Costco Kirkland Signature 6.0

@rasmus_braun said:

According to previous posts, hmcewin purchased the KS6 in April, prior to the release of the Trax 42. It has nothing to do with stock.

You are correct. The KS 6 aids had just become available at my Costco in early April when I ordered them. Trax 42 had not been released.

Hi firstly let me apologise for thislong winded post. Please bear with me; I think you will all find thisinteresting. I recently had the opportunity to trial someof the very top end (and some of the so called budget versions) of aids from2-3 manufacturers. All at the same time, place and conditions, thought i wouldshare my experience. Main reason for doing this was to see if steppingup from the Resound Verso’s to the new Linx2’s and or changing to othermanufacturers, could i get any worthwhileimprovement with speech in sound. Was it really going to be worth spending extramonies to get that improvement? I have already spouted on in the forumshow we in the UK have to pay up to 4 times the cost of the same aids in the US,so let’s not go there. I had to pay £3500 for my current pair of Verso’s (around$7000). Now they sell the Linx2’s for £2800, ba-humbug.This is a short term test and tomake sure all were on as equal footing as possible, all aids (apart from myverso’s) were new out of the box. All set up to the same audiogram “mine” (ieven reset my hand tuned Resound Verso’s to manufactures first fit for a week,before these tests, to make it fair. Allaids were installed with similar or the (same in some cases) receiver RIE size3 standard or S receivers, with 10mm open domes. All were set up by the same experienceaudiologist (after performing the vast array of tests on me (their newcustomer). We had never met. All i will say is Cost-Co in Farnborough rocks. Testing carried out at the tillsand around the food hall, where most variations in noise and peoples speech waspresent.Remember this is a perceivedperformance test and not necessarily very scientific, it is relevant to myparticular hearing audiology and performance.However it does relate to a realperson, in a real environments, with a real hearing loss and real lifesituations / noise. Aids and perceived performance, was found to be as followsMy original aids - Resound verso’s961’s as a standard to compare other by. I have been complaining that these strugglewith speech in sound (especially in noisy environments). Resound Verso 961 - With low backgroundnoises, low, medium and high sounds mainly very natural. Tills alarms, highpitches sounds people close by talking, generally very natural with speechreasonably clear. However as background level increased, or more than oneperson spoke at the same time, i found it harder and harder to understand theirspeech. Loud low level noises, seem toflood out the higher speech, with F’s and S’s disappearing completely and lowervowels becoming blurred, to the point it was hard to comprehend anyone, otherthan someone very close and load.Kirkland KS6 – Virtually the sameas my Verso’s, apart from some a very small amount of background noise. Alittle hissy sounding on my own voice. Other than that they performed as goodas my Verso’s. Good news is they are considerably cheaper than my Versos. Trax42 – compared to the Verso’s,generally the quality of sound was richer, with mid tones being much fuller (morelike i used to hear). I would compare this to the difference in sound between vinylrecords and CD’s. High pitched sounds were a little brighter, but certainly notharsh. Speech in sound was clear and it not flood out so much, as thebackground level increased. Only when a set of had driers in the toilets cameon (with doors open) did they finally give up and all I could hear was thedriers. Overall I would say they performed better than the Verso’s, especiallywith speech in sound. As a point to note these cost less than price of my Verso’s.Linx2’s – Virtually identical tothe Trax42’s, possibly a little better on speech clarity (in very quietmoments). Definitely better at speech in sound than the Verso’s. Overall performanceI found to be almost identical to the Trax42’s, however these cost twice asmuch. Phonak Biro’s – on putting thesein i was immediacy taken back by the harsh high pitched level of noise. Allhigh noises were painful to the ears and low pitch sounds were nonexistent. Ireturned to the audiologist who changed the receivers, domes and did a refit tothe original audiology. This was a little better and reduced the high pitched squeals.However on test there was little improvement in sound quality, trolleyscrashing together were high pitched and painful. Tills beeping were highpitched stabbing points of sound. Speech was clear but over processed andclipping, especially when someone talked loudly or was very high pitched. Inall I could only stand these in for 5 minutes on each occasion. I tried 5 or 6 times,each with the same harsh results. Overall i would say these are pitched way toohigh for the standard audiogram. They sounded like someone had tuned the baseall the way down and the treble and volume all the way up, on a poor qualitytransistor radio. They might be ok forsomeone less concerning or with a more severe loss, but certainly not for me. Overall I would say the Trax out performed everythingexcept the Linx2. However the Linx2’s costs more than double that of the Trax.If you do not need to programme yourself, it’s a no brainer. All out performedthe Phonax, which in my opinion is only fit for the bin. If you are on a tight budget, then save up forthe Trax42 or the KS6. Yes it’s all a matter of opinion, and what is good forone is not the same for another. What i will say is find yourself a good audiologistwho will spend the time to explain and work with you.Regards Ian

@hmcewin said:

You are correct. The KS 6 aids had just become available at my Costco in early April when I ordered them. Trax 42 had not been released.

@KipinTacoma said:

Really like the no-cost 2 loss and user damage warranty as this is what normally do to heading aids.

Does your post mean that Costco has a loss warranty? If so, how do I get details?

Two days ago, I lost my KS-5 aids while hiking. (I’d put them in my pocket because of wind noise.)

Thanks.
Fred

There’s a 24 month no deductible one time loss warranty. Just go to Costco and get them replaced at no cost to you. The replacement aids will be covered under the remainder of the 36 month warranty period. It’s stated on the paperwork you received when you got the aids.

@jay_man2 said:

Let us know how it goes. I’d be curious to know if they replace them with KS5s or the KS6, which was released in April. The KS 5 is based on the ReSound Verso platform, and the KS6 is based on the ReSound Linx. It’s $100 cheaper, but doesn’t include the remote.

Do you have TV Streamers? The KS5 should work with the Streamer or Streamer 2, but the KS6 only works with the Streamer 2.

Hi Jay,

Yesterday I went to the local Costco store to sign a paper stating that I’d lost my aids. The lady there said I’d get replacement KS-5 aids (same as I had) and that it would take a few days. I was told to bring the remote when I pick up the aids because they would use it to set the programs on the replacements.

I have no streamers nor have I tried bluetooth. I simply use the aids to help my hearing which had degraded several years ago but took a big hit in 2013 when I had chemotherapy for leukemia. (The chemo also seems to have caused nerve damage in my feet but at least that and a bone marrow stem cell transplant seem to have taken care of the leukemia.)

Fred

@Ian_brittain said:

Hi firstly let me apologise for thislong winded post. Please bear with me; I think you will all find thisinteresting. I recently had the opportunity to trial someof the very top end (and some of the so called budget versions) of aids from2-3 manufacturers. All at the same time, place and conditions, thought i wouldshare my experience. Main reason for doing this was to see if steppingup from the Resound Verso’s to the new Linx2’s and or changing to othermanufacturers, could i get any worthwhileimprovement with speech in sound. Was it really going to be worth spending extramonies to get that improvement? I have already spouted on in the forumshow we in the UK have to pay up to 4 times the cost of the same aids in the US,so let’s not go there. I had to pay £3500 for my current pair of Verso’s (around$7000). Now they sell the Linx2’s for £2800, ba-humbug.This is a short term test and tomake sure all were on as equal footing as possible, all aids (apart from myverso’s) were new out of the box. All set up to the same audiogram “mine” (ieven reset my hand tuned Resound Verso’s to manufactures first fit for a week,before these tests, to make it fair. Allaids were installed with similar or the (same in some cases) receiver RIE size3 standard or S receivers, with 10mm open domes. All were set up by the same experienceaudiologist (after performing the vast array of tests on me (their newcustomer). We had never met. All i will say is Cost-Co in Farnborough rocks. Testing carried out at the tillsand around the food hall, where most variations in noise and peoples speech waspresent.Remember this is a perceivedperformance test and not necessarily very scientific, it is relevant to myparticular hearing audiology and performance.However it does relate to a realperson, in a real environments, with a real hearing loss and real lifesituations / noise. Aids and perceived performance, was found to be as followsMy original aids - Resound verso’s961’s as a standard to compare other by. I have been complaining that these strugglewith speech in sound (especially in noisy environments). Resound Verso 961 - With low backgroundnoises, low, medium and high sounds mainly very natural. Tills alarms, highpitches sounds people close by talking, generally very natural with speechreasonably clear. However as background level increased, or more than oneperson spoke at the same time, i found it harder and harder to understand theirspeech. Loud low level noises, seem toflood out the higher speech, with F’s and S’s disappearing completely and lowervowels becoming blurred, to the point it was hard to comprehend anyone, otherthan someone very close and load.Kirkland KS6 – Virtually the sameas my Verso’s, apart from some a very small amount of background noise. Alittle hissy sounding on my own voice. Other than that they performed as goodas my Verso’s. Good news is they are considerably cheaper than my Versos. Trax42 – compared to the Verso’s,generally the quality of sound was richer, with mid tones being much fuller (morelike i used to hear). I would compare this to the difference in sound between vinylrecords and CD’s. High pitched sounds were a little brighter, but certainly notharsh. Speech in sound was clear and it not flood out so much, as thebackground level increased. Only when a set of had driers in the toilets cameon (with doors open) did they finally give up and all I could hear was thedriers. Overall I would say they performed better than the Verso’s, especiallywith speech in sound. As a point to note these cost less than price of my Verso’s.Linx2’s – Virtually identical tothe Trax42’s, possibly a little better on speech clarity (in very quietmoments). Definitely better at speech in sound than the Verso’s. Overall performanceI found to be almost identical to the Trax42’s, however these cost twice asmuch. Phonak Biro’s – on putting thesein i was immediacy taken back by the harsh high pitched level of noise. Allhigh noises were painful to the ears and low pitch sounds were nonexistent. Ireturned to the audiologist who changed the receivers, domes and did a refit tothe original audiology. This was a little better and reduced the high pitched squeals.However on test there was little improvement in sound quality, trolleyscrashing together were high pitched and painful. Tills beeping were highpitched stabbing points of sound. Speech was clear but over processed andclipping, especially when someone talked loudly or was very high pitched. Inall I could only stand these in for 5 minutes on each occasion. I tried 5 or 6 times,each with the same harsh results. Overall i would say these are pitched way toohigh for the standard audiogram. They sounded like someone had tuned the baseall the way down and the treble and volume all the way up, on a poor qualitytransistor radio. They might be ok forsomeone less concerning or with a more severe loss, but certainly not for me.Overall I would say the Trax out performed everythingexcept the Linx2. However the Linx2’s costs more than double that of the Trax.If you do not need to programme yourself, it’s a no brainer. All out performedthe Phonax, which in my opinion is only fit for the bin. If you are on a tight budget, then save up forthe Trax42 or the KS6. Yes it’s all a matter of opinion, and what is good forone is not the same for another. What i will say is find yourself a good audiologistwho will spend the time to explain and work with you.Regards Ian

[quote=hmcewin;127182]You are correct. The KS 6 aids had just become available at my Costco in early April when I ordered them. Trax 42 had not been released.

[/quote]

I have worn Phonak aids for around 23 years. Your description and experience of the Phonak aids do not match mine. Phonak aids have outperformed all other aids I have trialed in 23 years, including Oticon and Bernafon.

I strongly suspect that your experience with the aids is not indicative of the quality of what Phonak has to offer because they were not programmed correctly to your audiogram. That is not an assignment of blame, but a defence of the Phonak aids.

I swear by Phonak, and I can personally testify that my hearing has improved in several orders of magnitude since being fit with CIC Phonak Solana with an SP chip. The clarity is exceptional, and I have none of the problems that your are reporting.

I have seen many other similar testaments that would also highlight that your experience is an exception.

@FredO said:

Hi Jay,

Yesterday I went to the local Costco store to sign a paper stating that I’d lost my aids. The lady there said I’d get replacement KS-5 aids (same as I had) and that it would take a few days. I was told to bring the remote when I pick up the aids because they would use it to set the programs on the replacements.

Fred

Today my replacement aids arrived at the local Costco. They are KS 5, same as I lost. Now I can hear better, again.

Thanks again Jay for your advice.

Fred

@Dollar_Bill said:

Have had the KS6 for about a week. Connected to my iPhone 6, they work very well! Better hearing and word recognition than the kS5, definitely better. Wife says I hear and understand her like never before. I do wish that I could use the streaming with the iPhone in my pocket, but need to hold it close to my mouth. Maybe the KS7 will correct this. Batteries have lasted about a week and still going strong.

I, as well as many others here, have had excellent results in all aspects from the KS6 model. There are many gotcha’s when it comes to streaming. Are you using current IOS9? There was a recent update to the “Kirkland Signature Choice” apt. Suggest that you ask your audiologist about the problem.

Thanks for the replies. All in all I am very happy with the KS6. Markedly better than the KS5. I may try the phone clip, but was not happy with the pendant/clip that came as an extra cost with the KS5. Wind noise and the hollowness of a speaker phone sound.

I like very much that the KS6 streams to my iPhone without an intermediary device. So far it IS a keeper. My KS5 HAs were still in warranty. One of them failed and I am having both checked out and rebuilt as needed.

@Dollar_Bill said:

…I may try the phone clip, but was not happy with the pendant/clip that came as an extra cost with the KS5.

One and the same.

@Dollar_Bill said:

Have had the KS6 for about a week. Connected to my iPhone 6, they work very well! Better hearing and word recognition than the kS5, definitely better. Wife says I hear and understand her like never before. I do wish that I could use the streaming with the iPhone in my pocket, but need to hold it close to my mouth. Maybe the KS7 will correct this. Batteries have lasted about a week and still going strong.

I have the KS6 and iPhone 6 also and I just need to keep the phone near when on a call. If I have a shirt with pockets I just put phone in upside down and it works fine. If at my computer I just set the phone down next to keyboard and it works fine and I can take a call. They hear me fine.

@Dollar_Bill said:

Have had the KS6 for about a week. Connected to my iPhone 6, they work very well! Better hearing and word recognition than the kS5, definitely better. Wife says I hear and understand her like never before. I do wish that I could use the streaming with the iPhone in my pocket, but need to hold it close to my mouth. Maybe the KS7 will correct this. Batteries have lasted about a week and still going strong.

iOS9 solved this problem completely for me. The iPhone6+ is on my belt.
good luck

I was fitted with KS6 at Costco yesterday and am very happy with them so far. I noticed that they came with a soft case and a hard case and was wondering if both of these are intended to be used for storage of the hearing aids? I thought they might be kind of tight for the tubes and possibly bend them out of shape. If someone could please answer this for me, I would appreciate it. Thanks

I’ve never really used either the hard or soft cases that come with aids. I don’t take them out during the day and they go in a dryer can at night.

The wires can/do take a fair amount of abuse. I think the soft case would be handy with a women’s purse. Putting it in a pants pocket might stress things a bit. A shirt pocket should be fine. The hard case seems appropriate for night storage but I use a dryer instead.