Costco Kirkland Signature 9.0 (Product Information)

@tribalrose said:

Since my Costco’s hearing department is now booming, I set up an appointment for 10/4 for adjustments when I was there on the theory it’s easier to cancel than to get into a crowded schedule. I was lucky with my original appointment to test the KS9s

Just a ReSound user butting into the KS9 thread here! I was impressed. I went to my local Costco yesterday to order a ReSound TV Streamer 2 ($259!). Fortunately, I went at a dead time at the end of the day. While glancing over the counter, I noticed about 6 clipboards for customers with blank customer hearing aid application forms all stacked up one on top of another. The clipboards were each labeled “PHONAK” in beautiful big maroon red letters. I asked the tech taking my order, “So you’re selling a lot of KS9’s?!” She said with a big smile, “Yes, we are!”

From Consumer Reports surveys, the opinions on this forum, etc., everybody gets the word that Costco is a good place to get HA’s. But maybe the deal now at Costco to get something ~equivalent to the original Marvels for only $1500 or so at Costco is really going to make Costco Hearing Aid Centers blastoff into space. I wonder if Phonak will be getting much blow back from other hearing care providers that feel undercut on pricing, etc.?

I wear Kirkland Signature 9 hearing aids. Normal day to day use they sound great. Using them for listening to the TV through the TV connector or using them to listen to music via Bluetooth, they sound OK, but I know there may be room for improvement. When I press on the front of my ear, the sound becomes much better, much more full with more bass.
I currently have small domes and RIC. I tried large domes but the sound didn’t change much and they were uncomfortable. Are there any steps I could take to make the sound improve?

The issue with streaming is that you get no natural audio through the vents in the hearing aid fitting. If you have moderate or larger size vents that contribution is significant, and when the hearing aids are set up for normal listening they depend on that contribution to get you up to a normal hearing level. It mostly affect the bass region.

By pushing on your ear you may be sealing up any leakage or possibly even the vent, which will boost the base. You could try different fittings to see if they seal better or even go to a custom mold with probably fit the best.

The other way is to request the fitter use the equalization features to boost the bass and possibly cut the midrange – essentially until it sounds good to you. The page below is what is used for the KS8 aids, and I would expect there is something similar for the KS9’s. This correction is applied on top of what is needed for gain used for non streaming situations. If you go that route take your phone and music source with you to test out the changes in the office.

@tribalrose said:

For starters they seem so small and light it’s as if they’re not there. I’m coming from Rexton Trax 42s with custom molds. These have small power domes. I got the molds primarily because with domes, the Trax were constantly backing out of my ears, but even with the molds the right side, where the canal is quite straight is still a problem. So far the KS9s haven’t budged.

Exactly what occurred with my Trax42s. I started with single domes, then double domes…sound was good but they would not stay in my ears, kept backing out. I then went to two different molds which caused occlusion. Finally to a mold I use now that has a cut channel along the bottom of the mold. I still get occlusion at times, but generally they work ok. I’d liked to use double domes that would stay in my ears. Thanks for your post…keep us informed. Feel like I probably will trial KS9s at some point.

What are “custom receivers”? I always thought the receivers are the audio transmission wires that extend from the hearing aids into the tips or domes or molds that fit in the ear canal. I thought they were standard according to the hearing aid manufacturer.

Custom receivers are when they take an impression of your ear, then send the mold to a lab and make a custom closed dome for you, which provides a better seal than a traditional open dome can.

This is typically necessary for those with severe or profound hearing loss.

Yes, I’ve had molds. I used to have molds years ago with my original Phonaks and they were smooth as silk, but when I ordered molds for my KS5s they came back to Costco made by some lab I never heard of and I disliked them intensely. What I hated most about them was that they did not take in the right angle bend in the receivers, which stuck out from my ears and looked idiotic. I ended up removing them myself and replacing them with some simple deep, long-necked domes I got from Amazon that swallow the right angle bend and stay in pretty well.
Tomorrow I am expecting to pick up my new KS9s and I am going to hold off a decision on custom molds until I see how the standard tips they come with work out, but if not I am glad to hear that Phonak still makes great custom molds.
Sorry about the confusion over nomenclature.

@NateS said:

What I hated most about them was that they did not take in the right angle bend in the receivers, which stuck out from my ears and looked idiotic.

I’m familiar with this issue since most of the receivers/molds Signia made for me had the same problem, and no amount of detailed instructions helped. It’s one of many reasons why I’m leaving this brand and hoping for the best with Phonak. I’ll pay attention to the right angle bend on my KS9 custom receiver/mold and update with that in my follow-up.

I have custom molds with my KS9’s. It is the first time with molds for me. The sound is actually incredible. Great fit.

@tribalrose said:

The Costco audi showed me how the KS9 receivers have a slight curve to them. She theorized that was enough to make them stay in better.

Funny thing. My Marvels have a slight curve to them, too. There’s a curve to the wire, and there’s a matching curve at the end of the receiver at the nipple that mates to the dome. They both point the same way.

The problem is, THE CURVE IS IN ENTIRELY THE WRONG DIRECTION.

At least in the case of my Phonaks, the curve points the receiver/dome about 20 degrees backwards and slightly down. Probing my ear canal confirms that my ear canal goes UP and TO THE FRONT. So the curves in the tube and in the end of the receiver are pointing at RIGHT ANGLES to the direction my ear canal goes.

If someone can tell me how this makes them “stay in better” I’d love to know. Because with my open domes, they’re really hard to seat into the canal and they keep popping out to the surface of the inner canal, and kind of resting with their business end pointing right into the skin of my ear. Not optimal acoustics.

Are the KS9 receivers the same? Do they point down and to the back?

How do others’ ear canals point?

My KS9s with Power Receivers point ever so slightly up and toward the back of my head. I wear them with open domes and use the straps to help hold them in. Seems to work fine for my ears.

You may have to consider purchasing their $99 TV streamer which I understand is not bluetooth in order to resolve that one source BT problem.

I asked for extra power domes and they said no a first, that I should just come in and they would be happy to clean the HAs and install new domes - but then I explained that I would like to have them for when I travel and may not be able to get to a Costco. So they gave me 4 extra domes. I worked for me.

I have the same question.

So, I discovered something quite by accident the other night. In an above post, I’d mentioned my aids sounded poorly when using the TV connector. The other night I was watching TV and brushed my hand over my ear and nearly pulled the aid out. All of the sudden, the sound in that ear was far more full with more bass and low tones. So, I pulled the receiver out a bit in the other ear and achieved similar results.
It seems I had my recievers pushed too far in? Is that a thing?