Table of Contents
Kirkland Signature (Costco) 9.0 Hearing Aid
Product Info, Reviews, Prices, Videos, and More
75% score based on 8 reviews
About the KS9
Costco's latest Kirkland Signature hearing aid (KS 9) is manufactured by Sonova, the same hearing aid company that manufactures Phonak, Unitron, and Hansaton hearing aids, among others. Sonova is currently (as of mid-July 2019) the only hearing aid company with "Made For All (MFA)" universal Bluetooth streaming technology, and with Kirkland Signature 9.0, Sonova's signature audio streaming / hands-free smartphone technology is now available to Costco members nationwide. As usual, Costco's pricing is very aggressive, with the KS9's coming in at $1499.99 per pair.
While some have speculated that the KS9's are the same as the the Phonak Marvel or Unitron Discover, Sonova has indicated that the KS9's are a unique build, and not equalivalent to either model in terms of software or hardware features. Some have speculated that the plastic shell is borrowed from Hansaton, and others have noted that Costco hearing instrument specialists and audiologists are using Phonak fitting software to perform hearing aid fittings.
Key Features
- Third-generation enhanced automatic operating system
- Premium-level classification of environmental sounds and streamed media
- Binaural signal processing and binaural beamforming
- Direct connectivity to any Bluetooth phone with audio streaming to both ears
- Hands-free phone calls with built-in microphones
- 20 fine-tuning channels, 9 automatic programs, 3 manual programs
- Receiver-in-canal (RIC) form factor with 312 battery
- 4 receiver power levels
- Price: $1499.99/pair
- Accessories: TV Connector
So what's missing from the KS9 when compared to the Phonak Marvel? Hearing Tracker has confirmed that there will be no rechargeable option, no telecoil option, and no tinnitus therapy for the KS9. We have also confirmed that RogerDirect™ is incompatible with the KS9's.
KS9 Model Details
Professionally-fitted hearing aid
Kirkland Signature (Costco) 9.0
8 reviewsRelease Date: 15 July 2019
The Kirkland Signature (Costco) 9.0 has a dedicated volume control, a push button (program control and volume control), water resistant coating, an ingress protection rating of IP68, uses size 312 hearing aid batteries, and is Android compatible.
- Model:
- Style: Receiver In The Ear
- Battery: Size 312
- Hearing Loss: Mild, Moderate, and Severe
- Telecoil:
- Push Button:
- IP Rating: IP68
- Phone Compatibility:
- Phone Compatibility:
KS9 Physical Specifications
| Kirkland Signature (Costco) 9.0 | |
|---|---|
|
|
|
| Rating |
75%
8 reviews |
| Android Compatibility | |
| Bluetooth® Audio | Protocol
|
| Disposable Batteries | Battery Size 312 |
| Hands-Free Calling | Protocol
|
| IP Rating (Liquid) | 8 |
| IP Rating (Solid) | 6 |
| Push Button | Push Button Options
|
| Volume Control | |
| Water Resistant Coating | |
| Downloads | |
| Accessories |
Model details listed above may be incomplete or inaccurate. For full specifications please refer to product specifications published by the original equipment manufacturer. To suggest a correction to the details listed, please email info@hearingtracker.com.
KS9 Local Deals
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KS9 Technology Details
Technology specifications listed above may be incomplete or inaccurate. For full specifications please refer to product specifications published by the original equipment manufacturer. To suggest a correction to the details listed, please email info@hearingtracker.com.
KS9 Accessories
TV Connector
KS9 Videos
Costco Kirkland Signature 9.0 Hearing Aids Review
Costco Kirkland Signature 9.0 Hearing Aids Review.
KS9 Reviews
Hearing aid reviews are fundamentally different from reviews for most other consumer electronic products. The reason is because individual factors, like degree of hearing loss, have a profound effect one's success and overall satisfaction with the product. When purchasing a hearing aid, you'll need to consider more than just your hearing outcome ... Continue reading
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Overall Ratings
Hearing Tracker uses a ten-question survey to assess consumer feedback on hearing aids. The percentage bars below reflect the average ratings provided per question.
Note: Original answers provided in star rating format.
I hear a faint sound of static in quiet environments. Also, these absolutely do not have good sound quality for listening to music. Imagine very poor quality speakers. Overall, a big improvement, and I've only had for a few days.
My issue is bluetooth related. When streaming they are very finicky and completely non acceptable. I'm hoping for software updates to fix this. Further, when talking on the phone I've had issues where my voice drops out or buzzes and pops, I do not trust them four important calls. Yesterday, I was streaming to a Bose bluetooth speaker and the hearing aids kept causing it to disconnect, finally I unpaired the aids and had to keep canceling continued pairing requests to finally make it work. I really wasn't these to work as advertised, they are new, I hope Phonak can quickly won software fixes. I went back to Costco and they called Phonak and found out they're hearing these complaints frequently and working on fixes.
So far I am pleased. Still getting used to them, ears tickle and hurt a little. Phone is real good. Normal conversations seem good, waiting for those situations w/ a lot of background noise.
Does the iphone/android app allows you to change in between programs other than managing volume? If not then, does these hearing aid allows you to switch in between programs? Which programs did you get configured if it allows?
-Sam
Fabulous. Had Bluetooth issue at first with iPhone. Since resolved. These are my best HA’s to date (5 total) and the least expensive.
How Can I not review the Provider....they're Kirkland Brand? :D SO in all fairness, I just ordered them today....But I was able to try them for 90 minutes inside the store due to the Audiologist having a full hearing test to do on someone else. I was able to download the Android app and give it a long run through....So quickly, Here's what I found... It's basically FULL bluetooth...Yeaaa!! I, bye the way am returning the Brio III from Costco...from the same MFG...but they feel and sounded years ...not weeks...apart. So, I could stream Spotify, Google Music, and IHeart Radio. So the weird thing I found was that IHeart Radio wouldn't stream unless I started the Easy Line Remote app...which I downloaded. Once I started easy app, IHeart would stream normally...very weird on that one. If I restarted the phone, I had to restart the Easy Line app for IHeart...but not anything else. The sound quality of the KS9's was excellent. Much better than the phonak Brio III's with Intermediary device, that I returned. I did not experience any feedback. There also seemed to be less static than the Brio's. The KS9's were not as tinny sounding. Better depth for sure, especially with music playing. The full use of bluetooth saves the day. No device in between, no sound cutting out, no Auto reset of the Phonak app volume when playing different sound sources on my phone....SO MUCH BETTER!...can't wait to get my actual pair in a week or so. Phone call capability, was ok...It crackled a bit and the person on the other end said it was not particularly good with some crackles as well. Since the mic is on the hearing aid, I'm surprised it worked at all ...so, this is something to be aware of. For me, I didn't care on this particular feature..but I know it's critical for lots of people. We'll see how my actual pair are when I get em. The battery realistic life may be down as low as 5 days, depending on how much phone use you do, which I'm told has the highest battery draw. Your mileage may vary.... So overall...I am saving $1500.00 VS the Phonak's I returned and get much better sounding devices, with wayyyy better features....and the 3 year Costco warranty and Loss Warranty, which is lose each 1 once in 3 years and get a replacement for each...probably a refurb. Good Luck out there!!
I am coming from a Phonak Audeo V90 which I like very much. Its weakness was understanding speech in noisy restaurants. It's strength was natural sounds and an excellent music program. I tried Oticon OPN and OPN S, both in the highest feature models. I actually liked the OPN better because the OPN S seemed to provide too much speech information, which was sometimes confusing when surrounded by conversations. Based on my love of the V90 Phonaks I couldn't wait to try the Kirkland KS 9.0. I have been wearing them only two days (barely enough to get used to them) but am convinced that these are not only enormous value but actually are fantastic aids. Feedback, a big deal with Oticon, which they addressed in their lastest aids is non existent in the KS 9.0. Even cupping your hand over the aids (which I do to check that they are working) does not produce feedback. How this is achieved remains a mystery. Another upside is that these are quiet aids. Somehow background noise is magically surpressed. So far the only downside is the Bluetooth to iPhone operation during calls. There seems to be a reliability issue. While I could hear the party I was talking to, my voice was frequently dropped to the other party. Reparing did not fix this. I am fairly sure that this can be fixed with a software revison since several of my trials with other brand's Bluetooth connection worked well. A nice feature is that the KS 9.0 uses the microphones in the aids for outgoing speech. When it worked I was told my speech was natural. The Easy Link app works well with the Bluetooth connection and is a great way to switch programs and adjust volume when desired. The Automatic Program works really well, so I asked that the manual programs be adjusted to provide something different (like more noise suppression). I will learn more as time goes on and no doubt will request adjustments. However, while I could not justify spending $5-6k on replacements for the V90 Phonaks (that are good aids), spending $1,500 was a no brainer. Please note that these comments are very subjective and based on limited experience, particularly with the KS 9.0 aids. The bottom line: Everyone looking to upgrade needs to give these a try.
Bad in restaurants
Since the 16th of July I've had a pair of KS-9s without any optional manual programs. Went to a moderately noisy restaurant today, July 18th 2019, and was able to discern the speech of both people I was with. The people I was with were both female, and that voice range is the most difficult for me to comprehend. So far the KS-9 all auto option is working well for me.
Discussion
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I have not bought these HA. I mainly want to comment on Bluetooth in HA. I bought the first generation Phonaks w. BT about 16-17 months ago that I now use. When I first got them, the BT was really unusable. The other person really could not hear me well. When I went to return them, the audi set a software update had come in and loaded it. After that, they worked well enough to keep. With a couple more updates over the next few months they now have been working as well as the over the ear BT headset I had worn for years even after I got my first HA 7 years ago. I am on the phone a lot for business.
The one thing someone should review is how long the small 312 batteries last. My Phonaks w. BT takes the larger 13 battery. Even with that, depending on how much I am on the phone, they only last five or six days. My old HA w. the 312 battery would last a week. These Costco HA take the smaller 312 battery, according to the tech information that was posted.
Tip - if you use the BT function to take calls, you can set some phones to answer automatically on the first, second, or third ring. That means you can leave the phone in your pocket and not touch it and start talking right away. If your phone doesn't have the automatic answer option, you can download an app - at least on android phones.