As is often the case, there is a mixture of truth and manipulation in DD’s post further above concerning dementia:
“hearing loss causes dementia and cause the brain to shrink. the brands that connect directly to iphone tend to have some of the worst specifications in the business, so you will be sacrificing a lot.”
A Google search will tell you there are studies “out there” concerning a relationship between untreated hearing loss and dementia. The balance of the comment is manipulation to frighten you away from the KS6, as DD does not approve of it and it will lead to accelerated dementia.
As is often the case, there is a mixture of truth and manipulation in DD’s post above:
“hearing loss causes dementia and cause the brain to shrink. the brands that connect directly to iphone tend to have some of the worst specifications in the business, so you will be sacrificing a lot.”
A Google search will tell you there are studies “out there” concerning a relationship between untreated hearing loss and dementia. The balance of the comment is manipulation to frighten you away from the KS6, as DD does not approve of it and it will lead to accelerated dementia.
I am not sure you are being helpful here at all. I think you like to stir the pot with all this. Please move on.
Resturant doesn’t have as much noise suppression as does party. Music turn off noise suppression or reduces it considerably; compression has a similar reduction. That allows clear or sustained notes to avoid suppression.
You want to use the party in any noisy situation. Car noise is an example where party might help. If it seems too restrictive you could add or change it to restaurant or something in between.
I just don’t get the iPhone thing… it’s no good for hands free calling and doesn’t do anything for TV… it seem to take more screwing around with than the aids.
I am not sure you are being helpful here at all. I think you like to stir the pot with all this. Please move on.
Goosebumps, you obviously are not familiar with DD at all. Talk about stirring the pot, DD is the one doing so. He does not use Resound at all, does not like Resound at all, and should not even be posting his negativity in this forum. But he persists in doing so.
As for the iPhone, it will last for years. If you cannot upgrade your older phone’s OS, it may be a limitation of the cut-rate service you are using. I stepped up from an iPhone 5 to a 6 Plus because I wanted to. My wife took my iPhone 5 and uses it for streaming music now. It still works, or would if she had not bought her own iPhone 6 and had the phone function disabled. The reason for upgrading smart phones though is for the upgraded hardware, newer, faster chipsets, and new chips offering more functionality that requires those newer chips. The KS6’s are basically designed to work with the iPhones and the newer iPhone totally support the KS6 with their integrated apps … like the controls to triple-click on the Home button to bring up a hearing aid control panel which includes using the phone as a for the aids and separate volume controls for hearing aid mic volume and Bluetooth volume.
As for DD’s mention of dementia, I think that is his own dementia speaking, or his for whatever reason for hating Resound. NO, I am not stirring the pot, just setting the contents straight
By the way, any other smartphone would be just as limited in functionality if the hardware (chips) do not provide support for the newer OS features.
Goosebumps, you obviously are not familiar with DD at all. Talk about stirring the pot, DD is the one doing so. He does not use Resound at all, does not like Resound at all, and should not even be posting his negativity in this forum. But he persists in doing so.
As for the iPhone, it will last for years. If you cannot upgrade your older phone’s OS, it may be a limitation of the cut-rate service you are using. I stepped up from an iPhone 5 to a 6 Plus because I wanted to. My wife took my iPhone 5 and uses it for streaming music now. It still works, or would if she had not bought her own iPhone 6 and had the phone function disabled. The reason for upgrading smart phones though is for the upgraded hardware, newer, faster chipsets, and new chips offering more functionality that requires those newer chips. The KS6’s are basically designed to work with the iPhones and the newer iPhone totally support the KS6 with their integrated apps … like the controls to triple-click on the Home button to bring up a hearing aid control panel which includes using the phone as a remote microphone for the aids and separate volume controls for hearing aid mic volume and Bluetooth volume.
As for DD’s mention of dementia, I think that is his own dementia speaking, or his for whatever reason for hating Resound. NO, I am not stirring the pot, just setting the contents straight
Thanks Neilk. I am not sure what to make of some of these posts and really don’t have back ground on the posters to judge well. I think I misunderstood what is going on here. I have made an appt with Costco to get more answers.
I did wonder if it was the carrier with the OS but it is not. Apple just decides to lock them up when they want to push folks to new models as the newer models come out. Really upsets a lot of folks on this. Yes I get the upgrade angle on this with chipset etc. But some things like the keyboard app doesn’t need chipset upgrade with iPhone 4.
So since you bought your KS6 have you had any software upgrades since you installed it that you can recall? Yes I have read about the triple click in the posts here and some say it is a plus. I am not sure yet.
I made an appt to go in to get tested for free at Costco since I am a member and to check the KS6 and try it and to ask more specific questions on phone app issues and alternatives other than iPhone. I am also curious to see if the Rexton Trax 42 and the Bernafpn Juna7 are worthwhile too. I am in no hurry and if something else works better that may cost a bit more I am willing to wait and buy them.
Thanks for your response. I think I really need to try them out and ask the technician at Costco specific questions.
… I think I really need to try them out and ask the technician at Costco specific questions.
Hi Goosebumps, I’m new too and got mine from Costco 10 days ago. I demoed in the store the Rexton Trax42 and the KS-6 and picked the Trax42. I have an iPhone-3, and got from Costco the remote for free. The audiologist said that as part of their offer they have to give one gadget away, so it is either the battery charger or the remote. I hope that my experience helps.
As I have mentioned before, the first audi I tried gave me quite a song and dance about how doing nothing about bad hearing increases the risk of dementia (Alzheimer’s). She gave me copies of studies which seem to support this. No, I don’t still have them. I tossed everything after deciding against those aids and that audi. Unfortunately for her, I understand the difference between increased risk and you’re going to get it and was not properly terrified. However, I am willing to believe that the part of the brain that interprets sound also does other things and ignoring hearing problems may adversely affect that part of the brain enough to increase risk of other problems.
Hi Goosebumps, I’m new too and got mine from Costco 10 days ago. I demoed in the store the Rexton Trax42 and the KS-6 and picked the Trax42. I have an iPhone-3, and got from Costco the remote for free. The audiologist said that as part of their offer they have to give one gadget away, so it is either the battery charger or the remote. I hope that my experience helps.
Good to know about the free gadget to ask for. I am adding to my list of questions for Saturday. Thanks for responding.
Thanks Doc Jake. I really like the idea of rechargeable batteries as far as waste is concerned. I will add your two recommendations to my list for Saturday.
As I have mentioned before, the first audi I tried gave me quite a song and dance about how doing nothing about bad hearing increases the risk of dementia (Alzheimer’s). She gave me copies of studies which seem to support this. No, I don’t still have them. I tossed everything after deciding against those aids and that audi. Unfortunately for her, I understand the difference between increased risk and you’re going to get it and was not properly terrified. However, I am willing to believe that the part of the brain that interprets sound also does other things and ignoring hearing problems may adversely affect that part of the brain enough to increase risk of other problems.
Well I really don’t know what I can do about it now besides getting now. I agree no way of telling if it is a direct cause or rather another effect from genetics or environment etc. I am not terrified at all. I can only do what I can do is all and I really need to be able to hear better. I guess I was having a hard time navigating who are the audio trolls with all this.
Thanks Neilk. I am not sure what to make of some of these posts and really don’t have back ground on the posters to judge well. I think I misunderstood what is going on here. I have made an appt with Costco to get more answers.
I did wonder if it was the carrier with the OS but it is not. Apple just decides to lock them up when they want to push folks to new models as the newer models come out. Really upsets a lot of folks on this. Yes I get the upgrade angle on this with chipset etc. But some things like the keyboard app doesn’t need chipset upgrade with iPhone 4.
So since you bought your KS6 have you had any software upgrades since you installed it that you can recall? Yes I have read about the triple click in the posts here and some say it is a plus. I am not sure yet.
I made an appt to go in to get tested for free at Costco since I am a member and to check the KS6 and try it and to ask more specific questions on phone app issues and alternatives other than iPhone. I am also curious to see if the Rexton Trax 42 and the Bernafpn Juna7 are worthwhile too. I am in no hurry and if something else works better that may cost a bit more I am willing to wait and buy them.
Thanks for your response. I think I really need to try them out and ask the technician at Costco specific questions.
Goosebumps, definitely try them out and see which aid best fits your needs and desires. I had the top of the line Phonaks before this, $8,000 worth for the aids, remote control, and the iCom Bluetooth adapter. I loved them for quite a while, until they started breaking down pretty regularly. As my wife’s insurance coverage stopped the $5,000 every 3 years towards new aids, I saw the Costco price on the KS6’s, read lots of reviews on them wherever I could find them online, even tried the Rexton Trax 42 first when the Costco I went to was pushing them. To me they sounded extremely tinny, like the small speakers that hearing aids are. My previous phonaks though had a full richer sound that I loved. These KS6’s don’t sound as pleasant as the Phonaks, but sound a lot better to me than the Trax 42 did. I will say this though, the who was pushing the Trax did not know what she was doing and she was rushed. The next Costco I went to had a guy who took his time, was really good, more realistic. He loves the KS6 and said that he cannot make the tinniness go away on the Trax but would let me try them if I wanted to. I wasn’t looking to spend $1,000 more on aids that didn’t sound good to me though and that had less features.
I only recently turned to Apple, was a PC man for 20+ years … professionally, and swore I’d never switch. The iPhone 5 was my first smartphone, and I loved it. And went on to an iMac, the Apple TV, and now am waiting the release of the 2nd version of the Apple Watch. I passed on the first because of the price and wanted to ensure they worked before spending that much. I am a power user, no question, love my technology, from my home theater system, computer home network, to car radio … and install Microsoft servers for a living. So yes, I am game for the latest and greatest, but also understand the relationship between chipsets, CPU’s, OS’s, and features. The iPhone 4 is more limited than later models due to its chipset. As time goes on, improvements come out, and they require hardware upgrades as well as software upgrades. I’ll stick with the iPhone 6Plus as long as I can, may not even upgrade unless absolutely necessary, but do it see being capable for a few more years at least.
I think you will find a lot of good people here on the forums. I have been around here quite a few years myself, having started with the Phonak boards. I think the warning signs to watch for though are the posters that are always negative and especially those that post outside the forum of what they themselves use. No hearing aid can replace your normal hearing, but a well programmed one can make life way better. The programmer I found at my local Costco is one of those great ones who knows his stuff and worked magic the first time he set my KS6’s up. He really impressed me. But watch for those who are nothing but negative, it’s not a perfect world out there, but there is no need to be completely negative either. Read all of the boards when looking for aids, see what people who have them say about them, look at the problems reported, and look at the good posts. But keep in mind that any aid is personal experience and is based on the programmer more than anything else. I had an doctor tell me as much. He said the virtually same Resound model to the KS6 was $4,500 by him, and that to make sure I had a good programmer wherever I bought them. He did not put Costco down at all, unlike some people here.
Goosebumps, definitely try them out and see which aid best fits your needs and desires. I had the top of the line Phonaks before this, $8,000 worth for the aids, remote control, and the iCom Bluetooth adapter. I loved them for quite a while, until they started breaking down pretty regularly. As my wife’s insurance coverage stopped the $5,000 every 3 years towards new aids, I saw the Costco price on the KS6’s, read lots of reviews on them wherever I could find them online, even tried the Rexton Trax 42 first when the Costco I went to was pushing them. To me they sounded extremely tinny, like the small speakers that hearing aids are. My previous phonaks though had a full richer sound that I loved. These KS6’s don’t sound as pleasant as the Phonaks, but sound a lot better to me than the Trax 42 did. I will say this though, the HIS who was pushing the Trax did not know what she was doing and she was rushed. The next Costco I went to had a guy who took his time, was really good, more realistic. He loves the KS6 and said that he cannot make the tinniness go away on the Trax but would let me try them if I wanted to. I wasn’t looking to spend $1,000 more on aids that didn’t sound good to me though and that had less features.
I only recently turned to Apple, was a PC man for 20+ years … professionally, and swore I’d never switch. The iPhone 5 was my first smartphone, and I loved it. And went on to an iMac, the Apple TV, and now am waiting the release of the 2nd version of the Apple Watch. I passed on the first because of the price and wanted to ensure they worked before spending that much. I am a power user, no question, love my technology, from my home theater system, computer home network, to car radio … and install Microsoft servers for a living. So yes, I am game for the latest and greatest, but also understand the relationship between chipsets, CPU’s, OS’s, and features. The iPhone 4 is more limited than later models due to its chipset. As time goes on, improvements come out, and they require hardware upgrades as well as software upgrades. I’ll stick with the iPhone 6Plus as long as I can, may not even upgrade unless absolutely necessary, but do it see being capable for a few more years at least.
I think you will find a lot of good people here on the forums. I have been around here quite a few years myself, having started with the Phonak boards. I think the warning signs to watch for though are the posters that are always negative and especially those that post outside the forum of what they themselves use. No hearing aid can replace your normal hearing, but a well programmed one can make life way better. The programmer I found at my local Costco is one of those great ones who knows his stuff and worked magic the first time he set my KS6’s up. He really impressed me. But watch for those who are nothing but negative, it’s not a perfect world out there, but there is no need to be completely negative either. Read all of the boards when looking for aids, see what people who have them say about them, look at the problems reported, and look at the good posts. But keep in mind that any aid is personal experience and is based on the programmer more than anything else. I had an ENT doctor tell me as much. He said the virtually same Resound model to the KS6 was $4,500 by him, and that to make sure I had a good programmer wherever I bought them. He did not put Costco down at all, unlike some people here.
Wow Neil that was the kind of feedback I was looking for. I am a techie and at age 40 many years ago I took Comptia A+ class to over come my fear of the box. Needless to say I was the only woman and the only person over the age of 21. What I learned is no one knows it all and what you learn is how to approach issues. I didn’t know all the acronyms but I can tear down and rebuild a box faster than any guy and have plenty of time to help the boys. I repair or replace all hardware and buy all technology for my family. I also volunteered for years at school district to provide support. So I have a better than average understanding of technology. I make sure we have better approach to our technology as well at home with everything. I am a PC person myself and family tech support. If I had dementia I don’t think I could do anywhere near what I do. I get very annoyed with the way these tech companies treat consumers. I think we all should get better. I also make digital products too. I was looking exactly at iphone 6+ if in fact I was going that route but I am very skiddish about how Apple locks up the phones when it wants to introduce new model. That rubs me the wrong way. I like to put my money towards a company that does no evil. I just don’t know if Apple can be trusted to do the right thing for me. Dealing with their tech support was just awful too. I really want to see what all my options are and how good the technology is that supports these . I do think my expectations of what HAs can actually provide will be a bit of a disappointment but have to do something to hopefully stop the worsening of my ability to make out the beginning of words with people. I can not afford to be buying different ones in a year or two. This pair is going to have to last longer than that and should. It is hard for me to believe that chipset comes anywhere near the cost of these aids. I also do not have insurance that has HA coverage. I made sure when the census came by this year I put down I needed HAs for what it is worth to be counted on this. I think it is ridiculous that I get eye glasses coverage but no HA coverage.
I read the reviews on the android app and people are pissed there is no streaming and I hate the way this sets consumers up with poor choices. I am disappointed with Resound for making that choice. But I am equally disappointed that Costco rubber stamped this approach too.
Not sure I need streaming so much if the sound isn’t so great with the HAs. Might do better using my Sansa for music and ear buds but my Sansa just gathers dust so not critical to me. Streaming from my tv may not be that great either since I will want the lower sounds from THX tv speakers anyways. So not sure I need that either. If I get a better android phone than the crappy iphone 4 speakers I might not need to stream my phone calls either with my HAs. I know it is easier just to pull the trigger on an iphone 6+ but at this point I am not sure I would be spending my money appropriately. I will need to kick the tires at Costco and test out the clip and the iphone to see if it is all that. It takes a lot to impress me since I have to be careful with my money. I would love to love Apple but every time I start considering it I hit a wall with some practice they do and it rubs me the wrong way and I just can’t buy into it. I am a hands on person and like the idea of having more control. Not to say MS is my first choice either but the lesser of the evils since open source is just too frustrating to deal with. I love the concept, it is the delivery I have a big problem with.
I am trying to figure out what other questions I need to be asking. I don’t understand this enough yet to ask them to where I am confident about how to track this. I think next Saturday with Costco will begin the process of understanding it better. I may go back and try other technicians to see if that store has anyone who can dial this in for me. But I am going to be a hard sell I think.
Do you have a clip and does it have the same functions as the iphone app?
though a bit off-topic, I´d like to add that with a hearing loss like yours (which is not very different from mine) you should expect to understand phone, tv and everything else without the need of any additional gadgets. If I were you, I´d concentrate on the best aid for your hearing and leave aside the phone-aspect.
You will surely get an open fitting, and with an open fitting, streaming for music will sound pretty bad anyway, because you don´t have any bass.
Don´t get me wrong, streaming and all that stuff is pretty amazing, but I´m quite sure that you won´t need it.
No you are completely on topic. That is what I was hoping for but had no idea if that was possible. Good to hear (pun intended) from someone with similar hearing loss. I think this approach might help me mentally with the transition to bionic ears if I have normal sounds mixed in. The only other feature I would love with these is if they would translate foreign languages ; ) Thanks for responding Musician that was great feedback.
NW Indiana
Wales, UK