging and very knowledgeable about the needs of a musician. We discussed working as a solo musician versus working in an actual symphony environment (many instruments, conductors, audience sound, etc.), and that the 330s would probably work fine in my situation. if I need to upgrade, I will, but hoping these will continue to meet my needs as well as they seem to so far.
She’s great. She’s hard of hearing herself and I think that makes all the difference. I had gone for hearing aids years ago, and my audiologist was not as knowledgeable, and didn’t have the understanding and empathy to help me understand how to use my hearing aids, what to expect, and never got the fitting right - never able to play piano or organ without feedback. I gave up entirely on hearing aids and unfortunately went several years “soundless” which was awful. I can’t say enough how important the relationship can be between someone who is hearing impaired and their audiologist can be. For me, it’s been the difference between hope and hearing, and sad giving up. So several years lost, but better things to come.
You don’t need to be that much joined-at-the-hip with your Audi or Costco fitter. It’s easy to do this yourself without wasting time going to someone else.
I just splash a little common isopropyl alcohol on a clean cloth, or even a clean t-shirt that I am wearing 
. Then I wipe my domes/molds clean keeping them pointed downwards so as not to let any excess alcohol seep into the receiver/speaker. Once the parts that fit into my ears are clean it’s easy to change your wax filters, like this.
PVC, I change out my wax guards assiduously; in fact my HA provider jokes about how often I do it. And of course I wipe them down every night, although your idea of using alcohol is good. My HA person uses a vacuum type machine to extract wax that still manages to get into those fine holes in the aid and possibly the receivers. I have one dome and one ear mold; wax in the mold is harder to get out than the dome, which I just toss and put on a new one. Those picks for cleaning out the tiny sound holes etc. can just jam the wax in tight and require a larger fix I’ve found.
Still, if I can become independent of the shop, that’s all to the better!