I’m working on making a purchasing decision for my first set of ha’s. I have been studying and learning about the technology and market for about three weeks. I am 70, and live in a small town about 75 miles north of Atlanta, GA. I had my first audiogram done on Friday at the local All American Hearing Aid Center, which is a Starkey shop, and the only dispenser in our town. I did not get to try on a hearing aid at that appointment. On Sunday, I had a more thorough audiogram at a Costco hearing aid center, and tried out hearing aids for the first time. I wore the Kirkland Signature 6 for about 15 or 20 minutes, and the Rexton Trax 42 for another 10 of 15 minutes. I will have some questions about my experience so far, which I will post in another sub-forum.
I am inclined to buy new hearing aids online for a variety of reasons, not the least of which the prices are far less than can be obtained through a dispenser, and I am interested in eventually learning do it yourself programming/fitting of the ha’s. I am currently focusing on the Signia Pure Primax. I have looked at the features matrix for the differences between the 7px and 5px models, and I feel that I have a bit of a grasp of the feature differences, but the price difference between these two performance levels is almost $1,000.00, and I don’t have enough information to decide if there is $1,000.00 in value for going with the higher performance level. 32 channels and 16 bands vs 48 channels and 20 bands, less directionality control with the microphones, and less adjustment capability through the EasyTek software are the main differences I see. Can someone please explain to me what other feature differences there are, and how those and the other feature differences will affect the performance of these hearing aids? Someone told me that the practical difference would be about 3% to 5% in performance, but that is a very subjective statement, and I don’t have any significant experience with hearing aids. I would appreciate any help, guidance, feedback or personal experience anyone can share.
More channels is a selling tool. Good results are obtained with the minimum of 12. Premium aids are better in noise. You need to decide if it benefits YOU. Purchasing on line gives you more limited support. Are you comfortable with such a trade-off?
Thanks for your answer, Ken. Yes, I’ve read a fair amount about channels and bands, including summaries of the research on effectiveness, etc. I’ve read that research indicates there’s not much improvement above 4 channels, and almost none above 8.
Based on everything I have studied so far, I have come to the conclusion that I will purchase premium ha’s. Both of the models I mentioned are premium, so the main question here is the objective difference between the models, and whether the additional benefit is worth the cost.
As far as trade-offs, I can say that so far, in my limited experience, I have not had an interchange with any hearing aid dispenser here locally in the Atlanta area, either in person or over the phone, that has given me very much if any confidence. Maybe I just haven’t gone to the right place yet, but it is very time consuming to visit a large number of venders when you live so many miles away from them.
The hardest thing to do is select your first aids. It isn’t so much that you don’t understand the various claims/technology. The problem is that it will take you some time to adjust to hearing long missing sounds. That takes weeks to months.
My free advice and its worth every penny, is to try the KS6 at Costco. Is it the best? No. No aid is always best. What it does give you is a 180 day trial which will allow you to adjust to the sounds/experience. You are then in a better position to evaluate other aids and those aids can be returned during the trial period for a full refund. You can then try other aids from Costco or a clinic and have a better position from which to judge.
@KenP, good advice, and I may have to consider it. Negatives for me, my phone is a Galaxy S II so I can’t use the Choice phone app. I’d have to buy a new phone, or buy a remote, as well as the phone clip+. Looks like the cost with tax would be around $2,500.00. Also, my conscience gives me a twinge on the ethics of purchasing an item with a nearly 100% chance of returning it. Thoughts?
@Everyone else, this thread is about the differences between Signia Primax Pure 7px and 5px models. I downloaded and installed the Siemens Connexx 8.1 fitting software last night. I noticed that the 7px has one additional program than the 5px, and it is called reverberant room, for large dining rooms and rooms with lots of hard reflective surfaces. The other programs have the same names between the two models, so that’s at least one additional piece of information. If anyone can share concrete information about the differences in performance of the two models, it would be greatly appreciated.
Hearing aids are often returned. That is baked into the business model. You shouldn’t have guilt over that. Just make sure the trial period is long enough. Your experience the first few days as opposed to a month later will be quite different. The sad thing is that starting hearing aids is a bad experience for most. You must adopt over time to the new sounds. You’ve a large loss and are likely to have some continuing struggle with aids compared to many. I’m in that situation and while the results aren’t perfect it an improvement. If you don’t go with aids, you word recognition can continue to decline and make the future even worse.
If you buy the phone clip, you don’t need the remote. The clip can adjust the aids and it also makes possible using their full control app on any modern Android phone.
Never, ever feel guilty about an honest return. As Ken said, it’s all built in to their pricing model. Also, I’d say your chances of returning them are more like 95%. There’s always that small chance you’ll like them and keep them. And that is why Costco offers this program.
@Everyone else, this thread is about the differences between Signia Primax Pure 7px and 5px models. I downloaded and installed the Siemens Connexx 8.1 fitting software last night.
How did you do that? I though the fitting software was off limits to us peasants.
I noticed that the 7px has one additional program than the 5px, and it is called reverberant room, for large dining rooms and rooms with lots of hard reflective surfaces. The other programs have the same names between the two models, so that’s at least one additional piece of information. If anyone can share concrete information about the differences in performance of the two models, it would be greatly appreciated.
I’m not sure, but my understanding was that the only difference between the levels was features. For example, my 5bx has the ability to focus directly in front of me or directly behind me. The 7bx would have given me the ability to focus strictly to one side or the other. Stuff like that.
I’ve had my 7pxs for not quite a month yet, and I have to say, the “reverberant room” program is flat out amazing. I eat out at least 3 times a week, and many restaurants here have concrete floors, so when they get busy, they are huge echo chambers. I was a little hesitant to use a program slot for the program when my audi suggested it, because the marketing literature bills it for museums, which I don’t frequent a lot, but the first time I turned it on in a restaurant, I was blown away - the echos were gone, and hearing people got SO much easier. It’s the one program I’m not sure I could live without, because the automatic program doesn’t handle that situation nearly as well (though it is great at open-air crowd situations).
Are you actually planning to try to use the software yourself? Doesn’t it require fairly expensive equipment to communicate with the aids? That is my impression, but to be honest I haven’t researched it. I am a 30-year software engineer, and I would honestly love to try tweaking my aids myself, but assumed it wasn’t worth the startup cost, and my audi is very supportive anyway (but she’s also 30 minutes away and I have to make an appointment to see her, obviously). Maybe you just downloaded the software to check out the programs, though (which is a good idea - I’m surprised you could get it for free, or even at all).
Reverberant room may be the only complete feature difference between 5 and 7, but there are capabilities within the other program modules that are limited in v. 5. 7 enables, for instance, better focus on targeted speaker in a crowd, or in the car, ability to clearly hear backseat passengers as well as front seat passenger, or music fidelity is lesser quality.
Thanks, @BlueCrab. By the way, there’s a thread here on the forums somewhere that has the download link to the Conexx software. Once downloaded and installed, there is an update manager to get the latest version.
Your endorsement of the reverberant room program is quite compelling. However, I’m quite sure I will find myself in a situation that would benefit from that program very infrequently. I may use the software later, after I get fully accustomed to hearing aids. The hardware necessary to connect with all brands of aids can be obtained from various vendors online. You can get more info about it in the DIY forum, which is near the bottom of the forums listings. You can also get the Signia specific hardware, which I think is called ConexxLink, to connect wirelessly with the Signia aids, from ebay vendor bidbybid for $499.00.
Thanks. You’ve confirmed pretty much what I have come to understand as the differences in features. The difference in the spatial configurator is maybe the biggest thing that separates the two models for me. I didn’t pick up on a difference in music fidelity in anything I read, but with my severe to profound hearing loss at 3K and above, I doubt that I would benefit much, if any, from increased music fidelity. Trialing the px5 model the past few days, my first experience with hearing aids. Beginning to adjust to them. It seems to me that the added features in the 7px are not a very great value at approximately $1,000.00 additional cost per pair.
I’m 59 and I just received my first Ha’s last week (Signia Primax Pure INSIO 7px ITC EXT) and was very excited to finally be able to distinguish after 15+ years of struggling to make out what people are saying in meetings and high ambient area conversations. I have not had a very good performance from them though and I’m hoping it’s because they need more tuning to fit my hearing issues. They are very echoey and high treble sounding. I hear the ceiling fan and the air flow over the conversations. I have tried to use the iPhone app to adjust the mic pickup but it just seems to lower the entire volume. I’m going in for my 2wk check up and I have documented all the issues I have been having in hopes my Doc can make some adjustments to remedy my issues. It’s encouraging to hear your blogs knowing that the performance of my Ha’s is tops.
Did any of you have to go through an adjustment period where your Doc made adjustments or did you come out of the gate spot on?
I also have the Bluetooth EasyTek and EasyTek transmitter for the TV and the volume is great but it sounds echoey like an AM radio not HD sound as they are to produce.
Connection works great with my iPhone and in my car Bluetooth.
I do notice modes seem to switch when my iPhone goes into sleep mode or if there are other Bluetooth signals are in the area. It’s always beeping and switching modes.
I have had the Sign is Primax 3X for a short while and love the hearing aids. Understanding at Church and Restaurant much better than my Bernafon. The EasyTek controlled is not so good. Head movement can can cause momentary loss of contact with the hearing aids. My biggest problem is the incessant beeping. I had to disable notifications from my phone. If I set my phone down and walk away, can’t go to the next room without losing the connection.
I’m checking to see if Costco can find a way to use the rest microphone on my Bernafon ha’s for noise cancellation so they would be more like the Sign is. With Signia I’m ok with the 3X (which cost $1000 over my insurance)
I do recommend Costco, but I changed my insurance. CWD
is to try the KS6 at Costco. Is it the best? No. No aid is always best. What it does give you is a 180 day trial which will allow you to adjust to the sounds/experience. You are then in a better position to evaluate other aids and those aids can be returned during the trial period for a full refund. You can then try other aids from Costco or a clinic and have a better position from which to judge.