I was tested 3 weeks ago and the tester, an audiologist-in-residence at my HMO, said my hearing’s fairly good for my age, but I’d benefit from HAs. Bilaterally I’m not too bad up to 1.5k, starts falling off quite a bit at higher frequencies. I’ve had tinnitus since 1980’s. She showed me an Oticon. She said I’d save maybe $1000 if I go to Costco, told me to give them a copy of my report. I had my initial Costco appt yesterday. The practitioner is the head of the department. I’d been told that they’d test me but he said my report was sufficient for him to proceed to fit me. I’d been told that wearing HAs listening to my stereo systems would be better than streaming for music (my phone is a Samsung S9), by him and the tester at my HMO. He starts recommending the Philips 9050, saying it would be best for music via stereo system (music is a top priority for me, but I’ve had troubles with speech for years). I mention the Rexton Reach and we talk about the differences. He says the Reach’s app is better. He owns up, saying he could tweak the Rexton to provide a music experience just as good as the 9050 would provide. Are these things true?
Caveat: This is my 1st HA and I have not tried the Rexton.
The audi at my local Costco recommended the 9050 for music and the Rexton for noise/conversations. Since my days of meetings and business dinners are in the past, my priority was listening to music, so I opted for 9050s. IMHO they are far, far better than I expected. The audi selected their Music Hifi program which is very neutral and exactly what I was hoping for. I have looked under the hood and she had shut down all noise reduction and set the mics to omni.
My listening system is desktop studio monitors + sub fed by a HQ DAC – mainly streaming Tidal but dipping into hires files on occasion.
I trialed the vaunted Phonak Sphere for a week and I came away very unimpressed with its music abilities - but that could have been the quick and dirty setup that the audi threw on the demo pair I tried.
And btw . . .
The 9050 has a 3 Band EQ in the app.
And under the hood, it has a 24 band fitting range, so you can narrow things down nicely.
My Rexton Reach are tuned for Music and I think they are great both steaming and speakers, also work good noise/conversations
So, yesterday, the day after my sit-down at Costco, I discover that starting yesterday they will throw in a free TV adapter with purchase of the Philips (until Dec. 24, it’s in Costco’s mailer). Why wasn’t I told that before I bought the Reach Tuesday? This has me thinking I have options. Cancel Reach & get 9050 instead? Hold onto Reach & buy the 9050 before Xmas, compare for some months and return one <180 days? I’m favoring that approach ATM.
Yes, the 3 band EQ on the Philips is a plus. The Rexton has a weaker tweak, being a slider for bass <----> treble.
And you let us know your conclusion. 
I think the reality is that all good HAs can sound pretty decent when set up by a competent audi (or a dedicated DIYer). Being realistic, an HA has teeny-tiny components – microphones controlled by an elaborate DSP feeding an amplifier that drives a balanced armature speaker – all on a micro scale. It is amazing that it sounds as good as it does . But . . . you can only expect so much . . .
This is pretty impressive!
My Phonaks are still under warranty for another year, so I’m stuck with them until 2026 ish. I will no longer have insurance coverage for hearing aids when I get my next pair (retired), and I’m expecting to return to Costco at that point. I’m psyched that the 9050s sound so fantastic!
Thanks for sharing your impressions…