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Specsavers vs Branded - first hearing aid purchase

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Hello everybody- this forum is so helpful, thank you.

I’ve got early-onset (I’m 40) moderate hearing loss. I don’t have a copy of my unfortunately (how can I get hold of that?)

In the last year I’ve had NHS (long story, they gave me but they are unwearable and uncomfortable and I’ve been 6+ months on waiting list for a follow-up), Boots and Specsavers assessments. At this point, it seems I’m going private.

For my hearing loss, Boots recommended I go for a Phonak Audeo, whilst Specsavers said I could go in-ear or . I am quite keen on in-ear if they have enough oomph, as I’d like something discrete. I know I’d miss out on Bluetooth snazziness but it sounds like there are lots of glitches there still anyhow. How are in-ear HAs with phones, will there be problems of feedback?

My main question though is whether I go for the Signia 71x or the Specsavers Elite in-ear alternative. £800 difference.. whilst I know they are probably all made in the same factory, I can find no real detailed spec info on the Specsavers Elite. Will it also have multiple mics and provide support in noisy environments etc? And how do the Signia and Specsavers apps compare?

Thank you for your input!

11 people in this conversation7 min readJump to latest

Boots - Specsavers! Quick run as fast as you can while you still have some money to put food on the table, go to Costco it’s a no brainer on price alone, try not to put “discrete” at the top of your reason’s for getting , concentrate on speech comprehension as your number one consideration, but yeah post your audogram as this would help everyone give advice.

My advice is to look for an audiologist who can fit your hearing aids to your needs. Not necessarily an independent audiologist as there are good ones at Boots, Specsavers etc. I found a great audiologist by asking for recommendations on here for audiologists in my local area - Bristol / Somerset. He is independent. It is usually a bit cheaper with the chains but I get a more complete service including unlimited fitting appointments! Good luck!

Edited

If you can try Costco, it would be worth your while. They have a good range of aids only with different names to Boots and Specsavers. Their Rexton Reach aids are Signia 71x’s for around £1350 for a pair. They also have Jabra (Resound) Philips ( Damant/ Oticon) Sennheiser (Sonova/Phonak) all within the same price range and fully fitted. They all come with 3 years warranty and free aftercare for the life of the aids. Also they are returnable within 90 days.

In reply to @tenkan

@tenkan said:

go to Costco it’s a no brainer on price alone,

I don’t mind the general tone of this forum, but given that lots of people live beyond what is an individual and enviromentally acceptable travelling distance for hearing aid service from a Costco - this advice should be taken with a decent shake of salt. Especially in the height of Winter, especially if you aren’t feeling 100% or want to rub shoulders with the masses in a draughty wharehouse.

Edited

I live in a rural area so I have to travel to Edinburgh to visit any audiologist or Specsavers or Boots. Parking is a nightmare, I could use the Park and Ride, but if I’m feeling unwell, not great.

So tomorrow Friday I’m driving through to Costco to collect my hearing aid which has been for repair. The warehouse is located In a area I reach before entering the city, so parking is not a problem. I can also fill up my vehicle with the cheapest available fuel prices, and do some grocery shopping. So yes if you are a city or town dweller I can see it could be entirely the opposite to my situation.

Yes, you’re in a fortunate situation: people around here are potentially 45 minutes from the nearest town; which might be 2hours further from a Costco.

Thank you for your responses, mainly I was looking for answers to my specific questions. On other aspects I’ve already had my own process; I’m a 300 mile (I’m in Cornwall) round journey from a Costco so won’t be using them; have opted for Specsavers; and I’ve been advised by Specsavers that in-ear will be sufficient for my moderate hearing loss. I can’t seem to get my and honestly I’m done banging-my-head with that (it’s the classic ski-slope in mild-moderate until very highest frequencies when it drops to lower edge of moderate.)

So it’s a question about Specsavers vs Signia branded, specifically the silk 71X. Curious how they compare battery life, mics, etc? Obviously Signia hypes up all its specs but Specsavers don’t so it’s difficult to know how retrograde/ second-class their option is? Also would a Signia from Specsavers also be locked or only Specs-branded HAs? Thanks again.

@Sallyinthesky said:

My main question though is whether I go for the Signia 71x or the Specsavers Elite in-ear alternative. £800 difference

Can you try both? I always wanted to try in the ear aids but never did. We have members here that really like them.

The Specsavers Elite is usually a Phonak or Unitron. I’ve seen it differ in Australia, but over here my recent experience is that it was a Unitron. Although they claimed it was a Phonak, I could tell it wasn’t because it wasn’t shaped like a Phonak and the App had some boilerplate which gave the game away.

Sigh. You can probably tell I am not enthusiastic. My problems with Specsavers, well, amount to the fact that they sold me an aid - the Advance Elite, which was awful in noise (this was the Unitron). I then went back and got a Phonak Lumity, but they couldn’t program it properly. There was no real ear measurement, and I ended up selling the aid and going elsewhere.

Seriously, congratulations on getting an aid, and yes, it will probably be good tech. If it’s the elite, you will be banging your head wondering what it is, because they (specsavers) are not that transparent. However, it it’s a Phonak or even Signia, you will be able to use all the assistive devices (TV Connect etc) in their ecosystem. You shouldn’t have problems of feedback. In terms of if it is locked, they did try and lock mine in the end, once they found it I was self-programming. This is totally annoying, and one of the reasons why I haven’t gone back there.

Seriously again, my view is that an NHS fitted aid with real ear measurement, would be just as good, and probably just as discreet. But I understand your concerns, as I have worn an and in the past. I find now, wearing a , that the RIC is actually more discreet, and it has the bonus that it is more powerful and has full connectivity etc. Good luck.

In reply to @Sallyinthesky

@Sallyinthesky said:

On other aspects I’ve already had my own process; I’m a 300 mile (I’m in Cornwall) round journey from a Costco so won’t be using them

So a saving of 3k isn’t worth it? They are exactly the same, Specsavers just rebranding, but remember there’s this “thing” that they “lock” them so your forced to use them only for any adjustments, you can’t just pop into any other clinic, like when your in holidays or visiting family/friends your out of luck as no one else will touch them, do not compare to for Beamforming and bluetooth options, ask about these important things to consider before buying.

Yes it’s Specsavers way of doing things, a company policy, I believe this is the same in all the countries Specsavers are in, but no harm to ask and confirm this yourself from your local store.

In reply to @Sallyinthesky

@Sallyinthesky said:

it’s the classic ski-slope in mild-moderate

Normally that would steer you more towards a unit in terms of the acoustics, but an in the ear can handle it with decent venting. Also if you’re buying ‘in the ear’ it will need more servicing and visits to keep clean.

You might pay more for white label versions with full Bluetooth and recharging, but they’re usually a reasonable make underneath. Though they are locked, so you’re totally tied to a company that offshores a proportion of its tax which means that money doesn’t go towards the country to pay for the NHS etc.

Not sure if the branded Signa are also locked.

In reply to @tenkan

@tenkan said:

So a saving of 3k isn’t worth it?

The difference isn’t £3K here, the Speccies price will be around that level or less and the white label option will be £800-1000 less.

The environmental cost and personal time cost of going 300 miles on a round trip - especially at this time of year - simply isn’t worth it for many people. Be aware that not everyone operates on your values.

@Sallyinthesky said:

Bluetooth snazziness but it sounds like there are lots of glitches there still anyhow

My Phonak Audéos are Bluetooth monsters- absolutely no glitches there. They also switch seamlessly to my TV streamer when needed.

Edited

In reply to @Teewens

H Teewens would you mind sharing the details?
After SSHL in my right ear, I have been fitted with an NHS Optim BTW PP, which gives some amplification and stops me “feeling deaf” but I have no voice hearing and want to try the private route to see if any more can be done and it sounds like you are in my area.

Thanks

Edited

In reply to @Keen

@Keen said:

You can park free at Cameron Toll Edinburgh, which has a Specsavers.

I think your reply was meant for me and not @Sallyinthesky thanks. I won’t use Specsavers Cameron Toll or any other branch. After 2 returns I was asked politely to go elsewhere.That was 6 or 7 years ago, so maybe they have forgiven me by now.

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