My hearing aids are 6 years old, will New pair be better?

Hearing Aids
#1

Hello,

My Costco/Kirkland hearing aids are now 6+ years old, they seem to work well but I do feel I could hear better and sometimes can’t understand or hear sharply. I am on a fixed income and spending $1,500 or more is a lot for me but it is possible.

I recently went to Costco for a test and readjustment, they told me be ready to get a new pair as these won’t be able to be repaired if they break, and to keep these as a backup.

My question is would the new hearing aids actually improve my quality of hearing (I don’t care much about Bluetooth or recharging) and do I go spend the $ to have better hearing now, or do the hearing aids I have ,Kirkland 6 years old, do just as well to improve my hearing loss (moderate) ?

Thank you in advance!

#2

Well if you can come up with the money, you can test a new hearing aid at Costco for 180 days. If you don’t think the new hearing aid is significantly better, get a refund.

The bottom line is only you will know if a new hearing aid is worth it after you test it.

As for the backup plan, I suspect it depends on how much you depend on not losing a minute, hour or day without your hearing aids. Plus it’s probably not likely that you will loose both hearing aids at the same time if you wear two hearing aids.

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#3

I’m in pretty much the same situation. While I’m sure manufacturers have made changes to the functionality of their aids over the intervening years, the answer is still VERY subjective. All you can do is work with your Costco provider to try out their offerings and see if they are better for you, or not. This may mean a prolonged period of testing/refitting one, doing a return and testing/refitting another brand, etc. It will help to have specifics that you want to test for - both where your current is lacking, and where you are happy with their performance. Is watching TV good, or not? Is wind noise an issue? Are noisy restaurants an issue, or not? Can you hear your wife next to you in the car - or not? (and is that good or bad?), etc., etc. And you have the old ones to compare to during the testing.
If lucky, they may have a few pair of “test” versions to try out while in store, so you can get a quick take, realizing that they probably aren’t going to be at their best at that moment.
It may be that your current are not any worse, or you may find one that is much better. Worst case is you “park” your money at Costco, but as long as you are within the return period, you can get it all back if it doesn’t work out. The risk, of course, is that you eventually end up like me, with a broken pair of aids, and then you will be forced to make the leap at that time.

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#4

If you’re not struggling then I guess the answer will be no?

I’m getting the Phonak L90 after having the Phonak P70, only because I want the use of the Echo program in the L90 but if I didn’t want that feature, I wouldn’t upgrade myself. It’s in the P90 as well but don’t want to get the same technology of the P(aradise) again.

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#5

I’m surprised that the COSTCO HA specialist didn’t offer to allow you to do an in-store trial of one of their latest aids. However, admittedly that would likely not have answered your question.

My suggestion, which someone else also provided, is to purchase a pair to see how much improvement you experience. If little, you can easily return them.

I just acquired COSTCO’s Philips 9040s and I’m noting a significant improvement over my K9s, and my K9s were much better than my previous aids (Resounds, I think).

And, if you haven’t experienced a TV connector with your aids, you might want to try that out as well. It is somewhat of a ‘game changer,’ given how much it can improve your ability to experience TV and other entertainment.

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#6

Yep. I jsut had this discussion with a friend. For me, quality of sound is important. This goes beyond “being able to hear” in such and such situation. That said, I understand the financial aspect. Still, having a pair of glasses that allow you to see well enough, except things are still a bit out of focus, calls for a new prescription. It’s similar with HAs. Having clear vision, or better hearing, is a revelation. Worth it, to me.

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#7

I understand and agree with your point, I’m not sure the unclear eyeglasses example is comparable or not- that’s part of my question.

I have had my hearing checked a short while ago at Costco and they did adjust the aids to my current prescription, I don’t know though that new aids with the same prescription would have me hear any better ??

Thanks again!

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#8

I am a firm believer that HA manufacturers (like cell phones) over the past few years have added features to make their products more attractive to us.
In strictly calm situations, one-on-one conversations are no better today than they were 6 years ago.
However, they have tried to improve performance in difficult situations (speech in noise) but it remains subjective as to how much progress has been made.
They took our neckloops (streaming devices) away and incorporated Bluetooth etc directly into the HA’s but made them bulkier to do it!
In short, I believe the improvement curve has flattened out.

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#9

I’m no professional or audi, but if you posted an audiogram it would give folks a better perspective of where you’re coming from. I have total CINDERBLOCK ears - can not go without my aids from the moment I wake up till I turn the lights off at night. Hey, I’d even wear them during sleep, but feel I should let my ears air out a bit.

If you are really struggling - even in certain situations (restaurants, soft spoken people, in a car, large meetings, etc.) - then it’s definitely time to check out some of the new aids on the market. Some brands seem to work better for folks than others. I am in the Phonak camp as I seem to get a full, rich sound without a lot of BRAIN interaction to fill in the blanks. I also like the dedicated Music program (I call that “dumb ears” as it doesn’t tinker with any noise management) and being able to stream hands-free with phone, laptop and TV.

On top of which, I replaced an older pair of battery operated Phonak Marvel aids with the latest rechargeable (HATE THAT OPTION) Phonak Lumity Life aids. The speech comprehension improvement actually shocked me. It was so natural and so EASY! I rarely struggle to hear folks in most situations. But even so, comprehending speech in LOUD places prompted me to add the Phonak Roger On V2 to my growing collection of EAR GEAR.

I think the most vital component is WHO FITS THESE AIDS for you. Cuz if you get someone who isn’t on your wavelength, doesn’t listen to you, couldn’t be bothered with your issues and goals, you can spend a lot of money for no value.

Costco can have great fitters, but you’d need to try it out with their very generous trial. Let us know how it works for you.

#10

Thank you. I will have to get my my audiogram from Costco and I will post iy.

What you say makes me think my best option is to try a new pair as I do have difficulty with low talkers and in restaurants. I find myself many times having to strain or say “what did you say “.

Thank you all again for your time and support

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#11

No harm in trying a new set out–if you can get them programmed reasonably well, in order to get a true sense of what they can do! And, you may discover there are other areas of hearing life that have gone missing, and you didn’t notice because it all happened very slowly.
in short: trialing new aids involves two parts: choosing the new aids, and then having them properly fitted. The first part is a no brainer: established brands are all very good. The second part is harder to judge.

#12

I can’t find it but someone posted a thread where they said they had older aids and when he took them to his audiologist , the audi reprogrammed them and he was amazed at how well they were working. You might want to see if having them reprogrammed helps first.

#13

I found the thread. Its worth reading

#14

Thank you for the information however I did have my hearing tested and aids reprogrammed at Costco in May. Didn’t help, or if it did then not noticeably.

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#15

Very interesting batch of replies here. Will add my experience. Bought my first set of hearing aids, the Widex Evokes, in 2014. I just got a new pair of Oticon Mores a few months back. I was astonished at how little improvement there was.

I worked for 30 years in the entertainment biz as a composer. I know how things sound more than most people. The changes in performance in the techonolgy I used to score films and TV were exponential during my working days. I expected a big bump up in performance. There was little discernible difference.

Actually, because of the comb filtering in Oticons it makes playing music or hearing music more difficult (for me.)

I am sorry I didn’t really test them out during the trial period. They cost a fortune.

Take advantage of those liberal return policies at Costco. Go to as many different audio places you can - noisy restaurant, concert, small gatherings, business office with glass doors and walls. Let your brain adjust to them.

Then go back to your originals. Se if you hear much of a difference.

Make your decision.

Take audiograms regularly.

I still have my Evokes. They work great. I still will use them.

Because of my sensitivity to audio I have gone forward and purchased the new (also really expensive) Widex Moment HA. They really made a difference. I am still testing them out, but I plan to keep them.

And Costco is a great place to purchase. I would also look at the (FINALLY) over the counter HA. Check them out on Amazon. You may find something better for you that costs half (or more) than other offerings.

I have to buy hi-end HA. My loss is in the "profound range

Important to know: I have Bilateral Meniere’s disease comorbid with diplacusis Disharmonica, which is a much different beast compared to age-related hearing loss.

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#16

Low talkers are aggravating. After asking twice, I sit back and eat. I have one friend I only see occasionally who will not speak to be heard🤷🏻‍♀️

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#17

Generally speaking, improvements in sound quality over the years have been marginal at best. There have been some improvements in reducing background noises; however, that does not necessarily improve overall quality for everyone.

The most important thing is to ensure that the hearing aid is functioning properly, the speaker’s and mics are not damaged. And the next most important thing is to ensure that it is programmed correctly to your needs (both mapping and programs).

If all of that is good, then upgrading will not typically yield significant improvements. One of the biggest reasons to upgrade is for new features such as bluetooth.

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#18

I went to Costco this morning and tried the Rexton and Phillips in the store. The Rexton made me hear every fan, every shopping cart wheel, every piece of loud background sound. The HA specialist adjusted them and I tried the Phillips. Somehow the Phillips sounded more natural to me, different from the old hearing aids I’m wearing (Kirkland 7 years old, I’m told we’re made by Rexton).
I do t know if there is a real noticeable difference between my current heating aids and new Phillips.

One thing I don’t like for sure is that the domes on the new HA’s are not click domes. Seems no one makes click domes anymore. I had issue previously with older heating aids where done came off in my ear- wasn’t fun.

Ordered the Phillips and will give them a try.

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#19

This has to be a frustrating situation for you! This isn’t a solution, more an (slightly rambling) FYI.

As you may surmise from many threads in this forum, the importance of the effectiveness of a audiologist/hearing care professional can have on your experience can’t be overlooked. While Costco prices are beyond reproach, their service is widely questioned.

This may be all the more a factor in your case as you’re hearing loss is moderate and the HAs are only 6 years old. Now if some part is worn out and there’s no repair or replacement options… new would be the only path forward.

Do you know the cause of your hearing loss, how it may have progressed? This is where an ENT might be what you need, before new HAs or HCP.

#20

What is a Click Dome?

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