Suggestions and comments wanted concerning Invisible (IIC) Hearing AIDS from Beltone

Hearing Aids
,
#1

Hello everyone,

I am considering purchasing a set of Invisible (IIC) Hearing Aids from Beltone for the quoted price amount of $4,100 which includes a 3 or 4-year warranty. This will be my first set of hearing aids. I wanted hearing aids that are somewhat inconspicuous. Quality and price are also two additional major concerns.

My questions are:

  1. Is the price quoted fair? If not, can you suggest another option?
  2. Are Betone's Invisible (IIC) hearing aids considered a quality product as it relates to longevity?
  3. Does anyone have experience with using the aforementioned hearing aid. If so, can you elaborate?

If anyone has anything to add that may help me determine the type of hearing aid or best place to purchase it, I would appreciate your input.

Thanks everyone! :slight_smile:

#2

One thing to consider if your hearing loss in borderline qualified to use IICs (because they’re a little underpowered due to the small size) is whether you think your hearing loss will be stable in the next several years or whether there’s a good chance it’ll worsen. You may want to consider HAs that has some room to support worsened hearing loss, otherwise you’ll outgrow them quickly due to worsened hearing loss.

#3

I have no experience with Beltone, but I’m leery. I think you could get comparable, and likely better hearing aids at Costco. Beltone is made by Resound and Costco carries Resound. Costco hearing aids max out in price at about $2800 and include a 3 year warranty. I’m pretty sure Costco’s $2800 hearing aid would be higher quality than the Beltone. Everybody has their own preferences, but I think you’d be surprised at how inconspicuous most hearing aids are. Even when I mention mine, people can’t see them. They are RIC (Receiver in Canal) hearing aids.

#4

Thanks for your reply! I’ll give Costco a try. I wanted invisible IIC’s because I’m bald headed and don’t have hair to cover my ears. I’d rather have people pay attention to what I’m saying instead of focusing on my hearing aids. With all said, I’ll definitely check Costco’s offerings.

#5

Thanks for the reply! The audiologist stated that I will still have room for correction if I choose the invisible IIC. However, she did suggest the ALLY 2 CIC which does not fit as deep in the canal. She said that the Ally 2 had more options and allowed longer use as it relates to possible later hearing loss. I’m going to take what you stated under consideration. I’m also going to check out Costco to see what they have to offer. Thanks for the information!

#7

Certainly better to look good than hear good.

#8

This article IIC, Invisible, Hidden, The Best Invisible Hearing Aids mentioned a few of the best IICs in 2016, with the Signia Insio Primax IIC being the most powerful IIC on the market.

I’m not aware that Costco offers any IIC per se. But for sure it’s a very popular place to get fitted with HAs thanks to its reasonable pricing, great service and great trial period.

#9

IIC’s have a higher failure rate do to moisture issues than BTE’s, so be prepared to have them in the “shop” periodically so they can be cleaned, serviced, etc. Don’t worry about your bald head and people staring at your HA’s, it won’t happen; HA’s aren’t like glasses, since they are behind your ears and on the side of your head, very few people will notice them. Get the hearing aid that will allow you to hear the best and don’t worry about whether they can be seen.

#10

I wear my hair short, and I’ve worn aids for more than a decade. I could wear grapefruits behind my ears and nobody would notice. :stuck_out_tongue:

#11

I’m not sure what Costco carries, but this link suggests that they carry Resound IIC http://www.costco.com/resound.html

I’m not aware that Costco offers any IIC per se. But for sure it’s a very popular place to get fitted with HAs thanks to its reasonable pricing, great service and great trial period.

#12

Yes, Costco sells all the models. They also sell aids starting at $495. There is a display case that shows that.

#13

Thanks for responding! Thank you for the additional information. I do not have the specific technology of the invisible IIC hearing aid at hand.

I will research all of the choices you mentioned. Btw, I did research HearMore but I could not find any locations near me. With that said, I am noticing that many of the hearing aid centers near me, utilize high-pressure sales strategies which only makes me hold on to my money longer before making a final decision.

#14

[/quote]

Wow, thanks! That’s very helpful! I could not find information concerning IIC’s on Costco’s page. I must have overlooked it. It’s definitely worth checking out!

#15

Basically I was going by the picture. They seemed to show some pretty small hearing aids. Perhaps they’re only CIC instead of IIC, but they are by the same overall manufacture as the Beltone aids.

#16

LOL!! I can deaf-inately relate to both sides of this! Luckily, being a woman, my hair is long enough to cover my ears, but even with my ITEs, I’ve found that folks don’t focus as much on my EARS as what I say. O’course, I’m 61, and not 31, which makes that tricky call even easier.

Quiteear: My own 2-cents’ worth is based on experience: I am a bit prone to developing itchy-ear if the canal is firmly sealed. In fact, I’ve had two bouts of otitis (due to allergic reaction to hard shell cases) that convinced me: NO IIC (Lyric, et al) is worth even “going there”.

I’m not familiar with Beltone’s invisible aid, but I’d have a YUGE issue with an aid where I couldn’t swap out batteries myself as needed or get the dang thing out every single night to give my ears a chance to breathe and dry out. I also think Volusiano brings up a valid point about “future growth”. If you want the investment to pay off, perhaps have some built-in range in which to increase gain and fine-tune the frequency ranges.

BEST of luck in what you decide! Be sure to keep us posted. Trials are a great way to test out one aid against another. And Costco seems the most reasonable solution for many here. I have opted for REI, behind-the-ear Oticon Opn miniRITEs, which seems to work with my loss profile.

====================

#17

Here’s a link to a 3 year-old article on IIC but at least it has some pricing information in there for the Signia and Phonak so you can compare against the Beltone pricing. Note again that this is a 3 year old article so maybe the pricing is a little better now compared to 3 years ago? http://www.ziphearing.com/blog/what-are-the-best-invisible-hearing-aids/

#18

I didn’t see a link.

#19

Sorry, thanks for catching this. I added the link in my original post. Also here: http://www.ziphearing.com/blog/what-are-the-best-invisible-hearing-aids/

#20

Thanks for replying!

I didn’t think about moisture issues. My understanding is that most companies offer a protective coating to protect against moisture. Are you saying that even with the moisture protective coating, IIC’s fail at a greater rate than BTE’s? Are certain manufacturer’s protective coating more effective than others?

Btw, I’d rather be kicked, dragged, and have my eyes gouged out than to wear BTE’s :D. However, I agree that my choice should be solely based upon the hearing aid that allows me to hear the best I can. I’m hoping the IIC will give me what I need.

#21

What you choose is obviously your call, but I would encourage trying on and looking at some of the RIC hearing aids. They are remarkably small and discreet. If you don’t like them after looking at them, great, but I wouldn’t rule them out. I never have anybody comment on my hearing aids. Although I’m not bald, I have short hair and the aids are visible if one looks for them, but most people don’t closely examine my ears. :>)