@oneear said:
I no longer get as much high-frequency volume from my 5-yr. old Starkey Genesis HA and my audi says it needs to go back to the factory for repair at a cost of $200. A new hearing test showed my hearing had not changed, it was the HA. A suggested alternative is to replace it with a Starkey Ignite 30 at a cost of about $2000. I’m wondering if I will really notice enough difference in performance to justify the extra cost. I was happy with the Genesis while it was working properly, despite it being a very basic unit. No help in noisy crowds, but I am rarely in that situation. My life style is quiet, mostly talking to people one-on-one and watching TV, but speech comprehension is currently difficult until I repair or replace the HA. Can anyone suggest a lower-cost alternative than the Ignite 30 that would work for my hearing loss and life style?
The Ignite 30 was a great hearing aid when it first came out, it was sold under another name. Last summer, Starkey updated the technology, and perhaps most importantly added background noise suppression to it, relaunching the device under the Ignite name.
Personally, if I had hearing only in one ear, I would want the absolute best I could possibly afford. So I’d even consider spending a few hundred more and getting the Starkey X Series technology. It has more channels and substantially more sophisticated technology, that is effectively one generation more advanced.
If you were financing the purchase, $500 more would mean almost nothing to your payment anyway. So if you are going to rely on one ear, get the best you can.
http://starkeypro.com/public/professionals/products/hearing-aids/x-series/overview.jsp1
Oh and if you negotiate you should be able to get a reasonable trial period, so if the new aid isn’t making you happy, you can always call repairing yours plan B.
