Buying New on Ebay

Squid said:
Vol: Both the Costco Phillips 9040 and the Rexton have the same warranty and price. I'm just wondering if I should have gone with the Phillips instead, but I haven't really heard a compelling argument to do so yet.
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I don't really have any compelling argument to give you between the Philips and the Rexton. My personal observation is that I notice a lot more question on hearing aids forums about the Philips than Rexton. However, because I wear Oticon aids, I have a bias to follow their cousin, the Philips aids at Costco, more than noticing Rexton threads, so maybe that's why I don't notice as many Rexton threads.

One thing you can do, if you're curious enough, is perhaps to ask the Costco HCP whom you bought the Rexton from to let you wear the Philips 9040 around the store for 30 minutes or so for comparison. I know that 30 minutes at a Costco store is hardly enough for a real and thorough evaluation. But at least if there's a stark enough difference in the way it sounds compared to the Rexton, then maybe you may notice it right away.
 
Ebay Noahlink wireless (New) is around USD120 to 130/unit. Made in China. My friend bought a used unit ( USD50) from Rakicomputer but never arrived at the address!
Buying a new Oticon More online from overseas has an international warranty of 2 years written on the manual. Oticon has a local office here. I am lucky here (Malaysia), where the Audi provide HA service for a fee of USD11 per hour to fine tune the HA's.
 
What equipment is needed for the in-situ audiometery test?

I’m also curious why the Noah wireless device is needed for programming if both my PC 9running the Rexton software) and the hearing aids have Bluetooth…so in theory they should be able to “talk” to one another. Why is a third-party piece of equipment needed?
 
What equipment is needed for the in-situ audiometery test?

I’m also curious about why a Noah wireless device is needed to program the HA’s when both the computer running Rexton software and the HA’s have Bluetooth and can theoretically “talk” to each other?

I have the Rexton HA’s in now and they seem to be working OK, but would like to experiment with their “tinnitus” features (if any). The Costco audiologist says that is outside what they are allowed to fo.
 
No extra equipment is needed for in-Situ, just the fitting software connected to your hearing using a hearing aid programming device/hardware. When you hear the beep, respond with a mouse click. Yep, Costco policy is to not deal with “tinnitus”, period.
 
The chips inside hearing aids are miniature and are built to be very, very power efficient. So they don't have many wireless radios embedded in the chip. What they/some have is Bluetooth Low Energy, BLE. But it's not the same thing as "talking" via Bluetooth.
 
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Oh, so the Noah wireless hardware progides a low-energy Bluetooth pathway?

I hope the new model is released soon.
 
Yep, Noahlink Wireless uses the -> Bluetooth Low Energy, BLE wireless protocol for communicating with your hearing aids.

Don't expect too much from Noahlink Wireless 2.

AFAIK, it will not provide anything new. Maybe just more robust/modern components and maybe better Plug and play results with less or no driver problems??
 
Squid said:
Next question: Can I perform a REM at home myself? If so, what would I need to do so? At initial glance it looks like like I'd need a speaker calibrated to some standard, and then a small microphone that could be placed in the ear along with the hearing aid. Is this an impossible dream for the home DIY'er?
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You would also need gear that outputs to the speaker, listens to the probe microphones, and communicates with the fitting software for targets if not also gain adjustments. Currently on eBay I see MedRx Avant REM "kits" at ~$2,000-2,400 that seem to be compatible with, e.g., Oticon Genie 2 and Philips HearSuite REM. (By "kits" I mean offerings that include the MedRx box, probes, speakers, and cables. "Kit" is my term, not an eBay search term.)

ETA Also on eBay, a Verifit 1 VF-1 "kit" that should be compatible with Genie 2 / HearSuite for $1,700.
 
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pvc said:
I like to Buy and Sell used hearing aids on EBay.
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Is there a write-up somewhere or do you have suggestions for how to thoroughly evaluate whether used hearing aids are working correctly or have been damaged? Do you use a test box or some homemade process?
 
HMm; I don't exactly evaluate "working condition".

For used rechargeable hearing aids I assume the Li-on batteries are depleted meaning for Oticon hearing aids (the batteries need to be replaced) and for all other brands (the hearing aids are bricked), worthless, need factory repair which likely means the factory gives the original owner a new pair under warranty. But not you!

If the seller says as is, for parts only, and no other information??? Who knows? I generally stay away.

If the seller presents the hearing aids as working (in other words the listing does not say for parts only) then I assume it is working and rely on my Credit card chargeback rights (given to me by USA State and federal law). If it doesn't work, I file a dispute with my credit card company. I never use the EBay money back Guarantee. It's confusing (not clear) for me. ETA; Oh before you file a dispute you must attempt to settle with the seller first. I do that and collect evidence at the same time.

My last dispute was a listing for a pair of hearing aids that displayed a picture of one hearing hearing aid. The seller wanted to rely on the picture of one hearing instead of the title and text describing two/a pair of hearing aids. So you can still get blind-sided. But I won that silly dispute.
 
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hearwell said:
Do you use a test box or some homemade process?
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You fit them to your hearing loss and wear them. That's a good test.
Oh ETA/Edit to add; Make them feedback/squeal is a quick test for RICs/RITE style hearing aids with a receiver attached. Twist the receiver backwards and place it in very close proximity to the Mic/Microphone. Hold it up to your ear. If you can hear the squeal/feedback then it's not a dead brick.

But you need a general idea about what you are looking for. New? Legacy? Rechargeable batteries? Disposable batteries? BTEs? RICs? Expensive? Cheap?

Ear pieces (Domes, Molds)?

Your hearing loss and whether you need to be occluded or open fit?

Yes there is a writeup, actually several. Read some DIY School Hearing Aids PDF files;
Suggested DIY School Hearing Aids reading:
  • 01 Free Hearing Aid Fitting Software
  • 02 How to Program your Hearing Aids
  • 01 Introduction to the first fitting process
  • 01 Explore fitting software
  • inSitu Instructions for inSitu Fitting
  • How Hearing Aid Gain Fits Your Loss
  • Noahlink Wireless - DIY User Guide
 
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hearwell said:
how to thoroughly evaluate whether used hearing aids are working correctly
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This topic started out as "buying new", But I guess buying used is closely related;

ppl with severe/profound hearing losses are usually interested in the powerful BTE style hearing aids/HAs with the speaker inside the hearing and the sound carried from the HAs to the ear piece via hollow tubes or the newer/smaller slim-tubes.
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ppl with mild/moderate hearing losses are usually interested in RIC/RITE style hearing aids/HAs with the receiver/speaker inside your ear. The receivers/speakers use balanced armature technology;
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some ppl like HAs that fit partially or complete in the ear. Sorry, these cannot be switched to another person. Ear canals are very different.
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There are so many personalized things to consider when buying used hearing aids making it difficult to provide any write-up or even provide any suggestions. Heck, most rechargeable hearing aids don't have replaceable batteries and will become bricks when the batteries are depleted.

In summary we need to be more specific about what you are looking for in used hearing aids. :)

ETA/Edit to Add; HMm; Maybe I should create a new DIY School PDF file (Buying Used Hearing Aids)? I will think about it. I thought about it. It would be very difficult. Argh, not right now.
 
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