I thought I’d do a follow-up after my appointment with the new audiologist.
The appointment was this morning, and it went great. He confirmed that my eBay purchased M90s are indeed genuine devices, and were from Korea. They are covered by the international warranty for a year, and the other two years would have to be worked out with the Korean supplier (which was what the eBay listing indicated).
The audiologist did a Real Ear Measurement, and his assistant explained what that was and how it all worked. They worked together (I think he was training her) and did several adjustments. The hearing aids, which I thought were fine when I went in, were much better after the adjustments. They increased amplification across the frequency spectrum, but especially on the high frequencies, and I can tell the difference. Almost as importantly, the HA’s seem more “balanced” now. In the past, even with my previous Q90s, it seemed like the left side was doing “more” of the hearing than the right. I’ve always just figured it seemed that way because my hearing is so much worse in my left ear. In the few hours since the appointment though, the set of aids feels much more “balanced” (I can’t think of a better term to describe the sensation). Now, when I turn my head, I can easily hear the difference as the sound source changes direction. The difference isn’t even subtle, it’s very noticeable.
As far as the “purchased elsewhere” and “bundled/unbundled” issues go, I was upfront with the audiologist about how the purchase was made, and why. He understood, verified that the devices were genuine (he said he was a little worried that they may not be). There was a fee ($100) to transfer the registration and set me up in their system, plus the $250 for the REM and the adjustment to the aids. Both he and his assistant were very patient in answering my questions, and he gave me a list of the unbundled prices.
All in all, a very good experience. I’m not saying the route I took would be best for everyone; as a matter of fact, I would have much rather been able to just buy the HAs the normal route. But, this worked with the limited funds I had to spend, and I’m very satisfied.
On a related note, I’ve ordered the Noahlink Wireless, and will take a look at what self-programming I may be able to do on my own.