I’ve now had my first assessment at Costco, and so far I am liking the experience. I was tested for the usual , and also word recognition in quiet and noise for the first time ever. I didn’t pick up a copy of my results, but will post the details when I have my fitting visit soon. I think I am described as having a cookie cut (?) loss, with my greatest loss down in the 65db area, and only a little better in the speech areas over 1k.
Reading so many reviews, I was really keen on the Resound Fortes, but the Audi suggested the Brio3 would be better for me. Bless her, she programmed both up with my results and let me loose in the store for a quick test. Of course, she was correct, and the Brio3 sounded much better in that 1 situation of being in a noisy store and trying to pick up a conversation. So, I have ordered the Brio3, and was seduced by the tiny size of the R10 model. Now I’m a bit concerned I should have gone for the larger RC model with direct connectivity. I wondered if anyone has any comments or experience on making a choice between these two.
Another question I had was whether Costco mind if you try and self program their aids? Would that invalidate their follow up service at all?
As i’ll be going to my first fitting appointment this week, does anyone have any pointers on things I should be asking about, and making sure I get the most out of the appointment?
Thanks for reading, and i’ll post a follow up review of my experience once I have them handed over. These will be my first aids, but have been using iic aids, and more recently an older technology version from Oticon. I’m excited to see where this journey takes me.
I would have gone with the RC for that connectivity. They’re the Costco version of the B-Directs.
Can o’ worms with the self-programming question. I’ve not read (or recall) of negative reactions here but I haven’t been back since I got into self-programming other Costco aids.
Don’t forget to enter your on this site. We all like to see everybody’s hearing test results
I got Kirkland 8´s from Costco in April and whilst they were good (for me) I wanted connectivity without having to switch from Android to IOS. Changed in early August to Phonak Brio 3 RC 13 and haven’t looked back. Again ( for me) they are way better and the phone connectivity works great. Better still, mine came with a free TV Connecter box which I have hooked up to my TV with a digital audio cable. The sound to both ears is awesome.
Thanks for the input. It looks like Costco are very good with swapping the models over within the trial period, so I’ll give the R10s a try, and see if the streamer is too much of a faff to use on a daily basis. From reading around, I think the RC doesn’t stream music directly from an iPhone, it just works for the phone calls. I could well be wrong, as that might just apply to the android connection. I read that the phone signal only goes to one ear, which isn’t great, but hoping I might be wrong on that one too. I’ll post all my details when I get a copy later this week - always good to compare
Thanks Brian - so is using the tv connector the only way to stream to both ears simultaneously and in stereo? With the direct to iPhone, do you get sound in both ears from calls and/or music? I can’t work out if these limitations are android only.
I was suggesting from the choices you have now. These aren’t Made For Iphone specifically. They’ll bluetooth to an iphone and Android. They’ll only be for calls. You’ll only hear the call in one ear.
I’m not an Apple fan. (nor Android for that matter but what other choice is there for new phones?) It’s not yet clear (iirc) if the new Resound Quattro works for Android. So that leaves me waiting for the future aids that can connect to any modern phone of the day for calls and stereo streaming and any other modern bluetooth device. Some want to hear calls in both ears too.
That day is here. With the manufacturers Bluetooth device you can take calls and stream in stereo, from any modern smartphone, connect to a properly equipped office phone, and also connect to laptops, tablets, and generic Bluetooth devices. I use mine hours every day and would not be without it.
Some brands work better than others and I would rank the three I know as Phonak 1, Resound a close 2, and Signia/Rexton 3 (Oticon uses the same device).
What you have is still an intermediate device. I’m waiting for standard bluetooth straight to the ’s from any standard bluetooth device. Not having to go through an additional proprietary device.
I think it’s great that what you have works for you. No denying that.
Calls go to one ear only and you cannot stream music from your phone. I use ear buds at the gym. When I leave my aids in while exercising my ears sweat and I end up having to replace my . So, inability to stream music from my phone to my aids isn’t a big deal for me. There is only so much capability they can program into a small hearing aid. They chose to use the available computing power to process sound and to make the Brio 3 RC work with both Apple and android phones.
Two months ago I replaced my Brio 2s with the new 3 RCs, and personally, I find them to be significantly better at processing sound. You get to choose which ear to stream your calls, and in a relatively quiet setting, both you and the person you are talking to will hear quite well. In a noisy environment, the mics in your hearing aids are picking up all the surrounding noise, and calls become challenging.
I believe the Brio 3s still use the older processor chip with some improvements in software while the the 3 RCs have the newer SWORD chip. My recommendation is to make sure you get the RC model. Based upon some Google research, my Brio 2s contained about 16 million transistors while the 3 RCs have 42 million. That is a significant increase in processing power.
My Brio 2s used the 312 battery. I was getting 3 - 4 days between battery changes. As a result, I had spare batteries at home, at work, in my car, and sometimes in my pocket, because I never knew exactly when I would need them. My new Brio 3 RCs use the 13 battery and I am consistently getting 7 days + battery life. Now, I just change batteries first thing every Monday morning. For that reason alone I recommend the Brio 3 RCs.
The new TV streamer is great! Now, I hear the TV better than ever, and I can turn the volume on the TV down to zero and I still get sound streamed to my aids. I had to have my Costco hearing aid specialist turn down the streaming volume as it was initially too loud. She told me the high volume was a common complaint. She turned it down and now it is perfect.
Good luck. I have nothing but good things to say about my Costco experience.
One more thing. Costco now carries the Phonak in a rechargeable. I was told the rechargeable lacks some of the features of the RC. Check with your HAS.
I think it will happen but I would be surprised if it is sooner than 3-4 years. I would expect we will see some MFA (Made for Android) solutions first and then eventually full connectivity that could rival the intermediate devices. Sure, I would rather have a direct connection but I’m skeptical about it truly working as well as the intermediate devices. There is virtually no downside for me using the device. I attached a lapel Mic to the Compilot II and keep the Compilot under my shirt. It announces who the caller is so there is no reason to take my phone out. I just talk, and hear.
Thanks for the advice, i had no idea the RC would be next generation technology compared to the R10 version - it reallly is a minefield out there :). I was really set on the Resound forte option initially given the versatility of the app, and the direct connection, so was surprised my initial 5 mins (in the Costco store) with the test version set up for my loss was so disappointing (background noise overbearing, and speech from a person 1m away not seeming to be lifted out of the general noise). In comparison, the Brio3 R10 really did seem to bring the voice through clearly, albeit with a more mechanical sound than I am used to with my iic aids. I do wonder if the domes had something to do with this, with the Brio3 I used vented , which didn’t seem to give me occlusion, and tulip domes for the Resounds - perhaps these were not vented, giving me partial occlusion.
I use hard molds with my Oticon , so if I can use soft vented domes then I think it’s going to be so much more comfortable.
Good points about the battery changes - the R10s would be every 3 days I was told - not too much of a problem as I am used to having spare batteries kept in every bag, pocket and car etc :). Overall, using the streamer doesn’t sound like such a disadvantage with the Brio 3, and the R10 was so seductively small…I’ll start with this and see how it goes…I’ll report back in a week!
One final general question on this forum - is it possible to identify other users with similar properties, other than looking 1 by 1? I’m thinking shared experiences are even more valuable to users with similar profiles?
is it possible to identify other users with similar audiogram properties, other than looking 1 by 1? I’m thinking shared experiences are even more valuable to users with similar profiles?
That’s an interesting idea. I’m not sure how an algorithm would figure that out other than within 10db plus or minus for each point maybe. But it would be basically identical. I’m not sure how “similar” could be derived.
But still interesting. Kinda like a button saying “Others similar to you”.
I would think that could be very helpful, finding others with similar hearing loss should be a great way to exchange information about . So often I read a report but when I look at the so different and I have no idea how the report relates to me.
Regardless I appreciate all the reports and have started tracking possible HAs for my next purchase.
A problem comes up by the fact that we all have different brains to process sound. Some might have tinnitus. Others might have underlying issues that leads them to their . The mere fact that we’re here says our sound abilities are already compromised and therefore unique.
I don’t know. Or just take it on the surface. Disregard other issues and possibilities. Maybe that’s fine too.
I forgot to mention the Brio 3 RC has a new way of holding the battery that makes it possible to hold the larger size battery without making the hearing aids larger.
Hello Bob,
I too tried the phone in the store for about ten minutes. I was able to hear and understand a conversation behind me near a humming refrigerator (fresh flowers) and it was great! But I did not decide right away. I was ready to replace my 6 year old Kirkland aids. I went to an audiologist and she wuoyed me $7 thousand plus, for Oticon OPN’s. I tested them in a hardware store and really couldn’t make out what people were saying any better than usual.
Long story short, I chose the Brio 3’s for $2700 at Costco. Not sure if they’re RC or not. They were just released to my Costco last month.
I got the 13 model which uses a larger battery than the tens.
Some of the main things I learned are: connectivity is less important than basic ability to hear. I can just use my hearing aids as ears. Then the regular TV, phone, music, etc are easier to hear.
Second, these hearing aids (with another device) work with regular Bluetooth, with anything that has Bluetooth. That means Android, iPhone, my computer, and I guess anything else that transmits a Bluetooth signal. However, for stereo sound I have to use the intermediary device, the “TV connector.”
In contrast, for a phone call only, these aids connect directly to either Android or iPhone, in one ear. The other aid is used as your microphone. No other device is necessary. These limitations have to do with battery power management.
Having a phone call in just one ear was just fine for me. When I use the phone “normally,” I hold it up to just one ear anyway. However, when I was using earbuds for phone calls, having the call in both ears was very nice. With those wired earbuds I had a microphone close to my mouth, and it was nice and convenient, and the caller heard me well, even in noise. However having a wire dangling around my chin was not so fun.
I have learned, however, that the wonderful way that these phonak Brio’s work with my particular hearing loss is worth giving up bells and whistles that may or may not come available in the next year or two with other aids. By bells and whistles I mean connectivity, bluetoothing without an intermediary device, and all that.
Thanks to everyone for helping me make my choices more informed - some great points. As I’d picked the R10 version in store, I’m now giving that one a go, but will seriously consider trying out the RC version during my trial time. I’ll post a picture and a summary of my experience so far with the Brio 3s very soon. I’ve yet to try more challenging environments, but am just trying to acclimatize to the new & louder sounds at the moment - & I’m only on 90% gain to start with.
I have now had my Phonak Brio 3 for a week now, so am happy to share a few thoughts so far. Firstly, the R10s really are small. I have a photo comparing with my Oticon Synergy which I am attempting to upload. Battery life has been better than expected with the size 10 batteries - with daily use and perhaps 3 hours of streaming per day - first battery change after 5 days. Compared to the solid molds I’m used to, the power domes with two small vent holes are very comfortable, and so long as they don’t go too far into my ear canal, then I am not getting any sense of occlusion.
The Costco fitting process seemed thorough, and I was given the and feedback manger test, and set up with 90% gain to start me off with. A free Compilot and Compilot Air were also provided, and I chose to buy the TV streamer unit as well. These were paired with my phone, and then I was released into the mad noisy real world.
There are plenty of good points to talk about, but am going to go through my target list of issues so far in case anyone has advice or hints on how to deal with these things:
My first walk to the car highlighted the first issue - wind noise. Even a tiny breeze seemed to cause interference on the automatic setting - I was quite surprised as hadn’t ever experienced that before with gentle breezes.
Music in both the automatic and bespoke programs sounds awful - muddy and dull is how I would describe it - this might be my fault as I asked for some extra base to be added to the music program, but sounds like the lower to mid frequencies are way too high - hopefully this is easily solvable. Question: when Autosense detects music and changes the settings, does it take the settings from the bespoke music program, or are they independent?
Streaming with the Compilot from Phone & ipad seems very reliable (and having music in Stereo is wonderful), though the Compilot Air seems much more sensitive to head movement, and the signal has dropped out completely a few times - I’m still experimenting with the best way to use it. It is a very useful remote control though as it really is very small compared to the main Compilot device.
The TV unit is giving me some problems though. It can work very well, then all of a sudden is seems to go into garbled mode, or have crackly interference, or the sounds goes out of sync with the tv. It’s a real shame, and an still trying to identify the cause by turning off other equipment and Wi-Fi signals. It’s driving me mad, and seems to happen whatever input I use to the TV device. My old Oticon TV streamer was always 100% perfect, so odd that the Phonak one is being affected by something. I’ll keep trying to identify the cause.
Overall, I’m a little shocked that at 90% gain, everything seems so loud - I’ve used various aids for over 15 years and never had anything so loud - I usually use the remote to turn them down by two notches to be comfortable. The real problem is my own voice which becomes so loud it gives me a headache to talk much, and I don’t have a particularly loud or deep voice to start with. It’s not a problem with occlusion either, seems to just be the amplification though the aids of my own voice. At 100% gain this is going to be a real issue, and at the moment this is the hardest thing for me. Maybe I will acclimatize in time…
Has anyone found an effective solution to reducing the own voice issue? Has anyone had experience using the Signia own voice program, and can comment if this is just about making your own voice sound more natural, or does it have the ability to reduce the perceived volume of your own voice?
I realize this is becoming a long post, so I’ll leave the rest of my observations for another day! Hope this is interesting to anyone thinking about the Brio 3 R10. Photo to follow as soon as I work out how!
Costa Blanca Spain