May 2023 at Costco?

Okay when I was in Costco in about Jan.2023 they showed me models from 4 or 5 manufacturers which I think they said were introduced the prior year; I wear KS9s and knew that their manufacturer had withdrawn the KS10s and cancelled their relationship with Costco; and they didn’t know what if anything was going come in newer in 2023 and maybe I should be patient and check back in May.
So I have been checking Costco ads every month since and here it is May - wondering is there going to be a KS11 by that or any other name? Is this the end of the line for KS-branded hearing aids which are usually in most respects the equivalent of one of the name brands?
If so, does anyone have an experience or an opinion as to which of the 4 or 5 brands I saw in their ads so far are most likely to be a further advance in the state of the art over and above my KS9s? As for example enhanced bluetooth; multi-switching bluetooth sources, enhanced directional focus, etc.
Thanks in advance for any insight.

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Well those Marvel platform are pretty old now, any of the very latest models would in theory be “better” why not go and do a trial of a few and see what you think.
The Jabra (OMNIA) and Rexton
(Signia AX) and Philips ( Oticon More/ Real, who knows)
None of them are MFA bluetooth unfortunately, but if you use the search button from right here on hearingtracker or even google those models mentioned a ton on information available, as a example below.

https://forum.hearingtracker.com/search?q=ReSound%20Omnia%20

https://forum.hearingtracker.com/search?q=Jabra%20pro%2010

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Not so sure why there is so much attention given to the KS model. Seems like Costco could just randomly pick any manufacturer and call that model a KS.

It obviously did not work out with the KS10 issue.

The Phillips 9040 were just introduced to the Costco lineup.

I have the Jabra 10 rechargeable as of April 1

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I’m still using KS9 and see no reason to “upgrade.” They’re still very serviceable hearing aids, and still under warranty.

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I’ve had KS9’s for about four years, but have been unhappy with my comprehension lately (which I attribute to my hearing worsening, not the aids deteriorating). Unfortunately, I don’t think aids improve too much from year to year to year, but I decided to test a few at Costco (which I’ve been using for the KS9’s and the aids before that. I’m a big fan of not just their pricing, but their service.

Since I’ve been wearing Phonaks (or the KS9 generic version) since I started about 15 years ago, and Costco doesn’t offer them anymore, I thought it might be a good experience trying something different, even though I’ve heard “experts)” say that once you become accustomed to the sound of one brand, it’s more likely that you’ll want to stay with upgrades within that brand, rather than trying something completely different.

Costco loaned my Jabra’s a couple months ago and I thought they were just too similar to the KS9’s…meaning my comprehension wasn’t any better…and they were significantly larger than the KS9’s, which I could have lived with, but wasn’t crazy about.

Then, I tried the Phillips thinking that I was testing the newest ones that just came out (Phillips 9040’s), but it turned out they were the older version (9030’s). In any case, I was impressed by them and felt like I comprehend better and hear sounds that I didn’t hear before (and am having to get accustomed to, like floors creaking, or my furnace running).

About two years ago, I tried KS10’s, just in case they were significantly differently different than the 10’s (they weren’t). The biggest difference was they had rechargeable batteries, which I didn’t like the idea of…I didn’t want to run the risk of my rechargeable batteries running out late in the day when I was out and during my two week trial, they were routinely running down to 10-20% remaining charge. I never ran dry, but that was just too close for comfort for me…and I didn’t think my comprehension was improved.

Jumping ahead to the two week trial of the Phillips 9030 rechargeables, it turns out I hear/comprehend better and the battery charge routinely lasts 24 hours. When I go to bed at 11:00 pm., they say that there is still 9 hours charge remaining…which is plenty. So, better comprehension, better battery life, hearing sounds I didn’t hear before, I like their app (which is pretty simple, but it has what I need). I got the newest 9040’s, they don’t seem much better than the 9030’s, but they were only $1,599, which I think is great. They’re very comfortable.

About a year ago, I switched to custom molds for my KS9’s, thinking they might boost my comprehension. I don’t think they did. Now, I don’t even feel the need for giving custom molds a try with the Phillips.

One final thing, to my surprise, I’ve been using closed captions less than before. I used to use them 100% of the time, even with a streaming device. Now, I don’t use a streaming device, ever, and don’t need cc’s if I’m watching something like the news where there’s not a lot of background noise.

Wow, I’m sorry for the length here, but maybe the detail will help someone.

Ron

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Very very helpful!
Thank you!

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Nate, when it comes to hearing aids, folks always say that it’s a very personal experience and your mileage may vary. I agree with that. But, I do like to hear about the experience others have had.

Ron

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Oh yeah absolutely they are, makes no sense to upgrade if you still like and have no reason to do so, I certainly wasn’t recommending to update, I believe the question was more “would I like” or is there 'something better" for me.
I still have a bunch of backups from yesteryears models.

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Thanks for the review! I have an appointment at CC next week. I currently have the KS10, but my comprehension has declined (I had KS9 before). I’m planning to try the Philips 9040 and may compare them to the Oticon Reals, but I really don’t want to spend that much money unless there is a big improvement.

With the KS10s I recently switched to a vented dome and increased the speech boast, which has helped with my comprehension. I’m going to see if Costco has the Active Vent for the KS10s.

If anyone has other suggestion/comments please let me know.

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Kharri,

Pls forgive my ignorance, but is a “vented dome” the same as a custom mold?

I’m gonna ask my Audio lady at Costco is she’s already increased my “speech boost”. I suspect she has, but no harm in asking.

Ron

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I am for the most part happy with my KS9s and when I misplaced them for about a month I was happy to go back to my KS5s but there is always room for improvement.

It is still a hassle switching back and forth between bluetooth sources without unpairing/repairing; and my spouse’s extremely soft voice is still a challenge so naturally I am always on the lookout for further improvements, and want to stay with Costco, which has been a wonderful experience compared with my first hearing aid experience about 15 years ago when I spent 6 years and $7000 struggling with an audiologist and what was then supposedly Phonak’s then “state of the art.”
So comparatively speaking, like many others, at Costco’s pricing and great service, relatively speaking I feel as if I can afford to keep up with improvements in the state of the art
So just kicking the tires and looking for quality of life improvements when and if they show up.

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No. Any “dome” is an off the shelf item. Custom molds are made to fit the contours of your ear either by taking an impression or a 3D scan.

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You could consider custom molds. Depends on what the issues are. If you need more gain at higher frequencies, but are limited by feedback, custom molds can help that.

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@RonG What MDB says. The KS10 has vented dome, power dome and open dome. All are just different tips not custom molds.
The power domes don’t fit my ear very well (small ears) and occlusion is bad. I think a custom may help, but may not be necessary.

The speech boast was a feature added to the KS10, it was not on the KS9.

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That’s the whole point of why there was so much attention given to the KS model. It was because Costco, whom most respect as a highly reputable, consumer oriented company, put their brand on it and staked their reputation on it. KS stands for “Kirkland Signature” which generally meant a high quality, top of the line product by a major manufacturer being sold at a specially-lowered price to Costco customers. In the past, a whole cottage industry had grown up around speculation and revelation as to what “top-shelf” brands were hiding under the Kirkland Signature label, until eventually it could no longer be kept a secret, at least in the case of hearing aids.
See e.g. https://hip2save.com/tips/name-brands-behind-costco-kirkland-signature/

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I stop by Costco every week to see if there is an update on any new models. So far, only the Phillips 9040 is their latest hearing aid. I currently have the KS10s. The audies say Costco’s relationship with Phonak is over. It may take a year for Costco to come out with the newer technology that supposedly does better with speech in noise.

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I would not wait. I looked in December and purchased the Rextons from Costco. I love them - you get 2 chargers, battery life is amazing (esp the telecoil model due to the bigger battery); the audio streaming is a game changer for me for online work meetings. Bluetooth switching can be a bit challenging, and I often have to turn off the bluetooth on one device (phone or iPad) for it to switch to one or the other, though my phone will switch automatically between my hearing aids and my car seamlessly. I did have 2 followup adjustments to maximize noise reduction in my case. I had a great technician at Costco! Good luck!

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What does one lose in not having “Made for Apple” as a feature of a HA?
I AM an Apple user.

MFi hearing devices as explained by Apple support.

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I am a lifelong Mac user but I use Android phones not iPhones and not iPads. I tried having my phones connected to my hearing aids but found it very annoying as I prefer to screen my calls and block spam and solicitation calls. I always feel that, except for an emergency, the person in the same room with me takes precedence over most phone callers, so I for one don’t care about “Made for Apple.” If I make or accept a call, I just put the caller on speakerphone and hear them fine without them blasting into my hearing aids. Just my personal opinion/experience.

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