Costco KS7 user experience

Agree that there’s a lot of marketing hype. I think it was Corona who referred to all of the “magical features” that were claimed. I also agree that they are expensive, but they are pretty sophisticated. Besides amplification, you have two computers that communicate wirelessly with each other, determine your listening environment and make frequent changes to allow you to hear better. There’s stuff on one of these threads that has some screen shots from Corona that show different programming options for KS7. I’d encourage you take a look if you’re interested in KS7. Any problem finding it, go ahead and PM me. For that matter, I’d encourage taking a look at programming software for any hearing aid your considering. As far as I know, looking at the software is the only way to truly know what options are available. Corona’s hearing loss was similar to yours except that you have more high frequency loss. Was quite happy with KS7s.

@jtl said:

MDB, I am going to for sure trial the KS7 toward the end of my Brios 2 trial. I am still not sure if the KS7 is a Rexton or a Primax 7px. I like my current HA’s as far as HA’s go but if I can save some $$ I will. Way too much marketing hype with these products. In one form or another they are all amplifiers. Expensive amplifiers. Some even suggest they are “rewiring” the brain to hear better.

— Updated —

Agree that there’s a lot of marketing hype. I think it was Corona who referred to all of the “magical features” that were claimed. I also agree that they are expensive, but they are pretty sophisticated. Besides amplification, you have two computers that communicate wirelessly with each other, determine your listening environment and make frequent changes to allow you to hear better. There’s stuff on one of these threads that has some screen shots from Corona that show different programming options for KS7. I’d encourage you take a look if you’re interested in KS7. Any problem finding it, go ahead and PM me. For that matter, I’d encourage taking a look at programming software for any hearing aid your considering. As far as I know, looking at the software is the only way to truly know what options are available. Corona’s hearing loss was similar to yours except that you have more high frequency loss. Was quite happy with KS7s.

@jtl said:

MDB, I am going to for sure trial the KS7 toward the end of my Brios 2 trial. I am still not sure if the KS7 is a Rexton or a Primax 7px. I like my current HA’s as far as HA’s go but if I can save some $$ I will. Way too much marketing hype with these products. In one form or another they are all amplifiers. Expensive amplifiers. Some even suggest they are “rewiring” the brain to hear better.

Recently was fitted with a set of KS7 and have used them during business travel (airlines) and other environments with a large number of individuals and noise. I’m very satisfied with how the hearing aids are working when picking out who is talking to me versus a bunch of background talkers. Sometimes have to move to noise/party program, but very happy.

Eventually may add the Smart Connect device, but I’m trying to locate more reviews on it’s use and how it sounds for streamed calls and music.

Impressed with Costco. Had my 2 week follow up and as it’s mostly higher frequency hearing loss the smart connect was not recommended. I explained that I have some environments where it’s hard to hear the phone conversations without blocking the other ear. He provided me an Xphone program and showed me how to use the magnet on my smartphone so that the call is heard in both ears. Very clear and works great! I already had hands free in the car and a bone conductive headset, so the smart connect would have been redundant. You know that you are treated well when you get excellent free follow up service and a recommendation to save money.

Found this thread thanks to z10user2. I have been using KS7 for close to a month now and want to learn more. This thread discusses many KS7 programs. Costco never discussed any with me except for automatic I guess. I am making notes and will ask next time I’m back at Costco.

Look at fredo’s audiogram his classical music days are behind him.

Don’t be such a damn stick in the mud. We had this discussion about a year ago with another classical music fan. It’s not gone, it’s just different. I’m sure that when we go to a concert, my wife is hearing something different than I am, but I am still enjoying myself.

OK, his classical music days will no longer be the classical music days he remembers!

Sometimes you need to face reality…

@TomL44039 said:

I have the headphones, do you have or can you recommend a portable equalizer?

I’m sorry…I don’t understand your use of the term “portable equalizer” in this context.

So I’ll explain at length what I do. Ignore at your pleasure.
I got the KS7’s and had them put in the listen to recorded music program. I rarely listen to live and I don’t make my own music.
Listening to music with the aid program I thought was pretty good all things considered. As we all get to learn…there’s no going back to the hearing you had in your teens even with aids.
I don’t have a fancy recorded music playback system (stereo ). I use my computer. I generally don’t have the aids in when I’m listening. I play uncompressed ripped music. I listen through bookshelf speakers connected through an external amp and I listen through headphones. I found an equalizer program that lets me adjust left and right separately to match my audiogram but scaled down to like half the numbers of the audiogram.
This works well. Sounds pretty darn good to my ears. There are still parts that are lost that I recall should be there from when my ears were better. I ask the wife “can you hear the thing that should be here?” and she says yes. So it’s my hearing. Sigh. Alas and alack. ie. ringing bells. Like The Beatles Day in the Life when it transitions to “woke up got out of bed” etc. Just before the vocal during the simple piano bit there’s an alarm bell sound. I can’t hear it unless it’s cranked or I adjust the equalizer way out of whack which would distort other sounds. This is frustrating of course.
But on the whole I’m pretty satisfied with the set up considering my declining hearing.
The player on my phone has a pretty detailed equalizer but it doesn’t have separate left and right control. I also prefer the now virtually defunct Blackberry but the choice of programs has always been much less than other OS offerings. I can run some Android programs on it though. I don’t know if Android offers a good equalizer that can do both sides. I don’t do fruity products anywhere.

That’s what I do. YMMV

Thank you for that. I could have written the same saga!
I am thinking that maybe with today’s technology that you had found a small battery operated dongle type equalizer that could be used with wireless headphones.

TomL44039:

Saga indeed

I wondered if that was what you were looking for. Now I understand. No I don’t have any separate portable device.
I would certainly look at using your phone as a player and looking for a detailed equalizer program. That way you don’t have yet another device to carry around. I assume you are intending to listen to music without the aids like I do. Other than incidentally out and about of course.
I’m going to dig a little deeper into Android equalizers to see if any have separate left and right control. It’s because in my case my ears have different losses. Maybe most people have the same loss in both sides I don’t know. If so then they wouldn’t have a need for separate control.

>>> Don’t be such a damn stick in the mud. We had this discussion about a year ago with another classical music fan. It’s not gone, it’s just different. I’m sure that when we go to a concert, my wife is hearing something different than I am, but I am still enjoying myself.

Yes, the experience is different.

Actually, I first noticed a problem when listening to a Cleveland Orchestra performance of Bruckner symphony about 10 years ago – the loud brass sounded distorted. But my hearing got noticeably worse about 4 years ago when I had chemo to treat leukemia. I noticed sounds were muffled. And they still are. But I still enjoy going to concerts and I listen to Cleveland Orchestra broadcasts via the Web almost every Sat.

Thanks to y’all for the good information here.
Fred