June 11, 2019
Hearing Aids
On June 11, 2019, I took posession of my first pair of hearing aids,
a pair of "Kirkland Signature 8.0". These cost $1600.
They are made by Rexton.
They use a 312 size zinc-air battery.
My medicare suppliment will kick in $500, so I am paying
$1100 out of pocket.
If I had an Iphone, they would work along with the phone when I take phone calls.
I have an Android - a Samsung S4. I can download an app called
"Connexx Smart Remote" by Sivantos Pte Ltd. from the Android "play store".
The aids can hold 6 programs. The technician at Costco was only going to give me
two (Auto and Noise/Party), but I insisted that I wanted to see what else was
available and have some other programs. I quick look at the list, and we
added "focus 360" and "outdoor/traffic".
The app is pretty bogus. It lets me select the programs by number.
It has no idea what is loaded into slot 1, 2, 3, or 4 -- so you had better know.
It also lets you adjust volume as well as giving you a mute button, and a
bass--treble slider. That is it.
Programs
The descriptions are pretty minimal. The best way to do online searches is to
search for KS8, as that seems to be the standard "abbreviation" for these.
Automatic
This is what you get every time you turn on the device (i.e. insert a battery and
close the battery door).
Noise/Party
For crowded places with lots of background noise.
(i)Focus 360
Lets you hear people to the side or from behind, even when you are looking
straight up. Appropriate when you are driving a car.
Outdoor/Traffic
For use outdoors.
Have any comments? Questions?
Drop me a line!
Tom's Health pages / tom@mmto.org