Started Trial of Philips 9030 yesterday at Costco

Thank you for this comparison! It helps me figure out exactly what I’m looking for in a new set of hearing aids. I’m looking to jump ship from Phonak after being with them for quite some time and maybe Philips is right up my alley.

I went to my watch. There is a version of App Store app on the watch. I installed from there.

Angel I’ll circle back on your comment because I have new information. You don’t say why the Philips domes are uncomfortable, but my experience may apply.

I have now tried various Philips domes - single and double vented domes plus power domes, in various sizes. All caused my ears to itch intensely within a minute of putting them in.

I have sensitive skin and have occasional need for a prescription lotion called betamethasone which is like really strong hydrocortisone. After trying Miracell et al I tried applying betamethasone to the ear canals as a test. It worked. So maybe I have a skin reaction to the Philips domes. I never had a reaction to the black vented domes with the KS10.

I learned that Starkey domes snap on to the Philips HA. I ordered some from Amazon. Itching gone 100% immediately, night and day. The reason I picked them is because they are also black and I hoped that they might be a similar composition as the Phonak/KS10. I’m guessing that both the Philips and Starkey domes are silicone. But I’ve often found that it’s the other ingredients in the recipe that cause skin irritatioin. Whatever the reason, these domes are working a lot better.

The Amazon description of the Starkey dome says that it is closed/occluded. I don’t find this to be the case. I get natural sounds, even though the size I’m using might be a bit large. What I do find is that they have a better overall sound for me than any of the Philips (Philips single vent dome being the closest). And is it my imagination, or do they actually help slightly with word recognition…?? And they are far more comfortable.

You might give them a shot. I stuck with the official Starkey branded ones, there are others that appear similar and I didn’t buy them.

I also ordered Starkey domes, but from hearingtracker. I initially didn’t realize that this site also sells domes. They were cheaper here than on Amazon.

Original poster here.

My trial of the Philips 9030 ends tomorrow. Both the 9030 and the Jabra Pro 10 worked well. If I choose Philips, I will get the 9040. Pros and cons of each are:

Jabra Pro:

Pros: Good app, multi mic (did not try this, but hear it is great), hear much better, long lasting batteries

Cons: Sound sometimes has an edge to it, had trouble with a couple of phone calls (garbled, poor reception, is this common with Jabra?)

Philips:

Pros: Great sound, hear better but not as good as the Jabra

Cons: Background noise mixed results, still difficult in some situations, battery life not as good, app did not allow switching of programs one time, low volume on some calls (not sure if this was on my end)

My trial of Philips was over 2 weeks. Only 1 week for Jabra and I initially had feedback and dome issues. I only had a few days after those problems were corrected, and did not get to test the Jabra in all situations of concern. I would like to have a few more days with Jabra if they will allow it. If not, it is a coin flip right now.

Other questions: The specs for 9030 show different speakers: 60/85/100/105. I am unclear what that means and which did I have? It was 85.

Which is best for background noise? Jabra or Philips

Thanks for your comments and insight.

@jpinkard said:

The specs for 9030 show different speakers: 60/85/100/105.

These are the power levels of the receivers, you probably had the 85dB ones, as they suit your loss well.

@jpinkard said:

Which is best for background noise? Jabra or Philips

Honestly this is really something only you would know by trial/testing yourself in those situations, if it were me I’d like to think the Jabra (ReSound).

@jpinkard said:

Cons: Sound sometimes has an edge to it

This can be adjusted, taking some of the higher frequencies down a little, as for phone calls, could of been your phone and/or reception that caused this.

@Torbill I find your comments very helpful. Our audiograms are fairly similar and I, too, currently have KS10s and a Roger device for the relatively rare times I in a setting outside of home. I’ve had custom moulds for 3 years (and forum people had strongly recommended these to me given audiogram and my hearing experience). My Word Recognition Scores (68% and 36%) are terrible. Somewhat surprised of your initially VG results with 9040 and domes. Since starting with moulds I have had itchy ears. Now it feels like greater sensation in ear canals which I’d only sometimes describe as itchy - I think there is an adjustment period and cognitive adjustment, yet you have had HAs for long time so the itch is a bit surprising. I look forward to your updates. I hadn’t thought I might be in market for new HAs but might look at a trial; with possibility of using KS10sRoger in special situations (let two sets of eye glasses).

Thanks.
Tenkan:
I will ask Costco what power level was the 9040 receivers.

Philbob57:
I agree the Jabra accessories are better. I am interested in the multi mic. App is better. It is tough choice which means either choice is good.

I used my iphone mic with the 9030 a couple of times and it works great. Not sure multi mic will be any better.

I thought I might need a tcoil for church but I hear fine with both HA sets without tcoil.

Costco HCP said I could trial Jabra for a few days so I will be able to try it in a couple of places I have had issues with old HAs.

My CC audi, said he would give me both med power & high power receivers to try. It’s interesting that I get different word recognization based on the receiver power.

@jpinkard said:

I used my iphone mic with the 9030 a couple of times and it works great.

With the Jabras and Android, phone calls somehow automagically go through the aids and the aids’ mic(s). I imagine it goes along with pairing the aids and the phone so the app can be used. It’s not hands-free, but the sound is clearer than through the phone’s speakers.

I’ve always guarded my cell number pretty closely; I’ve directed most people to our VOIP line. Now the cellphone is orders of magnitude clearer than the landline, so I may give more people the cell number.

I like the Jabra Pro 10, but sound seems more natural to me through the 9040s. I’ve got 2+ more months to make a decision, but I’m leaning towards the Jabras for 3 reasons:

1. Sound is good and better than my 9010s, though not as good as the 9040s.
2. Battery life claims to be 30 hours/charge compared to Philips’ 18 hours, and I stream a lot of TV.
3. I use the multi-mic omni-directional mode 2-4 times a month in a way that the Philips/Oticon Audio Clip would not be usable.

I’m getting really annoyed at ReSound’s app. Yesterday it changed programs willy-nilly without requests from me, lost connections with one of the aids, unmuted one aid, but not both, on its own - very annoying.

But I may change my mind…

Thanks. The main difference seems to be better sound of Philips versus multi mic with Jabra. The multi mic seems great but, at this point, I do not feel I will need it.

2 good choices.

A 4th benefit is the Jabra outdoor program, which is terrific on bike rides. For the first time in years, I can hear cars coming up behind me. Of course, Philips claims to govern wind noise, too.

Each of us has to choose for themself. If I didn’t use the multi-mic, I’d go with the 9040.

Costco HCP informs me there is no in between size for the Jabra Pro 10 power domes. It is either M or L. I am surprised there are not more choices as it would seem a lot of people might fall between M and L. The Philips 9030 fit good from the start and HCP said at that time they had more dome sizes.

This may make my decision easy.

I read somewhere that a better choice for people requiring large domes is to get custom domes, as they will work better. Does anyone know if that is true or not?