Philips Hearlink 9040

I wasn’t streaming. Not sure what is going on. I just uninstalled and reinstalled the app to see if that makes a difference.

Does the new app do anything more than the current, feature-deficient app?

Yeah, if you’re not streaming at all and it’s still a battery hog with the new firmware, I would try to just use it manually without connecting it to the phone app at all (whether iPhone or Android). This is to rule out whether it’s the connection to the phone app that is now draining the battery quickly anyway, or if it’s just the aids all by themselves without having any kind of connection to any device at all.

Reinstalling seems to have fixed the problem.

It seems much the same. It does now tell you if there are firmware updates for the aids. You might be able to update them through the app, but mine are already up to date.

I recently got the 9040’s as an update from my Bernafon Zerena 9’s. The 9040’s are fantastic…even better after moving to a larger dome. I have not found it necessary to change programs. General is good for everything…even live music in a noisy venue.

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I recently purchased the Philips 9040 from Costco and have worn them for several days. I have worn hearing aids for 30 years with no adjustment problems. These 9040s were taken back after first try because I was getting loud lisping sounds. They have been adjusted and I am still hearing the lisping sound on tv although not as bad. Also paired to my iPhone but constantly turning up volume. Deciding whether or not to just put up with these adjustments. Anyone having same problem and how was it corrected?

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You don’t post your audiogram in your profile so there’s no telling why you’re getting the lisping sounds. Do you know if you have frequency lowering enabled? If so, then it’s most likely where the lisping sounds come from.

There’s a phone level setting you can have the Costco HCP adjust upward for you if you find the iPhone volume normally too low (assuming you’ve already also turn up the volume buttons on the iPhone). See the screenshot below for an example.

I just got my 9040s and they are the best hearing aids I’ve tested for normal sounds. I tried Jabra, Oticon, Eargo and Audicus. I originally had Jabra’s from Costco but they kept not connecting to my phone and the right one had low connectivity issues. I took them back to Costco and they gave me loaners of 9030s with batteries. They were a big difference in that they were the closest to normal sounds - no harsh crinkle sounds when running water or touching paper. I have to say that after the audiologist programmed my 9040s they were even better than the loaners. I chose the battery option over the charger option. The batteries last about 3 to 4 days and are inexpensive at Costco. I get a warning when the batteries are low and have about 30 minutes left. I wear them all of the time and forget they are even there. Costco may not be the concierge service of a private specialist but they are a third the price and have outstanding return policies - plus you can take them to any Costco hearing center to be cleaned or serviced.
Bottom line - they are comfortable, I can hear conversations (low tones especially) and television programs as normally as possible.

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I’ve had my Philips 9040s rechargeables for several months and a litte voice always asks how I know they’re the best because I’ve never tried another brand. But the minute I put the HAs in, my life immediately improved. A small learning curve and I am still thrilled with the vast improvement. Last night I watched a non captioned movie and got almost every single word. I just increase the volume one click if I need to hear every single word in a meeting/theater setting.

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Can anyone comment on how well the 9040s play with Android phones? I’m primarily interested in hands free phoning. I have KS10s now, and they work very well with my Android (11).

I don’t have personal first hand experience for you in this, but I remember reading on this forum that some 9040 user seems to have issue with the 9040 and their Android phone that has ASHA support. But I also remember hearing from users who reported that it works fine with their Android phones. ASHA is not that established yet, so I guess it really depends on the brand of Android phones you have. Your best bet is to try it out to see if it works for YOUR specific Android phone or not.

But do note that your Android phone MUST have ASHA support to (maybe) work with the 9040 directly without a streamer, unlike your KS10 which doesn’t require your Android phone to have ASHA support.

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You can listen to your phone calls on the 9040, but it’s not hands free when using an android phone.

If you don’t need new hearing aids, I would wait a year or two to see if the Costco hearing aids start supporting Auracast. I suspect the Jabra 20 hearing aids will be the first Costco hearing aid to get Auracast.

As far as connectivity, If I stay within my home, it’s pretty rock solid. When on the move, I get occasional drops. That’s not very surprising since the frequency used by Bluetooth is used by just about everyone else. So multiple chances for interference.

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We’ve got a new video up about this product.

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Jabra Pro 20 now supports Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast. I see Samsung is now starting to add Auracast to one of their TVs.

As it stands today, I would try the Jabra Pro 20 since Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast is where things appear to be heading.

My hearing fitter said that if I lived on the East Coast, a telecoil would be useful, but she didn’t see much usage on the West Coast where I live.

Anyhow, the we are headed to Auracast, so the telecoil is old technology.

If you like to wear hearing aids to help improve your listening experience with headphones, telecoil functionality is VERY relevant and useful for when you wear HAs with headphones. Often times, streaming music with just HAs is simply not as good as with headphones.

I think we’re entering an era when LE Audio should at least be mentioned in any review of hearing aids. Even if not everyone will actually “get” what it is, they should be alerted that there is such a thing that the aids do or do not have. They can do their own research from there.

Not sure what problem Matthew has with Costco’s long return period. I don’t see the downside from a consumer’s pov. I think the video’s pacing and content is fine for beginners but the rest of us don’t need to know about moulds vs. domes or what Bluetooth streaming is for. In the end, I don’t think I learned enough about whether this hearing aid would serve my needs better than any other. When it comes to hearing aid reviews that’s probably the nature of the beast.

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I don’t see the case for BTLE audio as compelling just yet for me. If I were buying a new higher end TV, and if Samsung wasn’t disqualified for some reason. As it is, my TV is only 3 or 4 years old, and it’s got plenty of life left. Besides, I have a TV streamer that’s likely to work with my next TV (6 years from now?) and worth nothing on the used market, so auracast isn’t of much benefit to me - or to anyone who doesn’t want a new Sansung 8K or QLED (OLED? Mini-LED? whatever…) TV. As for music at home. nothing digital that I’ve heard comes close to my analog Naim system.

At this point, you need a high end Samsung phone to get BTLE Audio, but I just bought an Apple without it, so again, I’ll have to wait for auracast to be useful. If you’re will to buy new tech now, great. If not, you’ll have to wait, too.

I guess if 2 HAs were equal, but one has auracast and one doesn’t, I’d lean to the auracast one, but at this point, I don’t see a good reason to be an early adopter - though I’m grateful to the early adopters for proving the market for auracast is viable. Auracast shows every evidence of becoming very useful, after all.

How does telecoil compare with simply using Shokz bone conductors on my temples?