I just paid $5000 for a set of Oticon opn 2 hearing aids. They work great and I feel like I have a life again. However I keep seeing online that the costco devices have equal quality at a fraction of the cost.
I’m still within my 30 day trial period with Oticon.
Any suggestions?
Over the years I have had at least six sets of hearing aids. I have had the Oticon OPN aids for a little over a year and find they provide the best sound clarity of all the aids I have used.
My advice: find a hearing aid provider that really cares about you and your hearing. Be persistent about having the aids adjusted until you say “Wow these are wonderful” A good provider will allow you to return the aids within the 30 days (my provider actually allowed me 60 days on the OPNs) and they will keep the programming so it can be applied later.
I am not a hearing aid provider and I am not wealthy. I have found though, I get what I pay for. Sometimes the extra expense associated with a good provider buys me a higher and better care experience than a cheaper provider.
Thank you. With my severe hearing loss, I was just so appreciative to hear anything! My life has improved so much in a matter of weeks. It’s just that $5k is so steep, especially if costco offers same quality at 1/2 price.
My audiologist didn’t have to adjust or reprogram my aids at all… they’re perfect…so I’m not sure if an audiologist is even needed in my case.
You don’t show your audiogram so it’s not clear how bad your hearing loss is, although you said it’s severe.
I mentioned in the other thread that the Costco KS7 for $1700 may be good enough for you over the $5K OPN2. It’s definitely worth trying out.
With a bad hearing loss, usually any hearing aids will be an improvement for you in general, especially if this is the first time you wear HAs. The subtle nuances and differences usually come in when it comes to dealing with understanding speech in noisy environments like in restaurants.
I’d say try to get the KS7 from Costco right away and trial it out to see if it may be good enough for you and if it is then return the OPN2. While you have both on trial, make sure to test them in challenging environments like in a restaurant.
Thank you very much. I will do just that!!
I have the Costco KS6. I’ve been totally pleased with them. They are essentially the same as the Linx version 1. I especially like the iPhone compatibility for control and phone calls. The techs are the Memphis Costco were also very competent. I plan to buy my next pair from Costco.
Thank you! I am scheduling an appt with Costco asap.
Do you try on the devices during first visit? Since my current pair has about 24 days remaining with trail period, I’m in a time crunch
@member90,
In most Costco locations if you let the hearing center know you would like an in-store demo in conjunction with your hearing test they can usually arrange that for you. (It depends on the appointments scheduled for that day) So it’s helpful to let them know beforehand. Also, I believe Costco has a 6 month trial for all their hearing aids so you have plenty of time to “try” them out without any risk. Good luck! I’m confident you’ll have a good experience.
That depends on location. 90 days in Canada.
I actually live 150 miles from the nearest Costco. So I was fitted and walked out of the store that day. I followed up with a “tweaking” of the aids a couple of months later. I think they will let you walk around the store and try them out for awhile possibly even longer. I believe they also have a 30 return policy - not sure on that. It appears that the Resound Cala is their version of the new Linx 2 iPhone capable model.
member90 wrote: “Do you try on the devices during first visit? Since my current pair has about 24 days remaining with trail period, I’m in a time crunch”
I just bought a pair of Costco’s house brand (KS7) aids last month ($1700). They are a significant improvement over the 3 year old KS5’s they replaced. The KS7’s can be controlled from an iPhone and if you buy a Smart Connect device (~$220) you can pair them with the phone or other bluetooth devices.
I am pleased by the fitters at my Costco store (Prescott, AZ). I tried out the aids in the store for a good hour each time twice before buying them. Unfortunately, they would not allow me to take them home overnight.
Costco (at least in the US) does have a 180 day return policy. They also have a one-time loss/damage replacement for 2 years. (I lost my first aids after about a year – took them hout because of wind noise while hiking and I think the wires hooked around my finger when I took my hand out of my pocket. And then likely a bird picked them up so I could not find them an couple hours later.)
I purchased the Rexton Trax 42 at Costco and I am very happy with them. I have had them for 4 years and have not had any problems with them. From what I read, the hearing aids at Costco are basically the same as the more expensive ones with less features like tinnitus maskers. The previous audiologist I went to wanted to charge me $4,000 for a pair of Phonaks with a 30 day trial. My audiogram from this audiologist was exactly the same as the one from Costco. I saved more than half by buying my HA at Costco. The trial period at the Costco I went to is 6 months. The Costco audiologist and her staff were very professional and it is very easy and fast to get an appointment. Give Costco a try before you purchase the Oticons.
You can get OPN2’s online for $3400’ish; OPN1’s closer to $4000. Adjustments remotely at home, etc. Just saying.
Update everyone! Costco was able to get me an appt today and I purchased the KS7s for $1699. So far Im very pleased. They’re not as perfect/clear as my OPNs but with the cost savings, I’m thrilled!
The specialist at Costco was great! And assured me that he can make adjustments to get me at the OPN level.
I’m leery at claims like this where the fitter assures people they can make any hearing aid sound like any other hearing aid. What do they even know about how the OPN sound to make such promises in the first place? I’m not even saying that the OPN sounds better than the KS7 or anything like that. I’m just saying all HAs are not built the same so to make such over reaching promises without knowing anything about the other hearing aid and how they are different is just plain silly and takes away from their credibility.
If they simply had said that they can make adjustment to the KS7 such as you’ll be very happy with it as well, I would not say anything. But to claim that they can make the KS7 sound like anything else you want is just plain ignorant.
I agree Volusiano, if that was what was said, it was poor choice of words.
Not all hearing aids have the same features or technology level so to claim you can make one sound exactly like another which has different features and technology levels is probably not a correct statement. However, in general terms “premium” level hearing aids have to have industry standard features and technology levels to be categorized as premium vs advanced or basic. In this instance the differences between the OPn and the KS7 both which are premium level would not be that big. Still, I personally wouldn’t tell a patient that I could make one sound exactly like another as there’s going to be some differences even though they could be very small.
Apples and Oranges are about the same size, cost about the same and are both fruit, therefore…
The KS7 is based on what? A destination specific biltateral directional platform?
The Oticon is based on a different Open user paradigm - I haven’t taken in all the marketing nonsense that goes with them, but to suggest that the approaches are close is dealing misinformation to the client above; who even acknowledges him/herself that the hearing was not as ‘perfect/clear’ with the KS7 as it was with the Opns.
I’m not saying that Oticons approach using non channeled based processing vs Rextons approach using channeled based processing is the same. But I would argue that head to head a premium leveled hearing aid from one manufacturer to the next in MOST cases can provide very similar results. Would I pay $1699.99 for a pair of hearing aids that could provide similar results to one costing $3600? Probably. Are there going to be differences between the two. Of course. Is one better? That’s only going to be determined by the end user and the valuation they put on the differences, the care they receive and the adjustments that can be made over time.
Not sure what you mean when you said that the OPN uses non channeled based processing. All digital HAs are channel based, and the OPN is no exception with 64 channels and 16 fitting bands as designed. Perhaps you meant the OPN does not use directional beam forming for noise reduction, which is true, although it does have directional beam forming available as an option if you want as well.