Costco Kirkland Signature 9.0 (Product Information)

Thanks for the detail d explanation.
Very helpful.

@MDB said:

What I mean by handsfree is being able to receive a call with the phone in a pants pocket and answer it without touching the phone and be able to hold a conversation using different microphones than what the phone uses.

Marvel combined with Google Assistant does all that and adds the ability to make a call by voice command.

There’s always a cost whether it be licencing or royalties etc. Do you think Google has developed ASHA out of the kindness of their hearts or because Resound has paid them to?

And yes AOSP is free but there are other costs that manufacturers may have to pay

The hidden costs of building an Android device

Google does not charge for its Android software, but manufacturers have to pay specialist firms thousands to gain a licence to use it. By Charles Arthur and Samuel Gibbs

By that definition my four-year-old Rexton Trax 42s work hands free with my Android phone and the neck medallion. Push a button on the medallion to answer a call, the microphone is in the medallion. It works fine. The problem is I dislike wearing the medallion/necklace so much I regularly go without it and then regret it, less because of phone calls than because the device is necessary to use the phone app and adjust some things. The medallion makes a lump under my shirt (third breast, lovely). The black neck wire shows unless I’m wearing something with a high neck. I have a nice win photo with one of my dogs at a dog show where I forgot to take the thing off and that neck wire is showing - again, just lovely.

My guess is a phone clip may not be as off-putting, but not having any intermediate device is a considerable lure. I’m going to call Costco and make an appointment and try the KS9s. It seems there’s no definitive agreement among those who have them as to how they are for phone calls. I have to wonder if some units are just better than others and it’s luck of the draw.

@Sierra said:

I assume the Rexton Adores are MFi?

I was hoping you could tell me. His observations are contradictory. Some experiments are in order next time I visit. His main complaint with the Adores is that he must touch the phone to answer calls. Which would be less of an issue if he carried the phone all the time. He loved the hands-free feature of the Marvels but they were about double the price of the Adores.

A Google search would indicate that the Costco Rexton Adore Li3 are MFi and can direct stream with an iPhone. Have not done a real detailed look at them, but I suspect they are similar to the Rexton Emerald 80 or Signia 7Nx, but rechargeable.

Ok. I’ll pick up the other similar thoughts of bigaltavista 6h ago (as of this writing).
I’ll look at Phonak as market leaders not needing to be tied to a proprietary manufacturer platform. Open standards. The phone can be any phone. And apart from some reported on-board mic noise issues…no hands…no intermediate device…no phone up by mouth looking all pretentious.

When I got my HA’s 2.5 years ago the fitter asked about streaming and phone use and all. At the time I just wanted out of there for the least cost. So I got the KS7’s. Then I learned about these options and was like drat…I am opposed to anything Apple so I guess not. Then I learned about OTC units that can connect any bluetooth like the Sound World Solutions that member6 enjoyed. Then Phonak and the B-Direct and lately the Marvels(KS9’s…there…not off-topic).
In a year and half, I WILL be choosing one of the products that have these kinds of connectivities. Who knows…maybe it’ll be the Resounds. Maybe everyone will get out of the attachment to Apple. We’ll see.

So that’s why I take exception to your continuing opinions on “dead-end”.

Well now I really do feel stupid - I thought it was some highly technical term Thanks for the help

@Sodaman said:

Pls help me out. I am trying to follow this conversation, but I cannot figure out what MFi is. Can someone explain this term to me. Thanks, Jim

It is an Apple term for their products that meet a standard for wireless communication. I believe it started with their iPod and then expanded out to include other devices including hearing aids. With respect to hearing aids you can find out a bit more about it, and what hearing aid models are support at the link below.

MFi Hearing Aid Support7

For some reason Phonak has chosen to not use the system while most other manufactures have.

@Sierra said:

A Google search would indicate that the Costco Rexton Adore Li are MFi and can direct stream with an iPhone.

That’s what I thought as well. Except he says he can carry on a call from outdoors even if his phone is in the house. Which squares with my observation that he’s broadcasting an unusual amount of noise when I’m talking to him. Louder than what a speakerphone picks up. Makes no sense. I’ll try to figure it out on my next visit.

Which reminds me, I rarely get any comments about background noise or low volume when I’m talking to people over the Marvels. Much better than when folks call me from their speakerphone and it sounds like they’re far across the room in a tin can. The only time I’ve had to change anything during a call was when I was outdoors in light wind, with a weak signal, and the caller was using his tin can speakerphone. I turned off bluetooth and held the phone up to my ear (grrrr) but still neither of us could hear very well. First world problems.

I would think that’s doable with KS9’s. Phone rings. Take it out and look at it. Answer it or not. Put it back in a pocket and talk or carry on. The beauty of the KS9’s (Phonak Marvels) is that you don’t have to use the phone mic or play the conversation out loud over the speaker. And you don’t have another doodad hanging off you.

@MDB said:

I suspect there is some disagreement with what we mean by handsfree. What I mean by handsfree is being able to receive a call with the phone in a pants pocket and answer it without touching the phone and be able to hold a conversation using different microphones than what the phone uses. Pretty sure Oticion Opn cannot do that, although they are handsfree with the ConnectClip.

What is interesting is that now there are so many different ways to achieve good results. For example, everything you define as handsfree is now practical and available for me even though I still wear my KS5s while waiting for my KS9 appointment.

Specifically, in my aging 2004 Honda, I have a little $60-70 device called a RoavVivaPro plugged into the cigar lighter. My phone remains in my pocket. Handsfree with both hands on the steering wheel and my eyes never leaving the road, I make and receive phone calls hearing clear as a bell through the car’s audio, voice control the volume, music, news, etc. played on request; and can ring up any of the Alexa devices back at home, having a direct conversation with family in whatever room they may be, also handsfree for them.

So it seems as if we are living in times of real progress in the area of electronics, including but not limited to our HAs.

@z10user2 said:

Phone rings. Take it out and look at it. Answer it or not. Put it back in a pocket and talk or carry on.

Yes, and I can answer the phone from my smartwatch so I never have to take it out of my pocket (unless it gets crackly].

@jcummins said:

I have Trax 42…I tested using the smart connect dingle thing to answer and talk on the phone…it does work…BUT…these days I want to SEE the number or who is calling. I will not answer the call if I don’t know who it is. I want to look at the phone. I use the speaker phone as my method of talking.

You don’t need to see your phone in order to know who is calling. There are many apps which can be added to your phone to announce the caller. I use one called Shouter which announces loud and clear.