Started Trial of Philips 9030 yesterday at Costco

[jpinkard]

I just finished a trial of Jabra Enhanced Pro 10 and got Philips for trial yesterday. I was told it was 9040 but the Philips app says it is a 9030. I called Costco and they said they do not have loaners for 9040 yet but 9030 is very similar. However, I will get the 9040 if I choose Philips.

So far so good. The volume level seems a little lower than the Jabra, but I am guessing that could be part of the setup? I had to turn up volume one notch for some TV and I did not have to do that with Jabra. I will update this post as I get more experience with the HAs.

Wife and I had lunch at noisy restaurant today. I had no trouble hearing her or the waitress. I will have an in person meeting tomorrow that will be a good test as well.

[Volusiano]

The 9040 has 2 new features added which are the same 2 features added from the Oticon More to the Real → 1. Sudden Sound Stabilizer and 2. Wind and Handling Stabilizer. These are not ground breaking new features, nevertheless, I wouldn’t settle for the 9030 because the 9040 isn’t available. If the trial is with the understanding that you will eventually get the 9040 in the long term, then it’s fine. Otherwise, I would wait for the 9040 if I were you.

[jpinkard]

Thanks Volusiano. I will get the 9040 if I choose Philips. It is too early to make a call but I liked the Jabra a lot.

[Volusiano]

OK, I see. By the way, the volume level being a little lower on the 9030 is really no issue. Did the Costco HCP do REM on the 9030 for you before letting you go? There may be an acclimatization feature on the 9040 (I’m just guessing here) that might have been enabled to ease first time users in for the initial period with a lower volume, then gradually increase the volume some more in the next phase or 2 or 3 so new users don’t get overwhelmed. Experienced users may not need it but the HCP might have turned it on; something to double check on your next visit. Otherwise, an across the board increase in gain can also easily be done so that you don’t have to fidget with the volume like that. It’s an easy adjustment anyway.

[Imageezer48]

I went the same route. Trialed the 9030 first and was amazed a how clear things sounded. When I got my 9040s, I was a little disappointed that I could not hear as well as I did with the 9030s - until it dawned on me that the domes weren’t seating as well as they did with the 9030s (the wire was too short causing them to pull loose from my ear canal). I just returned Tuesday for my followup and the HIS replaced both the wires and the domes to something larger. I’m back to hearing much better now although the domes still creep slightly. I think one more visit should do it.

[jpinkard]

Thanks Imageeser48. Great name.

There are a lot of dome sizes, so it is a trial and error effort to get the right ones sometimes. Also, make sure you have retainers to help keep them in place.

One disappointing feature so far with 9030 are the batteries. My right one will barely get through the day even though I do not have many phone calls. My left one is much better which makes me wonder if the right battery is wearing down. Do the 9040s have longer lasting batteries?

Do you notice any improvement with the 9040s or are they about the same as the 9030?

[janofh]

I can’t say to the battery length comparison, but in general, one of the aids is the primary and it often loses slightly more power.

[Imageezer48]

My 9040 batteries are lasting all day and then some. I typically wear them about 16 hours a day and average 1 to 2 hours of streaming in that time. I am satisfied with the battery performance. I do have retainers attached as well.

My wife and I tried an experiment of sorts last night. About a month ago we went into a noisy bar with my old KS-7s. I could hardly understand her. Last night we revisited the noisy bar experience with the 9040s. It was so much better. I sat at the table changing modes in the Hearlink 2 app until I found the best solution (which appeared to be the Noise setting). We were able to carry on a normal conversation.

I am extremely pleased so far with the 9040s.

[kharri]

How do they work in a relatively quiet setting, but she is facing away from you? Say you’re walking and she is in front of you several feet.

[Imageezer48]

This is probably the most challenging situation for me. My wife is very soft-spoken so this is difficult. With my prior HAs, I would seldom hear her. I would estimate my recognition now is about 70% of the time. I’ll have to monitor it more closely to see.

[jpinkard]

Soft speaking people are my biggest challenge, especially if they are sitting 5 to 8 feet away from, which is typical for meetings I have. The 9030 did well with in a Friday meeting. 3 of the participants speak with low voice and I heard at least 90% of what they said. I also got good results in this regard from Jabra Pro 10.

I am glad to hear you had such good results in a noisy bar. Wife and I went to lunch in a noisy restaurant right after I got my 9030s and I heard her fine. I heard fine in church today. Another box checked.

The battery reading for my right HA seems unreliable. Yesterday, it showed 12 hours charge when I put them in in the morning. 12 hours later, they have 7 hours. I think they will always last all day for me but I may not have much room to spare. I believe the right HA is the primary because it always has less time than the left one.

I really like the sound of the 9030. It is smoother than the Jabra and I do not get the occasional harsh sound I get with the Jabra.

I wish they have more capability of their app. Is it the same for the 9040?

[jay_man2]

The HearLink 2 app has essentially the same functionality of the HearLink app, but with a different user interface. It also incorporates the HearLink provider support app, which with HearLink was a separate app.

[jpinkard]

Thanks. That is the app I have with the 9030.

[kharri]

Do you have any experience with the KS10 or can anyone compare?

[jpinkard]

My current HAs are KS6, No experience with KS10.

[lilliegin]

Try - using live listen active and put your iPhone in the middle of the Table. Works great at Panera Bread in Santa Clarita CA

[jpinkard]

Thanks Lilliegin. I set the iphone as battery and put near radio. Then went into next room and I could hear fine. Even if I choose the Jabra Pro 10 why would I need multi mic since iphone does the same thing?

Panera’s hear can be really noisy, so if it works there, it should work anywhere.

[Torbill]

kharri, I picked up my 9040s on Thursday so I can now offer some comments.

One of the things that I want from the 9040 is more openness to all sounds than the KS10. I can definitely confirm jayman2’s comments about giving a more open experience, and it was his comments that got me to pick the 9040. While I was waiting for the 9040 I experimented with opening up the KS10 to more sounds by turning off/down noise suppression, using Music as a general listening mode, etc. The 9040s are just better, even with the KS10 tweaked as much as I could. I also prefer the overall character of the sound, in spite of the fact that I had them boost the high frequencies above the REM fitting and need this backed-off because it is too sharp.

Speech in noise. I bought a Roger Select for my KS10, and there is nothing better than it, in my experience. But I keep forgetting to have it with me when I encounter a noisy environment. So I wanted the 9040 to be at least minimally acceptable w/o aux device. Last night was the first test. We went out to dinner to celebrate my birthday. Very nice restaurant, but quite a lot of background noise - not the crazy noise of a resonating brew pub, but enough to be a problem. The 9040 grabbed my wife’s voice very well, better than the KS10. I tried it with Live Listen and that was even better. So I’m encouraged that these hearing aids will do what I want - but it’s early.

One surprising and fairly dramatic difference is wind noise. I have an electric scooter for golf. I drive it to/from the courses that I play, up to five miles away. The scooter top end is 32 mph. I’m not super sensitive to wind noise annoyance, but with the KS10 I have to turn volume down all the way to not be distracted. I was surprised to find out that there is less wind noise distraction with the 9040 at full volume than the KS10 at minimum volume.

A feature that I like is the Apple Watch app. I can make some adjustments to the 9040 from my watch. I like this. Seems like it’s just like the Oticon Watch app, except that it lacks the “Speech Clarifier” feature,

Another feature that I like is replaceable batteries. My KS10 charging reliability has gotten a bit wobbly at times, and when streaming I am never quite sure that I’ll make it through to bedtime. I’m now on day #2 and the app tells me that the batteries are still at 100%, so I assume that I have a problem with the battery meter.

Negatives so far: Itchy ears - I am alternately trying double vented domes and power domes (high freq. hearing is -90db+). Why both domes causing itching, when I’ve been wearing hearing aids for going on 15 years, is beyond me.

The app seems fine for what it is, but has nowhere near the adjustment ability of the Phonak app. But do you know what? I don’t think I’m going to need much. These aids in General seem to do almost everything well, including in a noisy setting, so I may need only General and Music.

The streaming audio sucks in comparison to the KS10. When I got the software updated in my KS10s a few weeks ago I noticed a big improvement in streaming audio quality. I find the 9040 disappointing in comparison and even on an absolute scale. I’m just betting back to MFI, so maybe I’m not finding the right adjustments, don’t know.

[Angel]

I have had my 9040 for about a month now. You are right the domes are uncomfortable. The best ones I have found was having to use the smallest domes.
These are my first hearing aids.

[johnzonie]

@Torbill, how do you get the Hearlink app on the Apple Watch? I can’t make it appear on my watch. Perhaps it is a 9040 feature only? I have Hearlink 2 installed. Is there another watch-specific app?

Thanks.