I no longer get as much high-frequency volume from my 5-yr. old Starkey Genesis HA and my audi says it needs to go back to the factory for repair at a cost of $200. A new hearing test showed my hearing had not changed, it was the HA. A suggested alternative is to replace it with a Starkey Ignite 30 at a cost of about $2000. I’m wondering if I will really notice enough difference in performance to justify the extra cost. I was happy with the Genesis while it was working properly, despite it being a very basic unit. No help in noisy crowds, but I am rarely in that situation. My life style is quiet, mostly talking to people one-on-one and watching TV, but speech comprehension is currently difficult until I repair or replace the HA. Can anyone suggest a lower-cost alternative than the Ignite 30 that would work for my hearing loss and life style?
if you get a decent warranty with the $200 repair job (I think they just replace the guts) it might be worth even if you do upgrade then you would have a back-up.
If you can get it repaired for a good price, I would second what Mick suggests. The devices on the market now are superior to what we had 5 years ago, and are worth at least investigating. It is good to have a backup set of aids for the inevitable problems as you are probably well aware.
The Ignite 30 was a great hearing aid when it first came out, it was sold under another name. Last summer, Starkey updated the technology, and perhaps most importantly added background noise suppression to it, relaunching the device under the Ignite name.
Personally, if I had hearing only in one ear, I would want the absolute best I could possibly afford. So I’d even consider spending a few hundred more and getting the Starkey X Series technology. It has more channels and substantially more sophisticated technology, that is effectively one generation more advanced.
If you were financing the purchase, $500 more would mean almost nothing to your payment anyway. So if you are going to rely on one ear, get the best you can.
http://starkeypro.com/public/professionals/products/hearing-aids/x-series/overview.jsp
Oh and if you negotiate you should be able to get a reasonable trial period, so if the new aid isn’t making you happy, you can always call repairing yours plan B.
If you buy new aids, then you might find the seller will sort out the repair of the old aids for peanuts.
It’s always good to have a backup set just in case. There is an allmake repair lab in Illinois- Earmaxlab. They generally stay below or around $100 for repair with 6 months warranty. I didn’t find much feedback on them on this forum, but I’ve used them twice before with very satisfying results.
I would get it repaired and when you get the cash buy a new updated unit. Use the repaired one as a backup.