Hello! I’m here to request feedback from users with the Kirkland 5.0, specifically with bluetooth. I am a 38 year old woman and have gradually been losing my hearing. My mother has only 2% hearing left in her right ear, left ear is completely gone. My older sister has worn aids for several years. I tried in-canal aids abound 5 years ago and absolutely hated them. I felt so plugged up like I was yelling at everyone yet no one could hear me, and other than things sounding louder in general did not feel I could actually understand better. That’s my hearing issue, I can usually hear things but cannot understand. I call it Charlie Brown syndrome - remember when the teacher would talk “waa waa wahh” - that’s what I hear!
So I’m planning to go to Costco for an exam next week and hopefully will be eligible for the Kirkland Signature 5.0 at $1899/pair but would love to read some recent experience. I’ve read the over the ear style helps with the plugged up feeling. I’m also curious what your experience has been with the bluetooth.
TIA!
Amber
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JRDM20 people in this conversation23 min readJump to latest↓
I’m brand new to , started 3 weeks ago with Kirk Sig 5. Don’t have any basis for comparing to other HAs, but overall am quite pleased with improvement e.g. greatly reduced asking people to repeat, rarely straining to hear. Have had PC+ device for cell phone streaming and when it works am generally pleased, however I have had battery issues (see thread in the Phone and BT sub forum). The 90-day trial at Costco should give you plenty of time to evaluate, tweak them, and form your own experienctial opinion. I hope things are working well for you.
I’ve had for years and have been very pleased with the at Costco who fitted me with Phonak Brios. Tests and fitting were very professional and I am very pleased with both the result and the price.
I’m a 6 month now user of hearing aids, and based on a recent experience with customer service & assistance, was looking for an opportunity to document here, and hope this thread will provide that opportunity.
I think Costco is swell, and I’m a fan. Not unquallified, though. I do think you need to shop some, compare maybe with audiologists outside of the Costco environment, and determine that there is a or audi at Costco that “gets you,” that you can have an affirmative and positive relationship with. Finding a hearing aid technician, audi or not, that you trust and have confidence in, IS important, and might even be worth paying more for, if you can’t find such a one at Costo.
But, if you can find a person to work with at Costco, that resource is just so beneficial. Lots of reasons. Start with selection. Rasmus here touts the Kirkland sometmies, and it’s probably relatively a best value. The audi I worked with favored the Bernafon, and as you’ll read here, it’s not uncommon for an audi, base on whatever set of personal experiences, to favor a hearing aid, so I don’t think that’s a problem. As I understand it, the selection at Costco (maybe unless you have tinitus) is very strong. And the pricing uniquely attractive, by a long shot. Their returns policy is better than anyone, allowing you to trial them for 90 days (others will typically be between 30 - 60 days max), and…then there is follow up service, which I had to very recently take advantage of. But wait.
Guys like me, of whom there are many, whose hearing degrades when you’re older (I’m 58), haven’t lived with a hearing problem…it’s newer. So, we want to deal with it sort of at our convenience, if possibe, and not take medical leave maybe if we can avoid it. So, if you’re in an area like I am, a large metropolitan environment, and there are hours in the evening and weekend…that’s a big advantage. Two days ago, I discovered my left hearing aid stopped working. My original audi with Costco, who I especially trusted, and did like, has gotten herself into a bad way with access. Her hours have reduced to just weekdays, and her appointment list was a month long before she could be seen. But…Costco is a legitamate franchise. I asked her if it would be ok to go to another Costco, after they first owned the problem, and began to try to problem solve and try to get me in earlier. They said sure, I called then another local Costco, and I was seen the same night. After a first technician looked, and went with my first recommendation/suggestion made to me, that the battery was not making contact, and she was readying it to be sent back with a week turnaround, a second technician said let me look at it first, and a few minutes later came back, having problem solved, and determined there was a problem with a failed speaker, which she replaced, and I went home with a fixed hearing aid. She even took care of two other minor requests, being to replace one of the 4 programs I no longer found useful, and give me advice on how I could use my i-phone with my aids. I thought they got “unparied,” but instead, my i-phone just got un-attuned to blue tooth.
A last thing I’ll share I learned in this recent experience. Hearing Aid technicians and audis…seeming more than most in the medical professions, must also be like car mechanics…learning how to mess with the gadgetry, and problem solve with the parts. At least, if they acquire this skill, unless most aids are more foolproof than mine…they can help when ocassional failures happen, as I experienced.
And, with Costco, especially if you live in a more metropolitan area, where there may be a number of Costcos, you can access the resources of all of them. You can get to know them. For me, I have really only had cause to visit two stores. One doesn’t seem to mind as not being listed as the place I made the original purchase, and they are ready and willing to help.
A maybe last thing. The culture of Costco’s hearing aid folks…is one of helpfulness. They see it as their job as being to provide service to their customers. There is not the question about warrantee running out in a year, at which point, they can begin to assess new service fees. It is a very customer service oriented feel, and I can only think this is a good thing.
Ok, so hopefully this will be responsive here. Maybe I should replicate it in a separate thread, too…but I"ll leave it here for now. I wish you luck finding that person you can work with, and hope, frankly, you’ll be lucky enough to find them at Costco.
@RegularGuy I agree that Costco is quite service oriented and is a more than excellent value. These are my first , and thought I owed it to myself to check out an independent audi- glad I did as it gave me even more confidence in Costco. This guy has been in biz forever and does exclusively Starkey. I wan’t too impressed with his hearing test, in part as some of it (word recognition) he spoke himself into mic. But the real kicker was his willingness to sell me a demo pair that he said probably had been tried on < 10 times for the amazing price of $3k; he’d even throw in the streaming device (which he said was $650) in the deal and a year of batteries. In showing the demo pair to me, he managed in two separate occasions to drop each one on the hard floor and then almost ran over one of them with his office chair’s wheels. Of course it would come with a year warranty so I really should have no concern. I did seem him say goodbye to the prior client and hello to the one after me. He had a very warm and caring relationship with each.
For me it just didn’t seem like a good value to me. I also was pretty convinced that he would know what is best for me, and any input from forum people who might have tons of direct experience with a particular HA probably would be scoffed at. I expect he is a great match for some, but certainly not for me.
The one thing that was very helpful was when I remarked that it seemed like my hearing loss was fairly run of the mill without anything particularly unusual and that any moderately high quality HA would probably get me at least 90% of the way there, he concurred. I think my fitter at Costco can tweak things and give me even more satisfaction. My conclusion was that I could spend a great deal more, and most likely probably not even get as much.
I have my first appointment with Costco Friday. My first stop by the store to make an appointment and to take a “look” at the physical Sig 5.0 was a week ago. The nearest store is about 25 miles so I had not been in a Costco in many years. The store looked “up scale” but I was disappointed in the small area and sort of out-of-the-way placement of the hearing aid center. I wonder if the hearing aid centers are small in Costco, or it is that the store I visited doesn’t do much business in hearing aids and I might be better off checking with the next nearest store if it has a bigger hearing aid operation. Then, the size of the hearing aid centers may all be small (in my view, and as compared to the Costco optical center set up). I believe Costco stores are pretty much “cookie cutter” in their set-up and service, i.e., the Costco Brand.
Still, in is always a good practice to get service from a person who has a lot of experience, who deals with my specific problem several times a week.
Jerry_NJ, the two Costco hearing aid centers in MA near me are also small with one hearing aid specialist and an assistant plus a sound proofed room that serves as an office and a hearing testing area. All hearing aids are shipped in as ordered, nothing is stocked, though they can get them in quickly, especially the Kirkland aids, which I was told, come from their warehouse. Low overhead leads to low prices. The real key besides the prices is the service, which I have found to be fine, so far. Can’t really go wrong since they charge NO hearing test fees, NO return fees and give you 90 days to try them out and as many visits as it takes to fit them and keep them fitted. No loaners if they break, but that is the only downside that I could find. Good luck
jdc… Thanks, that’s the input I was looking for and am happy to read. I take it the number sequence I see for “L” and “R” are left and right ear hearing values at each of the frequencies shown. It appears to me the higher then number, e.g., 6K (hz) 80 means your hearing at 6K way down form that at 1K 30. The hearing test I get on Friday will provide such a measure for me.
As stated, Costco isn’t near my home, so I am not a member. It seems that the hearing aid center will allow me to decide to join Costco because they have hearing aids I want to purchase. The older practice of not letting a person in without showing a membership card has passed in favor of using the display as a way to sell memberships. That is one if more likely to join if they find savings on things they want and need. I belong now to the BJs club, it is only 3 miles from my home and it doesn’t offer hearing aids, or eye glasses at that store.
I have been using ’s for 4/5 years, I purchased them from Miracle Ear. I have moderate hearing loss and had problems at work hearing my coworkers as well as issues on the phone. My wife was none too happy at the cost of the Miracle Ears at almost $4000 but understood the need, especially since she was getting tired of me turning up the TV. As my first pair I wasn’t sure what to expect, they helped but not as much as I thought they would. I figured that was just how it was. After having to repair/replace one 4 times I asked them about replacements and was surprised at how far technology had come in 5 years. I choked at the cost of replacements, still around $4000 even with the $1000 “trade in.” My wife suggested I try Costco. I went in last Monday, was tested and ordered the K5’s. I picked them the next day and I’m thrilled with how well they work, especially for the cost. The difference is like night and day.
What really surprised me was how thorough the testing was, far more involved then I received in the past. When I picked them up the next day I figured they would just hand them to me and send me on my way but my tech spent another 30 min adjusting and setting them using tests and systems Miracle Ear never attempted. I commented on this and he said their protocol went beyond many manufactures. He said they had a rep from one of the other brands they carry going over their protocol updates and she was surprised at how thorough their requirements were. My tech told me if there were any problems to let him know right away, he also mentioned if I was ever in the store to drop them off for a free cleaning while I was shopping. I am scheduled for another visit in a couple weeks for a followup.
I am thrilled with the K5’s, I can understand everyone and I don’t have to turn the volume up on the TV anymore, What really surprised me was how natural everything sounds. I’m not saying they are ‘totally natural’ but very few sounds seem “boosted” like they did with my old HD’s and more than once I hit mute on the controller to be sure everything was working correctly. There was a squeal I kept hearing and finally figured out it was the fan, when I mentioned it to my wife she said it bothered her too, LOL. The big test will be a visit to Applebee’s next week, with my old HA’s the background noise was almost painful and made listening to my wife difficult. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Hi,
I have Rexton aids from Costco for the last 3 1/2 years. I’m very happy with them. It’s a 3 year guarantee, NO Charge for repair although I am of the belief they just send back a new one. This has happened several times to both aids, I wear them for 16 hours a day if that has anything to do with breakdown. The Customer Service is great and never hesitates to help. The audiologist can pose a problem, there have been 3 at the location I shop. 1 person IMO was claustrophobic, she could get me out of the sound booth fast enough and there wasn’t anyone waiting to be seen. One important thing to keep in mind. Costco employees DO NOT GET A COMMISSION
Hi,
I have Rexton aids from Costco for the last 3 1/2 years. I’m very happy with them. It’s a 3 year guarantee, NO Charge for repair although I am of the belief they just send back a new one. This has happened several times to both aids, I wear them for 16 hours a day if that has anything to do with breakdown. The Customer Service is great and never hesitates to help. The audiologist can pose a problem, there have been 3 at the location I shop. 1 person IMO was claustrophobic, she could get me out of the sound booth fast enough and there wasn’t anyone waiting to be seen. One important thing to keep in mind. Costco employees DO NOT GET A COMMISSION. Other hearing aid facilities either do get a commission or are the owner which is the same in either case.
I’m a loyal Costco customer because of Customer Service, Product Quality & Competitive Pricing. See my other post on Page 14 of United Health Care hearing aids. BTW, after you get hearing aids at Costco you record can be retrieved from ANY Costco Store which is a plus if there’s a problem.
I’ve been wearing ’s for 49 years and have been thinking about getting new aids. However I’ve not a member of Costco nor have I ever been to one. The only Costco store here is 11 miles away which isn’t an issue but I dislike having to pay a store to purchase something from them. I don’t care to pay for a store membership to be able to shop there only once. So would Costco let me look at, try or purchase HA’s while not being a member?
I’ve been wearing HA’s for 49 years and have been thinking about getting new aids. However I’ve not a member of Costco nor have I ever been to one. The only Costco store here is 11 miles away which isn’t an issue but I dislike having to pay a store to purchase something from them. I don’t care to pay for a store membership to be able to shop there only once. So would Costco let me look at, try or purchase HA’s while not being a member?
You can get a hearing test and evaluation without a membership at Costco, but to purchase the HA’s you will need to join. The cost of the membership will more than pay for itself with how much you will save buying your HA’s from them. You may find you will go there more than once after you join.
When I started looking, I made an appointment and strolled right in without being questioned. They told me to tell the doorman that I had a hearing aid appointment if I was asked for a card. I bought a membership when I decided to get the Rexton Quintras last October, and have kept the membership. I figure it’s worth it for the free adjustments, domes, and other supplies. Attached to my folder are the higher power receivers that I started out with, in case I want to go back to them sometime. Here’s the sum total of what I’ve purchased there-- the aids, batteries twice, flea and tick repellant for the dog, and a set of tires. Certainly worth the $55 or whatever it is…
Hello! I’m here to request feedback from users with the Kirkland 5.0, specifically with bluetooth.
I am currently in my third week with the Kirkland S5s. They are my first pair of so I don’t have anything to compare them to. That said they are comfortable and definitely make a difference. The Costco tech had me come back after the first week to adjust the aids and answer questions. I’ll be going back again in two weeks for what I think will be the final adjustment since I’m pretty much used to them.
Currently I have three programs: the primary which generally improves hearing, one for loud environments such as restaurants which turns off the rear mikes to make it easier to hear the person in front of me, and a music program. The second program is sometimes helpful because it also reduces the sharpness that I notice with the primary program. I tested the music program recently at an outdoor concert and didn’t find it useful; I’ll probably ask him to delete it at the next visit. My Costco tech seems to take a “less is better” approach with programs and so far I’m doing just fine switching between 1 & 2.
It’s good to notice everything and ask questions. For instance I noticed some wind noise out walking and when I mentioned it during the follow up visit the tech turned on the wind noise suppression feature in the HAs.
Regarding Bluetooth do you mean the Phone Clip accessory? I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to get it. I do very much like the remote control that comes with the HAs. It makes it very easy to adjust/mute volume and switch programs (it can be done directly on the HAs too).
You can’t beat the value of the S5s. Good luck with your Costco appointment.
Hi,
I have Rexton aids from Costco for the last 3 1/2 years. I’m very happy with them. It’s a 3 year guarantee, NO Charge for repair although I am of the belief they just send back a new one. This has happened several times to both aids, I wear them for 16 hours a day if that has anything to do with breakdown. The Customer Service is great and never hesitates to help. The audiologist can pose a problem, there have been 3 at the location I shop. 1 person IMO was claustrophobic, she could get me out of the sound booth fast enough and there wasn’t anyone waiting to be seen. One important thing to keep in mind. Costco employees DO NOT GET A COMMISSION. Other hearing aid facilities either do get a commission or are the owner which is the same in either case.
I’m a loyal Costco customer because of Customer Service, Product Quality & Competitive Pricing. See my other post on Page 14 of United Health Care hearing aids. BTW, after you get hearing aids at Costco you record can be retrieved from ANY Costco Store which is a plus if there’s a problem.
Turtley, being conservative is reasonable, and though uncertain (I believe I’ve read this here), if you show up, and tell them you want to look at the hearing aid department, and maybe trial them, I believe they’ll let you in. Ultimately, if you’re going to buy, the cost of about $50 to save several thousands (typical) on aids…I think you’ll find more than reasonable.
Thanks for the info Regular Guy!
I’m nearing 5 years on my current aids and was thinking about sending them in for a re-build to squeeze a few more years out of them before having to purchasing new ones. Also I’m wanting to give digitals with programs another try.
Alabama