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GN launching a Jabra branded M&RIE product at Costco

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Edited

Perhaps I’ve forgotten how to read, but this “article” gave me no useable information about the product itself - only “BrandBabble”.

Is it similar to the Bose product, or is it a prescription device? For what range of hearing loss is it appropriate? Etc, etc.

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[ADDENDUM/16 June, 2021//]

Just answered my own question: I’ve forgotten how to read! I just reread the Hearing Tracker article, because a number of subsequent posts weren’t making sense to me: (I still think the Jabra launch package is light on details).

To my embarrassment and dismay, I now realize that I initially failed to capture the fact that the product is a legitimate hearing aid, to be sold by Costco. I saw Jabra brand, and immediately (and completely falsely) assumed that the article was trumpeting the launch of another OTC hearing helper. (Even the casual lilt of the copywriter smacks of OTC “hearable”, IMO.)

The price point should have tipped me off, but - after seeing where Bose priced their OTC offering - nothing in the current market surprises/shocks me anymore.

I’m still trying to get my head around the potential benefits of a mic in ear product, but, given my clearly-demonstrated reading deficit, I suppose I should just put it down to the ravages of old age.

I’ll say one thing: Costco is certainly positioning itself to be come the future Titan of “big box hearing devices”.

[Sorry for the original diss, Dr.A!]

Yes, O-T … I also looked. I’m amazed at how flimsy and light on facts/images the launch package is.

:chair::chair::chair:

ReSound Prezas are now $1999 including a charger. You would think these would be no more than that, but we should be able to get an answer June 7 when they launch.

There’s a Jabra Enhance Pro app in the Apple App Store. I installed it, and it recognized my ReSound Prezas. It’s identical to the ReSound 3D app in functionality, except the screens are blue tinted, and the icon and name of the app are different.

I should know more about these aids on Tuesday, June 8. I have an appointment at my local Costco to do a hearing test and purchase the aids.

As far as I can tell, this is a rebranded Resound One.

They do say that it can be adjusted and updated remotely, but not much other solid information. My guess is that it will be locked and exclude tinnitus. Costco has no information on pricing yet.

Yeah, despite the Jabra branding, these appear to be rebranded Rx . I can’t see any product sold that requires audiology services on site and remote assistance. I guess it’s another way of pushing the mic/receiver in ear model. Jabra is well respected for their business headsets and while they have products at various price points, they have the brand name establishment that the public responds to. How many people out there ever heard of Phonak, Oticon, Starkey, etc ?

I will be very interested in where they do with pricing. If they go low, then it’s a sign of how they plan to compete.

In reply to @jwerner

@jwerner said:

My guess is that it will be locked and exclude tinnitus.

I wonder if remote assistance(RA) will now be offered with the Jabra brand as RA comes with the KS10’s and a number of other Costco offerings now. Will be great if I can try out both demo models of the KS10 and Jabra’s version of the ReSound One at Costco with the same fitter(s) and get a great price to boot on whichever one, etc. Probably still waiting to see how and bidirectional hearing all work out since if those features are not going to be in any current and near-future Costco offerings, I’ll probably wait for a premium HA that does offer those features.

Costco now offers remote services for the Preza, and the link to the brochure for the Enhance Pro indicates that it supports remote assistance. The app I downloaded and installed shows the live assistance and remote assistance features.

The ReSound aids are locked. I would expect that to continue with the Jabra brand.

Seeing the attempts by both sides of the manufacturers to ‘cross the floor’, I’m wondering what Panasonic is doing.

Five years ago they had a fully fledged and approved hearing aid ready to launch in the U.K., yet there’s nothing appeared in terms of an product which is odd; especially when you already had the hardware, writing an app fir the consumer front end/testing would seem to be the easy bit.

Costco has updated the hearing aid center page to reflect the Jabra brand, and the pricing for the Enhance Pro with two aids and a “standard” charger is $1799.99. That’s quite a bit cheaper than what I paid for the Prezas and the separately priced charger two years ago. I will be able to use that charger with the new aids.

https://www.costco.com/jabra-hearing-aids.html62

Are you sure the Preza charger works for the Jabras? I seem to recall for the ReSound Ones that the Quattro charger was said not to work for the Ones or the Quattros don’t work in the One charger-I forget whether it’s one of these possibilities or both. I don’t think the body shape of the Ones and the Quattros is the same - so same is likely to be true for the Jabra Enhance vs. the Preza and the magnetic induction coils might be differently placed (the switch on the One-like devices is lower on the body than for the Quattro/Preza, for example. Sorry if you’ve already checked this in the literature and know for sure - I’m just typing this before I dash out door with wife to see about getting in her car repaired.

I’m just going on the look of the charger in the literature. I’ll take my charger with me to my appointment Tuesday so I can verify that my assumption is correct.

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