Cheap, Cheap Hearing "Aids"

[Buckeye]

From what I've been told from the VA clinic, If you have EVER been in the military, you qualify for VA funded hearing aids. Mine supposedly cost 6K.

I thought you had to have a hearing-related disability rating to qualify for free hearing aids at the VA.

 

[Buckeye]

I have a problem with ear wax. It builds up regularly. I felt like I was not hearing well so I went to Costco to get a look see. I went in person to make an appointment & he noticed a build up. So I scheduled the appt & went home & got my 'tools' out to clean them out. It's a wax softener & then warm water flush in the shower. Took about a week to get them clean. The hearing test showed some loss but not enough for aids

I have used PCP for the clean but they are not real excited about doing it. They talked me through the DIY

This is exactly what happened to my husband.

 

[Buckeye]

Costo offers a full refund within the first 6 months if you don't like your hearing aids.



I started wearing my Costco hearing aids 10-12 hours a day from the get-go. Only took a couple of weeks before I completely forgot I was wearing them and tested them in the shower to see if they were water resistant. Yes, thankfully.

Never experienced an echo, but there was a noticeable difference the first time I tried them.

I considered buying some bargain off-the-shelf "sound amplification devices" but my hearing loss is almost entirely in the high frequency range. True hearing aids can be tuned to boost only the frequencies that need to be amplified and I thought it was worth the $1,500 Costco price, especially with the guarantee.

And on-going maintenance/adjustments for free. The audiologists at our Costco were very experienced. My mom had her hearing aids from there. I highly recommend them.

 

[GravitySucks]

Thanks for the helpful posts.
I really wonder if I will wear them. These are very tinny sounding even after fiddelling. I imagine good ones have a more natural sound.

They do seem to work. Cuts down background and ampliphys in person speech over radio or tv speech.
I'm going to leave them in for a couple hours tomorrow. If I can stand having something in my ear I'll probably go the Costco route.

 

[latexman]

FWIW, I'm of the opinion ALL audiologists have a sales bent as that's where the $ is located.

Mine doesn’t. She could have sold me hearing aids for all I knew about her diagnosist of otosclerosis. Instead, she referred me to an ENT specialist at UNC Med School who performed a stapedectomy on one ear. The other wasn’t bad enough yet.

The term otosclerosis is derived from the Greek words for "hard" (scler-o) and "ear" (oto). It describes a condition of abnormal growth in the tiny bones of the middle ear, which leads to a fixation of the stapes bone. The stapes bone must move freely for the ear to work properly and hear well.

Only about ten percent of the adult Caucasian population is affected by otosclerosis. The condition is less common in people of Japanese and South American decent and is rare in African Americans.

A stapedectomy is an outpatient surgical procedure done under local or general anesthesia through the ear canal with an operating microscope. (No outer incisions are made.) It involves removing the immobilized stapes bone (my Dr. blew them away with a laser) and replacing it with a prosthetic device. Mine was titanium. The titanium stapes allows the bones of the middle ear to resume movement, which stimulates fluid in the inner ear and improves or restores hearing.

The instant he connected the titanium stapes to my incus bone I could hear a LOT better.

 

[mystang52]

I'm interested.


I read that some cheap ones, just amplify the sound, this would be ok in the house, but out on the street a car backfire, and it could damage the hearing more. This is because the cheap ones don't have a limiter on the sound being amplified.
For all I know that is fake stories put out by the expensive old brands, trying to limit their market loss.

My friend and I both have hearing loss; he's very cheap. While we were simultaneously checking options he bought some internet set of "hearing aids" and let me try them first. Yes, they increased the volume of things but I still had difficulty understanding conversations, and everything sounded "tinny."

Costo offers a full refund within the first 6 months if you don't like your hearing aids.


I started wearing my Costco hearing aids 10-12 hours a day from the get-go. Only took a couple of weeks before I completely forgot I was wearing them and tested them in the shower to see if they were water resistant. Yes, thankfully.

Never experienced an echo, but there was a noticeable difference the first time I tried them.

I considered buying some bargain off-the-shelf "sound amplification devices" but my hearing loss is almost entirely in the high frequency range. True hearing aids can be tuned to boost only the frequencies that need to be amplified and I thought it was worth the $1,500 Costco price, especially with the guarantee.

IMO, you get what you pay for. I went to an audiologist, and had my hearing tested. Both ears had high frequency loss, but my right ear was worse.
The aids can be programmed to offset these losses. I wear mine from the time DW gets up until bedtime. I even bought the little TV audio sending unit.
My aids are Bluetooth enabled, so I have them paired with my smartphone, That way I can talk and use both hands. For example I was in the market this morning and called DW to see which brand of a certain product she wanted. I could pick it up with both hands.

I joined Costco solely because of their hearing aids. I can't recommend them highly enough. Most importantly, their hearing aids made a huge difference in my hearing. Their customer service for follow-ups is fantastic. The refund policy is a great comfort; and, I don't remember the details but there was also a great reimbursement policy in event of loss or damage the first year (maybe 2). It took me about a week to get used to them. I get cluster headaches and had a doozy of one when I wore the new hearing aids for too long on day 2. But once over the acclimatization period, they've been great. For real hearing loss, I wouldn't buy cheap.

 

[donheff]

I have no info on the OP's question regarding cheap hearing aids but I am in the Costco camp for good ones. I had ~$6000 aids from an audiologist (half covered by insurance) when I heard Costco offered equivalent aids for half the price. I did a lot of research at the time and concluded that the hype was real. My exam at Costco was more comprehensive than at my audiologist and the cost was entirely covered by insurance. If the Costco exam discloses complex hearing issues they will refer you to an audiologist for a follow-up exam. They did that with my wife whose follow-up confirmed the Costco findings. I'm not sure if you can waive the follow-up but I would if permitted.

 

[braumeister]

Interesting new report:
A new ultra-affordable and accessible hearing aid made from open-source electronics could soon be available worldwide

In this study, Sinha and colleagues used mass-produced open source electronics to engineer a durable, affordable, self-serviceable hearing aid that meets most of the targets set by the WHO for mild-to-moderate age-related hearing loss: "LoCHAid." When mass-produced at 10,000 units including earphones, a coin-cell battery, and holder, LoCHAid costs $0.98 (this doesn't include labor costs) and is designed to be marketed over-the-counter -- or even as a DIY project.

 

[grasshopper]

I have had Costco Resounds for almost 3 years. After my second year I had a follow up hearing test. My test showed additional hearing loss and recommended that I go to an ENT. A audiologist sees you before the ENT and their test matched Costcos test. Everything was covered by Medicare and medigap G. And my hearing aids block sudden loud noises. My exam at Costco included a camera placed in my ear to show my ear wax.

 

[Ginny]

I love my hearing aids. I purchased them from UC San Diego audiology dept. They must be open to the public because I have no connection to UCSD, I got them 5 years ago when I was 61 and it did make me acknowledge that I was getting older and should retire.

Clark Howard discusses online hearing aids here: https://clark.com/health-health-care/where-to-buy-hearing-aids-online/

 

[Venturer]

Thanks for the helpful posts.
I really wonder if I will wear them. These are very tinny sounding even after fiddelling. I imagine good ones have a more natural sound.

They do seem to work. Cuts down background and ampliphys in person speech over radio or tv speech.
I'm going to leave them in for a couple hours tomorrow. If I can stand having something in my ear I'll probably go the Costco route.

I have hearing aids from Costco again now. My wife and daughter kept on for me to get HA for a long time. I finally went for a test,it showed I needed them. Back then no ins.coverage So I had to pay $3k out of pocket. They did help for 2 mo. Went back for adjustment,all ok for 2 more months. I called for an appointment and no answer. Tried 3 more time with no answer. Went to office where they had a sign that they were out of business. I ended up contacting the manufacturer and they got me into another audi. In Atlanta. She checked them and did a 1 time "courtesy" adjustment. I wore those for another yr. till they just quit working at all. At this time I found out my company had changed ins. carriers and they would cover 1K towards HA every 3 years I went to Costco got tested again and got their Kirkland brand for $1700. I wore those for 4 years. When I went to upgrade my co. had also changed ins.and would now pay up to 3k for HA so I decided to go to a "real" audiologist to see what the difference would be. She put me into a set of Oticons and they were pretty good, but really not any better "to me" than the ones from Costco. So bottom line just before I retired I went back to Costco and got my current set. Costco as has been said has a 6 months return policy but if you get the Costco Visa and put them on it the warrantee doubles that is a win win. Free cleanings and in store adjustments as long as you have them and free 1 time replacement if you lose them or crush them with a big foot Anyway don't be afraid to try the ones from Costco because they have some good aids.

 

[Sunset]

It is annoying when one considers a hearing aid is: mic, speaker, audio circuit, battery power circuit as the main components.

Compared to a cell phone which has that and a lot more inside.

Cell phones easily priced at $100 (ok not you apple folks), and hearing aids at ~$2K each

 

[Time2]

It is annoying when one considers a hearing aid is: mic, speaker, audio circuit, battery power circuit as the main components.

Compared to a cell phone which has that and a lot more inside.

Cell phones easily priced at $100 (ok not you apple folks), and hearing aids at ~$2K each

There are some apps that use a cellphone to receive the sound, process it and send it out on bluetooth to headphones or earbuds. They don't get extremely high overall reveiws, some 5s some 1s, average 3 to 3.5. Some say they are great, others say useless. But they are free, so if it works for you, it's good.

Here's one for iphones.
https://newatlas.com/bioaid-iphone-hearing-aid-app/26857/
Here are 8 android apps to try,
https://androidappsforme.com/free-hearing-aid-apps-android/
There are more similar apps out there.
EDIT, I just tried two of the apps, they both have a delay.
I think my problem is I have reasonable hearing so I hear the original sound with decent volume and then I hear the processed amplified sound. If I had really poor hearing, I may not hear the original and would not have the echo effect.

 

[Souschef]

It is annoying when one considers a hearing aid is: mic, speaker, audio circuit, battery power circuit as the main components.

Compared to a cell phone which has that and a lot more inside.

Cell phones easily priced at $100 (ok not you apple folks), and hearing aids at ~$2K each

On the expensive ones you are paying an audiologist to test you and program the hearing aids.

 

[latexman]

The Consumer's Reports review and ratings on hearing aids is fairly recent (Jan. 2019) for those with access.

 

[REWahoo]

It is obvious from this thread that many of us are big fans of Costco when it comes to hearing aids. In addition to all the reasons mentioned previously, Costco is unique in that each time they introduce a new and improved model (roughly every 18 months), it is lower in price than the model it replaced:

In keeping with previous trends, the new KS 9’s have dropped price even further by $100/pair:

KS 4.0: $1,999/pair (manufactured by Rexton)
KS 5.0: $1,899/pair (manufactured by GN ReSound)
KS 6.0: $1,799/pair (manufactured by GN ReSound)
KS 7.0: $1,699/pair (manufactured by Rexton)
KS 8.0: $1,599/pair (manufactured by Rexton)
KS 9.0: $1,499/pair (manufactured by Sonova)

The current KS 9.0 was introduced in June of 2019 so based on history we can expect a new, less expensive model to show up around the first of the year. Wonder how long they can continue to do this?

 

[GravitySucks]

I changed the silicone ear piece to a larger size and most of the tinny sound disappeared. These are definitely doing more than straight line amplification. Some strange noises get pushed loud. I can hear my knee whenever I cross my leg, friends voice is loud, but tv volume barely increases.

 

[Brat]

My husband has had several Otocon hearing aids, first from a hearing aid retailer, then from Kaiser. He absolutely loves them. Not cheap but they make a huge difference to his quality of life. One neat attribute is that they blue tooth to his phone.

 

[Global Wizzo]

I’ll add a couple of comments on the current experiences. My mother needed HAs. She decided the Sam’s ones should work. The exam and work up were good. She really did not like wearing them and the only way to turn them off was open the battery compartment. With Macular Degeneration that was difficult and she opted to return them. Person manning the booth was not happy. Complaining about having to eat the cost. At that point it came out that cost was about $400 for the pair. What she didn’t like was losing the $1500 profit. Mom also hated the feed back she got putting them in or taking them out.

DW and I are both headed for hearing aids. The loss in mine is in the voice range from years of radios and air planes. DW is much higher range.

One thing I learned and heard multiple times, if you wait too long HAs won’t help. The brain changes to develop a workaround to the loss and at some point it cannot reverse the changes.

We will both be getting HAs that can be tuned to the loss, amplifying only the frequency range needed and balanced to provide as close to normal as possible. Will also only pick ones with rechargeable batteries, Bluetooth coupling and remote control for function adjustment.

Several friends with extensive experience have said they would not settle for anything less.

You may hear the term channels or something similar applied to the hearing aids. More channels means the audio spectrum can be tailored in smaller increments. Depending on your individual loss, this may or may not be important. They do charge more for 64 channel units than 16.

As always, you get what you pay for (relatively) and your mileage may vary.

 

[Retired Expat]

I worked construction all my life and annual hearing tests showed I would need them at some point so by mid 50's I had to get passed the vanity issue and get them. My ENT (otolaryngologist) finally convinced me and suggested where to go. Cost was a substantial but I was able to find them where I live for about 1/2 for the exact same brand and model.

They took no time to get used to except for some discomfort if I would wear them too long. These are the tiny behind the ear with the little tube kind.

But the amazing thing is that when I wear them regularly (I don't always) my tinnitus gets markedly better. Dr. says that happens for some folks and it is a great benefit.

Now have a new problem. the over the ear covid masks get tangled up in them so much be very careful when I take the mask off as it can take the hearing aid with it....

 

[Souschef]

I think Global Wizzo had very good comments. My only comment would be about battery versus rechargeable. To me, I can always carry a couple of batteries with me, as opposed to the charger. the batteries are very inexpensive through eBay. YMMV.

 

[calmloki]

I use behind the ear Costco sourced hearing aids, battery type. Did a little testing and found that opening the battery doors at night to make the batteries last longer helped - but only by a matter of a few hours. Instead, I have been just taking the aids out at night, leaving them in operable mode, and find that I get a real consistent 3 days/ battery change. A 60 battery Costco HA battery pack lasts me 3 months and costs about $10. This I can afford, especially since I open and close the fragile little battery doors a bunch. Risk of breakage: greatly reduced.

 

[Murf2]

I think Global Wizzo had very good comments. My only comment would be about battery versus rechargeable. To me, I can always carry a couple of batteries with me, as opposed to the charger. the batteries are very inexpensive through eBay. YMMV.

Me too, if you need to wear them all day as I do batteries make more sense.
My biggest problem since I’ve gotten used to them, is remembering to take them out before I shower or go to bed.

 

[levindb]

I have ReSound GN HAs from Costco. What I really appreciate is the iPhone App that allows me to adjust the HAs for restaurants, Music, listening to one person in a crowd. It even has a FIND MY HEARING AID feature that can locate my HA's if I misplace them.

I can have the TV play through my HA's as well as my phone calls...even my GPS can talk to me via HA. My batteries tend to last 7-10 days and I open the battery compartment at bedtime.

 

[timo2]

I
One thing I learned and heard multiple times, if you wait too long HAs won’t help. The brain changes to develop a workaround to the loss and at some point it cannot reverse the changes.
.

+1

I went ahead and got the HA earlier than I could have because of all the reports of poor hearing contributing to both the effectiveness of the HA's and also brain cognitive abilities. I've tried explaining that to my older brother who has hearing issues, but he won't listen!!