Thanks for the follow-up, @kharri . If the Philips 9040 rechargeable system is anything like the Oticon one, and it should be, the battery can easily be removable with a little pin tool (similar to that for a smart phone to take out the sim tray. So there should be no need to send the aids back to the factory for battery replacement. It can be done on-site as long as the HCP does stock spare batteries. Then it becomes a question of how much a replacement battery is. It’s easy enough to pop out the battery door at home yourself with the right tool that you can probably DIY as long as you can get the part from Costco.
A quick scan on eBay for Phonak Paradise receivers shows around $35/receiver. So if Costco has to pay $75 for each from Phonak, that’s pretty outrageous. It’d be cheaper to buy from eBay and replace it yourself.
The other thing I asked the audiologist, since others suggested it to me, was an ear mold.
He said I could try it, but it probably wouldn’t work well for me due the structure of my ear canals (small & short).
He said I would likely feel very occluded, even with a vent.
I picked up the 9040s at CC, they seem to be doing pretty good. I haven’t had any adjustments on the yet. I know I’ve missed a few words, but not many. I do like the more natural feel of the 9040s over the KS10. I’m not sure yet if I should try the Oticon Reals at over 2x the price?
It may be worth checking out the real but could be frustrating as you’d have to then go to a different Audi. As to the molds - not sure why they didn’t tell you they are returnable at Costco. There’s no harm in getting them - if you don’t like them just return them, no big deal.
I’ve had the acrylic and silicone. Got the acrylic by mistake (error in the order) and it turns out I def prefer them, but they’d just me
I’ll ask again about the molds, but the main concern was getting a large enough vent.
Do the current speakers fit the mold, or does it require a different speaker?
I can’t thankyou enough for your detailed analysis - I have worn Oticon aids for some 30 years and spoke directly to their technical people who confirmed all that you described. For me personally, since speech is the most critical for me (I am profoundly hearing impaired) I want an aid that gives me the best speech recognition - particularly as I am conversing in multiple languages (poorly at times). Anyway - I switched just this year to the Philips aid just this year. NOT because of money - I will pay anything to hear - but because Philips is allowing me to hear better in noisy environments. That may mean I am loosing some sounds otherwise, but speech clarity is top priority for me.
Thanks for your kind words. Although I was able to afford the Oticon OPN 1 because I had good health insurance when I was working that paid for 90% of it (I wore Costco aids before the OPN 1), I no longer work, and I’m happy enough with my OPN 1 that I haven’t (and can’t financially justify to) upgrade to the More or Real yet.
But if my aged OPN 1 happen to go out, I’d seriously consider the Philips 9040 as well, and in my case it’s about the money, but not ONLY about the money alone, but also because the 9040 seems like a very good product for speech in noise (on paper at least, I haven’t tried it out for myself). So while it’s not ONLY about the money for me, it’s about a tremendous VALUE for the money that I can get with the 9040.
But since I’m also a DIY person who can do my own programming, if I can find a pair of Real or More on eBay for cheap enough to make it competitive price-wise with the 9040, then I do have more options to consider as well.
Hi - I was comparing the Philips the Oticon Real . i needed to replace my 6 year old Oticon Opn because my hearing decreased significantly (I have a profound loss).
Here’s what I am looking for - can I understand and distinguish words (speach). I am personally willing to give up other ambient sound to understand people talk. I understand the Oticon Real is giving much more full bodied or full range of sound - for me I need the crispness of speech to understand what is being said.
I am actually going to buy the Oticon Real this week too from a private vendor and compare at home with the Philips just to be certain. I will let you know -but right now after a week with the Philips I am very happy. If you don’t have the level of profound loss I have - the price difference is so huge, you really owe it to yourself to try.
I just had another thought (see my prior post) on the difference of the Oticon and Philips. Recalling that I have worn aids now for 50 years (since I was quite young) and taking into account that my hearing has been decreasing as I age… Years ago Oticon offered me the “bionic” ability to shut off all noise and hear only the person directly in front of me in a noisy restaurant/bar for example. I could hear better than my hearing friends in noisy places. Then they started to try and recreate normal hearing -which means now they are using aI to tell the aid when to pull down certain sounds. All of which to say is - there is a part of buying a hearing aid that is very personal. I counsel many of my friends now who are loosing their hearing just because of age. Some want to focus on hearing music well (Widex) some want full sound (oticon and others) or someone like me that has so little hearing I just want to focus on speech and will gladly give up hearing background sounds. That is why you owe it to yourself to take your time and compare aids. Oh - and finally - some audiologists fit better than others. The man I am working with at Costco was a DJ part time - he really understands music and sound and that is hugely helpful.
Thanks for the info. I and very interested in what you find on the Reals, even if its an initial look. I do my own tweaking after the REM. I spend hours figuring out how each parameter affects my hearing (being an engineer and software developer). In fact, the audiologist I’ve been to just turn the system over to me to make adjustments, and in one case the owner asked if I could teach a class to his employees. I said no because I didn’t feel qualified and had a job.
The trial period here on the Reals is 30 days, plus the cost (5k) and hassle of dealing with another business. They will likely still charge me a fee on the Reals, if I return the aids. CC is easy.
Wait - I have never heard of only a 30 day trial period. Check your state regulations on this most states have longer. But that said, I hear you, it is a pain dealing with two businesses.
Oh, one thing to point out the Philips aids are a bit larger in size than the Oticon. This may be a factor for some - but given the huge price difference I am overlooking this. I will report after I get fitted for the Oticon aids.
I wear Oticon More. I like them in most situations but I struggle in a noisy restaurants with multiple conversations going on around me. I am distracted by the other conversations and by background music. Do you find that the Phillips 9040s allow you to focus on a target speaker in a complex situation better than whatever Oticon model you had been wearing?
I have just finished reading all 99 of these posts,because I have an appointment this week at my local Costco for a new test. I currently wear Bernafons which I purchased from Costco it 2017 or '18 ( old man memory]. I convinced my best friend to try C’Co last year and he ended up buying the K10’s. I suppose I’ll wait to see how much my hearing has declined and see what aid is recomended for me. I am hoping that I can continue with an aid that has disposable batteries rather than the rechargeable. But we will see and time will tell. I have been mostly happy with the Bernafons and they were an improvement over the prior Oticons I had before them. But they are now not seeming to help as much and the right one will just cut off if I get any sweat going on. Wish me luck!
