Regarding floor noise. Depends on your loss. If you have very good low frequency hearing, floor noise can be noticeable. Fitter can likely make adjustments to reduce. One interesting side effect of floor noise is that it can reduce tinnitus.
2 Likes
Thanks. The hearing aid and the forum all in one megadose are a bit overwhelming. I am sure I will shape up with time.
The app also updated in Android. This is a big improvement. Thanks. Also thought that the noise floor should be well below anything I can hear. Thanks for the confirmation.
Thanks. It is certainly a problem for me, and it is not a minor issue. Quite noticeable and draining after a period of hearing it. With the updated Easy Line app and not reverting constantly to the Automatic Program I have a solution that will at least get me to the next appointment.
1 Like
Thanks. I had a problem with tinnitus about 3 decades ago, but I think it resolved itself. I have not had an issue in years. And the static is certainly not an improvement. Quite noticeable.
I’m sorry if I caused you to think that you need to shape up! Not at all!
All I meant by my post is that when you use the Search function, you don’t have to wait for members to reply, and you have your choice of many different “takes” on your subject of interest.
I found the feature very helpful, when I was new, is what I’m getting at.
I’m an experienced HA user and got ks10s in June. Sounded good in store but got them home and they were very loud and picked it every sound and drove me crazy until first checkup. I wore my old ks8 most of the time till then. I was ready to return them. Told hearing aid guy all my problems. This is what he said.
“Costco makes us use certain tuning on new aids until you complain. Now I’ll program them the way I think they should be.”
And so he did and they were soooooo much better. Only had one more adjustment and will probably keep them. That is if I can put up with the battery almost dead every night. I stream 3 to 4 hours a day and it’s iffy.
Also the EasyLine app update this week really takes care of a lot of problems.
Ask your has to program them so you don’t have to make volume adjustments every few minutes.
1 Like
I think your Costco fitter’s explanation is BS. Sounds like he just did something wrong initially.
1 Like
Thanks very much tomnjerry. The idea that Costco makes them tune the HAs so the user complains would not seem to make a lot of business sense. This would drive away new customers who return hearing aids in droves. But, who knows. I have high hopes that the problems can be corrected with the next visit. I understand speech much better, TV and phone calls are OK. The correlation between hearing loss and dementia is a strong motivator for me, and I will certainly keep using HAs. But these are currently a real pain and I will certainly be looking for better solution if they are not fixed by the tuning.
I didn’t mean that they screw it up on purpose. I mean they make them program it by Costco’s rules and only change it if the customer complains. First timers Users do not know what they should sound like. I knew they needed major adjustment. I think all in all Costco does a pretty good job of getting it right. Unfortunately it takes several trips to get them adjusted. The same can be said for audiologists. I always asked for major changes anytime I got new hearing aids.
1 Like
The only thing I’ve seen them do is if you’re a first time hearing aid wearer with a mild to moderate hearing loss, they sometimes set the overall gain to 80% of target to let you get use to all the new sounds and amplification for a period of time before they run them at 100%. I would imagine this practice is not exclusive to Costco however.
1 Like
When I got my KS9’s that they were way too bright. I had the fitter turn them down to 80%, which sounded much better. When I upgraded to KS 10’s I worked with a different fitter and asked her to set them at 85% with no automatic changes. Is it Costco or Phonak who requires that they be set that loud?
1 Like
Unless any of us work in Costco hearing aid department, we’re all (including me) speculating. My take is that Costco fitters are to do REM on all patients and are likely encouraged to get patients as close to full prescription as possible. If one concentrates on comfort or good sound quality, one may be depriving one of useful sounds. It’s your money though, so Costco will try to make you happy.
2 Likes
I got my KS10s last week, and the fitter asked whether the volume level of his voice was OK. I had him lower it a couple of steps, but since then I’ve mostly used the app. to lower the volume yet another step.
1 Like
It sounds like maybe your hearing test was not accurate and flawed. If done incorrectly, I suppose the results could show more of a hearing loss than you really have, which would skew the adjustments making things could too loud or harsh. Or maybe some people have trouble adjusting to how loud some things really are when you hear them properly.
2 Likes
I have KS9s and had to get replacements a while back. I expected they would just transfer the settings on the lost pair to the replacement pair, but they ran REM again and programmed from scratch. I noticed the equipment they used was new from last time. I’m not sure what too “bright” means, but I think of these as too sharp. I’d rip them from my ears if I had to drive the car with them on the default setting.
Every morning I put them in and then turn them down 2 steps. There are no circumstances in which I can stand the default settings, but occasionally it’s useful to have them only one step down. I need to get back to Costco and talk to the audi about this and just haven’t done it because turning them down works, although the sound is still different and what I think of as sharper.
If my puppy really didn’t eat the old ones and I found them tomorrow, I’d use them and set these newer ones aside. The new and improved equipment has to be the reason for this difference.
1 Like
Thanks for all of the comments. It is very helpful to know that others have to make multiple trips to get it right. I will keep going back until they suit me. My fitter set mine at 90%. She asked me if she was too loud. She was loud even without the hearing aids, and very loud with them. But she left it at 90%. I lower the volume. Usually to -3. The static does not become inaudible until -4.
1 Like
It is not only Costco. I recall an Olson complaint about some manufacturers having/recommending “first fit” settings which purposely limit gain to facilitate new hearing aid customer acceptance. I have Costco aids, and they were fit at 80% until I went back and asked for them to be bumped. The Aud took them to 90% but did not want to go farther.
1 Like
My Costco fitter (1st last week) said Costco policy is 100%, but was willing to reduce it If I preferred. She left it at 100 and since then I reduce the HAs myself.
It’s fascinating that employees come up with these ‘it’s the policy’ comments to just avoid apologizing or such (not talking about you Rob). My costco fitter put me at 90% to gradually increase over 4 months. She even explained why she was doing it and asked if I was OK with that. So obviously not a costco policy. Just sayin… 