I had a hearing test recently at Costco (Tulsa, OK) and was fitted with the Rexton Bi-core priced at $1499. I’m new to hearing aids. They seemed fine I guess. I was impressed with the battery life and all the features. Today when I went in to Costco to get a copy of my hearing test the technician told me they just got in the Jabra Enhance Pro 20 micro RIE and he suggested I try them. I didn’t have the time but will be doing so next week. He was really hyped up about them and said because of Bluetooth LE, he felt they were a better choice for me. (profit motive?)
So what has always bothered me about Costco is how they private label things so you don’t know for sure what model you are getting if you go to the normal Rexton or Jabra website. Do people in this forum know the corresponding models for the ones that Costco sells?
I’m thankful for a forum like this where there are so many more knowledgable people than I.
Actually, I think you might thank the fitter for being enthusiastic about it and making it known to you. No skin off his nose if you went away clueless. It’s “LE Audio” and I’m not the only one here who thinks that it’s definitely worth having. Not immediately maybe but more and more in the coming months and years. Lots of information here and elsewhere. You have a week. Get Googling!
Costco hearing aid fitters don’t work on commission, so no profit motive that I can tell.
The hearing aid fitter that programed my Philips hearing aid said they where having issues with getting support from Jabra. So she wasn’t pushing Jabra.
Anyhow, I think Bluetooth Audio with Auracast is going to be the future. So I can see why the fitter wanted you to know about it.
Samsung has now updated their high end TVs to Auracast and others will soon follow. Plus there is a startup company now making an aftermarket device to transmit Auracast called VOCE.
Auracast is going to be important for those who have hearing issues and attend meetings. So something to consider when buying a new hearing aid.
Since you are a first time user and don’t have a sound preference I would try the 20’s because they are the newest tech Costco has. Sort of like an iPhone, go with the latest tech you can afford
Thanks for the wisdom and advice. I found another thread in the forum that goes into a lot of detail and I probably should have looked more thoroughly before posting. In any case, I’m excited to try the Pro 20 upon my return visit to Costco. I’m not sure how much delay there will be once I order them, but I will surely post a review once I get them. the fitter did tell me that the battery life was a bit less than the Rexton. He said 20 hours including 10 hours of streaming. I think the Rexton was 24 hours with 5 hours of streaming. Maybe that actually translates to about the same since 10 hours of streaming should use more power than just 5 hours of streaming I would think.
I’m still in pre-purchase mode, but have done a bit of research on the Jabra Enhanced Pro 20 as it compares with options from TruHearing which gets some cost shift thru our health insurance. Cursory observation suggests that out of pocket outlay is less at Costco.
That said, it appears that the Jabra Enhaced Pro 10 is an knockoff of the Resound Omnia…but the Omnia comes in performance grades (5, 7, and 9 matching feature provision) and I’m still trying to get a sense of what is “left out” for the Jabra. It seems that the chip technology is much the same, and it is just a matter of what functions are activated. In the Pro 20 model, recently released, early comments suggest that it compares with the open market model Resound Nexia, the latest release. Let’s face it: markets and marketing have worked well to have a popular brand produced exclusive model variations for Costco. My Roomba i3 work just like the open market i4 model, with the cost difference still in my pocket.
Other commenters have indicated that feature reflected in the Resound Nexia upgrade are also included in the Jabra Enhanced Pro 10 to Pro 20 model change…can’t confirm that, but it makes sense.
So, even with insurance subsidy ($1,400 a pair for us), Costco is a hard deal to beat compared to market prices of $3.5k +. I think your Costco HCP was doing you a favor when suggesting that you try the Jabra product. A number of folks, including the Costco HCP that tested my wife and I, have been skeptical of the M&rie additional mic, but I believe that is impacted by which hearing freq ranges are failing. Other commenters and details I have discovered suggest that the Jabra Enhanced Pro models match their Resound permium counterparts very closely.
So…it seems that, at least with the Jabra product, you are getting a relabeled version of the company’s (GN Hearing A/S) top line Resound product…or at least something very close to it, and at a very good price.
Rexton Bi-Core at Costco is a knock off of the Signia Pure Charge&Go 7AX, which is Signia’s premium hearing aid. There is a difference because Signia has recently introduced a new IX platform to replace the AX platform. The new upgrade hasn’t filtered down to Rexton yet, but it will within the next few months. Regardless, the current Rexton Bi-Core is a really good hearing aid.
The Pro 10 has the same controls and levels as the Omnia 9 but shows up in the fitting program as something like ‘861nnn’. I expect a Omnia 9 to show up as a ‘961nnn’. I’d expect the same for the Pro 20/Nexia. The Jabras definitely seem to have more adjustability than the Omnia 7s.
The ReSound web site will show the differences between the 7s and 9s. The Costco fitting s/w will show the levels offered by the Pros.
The Pro is exactly the same as ReSound 9, Costco only sell the premium models, which is a very good thing, no need to baffle people with different “levels” in my opinion everyone needs premium!
Everything I’ve found indicates the Pro 10s are Omnia 9s. But I’m not a hearing aid designer. I’m not a hearing aid engineer. I don’t work for ReSound. I haven’t compared Omnia and Jabra mushware. I have little faith in marketing terms like ‘premium’.
IOW, tI do not know if the Pro 10s are Omnia 9s. They may be. They may not be. I have no way of finding out which is correct.
I’d believe a ReSound spokesperson who said the Pro 10s are Omnia 9s. I’d believe a Costco spokesperson who says Costco’s contract with ReSound calls for ReSound to relabel Omnia 9s as Jabra Pro 10s. In the absence of evidence like that, I regard ‘Pro 10s are Omnia 9s’ as an opinion, not a fact.
I’m sorry about belaboring this - I think the world would be a much better place if we kept ourselves from treating opinions as facts.
Oh sorry I didn’t realise you were the authority on such matters, but anyways ,how about you do some research and get back to us and then you could make clear assumptions on what you think the differences are, that would be a good place to start, and I agree, the world would be a much better place" if we kept ourselves from treating opinions as facts"
I do not get how you read my last statement as a claim I’m an authority. It says very clearly I am not an authority on HAs, and that’s why I refrain from stating categorically, as you do, that the Jabra Pro 10s and anything buy Jabra Pro 10s. Here’s what I wrote:
Sure there’s a typo in there, but the statement is pretty clear nonetheless.
All good no problem, but you do have a way to check your thoughts, you could download each manufacturer’s software and App’s and then compare, including the exact same accessories used between the two.
I’m curious about your characterization of the Rexton as a really good hearing aid. I’ve had trouble finding much information about them and what I could find was mediocre reviews. The OP didn’t seem too much impressed. That said, my cursory research is just that and I make no claim they’re mediocre even if such a definitive characterization applied to everyone’s experience which I’m sure it doesn’t. My fitter at Costco preferred the Rexton but I passed after doing some research and taking into consideration that they are, according to him, 1-1.5 year old technology. I read a number of anecdotal reviews by Rexton bi-core users having malfunctions and repair issues. I had already returned the 9040s based on what I considered too large a form factor and disappointing hear-in-noise functionality. That may have been an adjustment issue which I never explored after deciding that the sheer size of them was hard to get past.
They are actually Signia models, rebranded as Rexton flavoured.
Well you didn’t take your audiologists recommendation on something you read… somewhere, you should of done more research because the difference between an older platform and the latest hardly matters, the only thing would be LE Audio with Auracast to make any real difference.
So do every other manufacturer?
Seriously, you considered the 9040 a big form factor? You may need to consider ITE or CIC types instead.
I little less hostile feedback would be appreciated.
Costco doesn’t employ audiologists. If newer technology is unlikely to show improvement then this forum is practically pointless, given much if not most of the discussion revolves around the latest advances.