Costco Kirkland Signature 9.0 (Product Information)

@steve.brachman said:

• Claimed they were “set and forget” intended for users who lack dexterity and there were no user adjustable programs;
• complained about the new dome types and found them more difficult to clean and rather painful after wearing for several hours; and

These comments are not true for most users. The KS9 aids have manual programs if needed. The domes come in different sizes and types like any other aid.
My fitter at Costco said the KS8 aids had moisture issues with many returns for repair when I mentioned that had a good reputation on this forum. He really felt like the KS9 aids were the best. He obviously was a Phonak fan.

It basically boils down to what’s important to you and how well your current aids meet your needs. I suspect your fitter has mixed motives and would rather have you keep your current aids, but I suspect her criticisms have some validity. The KS9/Marvel is known for having a rather simplistic app compared to many that are currently available. I personally don’t think that’s a big deal in that I think for most people the app is a fun toy for a short time and then we want the aids to be automatic. Also the aids would still have some manually choosable programs. I must admit I like my Rexton click sleeves and Phonak’s domes give me pause, but I suspect I could find something that would work with trial and error–even if it came to require a custom mold. To summarized, the questions you need to answer are 1)Are there any problems with your current aids that you hope the KS9 will fix? 2) Is there any reason to believe the Marvels might actually fix them? 3) How much is trying out new hearing aids fun, vs a PIA?

I had the same good experience with the hearing test at Costco (waiting on my ReSounds for mod-severe loss) - miles ahead of previous work with Aud.D. at ENT office and one other since I began wearing hearing aids. Got to thinking this is a brilliant marketing plan - give customers what they need (service and reasonable price), and they’ll remain Costco members for years ;-).

@emjay_flowers said:

give customers what they need (service and reasonable price), and they’ll remain Costco members for years ;-).

And relative to Amazon, it’s a good move because it’s a service that will bring customers into its stores whereas Amazon being an online service in the cloud can’t readily compete in this arena. Just like Amazon purchased Whole Foods (I wonder how long that will last!), is a purchase of a drugstore chain like Walgreens somewhere down the line??? - to be able to compete with Costco’s brick-and-mortar service that can’t be duplicated in the cloud (perhaps some of it could with “remote” assist-but since licensed personnel will still be required to fit severe to profound loss even after OTC in August, 2020, I doubt Amazon can compete effectively with Costco in the hearing aid arena).

(I graciously accept Award of Day for run-on sentences and loquacity!)

I believe the 9 automated programs refers to Autosense, the automatic environment analyzer.

So similar to the Signia/Rexton 3D Classifier then? And potentially a bit regressive from the KS8?

I find with the KS8 that the Automatic program is convenient especially for changing situations. However for specific situations where I am going to be in them for a while, I find other more specific programs are better. The issue with automatic systems is that they don’t always make good decisions and often change their mind. This can be somewhat annoying.

The KS9 aids were very refined during my short run around Costco. Absolutely no notice of program change during this short trial. My experience with the V90 and B90 Phonak aids shows the KS9 (M90) aids to be getting better. My wife was very quick to say the Bluetooth was much better than the top of the line Starkey aids she has been trialing for over two months. The reliability of Phonak is key here. These KS9 aids should be a winner as other Costco aids have been.

@Raudrive said:

Absolutely no notice of program change during this short trial.

I’ve got old Phonak Quest HAs and I never notice the change of the automatic programs.

I get the feeling some people are just a whole lot more sensitive to program changes and other things like feedback management than others.

My older Phonak Exelia aids I couldn’t tell when they changed programs either. Using history they didn’t change much though. The Naida V90 aids are disrupting going from program to program. I was working on that issue when moving to the Audeo B90 aids. The B90 aids are very smooth at changing programs. The KS9 aids were very nice

They are already licensed at Costco. The OTC change is an exception to that.

Just a thought, but didn’t Costco release the telecoil version of the K8’s months after the original version? I see Phonak released the size 13 battery and telecoil versions of the Marvel around 4 months after the original, so perhaps that is the plan with Costco as well.

My Costco supplier ordered me the 312 model with the UP receiver. I’ll have to see how it does on battery life.

Did Costco talk about the mold you will need?
I am curious how the battery life is with that UP receiver too.

He offered me the choice between power dome (free) and custom ($40/ear). I went with the custom as that is what I currently have.