June 11, 2019

Hearing Aids

On June 11, 2019, I took posession of my first pair of hearing aids, a pair of "Kirkland Signature 8.0". These cost $1600. They are made by Rexton. They use a 312 size zinc-air battery. My medicare suppliment will kick in $500, so I am paying $1100 out of pocket.

If I had an Iphone, they would work along with the phone when I take phone calls. I have an Android - a Samsung S4. I can download an app called "Connexx Smart Remote" by Sivantos Pte Ltd. from the Android "play store".

The aids can hold 6 programs. The technician at Costco was only going to give me two (Auto and Noise/Party), but I insisted that I wanted to see what else was available and have some other programs. I quick look at the list, and we added "focus 360" and "outdoor/traffic".

The app is pretty bogus. It lets me select the programs by number. It has no idea what is loaded into slot 1, 2, 3, or 4 -- so you had better know. It also lets you adjust volume as well as giving you a mute button, and a bass--treble slider. That is it.

Programs

The descriptions are pretty minimal. The best way to do online searches is to search for KS8, as that seems to be the standard "abbreviation" for these.

Automatic

This is what you get every time you turn on the device (i.e. insert a battery and close the battery door).

Noise/Party

For crowded places with lots of background noise.

(i)Focus 360

Lets you hear people to the side or from behind, even when you are looking straight up. Appropriate when you are driving a car.

Outdoor/Traffic

For use outdoors.
Have any comments? Questions? Drop me a line!

Tom's Health pages / [email protected]