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OTC Hearing Aids - Apple EarPod Pro2 vs. Philips 9050

rcstevensonaz said:
I'm curious why they recommended the Rexton for you; and why the other device for the trial was the Jabra instead of the Philips? It does seem that different audiologist have preferred brands.

The audiologist I saw earlier this week had me test the Philips and Rexton — without making any comparison on audio quality or recommendation between the two of them before I did my walk around trial to avoid biasing my evaluation, and without telling me which order I tried them in.

Also, my take away was that the few minutes of "walking around the store" test is insufficient time. Especially since we all know that even a slight difference in the volume calibration of one vs. the other can make a big difference in which one sounds better when doing an A/B test.

Side note: one of the features that the audiologist noted about the Philips is that they have a find-me function built in, which evidently the Rexton does not. I suspect a large part of why this audiologist / store may lean towards the Philips is reduce insurance claims for lost hearing aids.
Click to expand...
I wondered too and asked as much. She told me she had had great success with the Rextons on people with similar hearing loss. Also, it appears that on a corporate level Costco is moving away from Rexton in favor of Sennheiser. Of course, I recognize that name but I don’t have any way to equate what I know about them and to what they do as far as hearing aids.

Another possibility might be giving me too many choices and those decisions to make. After reading this thread, I think I should give the Phillips a whirl. I suppose one of the things that isn’t sitting well is the murkiness of the marketplace. I like to research well, so as to prevent missteps in purchases. Difficult to come to any conclusions on the front end of things.

Jabra seemed almost like an afterthought. I guess it was approaching closing time! I’ll keep asking questions and keep pushing for right solution, even though I don’t find it all that fun shopping.
 
carbidetooth said:
I wondered too and asked as much. She told me she had had great success with the Rextons on people with similar hearing loss. Also, it appears that on a corporate level Costco is moving away from Rexton in favor of Sennheiser. Of course, I recognize that name but I don’t have any way to equate what I know about them and to what they do as far as hearing aids.

Another possibility might be giving me too many choices and those decisions to make. After reading this thread, I think I should give the Phillips a whirl. I suppose one of the things that isn’t sitting well is the murkiness of the marketplace. I like to research well, so as to prevent missteps in purchases. Difficult to come to any conclusions on the front end of things.

Jabra seemed almost like an afterthought. I guess it was approaching closing time! I’ll keep asking questions and keep pushing for right solution, even though I don’t find it all that fun shopping.
Click to expand...
The Rexton Reach are highly regarded. But again, I'm surprised your audiologist did not compare against the Philips (Demant A/S) instead of the Jabra (GN Audio). That seems strange to me, so I'm curious which factors played into that potentially including your own stated preferences. Assuming no other mitigating factors, I would suggest giving the Philips a test run as well.

And like you, I've had to do a lot of reading (and reading between the lines) to form any solid opinions on the different models. I went in with a 50/50 bias between Rexton and Philips. And for what it was worth, the Audiologist downplayed nearly all factors between the two that I had read about, indicating both were highly comparable and very solid options for my hearing case (mild loss, mostly symmetrical in both ears).

Regarding Sennheiser, my reading on this issue is the following -- all still based on pre-announced "rumors":
  • Rexton may be replaced by Sennheiser, but Costco would continue to provide full support for all Rexton's previously sold
  • Rexton Reach (WS Audiology) from Costco is essentially rebranded Signia IX (top of line)
  • Sennheiser is a brand of Sonova Group; who is the group for Phonak and previously made the Kirkland line of hearing aids
  • Sennheiser from Costco will essentially be a rebranded Phonak Lumity 70 (L70)... not the top of the line L90 unlike the Philips, Rexton, and Jabra lines
 
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carbidetooth said:
I wondered too and asked as much. She told me she had had great success with the Rextons on people with similar hearing loss. Also, it appears that on a corporate level Costco is moving away from Rexton in favor of Sennheiser. Of course, I recognize that name but I don’t have any way to equate what I know about them and to what they do as far as hearing aids.

Another possibility might be giving me too many choices and those decisions to make. After reading this thread, I think I should give the Phillips a whirl. I suppose one of the things that isn’t sitting well is the murkiness of the marketplace. I like to research well, so as to prevent missteps in purchases. Difficult to come to any conclusions on the front end of things.

Jabra seemed almost like an afterthought. I guess it was approaching closing time! I’ll keep asking questions and keep pushing for right solution, even though I don’t find it all that fun shopping.
Click to expand...
Carbide:

When I decided to do something about my hearing in August, I was actually pre-disposed to the Jabras. (I have a pair of their bluetooth IEMs which I liked and to be honest, I knew the founder Jabra (Randy Granovetter) and generally liked their products.

When I researched the brands, many comments were made that t the Jabras sounded tinny and the Costco Reps steered me towards the Philips. (Their feelings were that the software to adjust/ tune the Philips was far superior.)

I chose the Philips 9050s.

As mentioned in a number of my prior posts, it seems that the pure, hearing aid users tend to really think highly of the Philips but as someone coming to this from an audio background, I'm still disappointed with sound quality. They sound very bright and tinny as well - like a transistor radio.

I find that while messing around the house, listening to streaming audio, music, watching TV shows, I use the Air Pods 90 percent of the time. The quality of the sound from them is fantastic. I wear the Philips when I'm out and about, but with a mild hearing loss, I'm not feeling like they are aren't really doing much for me.

This continues to be an interesting journey. YMMV!
 
TheWalkman said:
Carbide:

When I decided to do something about my hearing in August, I was actually pre-disposed to the Jabras. (I have a pair of their bluetooth IEMs which I liked and to be honest, I knew the founder Jabra (Randy Granovetter) and generally liked their products.

When I researched the brands, many comments were made that t the Jabras sounded tinny and the Costco Reps steered me towards the Philips. (Their feelings were that the software to adjust/ tune the Philips was far superior.)

I chose the Philips 9050s.

As mentioned in a number of my prior posts, it seems that the pure, hearing aid users tend to really think highly of the Philips but as someone coming to this from an audio background, I'm still disappointed with sound quality. They sound very bright and tinny as well - like a transistor radio.

I find that while messing around the house, listening to streaming audio, music, watching TV shows, I use the Air Pods 90 percent of the time. The quality of the sound from them is fantastic. I wear the Philips when I'm out and about, but with a mild hearing loss, I'm not feeling like they are aren't really doing much for me.

This continues to be an interesting journey. YMMV!
Click to expand...
A journey I'm kind of reluctantly moving ahead with. Turns out my hearing loss is asymmetrical and borders on "profound" by industry standards. I've lived with it like that for many years but am tiring of asking folks to repeat themselves as it deteriorates further. Truth is, many days go by where I don't think I'd make good use of hearing aids. I suggested a limited wear approach like you described to three pros now and they all balk and admonish me to wear all the time. Including time when I'm literally wearing hearing protection (muffs). That seems counterintuitive, but I'm putting my trust in other's knowledge because I just don't know.

I've wondered about, but never investigated, some aftermarket thing that might make the AirPods stay in my ears as what you've described as your day to day sounds good to me. Music is always on in my shop and frequently in the house. To imagine my life hearing all that through anything like I experienced at Costco is really unappealing and I don't think it's the answer for me at this point. Biggest problem I have is background noise situations but they're so infrequent it seems like swatting a fly with a sledgehammer or treating the rare situation while ignoring the bulk of time.

Thanks to all for your thoughts. I get to learn by other's experiences and that's kinda cool.
 
carbidetooth said:
A journey I'm kind of reluctantly moving ahead with. Turns out my hearing loss is asymmetrical and borders on "profound" by industry standards. I've lived with it like that for many years but am tiring of asking folks to repeat themselves as it deteriorates further. Truth is, many days go by where I don't think I'd make good use of hearing aids. I suggested a limited wear approach like you described to three pros now and they all balk and admonish me to wear all the time. Including time when I'm literally wearing hearing protection (muffs). That seems counterintuitive, but I'm putting my trust in other's knowledge because I just don't know.

I've wondered about, but never investigated, some aftermarket thing that might make the AirPods stay in my ears as what you've described as your day to day sounds good to me. Music is always on in my shop and frequently in the house. To imagine my life hearing all that through anything like I experienced at Costco is really unappealing and I don't think it's the answer for me at this point. Biggest problem I have is background noise situations but they're so infrequent it seems like swatting a fly with a sledgehammer or treating the rare situation while ignoring the bulk of time.

Thanks to all for your thoughts. I get to learn by other's experiences and that's kinda cool.
Click to expand...

Carbide,

I have no problems, at all, with the Pros staying in my ears. FWIW, a Costco rep told me they had a 90 day, no questions asked return policy so if you’re a member and the Air Pods don’t work out, take them back.

At the very least, they are great for listening to music, enhanced by the equalization from the ear test and being on ASR, I’m guessing you appreciate good music. Use them for at least that.

Cheers
 
TheWalkman said:
Carbide:

When I decided to do something about my hearing in August, I was actually pre-disposed to the Jabras. (I have a pair of their bluetooth IEMs which I liked and to be honest, I knew the founder Jabra (Randy Granovetter) and generally liked their products.

When I researched the brands, many comments were made that t the Jabras sounded tinny and the Costco Reps steered me towards the Philips. (Their feelings were that the software to adjust/ tune the Philips was far superior.)

I chose the Philips 9050s.

As mentioned in a number of my prior posts, it seems that the pure, hearing aid users tend to really think highly of the Philips but as someone coming to this from an audio background, I'm still disappointed with sound quality. They sound very bright and tinny as well - like a transistor radio.

I find that while messing around the house, listening to streaming audio, music, watching TV shows, I use the Air Pods 90 percent of the time. The quality of the sound from them is fantastic. I wear the Philips when I'm out and about, but with a mild hearing loss, I'm not feeling like they are aren't really doing much for me.

This continues to be an interesting journey. YMMV!
Click to expand...
As a long-time ASR lurker, primarily for equipment reviews, and an older audiophile (65) with mild to moderately severe hearing loss, this topic is of particular interest. I began my own hearing aid journey three years ago with Eargo 5, then stepped up to the OTC Jabra Enhance Select 200 almost two years ago. The bluetooth on these is horrendous, like holding a couple AM transistor radios over my ears, and the bluetooth signal dropped repeatedly. I get the sense that is a farly common experience, regardless of brand or model. I enjoy listening to music or podcasts on my walks and my solution was to buy the Koss KSC35 Wireless heaphones. These are held on by ear clips (which are quite comfortable) so I can also wear a cap or hood. The audio quality of the Koss into the JES200s is very good for the money and, since they sit on the ears, I can also hear traffic and other environmental sounds.

I went to an audiologist recently that sells Widex, and I was willing to pay a premium to hear more a natural sound out of my hifi (hearing how notes decay and a sense of the recording space). Unfortunately, the Moment Sheer 440s he programmed sounded far inferior to my Jabras. I'm sure we could have improved upon that initial fitting with additional visits but he suggested we try another brand since my hearing loss was potentially incompatible with Widex. Since this was a two hour drive specifically to try Widex, I decided to pass on a return trip. There is marginally closer Costco, however, and my research and many of the posts here and other forums indicate this might be a good option. I hope to trial both the Philips 9050 and the Jabra Enhance Pro 20 aids to see if either can help recapture some of that old magic. An interesting journey indeed!
 
Update after in-store back-to-back test drives of both Rexton and Phillips. I've taken the Jabra off the list. Both programmed with what tech called a "rough draft" of the profile they would start with. I walked around the store and tried to be well aware of what the subtle differences might be. Demoed TVs, eavesdropped on conversations around me (which felt a little weird), listened to the squeaking wheels on shopping carts and the hiss of air curtains.

I'd describe the sound of both as synthetic and low fidelity, but that seems to be the nature of the beast. The one thing that stood out with the Phillips is it seemed to be adjusting on the fly, At first it sounded as if conversations in front of me came from behind, which was oddly disorienting. That effect seemed to correct some, but the TV test kind of confirmed this effect. I was facing a TV and had several to my back. The ones behind me were obtrusive when compared to the Rexton. Speech was certainly enhanced with both, but the Phillips seems to have a sharper front edge as I walked by people yakking about which sweats to purchase. In this regard the Rextons sounded more like I expect voices to sound.

I'm going to sit with it for a few days, research 'til I turn blue, look for solutions for ear retention on Airpods and get more used to the fact that I'm becoming an old man that's increasingly hard of hearing.
 
LarsRR said:
As a long-time ASR lurker, primarily for equipment reviews, and an older audiophile (65) with mild to moderately severe hearing loss, this topic is of particular interest. I began my own hearing aid journey three years ago with Eargo 5, then stepped up to the OTC Jabra Enhance Select 200 almost two years ago. The bluetooth on these is horrendous, like holding a couple AM transistor radios over my ears, and the bluetooth signal dropped repeatedly. I get the sense that is a farly common experience, regardless of brand or model. I enjoy listening to music or podcasts on my walks and my solution was to buy the Koss KSC35 Wireless heaphones. These are held on by ear clips (which are quite comfortable) so I can also wear a cap or hood. The audio quality of the Koss into the JES200s is very good for the money and, since they sit on the ears, I can also hear traffic and other environmental sounds.

I went to an audiologist recently that sells Widex, and I was willing to pay a premium to hear more a natural sound out of my hifi (hearing how notes decay and a sense of the recording space). Unfortunately, the Moment Sheer 440s he programmed sounded far inferior to my Jabras. I'm sure we could have improved upon that initial fitting with additional visits but he suggested we try another brand since my hearing loss was potentially incompatible with Widex. Since this was a two hour drive specifically to try Widex, I decided to pass on a return trip. There is marginally closer Costco, however, and my research and many of the posts here and other forums indicate this might be a good option. I hope to trial both the Philips 9050 and the Jabra Enhance Pro 20 aids to see if either can help recapture some of that old magic. An interesting journey indeed!
Click to expand...
Your hearing loss was not incompatible to Widex. Apple entry is game changing. They will improve. Moderate hearing loss does not require hearing assistance constantly. It is situational. Apple will kill the big 6 or 7 or 8 or 9. I often appreciate the inability to hear human voices.
 
I have pretty severe high frequency hearing loss and reading this thread with interest.
I have some NHS-supplied Signia MR behind-the-ear aids and sadly they don't really help me much with speech and are dreadful for music. On the other hand I use Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro for listening to music/watching videos on my iPad and find I can understand speech and also hear the music pretty well. l also use AKG 371 headphones on my PC and they're pretty effective too. I've never quite understood why IEMs in particular seem to mitigate against my hearing loss, but the hearing aids seem to have little effect? Maybe it's the more-direct coupling of sound pressure on my eardrums? The behind-the-ear aids with the narrow tube probably can't shift a lot of air?

Now earbuds (Airpod Pro 2) with hearing correction could be on another level for me...
 
Feargal said:
I have pretty severe high frequency hearing loss and reading this thread with interest.
I have some NHS-supplied Signia MR behind-the-ear aids and sadly they don't really help me much with speech and are dreadful for music. On the other hand I use Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro for listening to music/watching videos on my iPad and find I can understand speech and also hear the music pretty well. l also use AKG 371 headphones on my PC and they're pretty effective too. I've never quite understood why IEMs in particular seem to mitigate against my hearing loss, but the hearing aids seem to have little effect? Maybe it's the more-direct coupling of sound pressure on my eardrums? The behind-the-ear aids with the narrow tube probably can't shift a lot of air?

Now earbuds (Airpod Pro 2) with hearing correction could be on another level for me...
Click to expand...
Everyone may have a different experience. Hip replacement surgery and AirPod Pro 2 were both life changing events for me.
 
Thanks, I read it.
AirPods cannot be the solution to all ills but they can be a bridge to a transition.
Unfortunately the hi-fi hearing aid does not exist (yet...).
 
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