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Sam’s Club New Hearing Aids coming up (Help me figure out)

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Edited

Forks, I visited Sam’s Club last week, and it appears they have more hearing aids arriving in addition to the Bernafon Encanta and NuEar NXG mentioned in a previous post. I spoke with the hearing aid dispenser, who said they had just received them a few days ago. He has not yet received any brochures from the manufacturer, but mentioned that one of the new models is from Widex and another from ReSound. He was uncertain about the third model. Does anyone have information on this?

New Sam’s hearing aids - Bernafon Encarta 400 & NuEar NXG (Starkey AI 24) - Hearing Aids - Hearing Aid Forum - Active Hearing Loss Community

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Yeah so looking at that picture, the audio service are Signia/Rexton but your rep says maybe Widex? Danavox is GN ReSound and the VISTA are Sonova (Unitron)

Not sure without comparing the spec’s, one would think they would be trying to complete with Costco and be Rise as the R is old Lumity platform, but these Sonova models are the same anyway, so we could say the VISTA is a rebranded Sennheiser..

Edited

In reply to @FlyingTY

The Vista V9 is the equivalent of the Sonite R/Phonak Lumity 90.
Vista is a pvt label, it is not the usual Unitron Moxi product label.

One thing about Unitron : while the hardware is the same as Phonak’s ,(based on what I’ve read ), the OS and software are different . It’s like a Bernafon vs Oticon .

Based on what I’ve read, there are no big differences in sound/features.

Unitron vs Phonak: Breaking Down the Differences & Similarities3

Unitron and Phonak are sister brands under Sonova. They share technology but differ in philosophy, price, and features.

Phonak Lumity vs Unitron Vivante
Hello, Is there a significant difference between Lumity by Phonak and the Vivante line by Unitron, aside from the casing, etc.? One notable advantage of Vivante is the 312 with a disposable battery, but how does it compare in terms of quality and performance? Best wishes,

In reply to @comeagain

@comeagain said:

FitHearing sells the Starkey Edge Al 24 for $999

That’s per unit, not the pair (Sam’s price is per pair). Plus Sam offers on-site , fittings and service.

Online fittings are not for everyone: No , no custom molds, no feedback tests (I think some manufacturers offer remote feedback tests like Phonak). It’s just like doing a virtual doctor visit vs going to the office.

The Audio Service in the OP’s picture (R Li 8) is equivalent to the Rexton Reach.
The Danavox Astro pro is equivalent to the Resound Vivia 9.
The Bernafon Encanta (not shown in the OPs pic but sold by Sams) is a brother of the Phillips 9050.
The only ones that are a generation behind are the Starkey (Costco does not have the latest model either) and the Unitron Vista.

Walmart/Sams is the 2nd largest company in the world by revenue (after Amazon), the largest employer in the world and the only retailer, in the world, that has reached a trillion $ market capitalization this year. I don’t think any retailer in the world has more bargaining power than Walmart/Sams (remember : Sams is a subsidiary of Walmart).

@OcramSagev said:

I don’t think any retailer in the world has more bargaining power than Walmart/Sams (remember : Sams is a subsidiary of Walmart).

Good points, well this can only be good for the consumers.

In reply to @comeagain

Sorry, my slip up. Actually I’m considering Sam’s (which is 9 miles away). I’ve visited the hearing center and talked to the guy who runs it. But no , no insurance, locked, only 60 day trial, no D. of Aud, so they fall short of Costco.

I suppose I may have to drive the 85 miles to Greensboro, after all. I am now without aids, since my rechargeable batteries went bad, and I had to be send back (2 weeks ago), and no word from them yet.

Edited
@comeagain said:

But no REM, no insurance, locked, only 60 day trial, no D. of Aud, so they fall short of Costco

1.- I don’t know if the do or not.
2.- It’s my understanding that the Danavox, Audio Service and Bernafon are not locked (they use their own version of the programming software, not the GN/Signia/Oticon). Someone posted here that the NuEars are locked. The Vista is a pvt label and may be locked (I don’t know).
EDIT: I found out the Vista V is not locked but requires a different version of Unitron’s fitting software called Aura:Fit (instead of True:Fit).
3) The ops are being run by NationsHearing. A hearing specialist from Sam ( @hearingspecialist62 ) said they will include insurance benefits within a year. So it seems they are working on it (see link below).
4.- The service I’ve received from the (Costco) is excellent, much better than the I saw that works with my insurance. There are things a HIS cannot do (tinnitus for example) but in general, I was happy with the HIS work.

If I were you, I would give them a try (due to the distance you mentioned) – You can always return them if you don’t like them. And then you can let us know the whole story.

New Sam's hearing aids - Bernafon Encarta 400 & NuEar NXG (Starkey AI 24)
As a hearing specialist at Sams Club the Lucid hearing aids have gone away and Lucid has closed its doors. We now offer the Bernafon Encanta 400, the NuEar NE AI and the Unitron Vista V9. All at the premium tier of $1699 and basic at $1399. Most of our centers can see you same day or at least same week and we have stock for same day fittings. ALL our products offer a 3 year repair warranty, 2 year loss and damage with a $200 ded and a 60 full refund trial period. We will also be offering ma…

Yep they use their own respective software for each brand, so they’re , but makes it hard to be able to find any other clinic if they don’t stock/sell these models, not many bernafon clinic’s around either, so stuck with using Sams, which is the same situation for the Costco models.

In reply to @OcramSagev

Great reply. I would like to add some details for consideration. First, Sam’s Club offers ; however, their services are not compatible with all insurance providers. For instance, although my policy is partnered with NationsBenefit, I am still required to pay out of pocket when using Sam’s Club, though the reason for this is unclear. Additionally, the two-year loss and damage coverage with a $200 deductible applies to each device individually, not as a pair. This means that losing both devices would result in $400 in deductibles, whereas Costco offers similar coverage at no charge.(also 2 months VS 6 months return window) Furthermore, it is easier to find the necessary software here to perform programming for your own hearing aids. These factors may be important when determining which option best meets your needs.@comeagain

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