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Rexton Quintra 2c, Costco's newest?

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Has anyone else experience the Quintra 2c as being polyphonic on tones that are not polyphonic? I know one other new user who expressed the same thing, and we both previously had Rexton Revo’s for the past 6 years. We are not new to wearing ’s. I did expect the quintra’s to help me decipher speech perhaps a bit better. But I am not finding that to be the case. It may just be ‘how it is’. But I had hoped advances in technology over the past 6 years would have given me a boost in deciphering speech in quiet settings like at home. Not the case. I am pnly 7 - 8 weeks into this fitting and have gone back to my Costco every couple of week for adjustment.

I am watching these posts with interest. I am the other guy and groberts and I have been communicating. I have the exact same experience with the Quintras as he does. Speech is not better and I get some spurrious sounds. My guess is that the Revos we both had previously were not bad at all. I expected to be wowed by new technology but it is not happening. Granted, I am only 12 days into the process and will go for my first adjustment in two days.

In reply to @rasmus_braun

@rasmus_braun said:

Both devices are capable of fitting your loss. I would suggest trying the KS5 first because it’s lower cost and contains binaural features that aren’t available in the Quintra. The KS5 is $1900/pair, and the Quintra is $2700/pair.

I’m two weeks into the Quintras. What are the “” features that are not available on the Quintras vs. Kirklands. I’m thinking of whether I should stay with these or try the Kirklands.

Thank you in advance

@mirkee said:

I’m two weeks into the Quintras. What are the “binaural” features that are not available on the Quintras vs. Kirklands. I’m thinking of whether I should stay with these or try the Kirklands.

The KS5 has Directionality which means the two hearing aids work together to coordinate the microphone mode so you get the best response in different environments. For example, most hearing aids switch to a directional mode in noise so you can focus on the speaker in front of you, but if you have someone next to you, that person may be inaudible. The KS5 has the ability to set that side as omnidirectional while maintaining the opposite side in directional mode.

@rasmus_braun said:

The KS5 has Binaural Directionality which means the two hearing aids work together to coordinate the microphone mode so you get the best response in different environments. For example, most hearing aids switch to a directional mode in noise so you can focus on the speaker in front of you, but if you have someone next to you, that person may be inaudible. The KS5 has the ability to set that side as omnidirectional while maintaining the opposite side in directional mode.

Thank you, rasmus. I’m trying to figure out if that is a good thing for me or not. I am a high school teacher and sometimes I wish I could concentrate on the person in front of me and exclude other talking. I’m not sure if the person to the side being omnidirectional is a good thing in that situation. Gotta think and try different things. I guess in order to experiment with this I would have to have KS5s and not Quintras? I’m going to stick with the Quintras for a while longer since I’ve only had them two weeks. So much of this seems to be theoretical and subjective. I think trying it out “live” is the best test, which I am doing with the Quintras. I still have to make a list of things I want to discuss with the fitter at Costco tomorrow. He seems competent and willing to help. I’m lucky that I have 4 Costcos within 20 minutes of my house.

In reply to @NateS

Thanks, Nate, for your thoughtful post.

I like FITTER as a generic term.

Audiologists have lots of class time, but i know of ZERO research showing that they do better than other fitters.

Consumer reports found many poor fittings, and no diff between audis and fitters 2009.

Elijah

@NateS said:

I see so many different terms being used for the dispensing person in all these posts. I think I have been wrong to use the term audi or audiologist loosely.

The dispensing person at my CostCo fitting had this title on his business card:
“Senior Hearing Specialist” but I don’t really know what that means in terms of state licensure or training. So I googled the term and found this definition being provided by CostCo for hiring purposes:

https://wfa.kronostm.com/index.jsp?LOCATION_ID=42795183275&locale=en_US&applicationName=CostcoNonReqExt&SEQ=postingLocationDetails&POSTING_ID=9698529692

So I still don’t know for sure what that means in terms of a state license, but it gave me a clearer idea of what CostCo requires in terms of experience, etc.

I will say that my Senior Hearing Specialist definitely seemed very, very knowledgeable and competent in running and reading the test, and in adjusting both the demo HAs and the ones I was fitted with when I walked out of the store for the trial. I was very pleased and impressed both with him and with the whole experience.

Is this term a work of art in the profession, or just an employee title created by CostCo. If I referred to him in future posts as an “SHS” would anyone know what I meant?

If I get a chance to glance at the certificates on the wall at the time of my scheduled adjustment, maybe I will get more clarity on his state certification. But in my layman’s opinion so far he is highly competent.

Regards, Nate :smiley:

In reply to @groberts

@groberts said:

I went to Costco today for a current hearing eval. I’ve been wearing a pair of rexton HA’s purchase from Costco 6 years ago. One failed to the point of being non repairable and with advances in technology, I am not sure I would want to repair it even if it was cheaper.

My HAS recommended the Rexton Quintra 2C over the Sig 5.0’s for reasons of reliability, durability but mostly for the power of the processor and better performance of the Quintra 2C. I did brief demo’s of both the Quintra 2C versus the Kirkland Signature 5.0’s and I felt I could make it speech much easier with the Rexton Quintra 2C. The Kirklands sounded more unnatural, metallic and did not supress the noise as well. and I have read enough reports about the former versions of the ReSound *Kirkland HA’s being unreliable.

So I am leaning to the Quintra 2C Rexton HA’s as well. THey are more $$, but my ears tell me they are better and so does my HAS, who has been with Costco for longer than 6 years. I bought my first pair from him. He is very knowledgable and never tries to oversell. Very competent and honest I feel.

I am researching my first for mild low freq and moderate high freq loss. The at the local Costco strongly recommended KS5s. He felt they were far superior to the previous KS4s (Rextons?). When I asked him what Costco product he would recommend for a mini-, he said I should go somewhere else. He did not like the options available at the store. I was surprised he was so set against anything else. Your post above addresses my intended question, since you are leaning toward a different Costco HA. I might like the KS5s when I try them, and I might not need a second choice. But If I want a smaller HA, should I press to try a different Costco HA (which ones?) or just go elsewhere (and likely pay more)? BTW, the HIS has over 20 years of experience.
Thanks for any advice.

I have been posting and hanging around this forum for a while now. I am in a 45 day trial for Widex Dream 440’s ().
Lots of unhappy Costco users…I guess you do get what you pay for. $1900 vs. $5000. Hmm, there must be some difference besides price.<object type=“cosymantecnisbfw” cotype=“cs” id=“SILOBFWOBJECTID” style=“width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block;”></object>

Edited

Willy,

We see what we want to see. I see the satisfied Costco shoppers, and learn from you who see the unhappy ones.

I think there are fine costco fitters, and there are others. No doubt.

That’s true for outside and Audis, too. imho

I like Costco for quality, amazing return policy, strong support, and OFTEN good people.

Not always, of course.

my opinion is that you often pay A LOT for a hearing aid, and do not always get value for money. At main street shops, with Audis attached to docs, and at Costco. So I am not sure that you get what you pay for.

Sometimes, you get a lot less. And maybe sometimes you get more?

Thanks for posting,

elijash

In reply to @cwoernle

@cwoernle said:

I am researching my first HAs for mild low freq and moderate high freq loss. The HIS at the local Costco strongly recommended KS5s. He felt they were far superior to the previous KS4s (Rextons?). When I asked him what Costco product he would recommend for a mini-BTE, he said I should go somewhere else. He did not like the options available at the store. I was surprised he was so set against anything else. Your post above addresses my intended question, since you are leaning toward a different Costco HA. I might like the KS5s when I try them, and I might not need a second choice. But If I want a smaller HA, should I press to try a different Costco HA (which ones?) or just go elsewhere (and likely pay more)? BTW, the HIS has over 20 years of experience.
Thanks for any advice.

If size is the most important consideration for you, Costco has the Rexton Charismo. It’s a very tiny instrument which is unnoticeable when worn behind the ear. It doesn’t have wireless support, so you can’t use it with a remote control or Bluetooth streamer, but it’s ultra small.

@rasmus_braun said:

If size is the most important consideration for you, Costco has the Rexton Charismo. It’s a very tiny instrument which is unnoticeable when worn behind the ear. It doesn’t have wireless support, so you can’t use it with a remote control or Bluetooth streamer, but it’s ultra small.

Thanks for the information.

In reply to @WillyA

@WillyA said:

…I guess you do get what you pay for. $1900 vs. $5000. Hmm, there must be some difference besides price.<object type=“cosymantecnisbfw” cotype=“cs” id=“SILOBFWOBJECTID” style=“width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block;”></object>

Some food for thought on your theory:

An expensive watch is more accurate, right?

If this is your first time buying an expensive wristwatch, there is one very important fact you need to know in advance. A $25 Timex or Casio digital watch will keep time just as well as, and possibly better than, a $20,000 solid gold mechanical Omega, Rolex, or other very fine watch.
Chronocentric: The largest independent, non-commercial, consumer-oriented resource on the Internet for owners, collectors and enthusiasts of fine wristwatches. Online since 1998.
Chronocentric: Accuracy of Fine Wristwatches

In a study published in Horological Journal in 2008, a researcher from the National Institute of Standards and Technology used sophisticated scientific equipment to test the performance of four cheap watches, including a counterfeit Rolex purchased from a street vendor for $15. He found that all four were astonishingly precise, to within a few thousandths of a second per day
How Stuff Works
Are expensive watches better than cheap watches? | HowStuffWorks

Why a $10 Casio Keeps Better Time Than a $10,000 Rolex
Gizmodo
http://gizmodo.com/5983427/why-a-10-casio-keeps-better-time-than-a-10000-rolex

Best wishes, Nate :smiley:

In reply to @cwoernle

@cwoernle said:

I am researching my first HAs for mild low freq and moderate high freq loss. The HIS at the local Costco strongly recommended KS5s. He felt they were far superior to the previous KS4s (Rextons?). When I asked him what Costco product he would recommend for a mini-BTE, he said I should go somewhere else. He did not like the options available at the store. I was surprised he was so set against anything else. Your post above addresses my intended question, since you are leaning toward a different Costco HA. I might like the KS5s when I try them, and I might not need a second choice. But If I want a smaller HA, should I press to try a different Costco HA (which ones?) or just go elsewhere (and likely pay more)? BTW, the HIS has over 20 years of experience.
Thanks for any advice.

I bought the Rexton Quintras, among other things, because they were smaller. Having had them for a while now, I am not sure they are any more visible or comfortable than my old Rexton Rivos or for that matter the new KS5’s at Costco. I think beyond a certain size smaller just does not matter much, for me, at least.

In reply to @WillyA

@WillyA said:

I have been posting and hanging around this forum for a while now. I am in a 45 day trial for Widex Dream 440’s (RIC).
Lots of unhappy Costco users…I guess you do get what you pay for. $1900 vs. $5000. Hmm, there must be some difference besides price.<object type=“cosymantecnisbfw” cotype=“cs” id=“SILOBFWOBJECTID” style=“width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block;”></object>

Man oh man oh man, I wish I was in sales and knew where you lived. You are a shady salesperson’s dream customer! :smiley:

In reply to @elijahlovejoy

I am a Costco fan all the way around. I shop for many products there, included, not just because of price but also because of quality, customer service and support. I am very happy with the hearing department at costco and have been a customer for 6+ years. I have always had the best service and support there.

Not affiliated yada yada…

I’m currently demoing the quintras. I’m using the power receiver in canal model. It’s very early yet but so far they seem fine though they need further dialling in, both by the audi and my brain.

I’m posting because I’ve been wearing ’s for 40 years now. So i’ve had a lot of experience with audi’s and fitters and ent’s. I’ve found Costco no better and no worse than the private dispensers (including ’s and audioloogy departments of large hospitals).

It all boils down to your individual fitter. Period.

I’m currently also demoing the Oticon Alta’s. A very fine aid indeed, with what I consider as good a speech quality as one could expect. Where it falls down is the compressed feel of speech in noise. Not bad mind you, and intelligibility is very high. Which for most would be the only thing of importance. btw, performance with a phone is execrable. Not so much the sound but with no , it has a hard time picking up the voices. I’d buy the blue tooth. I briefly tried it in the audi’s office and it was nice.

I found Starkey’s a bit ‘sloppy’ for my tastes. Too much variation from situation to situation, a a certain overall looseness. Sort of like a midrange stereo speaker, vs a very expensive speaker. I did like the sound signature vs the oticons, a fuller sound.

The Bernafon Accriva 9’s were interesting. Totally different than anything I’ve heard. As if they were trying really hard to duplicate natural sound but just didn’t have the speed or oomph to get it done. Mind you my loss is in the severe range. I’ll post my when I get a chance to look for it.

Over the years my favorite aids have been Sonic Innovations. Very natural, though at the expense of speech isolation. Now that my hearing has gotten progressively worse, I’m not so sure they have the power I need. I go Tuesday for a Flip 80 fitting, so we’ll see.

I’ve demoed the last generation of Phonaks. Detestable. For me. The programs just aren’t very bright and fall all over themselves trying to adjust to the sound environment with none really taking charge.

My background is in science so I’m well aware of all the compromises that need to be made because of hardware and software limitations.

For those of you with little experience with HA’s and fitting. Take your time. Don’t be afraid to drive your dispenser crazy. It’s only hours for them, it’ll be years of wearing for you. Besides, they get paid to work. (interesting concept that).

So find the right dispenser, take your time. Allow your brain to adjust, fine tune, fine tune again. And be prepared to compromise. The hard part is learning which compromises work for you.

I’ve got a lot of experience, and I still get frustrated so hang in there.

Oh, yes. The quintra’s seem to be a fine aid. Very fast processing, reasonably clear with a nice open sound. Too early to comment more. I’ll repost after I get some more time with all these aids under my belt.

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