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Costco Resound Forza

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I wanted to relay my experience with Costco to the forum members and visitors. My hearing loss is at the profound level and I needed an upgrade from my rexton aids. I went to Costco, had a good hearing test. I inquired about the KS5 and was told that it wouldn’t fit my loss. The put me in a Forza. This aid is based on the Alera model. I have the 77/88 model with the high power option. I was wondering if Costco can get the 77/88 model with high power in the Verso technology. Does anyone know? I know it won’t be a KS5 but I wonder if they have the option.

I also purchased a phone clip+. I use it mainly for a remote control since I receive few cell phone calls. I do have the iPhone app which seems to have a few bugs or undocumented features. My thoughts on the Forza are as follows:

  1. Voice sounds are generally clear
  2. Certain tones like the ding dong of a doorbell is like ding feedback screech
  3. Music generally sucks with certain notes causing feedback. It sounds kind of tinny.
  4. Liked the Costco price.
  5. Liked the capabilities which I'm just starting to explore
  6. I feel the aid is a big upgrade over what I had

A couple of questions for people more familiar with resound technology
Do you think they can do anything to improve the music listening?
Can something be done about the doorbell feedback which is probably related to the above?
Does anyone use the tele-coil option? I had them disable mine as it was generally useless.

Any and all help is appreciated.

Thanks

5 people in this conversation9 min readJump to latest

Costco doesn’t sell the Verso in any form. You can stay with the Forza power or try the KS 5.0 with the high-power receiver (your loss is still within its fitting range, but just barely). ReSound is releasing a new ultra-power receiver next month but it only works with LiNX and future products; it won’t be backward compatible with Verso.

Regarding music, you can have the Music program added to one of your program slots. It has the feedback manager and noise reduction features turned off.

@cinciguy said:

I wanted to relay my experience with Costco to the forum members and visitors. My hearing loss is at the profound level and I needed an upgrade from my rexton ITC aids. I went to Costco, had a good hearing test. I inquired about the KS5 and was told that it wouldn’t fit my loss. The HIS put me in a Forza. This aid is based on the Alera model. I have the 77/88 BTE model with the high power option. I was wondering if Costco can get the 77/88 model with high power in the Verso technology. Does anyone know? I know it won’t be a KS5 but I wonder if they have the option.

I also purchased a phone clip+. I use it mainly for a remote control since I receive few cell phone calls. I do have the iPhone app which seems to have a few bugs or undocumented features. My thoughts on the Forza are as follows:

  1. Voice sounds are generally clear
  2. Certain tones like the ding dong of a doorbell is like ding feedback screech
  3. Music generally sucks with certain notes causing feedback. It sounds kind of tinny.
  4. Liked the Costco price.
  5. Liked the BT capabilities which I'm just starting to explore
  6. I feel the aid is a big upgrade over what I had

A couple of questions for people more familiar with resound technology
Do you think they can do anything to improve the music listening?
Can something be done about the doorbell feedback which is probably related to the above?
Does anyone use the tele-coil option? I had them disable mine as it was generally useless.

Any and all help is appreciated.

Thanks

I have no idea why you were told the KS5 would not be right for you. They have the high power receivers for those. I have the Resound Futures and I have found that Resound is a little conservative in their estimates, meaning you can probably use them fine, even if you were borderline on their fitting range. If it was me, I would insist on trying the KS5 with the power receivers.

You should not be getting feedback. I assume you are using power domes or a custom mold?

Hi Don. Thanks for the reply. The feedback only happens on certain notes or sounds. It’s very strange. I have custom molds. As far as why the Forza vs the KS5, I am right on the edge of the KS5 fitting range. The fitter wanted to have some room and I agree with him on this. My last aid were on the edge and I got 3 years out of it instead of my normal 5. I am a power freak when it comes to sound though. This is the first hearing aid I’ve had in some time where I’ve actually turned it down.

I was hoping someone in this forum could offer up a suggestion that I could relay to the fitter to try. I see him on Wednesday for a follow up. I’ve been keeping notes so he’ll have a bunch to read before we tweak the aids.

Thanks again.

In reply to @Don

@Don said:

I have no idea why you were told the KS5 would not be right for you. They have the high power receivers for those. I have the Resound Futures and I have found that Resound is a little conservative in their estimates, meaning you can probably use them fine, even if you were borderline on their fitting range. If it was me, I would insist on trying the KS5 with the power receivers.

You should not be getting feedback. I assume you are using power domes or a custom mold?

Don,

You said that a high power receiver is available from Costco for the KS5. Are you certain they have a high power receiver for the KS5’s? I’m getting the same negative feedback from a Costco about the KS5 and my test results. However he admitted that he did not like any of the Resound hearing aids. He stated that he had never fitted a customer with pair of them, and that he “never would”, because they “are not as good as the Rexton aids”. Then he told me he’d only fit me with the Rexton Quintra’s or Rexton Charismo’s at a cost of %$2600 + extra $$$ for the remote if I wanted it.

Admittedly, I am occasionally having to ask someone to repeat what they have said. Occurs in a high noise setting like a crowd or a restaurant, but also sometimes with women and children. My biggest issue is having to put the TV volume up to 25 when my wife is comfortable with it on 10 - 12. Truthfully, if it wasn’t for the TV issue, I don’t feel my high frequency loss would be affecting a retired guy like me enough to seek aids.

I can’t really afford to go much above the $1900 cost of the KS5’s. When I told the HIS my budget limitations, he responded, “In that case, you should just buy yourself a pair Personal Sound Amplifiers. Those will do you just as much good as the KS5’s or any other Resound product.”

If the high power receivers are somewhat capable, and they have even a possibility of helping me, I’m tempted to try to find a Costco dispenser whom I can really trust to make a legitimate effort to attempt to fit me with the KS5’s. What info do you have on the capabilities/limits of the KS5’s with the high power receivers?

i don’t think you are going to get any straight answers about the capabilities of the Kirklands for your hearing loss from anyone except your own capable and trustworthy dispenser. If you have several Costcos in your areas, shop around. I did, and finally found someone I am happy with. By the way, I talked to one Costco guy who told me that he sold nothing but Kirklands and another one that told me he had tried them both and he much preferred the Rextons. I got the Rextons and I am happy. My loss is not as severe as yours, however. There are several threads on this forum about the Kirklands and you should try searching there too. I hope you get a good answer here and that you eventually fins a HA dispenser that takes good care of you.

In reply to @Grampa

@Grampa said:

Don,

You said that a high power receiver is available from Costco for the KS5. Are you certain they have a high power receiver for the KS5’s? I’m getting the same negative feedback from a Costco HIS about the KS5 and my test results.

I tried the Rextons Cobalt and I did like those, but I’m probably going to stay with Resound next time I buy.

Here is a section from the KS562-DRW User Guide. See items 12, 13, and 14. It shows there is a Normal Power, High Power, and UP.

The link is where the picture came from. I just noticed pages 38, 39, 40, 41 where they discuss the specs for each available receiver.

Thanks a Ka-jillion Don,

Looks like you knew what you were talking about & they do have four receivers for the KS5’s. If I’m interpreting the specs. correctly, I think they may be able to marginally satisfy my needs. I’ve been somewhat unknowingly coping with my high frequency loss for several years. If the KS5’s can give me a boost in the lower frequencies and just leave my high frequency capabilities where they are, then I think I can continue to make it. I definitely am going to try to find someone at another Costco who will at least help me with a trial period on the KS5’s. Living on Social Security, its tough enough to come up with the $1899 for the Costco Signatures. I don’t see any way to come up with the $3000 they want for the Rexton Quintras and a remote.
Regards & Thanks,
Grampa

Edited

My high end is about where yours is, around 100 (haven’t updated my signature). I have the Resound HP receiver (Resound “Future”, their Alera clone) and it has plenty of power. The problem for me is that things get distorted if they are amplified too much, which is an ear problem, not an equipment problem. The HP is a 65 Db receiver and the UP is a 75 Db receiver. I started out with the receiver and switched to the HP for about $49 each at Costco. Funny that the cheapest part of the whole deal is the part that actually produces the sound.

Quick story, we had a fire drill today where I work and we had advanced notice, so I took my hearing aids out because the alarm is so loud. When it alarmed I didn’t really hear it and others told me to “come on”. Some high frequencies I don’t hear at all, or it sounds like a click. The fire alarm is loud and clear with hearing aids in.

In reply to @Grampa

@Grampa said:

Looks like you knew what you were talking about & they do have four receivers for the KS5’s. If I’m interpreting the specs. correctly, I think they may be able to marginally satisfy my needs. I’ve been somewhat unknowingly coping with my high frequency loss for several years. If the KS5’s can give me a boost in the lower frequencies and just leave my high frequency capabilities where they are, then I think I can continue to make it. I definitely am going to try to find someone at another Costco who will at least help me with a trial period on the KS5’s. Living on Social Security, its tough enough to come up with the $1899 for the Costco Signatures. I don’t see any way to come up with the $3000 they want for the Rexton Quintras and a remote.

There are only three receivers for the KS5 despite what the manual says. The UP receiver was never released, presumably due to leakage and feedback issues. It’s not practical to use that with domes or earmolds. It has to be encased in a custom shell.

Amplifying the lower frequencies will make sounds louder but not clearer, so your speech understanding may not be improved. I think you would be better served by hearing aids which contain capabilities. You should be able to find someone who’s willing to fit you with lower-priced instruments (under $2400) that still have frequency compression, like the Phonak Q30 or Siemens Orion.

Rasmus,

Thanks for your input. I do value it, and respect your knowledge greatly. Just did some preliminary checking and even on the internet (Hearing Planet) they want $3800 + a $600 fitting fee for a pair of the Siemens Orion’s. That is totally out of the question for me, so I’ll keep on looking. Maybe someone has them cheaper, we’ll see. Believe me, I understand that if I really want aids tailored to do all they can for me, then capabilities are probably the only way to go. However, at this time, I believe I have two issues preventing me going that way:

  1. Limited funds for the purchase
  2. I have read that a new user will have a much harder time attempting to adapt if the aids perform a frequency lowering function.

I would be sick if I somehow managed to squeeze our budget tight enough to save up for the higher priced aids, and due to me having a hard time adjusting, they ended up sitting in a drawer. What has been your experience with the second issue; are freq. lowering aids harder for a new user to adapt to?

As for my word recognition ability, the Costco I went to didn’t even test me for speech recognition. He just told me that with my , I couldn’t possibly be getting good word recognition. However, at the present time, my wife & I agree; I don’t seem to be having too much trouble with that yet. Right now I seem to be having more volume related issues than anything. Maybe I have gotten adapted to not hearing the higher freq. and my brain has been somehow making up for it. Maybe I’m unknowingly lip reading, but I don’t think so. If I turn up the TV volume enough (uncomfortable level for my wife), I do understand extremely well. Even on commercials where there are no lips to read.

Regards & Thanks,
Grampa

@Grampa said:

Just did some preliminary checking and even on the internet (Hearing Planet) they want $3800 + a $600 fitting fee for a pair of the Siemens Orion’s. That is totally out of the question for me, so I’ll keep on looking.

HearingPlanet prices are way too high. You can get much better pricing if you contact your local audiologists directly. The Phonak Q30 can be had for $1200/each, probably less if you negotiate. They only cost your audi $350/each. The time it takes to relearn new sounds varies from person to person, but the compression can be reduced or even turned off completely, so I think there’s little chance the hearing aids will end up sitting in your drawer unused.

Rasmus,
Thanks for the information. I have an appt. set-up for 3/31 with a local audi. who dispenses the Phonak Q30’s. I spent about 1/2 hr. talking to him this week, and he seems to be very competent & someone with whom I can build a relationship. He did tell me that he would be unable to compete with Costco KS 5’s from a price standpoint, but he didn’t give me a firm figure either. Hopefully, it won’t be too much greater. My budget for a set of aids is extremely limited, & in this economy, it looks like it will continue to be that way for the foreseeable future. I do really appreciate you pointing me in the right direction, & will hopefully be able to give them a trial soon.

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