One of the newest features developed by them is called active noise canceling. This technology provides up to a 20DB improvement in background signal to noise ratio. This technology literally shuts off in-between words and even syllables of words to cut out the annoying background noise. In order for this technology to be beneficial it needs to happen instantaneously. These aids literally preform thousands of calculations on incoming sound every second, so comparing these aids to the relative simplicity of an IPod isn’t a fair comparison, as a modern digital hearing aid blows an IPod out of the water in terms of sophistication and level of technology.

As far as your concern about technology price compression, prices of the latest technology has remained stable or has even dropped slightly over the years. Meaning the latest technology costs the same or less today as it did 5+ years ago.

Additionally, I highly doubt your ability to operate the sophisticated fitting software. Aside from selecting the proper fitting algorithm, based on the degree and slop of the hearing loss, there are literally thousands of adjustments based on the type of complaint the wearer has.

The vast majority of people in the industry, that I talk to regularly are not “preying” on people, but are genuinely interested in helping people hear better. Our company offers FREE house calls, and lifetime cleaning and adjustments on the instrument.

Well, apparently, a widex bravissimo bv-xf can retail for $1600 each (based on http://www.hearingplanet.com/widex-bravissimo.php), but still be profitably sold to Minn DHS for $275 each. How’s that for margin? I can buy a full computer with sound and video processing, hard drive, ram, monitor and speakers for $600 easy. and a good one too.

Quietly go here and download the data before the gov’t quotes the white coat official secrets act:
http://www.dhs.state.mn.us/main/groups/business_partners/documents/pub/dhs16_163565.pdf

DO IT FASSSST. You now how web works…..here today…..gone to maui.

It’s par for the course in USA. I remember growing up 20 years ago, ( always wore glasses), you could NOT even get glasses replicated in the prescription you are already wearing WITHOUT A “OPTOMETRIST” prescription (another $75)!!! I remember going to a blood test lab in my state (NY) about 7 years agoand being told i couldn’t get a cholestorol test on MY OWN BLOOD w/o a doctor in a white coat’s prescription. America!!!! Freeeedoommm!!! Woooohhh! Freeeee!!!! Freeeeedom! OK let the sheeple suffer. Fine by me.

Can you imagine what would happen if the “audiologist” industry required a doctors visit before you could buy an mp3 player? a stereo? home theater? why not legislate that?

The world laughs at us, the superpower Jive turkey. Shhh….let it continue.

Most people that have a problem with hearing aids simply have waited too long to get them. Or their ears generate too much wax and perspiration which destroy the hearing aid. Simply ask any child with a hearing loss that is now an adult, they all like their hearing aids because they are used to wearing them. People expect that a hearing aid will give them perfect hearing, but it can never do that, unlike eyeglasses. Each individual with a hearing loss is different because of the pattern of hearing loss that they have. And no matter how you look at it, even after you wear a hearing aid, it is not fixing that hearing loss, it is just helping you hear better with the damaged system you already have. If you get that, you will be halfway there. Also, if you wear hearing aids later in life, your brain has “forgotten” what sounds sound like so you will not like the sounds coming out of a hearing aid.

Why do audiologists sell hearing aids and not the manufacturers? Biggest reason is conflict of interest. Also, most Governments will not allow the manufacturer to sell directly to the public. You can bet that if no audiologist existed that the price would even be higher so quit complaining. The price of the hearing device depends on the level of technology inside. The more the hearing aid can do in noise and with respect to feedback and communicate with your cell phone, the higher the price. Audiologists (i am not sure about dispensers) are usually well educated and need licenses and certification to practice. Why do you need an audiologist? I don’t know? Why do we need physicians, just look up your medical ailment online and prescribe your own drugs. People complain too much and try to be too cheap, always wanting to bypass a professionally educated person. That’s why in this world we have dispensers instead of audiologists, paralegals instead of lawyers, nurse practitioners instead of an MD etc. because no one wants to spend the money. Everyone wants something for nothing. That’s why audiologists charge the restocking fee – why should they work for free? they already do the hearing test for free because god forbid you have to pay someone for actually having them test something.

I am, by the way hearing impaired and wear 2 hearing aids, I received excellent care from an audiologist. If I had to adjust my hearing aids myself I would have no idea what would be good for me and not damage my residual hearing. Adjusting the overall volume is not the only thing you have to worry about. Also, I used to wear analog hearing aids, they are terrible compared to modern and smaller digital hearing aids.

Finally, if you buy a good set of hearing aids, they could potentially last 10 years. Take the cost and divide by ten years and it is not unreasonable, unlike buying eyeglasses every year for an arm and a leg. Just look at how much you have to spend for eyeglasses if you want to complain, all you are getting is plastic and it costs that much, versus a mini computer in each ear.

If the large hearing aid manufacturers want to dispense their products thru audiologist, then that is their business.

Who and how you buy YOUR hearing aids from is your business. It is now YOUR choice. That is all an industry can provide.

Why don’t they sell us the software and $5 connecting cable and let us program our ourselves so we don’t have to pay and don’t have to travel to the audiologist?

Really disgusting industry preying on people who are in need.

I have worn other brands of hearing aid before and paid thousands more for them. I have never heard as well as I do with these “Personal Programmable” hearing aids.

I understand that a local hearing aid dispenser must charge more for a similar product. They have a tremendous overhead with their facility and associated costs. The cost of the hearing aids themselves is only a part of what needs to be charged to support any kind of business. In the cost of a mug of beer, the beer only costs about 15 cents. But the air conditioning and insurance and staff and so on and so on make the delivery of that mug of beer much more. And so it is with hearing aid dealers. It doesn’t matter what it costs to make a hearing aid. It only matters what it cost to deliver the entire product, which of course includes the audiologist support of that product.

Good luck to the traditional audiologist and their business model of product delivery via the retail / medical office. I for one have made the switch to what I feel is a more cost effective product / service / support delivery model. I have saved thousands of dollars and could not be happier.

Ask your audiologist about a new company called Sona. It is an upgradeable hearing aid platform, so if the sound is not to your liking on the basic product, you can choose to upgrade within the 2 year period. If they don’t stock it, have them email me, I can send them to the office for you to try out…Thanks, nice thread