What brands of hearing aids outperform Costco's?

I’ve had a set of Costco Resound hearing aids for about three years, and in spite of taking them in for cleanings and adjustment, their performance is steadily declining. I now live several hundred miles from the next Costco, and need help. There seems to be a jungle of brands out there. and where do I start? If price is not a factor, what brands are more durable and reliable?

Although as @Sierra noted in a previous discussion, the actual reader survey was done in the spring of 2018, which means that reader opinion was probably based on HA’s purchased and used back through 2017, 2016, and maybe even earlier. Many OEM’s have offered newer models since then.

The title chose for the thread is a bit misleading. Since Costco doesn’t offer tinnitus suppression or remote assistance (adjusting the HA’s over the Internet), on that basis virtually every premium HA can outperform the top-of-the-line Costco brand. And if you look over all the posts on this forum, what makes one user happy doesn’t always make some other user happy. And providers especially have said on this forum that no matter what the HA, getting a good provider who can fit the device really well is one of the most important things. So maybe your first problem is really not deciding on what HA’s is the best but who are the best providers for the distance you’re willing to travel and what brands do they offer - then go from there.

Price is a big issue of course, unless you have a very generous insurance policy. Next I would ask if they do Real Ear Measurement (REM). Estimates vary, but as many as 2/3 of retailers don’t do it. This is simply measuring the actual output of the hearing aid in the ear and comparing it to the theoretical prescription required to optimize hearing. The second step is to adjust gain to match the target. Some measure (to meet insurance obligations) but do not adjust. Then of course ask about costs for adjustments. HA’s typically require a few to get optimized.

@jeffrey said:

I produce a ton of ear wax and despite changing wax guards frequently need a lot of cleanings.

The exact shape and design of domes or molds can make a difference, too. With ReSound domes, perhaps because the dome could be more easily deformed on pushing it into my ear, I often found some wax in the receiver openings (but, AFAIK, it never made it through the wax guards as the receiver screens always looked as clean as could be on changing wax guards). Upon getting molds that are pretty rigid silicone with the receiver openings positioned on the upper end of the overall OVAL 0 end shape, there is almost always no wax at all in the receiver openings on the inside of the mold and the receiver itself is recessed some distance (~4 mm) down the bore in the mold - so even if wax got into the opening in the mold (very rare), it’s almost never gotten to the receiver itself. So one might be able to control a wax problem or not depending on the shape and size of the mold and the relative position of the receiver openings on the inside of the mold. In my limited experiences, domes are more of a problem in keeping receivers free from wax - but then they are inexpensive compared to a custom mold - but if my experience can be generalized and you have to travel a lot to get your HA’s professionally cleaned or refurbished, molds might pay for themselves if they help to keep your receivers clear from wax as well as improving the listening (and in my case, comfort experience).