Wannabe,
Just back from my, “tune-up ” at Costco. Big difference!
When I saw my speech pathologist friend the other day and told her that I had gotten hearing aids, she was excited until I told her that I’d gone to Costco. Her response was, “Oh No!’ When I asked her why that reaction, she said that a lot of their technicians have only basic licensure and aren’t trained like a full audiologist is. (Essentially, you get what you pay for.)
So I went back today, I talked to the guy at the front desk about how I wasn’t completely happy, and he made sure that the tuneup was performed by one of the supervisors in the hearing department. This guy seemed knowledgeable and really listened to my frustrations and issues. When I explained to him the situation that the hearing aids were sounding very tinny and unnatural (and VERY low fidelity by ASR standards), he completely recalibrated them, and they are sounding much better.
I really sensed that he appreciated my hi-fi background- “you’re speaking my language!” - and seemed interested in my comparisons and comments about the EarPod Pros.
He gave me all the options on the Phillips app (the first tech didn’t even want me use the app) which is nice. Though the app is nowhere near sophisticated as the Apple AirPod suite, it’s dead simple to use and gives you a couple of different equalizations.
He also told me that he had dialed back the high frequency response, and that it will start kicking in over the next few weeks, giving my brain a chance to adjust to the new equalization.
My take away from today is that the technician you deal with at Costco makes a big difference as well as the fact that these hearing aids really are designed to improve speech and do not put fidelity ausio into that equation.
I think I’m going to keep my AirPod Pro2s and use them for streaming, music, etc., but from a day-to-day standpoint, I am much happier with the Phillips hearing aids now that they have been, apparently, properly adjusted.
Your mileage may vary!