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Costco Kirkland Signature 9.0 (Product Information)

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Edited

I have had the KS9 for 6 weeks now. My hearing loss is severe so had to have the cShells, which eliminate feedback and ample volume. The automatic program we started with was okay, except the volume would increase to the point of blurry echo like sound during background music, disturbing. I can’t tell if they believed me or not. However they did change my programs to manual so have one for loud and quite environments. Much better for me, very clear. I was also disappointed at first as they only shut off by opening the battery door, as I still do a lot of noisy stuff and like the fact that the cShells really block my hearing when the aid is off, after complaining they added a mute feature, long push on the low button. Works great. Very happy with these. The TV connector works quite well once you get the hang of them. You can connect direct to any bluetooth item, however only to one. So if you link to the TV directly or your laptop you can’t be linked to the phone which also works well. I have 3 of the TV adapters for two TVs and my laptop. Easy to link to them, you must link to each as you switch from one to the other and back again, but it just takes a second to push the link button. So very doable.

RDB

Th range is 50 feet line of sight, of course I don’t have that in the house, so I lose connection when I get up to use the bathroom, or go into the kitchen, it tries to hang on, but will then disconnect. As soon as I re-enter the living room, I get the connect tone and a quick push of either buttons reconnects you. It’s been very reasonable.

In reply to @Sodaman

The giving of domes and other things must depend on the individual at Costco you’re dealing with. When I first got my aids, my audi sent me home with a handful of domes and a dispenser with 8 batteries.

I asked about . She said it took her quite some doing to figure out how to change the wax guards on these and she ended up even taking the dispenser apart (which didn’t help) before she figured out the tricks, but she showed me what she learned and how to do it and gave me one of those too, although she also mentioned if I bring the aids in she and the receptionist-type person would be happy to change them for me. Also mentioned that the design seems to keep wax from building up on the guard much.

With my Trax, when I ran out of the initial wax guards she gave me when I got them, I just stopped by and asked and got another dispenser of them. The last time I went in to have another and get the Trax updated, she noticed the cases had a crack where the receiver wire went in and changed out the cases without charge. That was particularly generous since they were out of warranty by then. If I wanted my particular color, she would have ordered new cases, but I didn’t care that the replacements were black.

Regarding domes and - Costco hearing specialists may be reluctant to give them out since their reps are telling them they should last 6 to 8 weeks so your hearing specialist can swap them out for you when you come in for a check-up appointment.
The wax guards come in a CeruShield Disk dispenser. Dr Cliff has an excellent video84 on how to use these (skip to 7:10). He actually did suggest taking the dispenser apart and then putting it back together as this makes it easier to turn in case someone has less hand/finger strength.

My TV connect works throughout my house, but my TV is centrally located, so I am never more than 20 feet from my TV (small 2 story house). It stays connected behind most doors, but will disconnect if I go out into my garage behind a steel door and thick firewall. I’ve found it’s ability to stay connected to be very similar to what you may experience with Bluetooth headphones.
Word of advice with the TV connector… I’ve found that if I don’t think the TV sounds loud enough, it’s best to raise the volume on the connector, rather than use the phone app or my hearing aids. I’ve found when I raise the volume on my phone app, I get some background hiss.

In reply to @jayste4

I have heard of it as a concern with custom molds if the molds are deep and and the receiver outlet is off center. The receiver may go up against the side of the ear canal.

Edited

In reply to @jayste4

@jayste4 said:

Regarding domes and wax guards - Costco hearing specialists may be reluctant to give them out since their reps are telling them they should last 6 to 8 weeks so your hearing specialist can swap them out for you when you come in for a check-up appointment.

Surely one isn’t supposed to keep coming in for appointments every 6 to 8 weeks for the life of the aids? If I get these things adjusted satisfactorily, the only time they’ll see me again is once a year for another and whatever update to the aids it makes necessary. I can’t imagine bugging them every 6 weeks forever.

I have always assumed that the expectation that you will be a regular grocery et al. shopper at Costco is built into the low price of their hearing aids.

In reply to @rdboukes

@rdboukes said:

Th range is 50 feet line of sight, of course I don’t have that in the house, so I lose connection when I get up to use the bathroom, or go into the kitchen, it tries to hang on, but will then disconnect. As soon as I re-enter the living room, I get the connect tone and a quick push of either buttons reconnects you. It’s been very reasonable.

Not to be too nosy, but since you also can’t see the TV screen from the bathroom or kitchen, I’m just curious as to why you don’t pause the program during those breaks, at least for movies. My sig/other and I do that whenever either of us require a break. :rofl:

In reply to @NateS

I am a regular shopper at Costco, just not a regular audi-er.

The only tv I have is network, so there are lots of commercials, and that’s when I do breaks. I don’t have the tv transmitter for the KS9s (will buy if I decide to keep them), but I do for the Trax. I can hear the tv maybe 15-20’ away fine, and it’s not line of sight but out of one room, a little bit of hall and into another room, only useful in letting me know when the commercial has ended.

In reply to @tribalrose

The switching of domes and is something that the front desk handles. It doesn’t require an appointment and is typically handled in 15 minutes or perhaps a bit longer. That said, I believe I’ve heard of others who got a supply and do it themselves. Could vary from store to store. If it’s an issue, ask.

what kind of wax stop is with KS9. The one I have KS7 is awful to change.
From a very beginning, of wearing I have always custom molds with vents, I can not wear anything else.

I’d go into Costco and ask. Make sure to specify it’s for custom mold. For the Marvels that KS9 are based on, there’s an option to choose, but I have no idea if Costco allows that.

In reply to @NateS

Not to be too nosy, but since you also can’t see the TV screen from the bathroom or kitchen, I’m just curious as to why you don’t pause the program during those breaks, at least for movies. My sig/other and I do that whenever either of us require a break. :rofl:

Of course I/we do pause, but the question was about the distance the adapter would work at.

After my program change, I can opt out of the TV link with a long push on the top button, then another will go to the other program, and one more reconnects to the TV…This adds a convenience to easily opt for any reason and hook back up. Before the program change you either had to shut the BT, or TV off. I had complained of this and now have easy options.

RDB

If you hook the TV adapter up to your receiver, you can stream any audio through it. So, you can have music piped directly into your KS9s if you like.

In reply to @lee-ming

@lee-ming said:

Because I think I can buy the Bluetooth 5.0 Transmitter Receiver for $29.99 and successfully link the KS9.0 hearing aid.

I want to use this method instead of the phonak TV Connector.

The problem with a Bluetooth transmitter is there is a slight delay, so the sound does not match up with the lips. The hearing aid company TV transmitters do not have a delay. If it is for music a slight delay would not matter. The hearing aid devices do not have aptx and you have to have aptx on both sides to have no delay with Bluetooth transmitters.

@Don said:

The hearing aid devices do not have aptx and you have to have aptx on both sides to have no delay with Bluetooth transmitters.

That’s a good point. Presently, with my KS5s I do use an Avantree aptx plug-in receiver with my over-the-ear headphones to receive from my aptx transmitter plugged into my TV, and you can now buy aptx over-the-ear headphones for about $25, I too am likely to purchase the Phonak TV connector with my KS9s so as to keep the KS9’s receiver paired to my cell phone.

In reply to @uburoibob

@uburoibob said:

I’d prefer to be able to hear my phone’s various sounds through the phone itself, and not my hearing aids, but would still want to take phone calls through my aids. Is there a setting somewhere that I am missing?

Maybe. Try this: In your settings on the R-Phonak Hearing Aid there should be a choice of enabling it for “Calls” and “Audio”. (These are the choices in Android 9.x) Try turning off “Audio”. It’ll stop the streaming music and many other sound effects from the phone. Not sure if it’ll suppress text notifications and definitely won’t suppress ring tones (they come through BT Handsfree – the “Calls” option). See if it affects the sounds you’re interested in.

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