[ChattanoogaTn]

This kind of reply and the others are what make me confident in your help as I truly appreciate all the responses you have given and still have one last "Clinic" I will try before making a decision. I had tried my 1 st place and they quoted me a (sales!!) price of $2500 and then finding the "exact" same make and model advertised for 1/2 that with another hearing clinic to which after talking to them they said it was not as good of "quality" and they are currently tying to sell me another Brand explaining that "each" hearing clinic sells "their" type of hearing aid and further explained that most hearing clinics are like Dr's and "push" their hearing aids that the "Reps" are giving "incitives" for selling their product. The world is truly a scam as one hearing Dr told me that the world of hearing aids is TOTALLY unregulated and there are scams everywhere. Guess I will just bite the bullet and pray I get someone honest! Thank you again for all your repies as this is one WebSite that I can... and do believe in. Have a nice day

Originally Posted by bluedog103

I've worn hearing aids for well over 20 years. I've have virtually every type of aid out there over the years and can tell you this....they just keep getting better and better.
My present aids are Starkey S series and they are fantastic. They replaced my Starkey Destiny hearing aids which were superior to my previous hearing aids.
I suggest that you ask around about audiologists. Some are really, really good, some are not so good, others should be in another line of work. Like anything else I guess. Make sure you go to an audiologist, not a hearing aid salesperson. While some sales reps are audiologists, not all are. An audiologist will have a masters or often a doctors degree in audilology. They should be someone you can talk with easily.
Price is definitely an issue. Digital hearing aids can easily cost over $2500 per ear. If you're paying that kind of money, you want an audiologist who will work with you to get them adjusted the way you need them. Sometimes I'll take hearing aids back 8-10 times for adjustment when they're new. Others only once or twice. After they're adjusted to my liking, I'll return with them occasionally if something need an adjustment. I usually get new hearing aids when the warranty expires, usually at 2 years. The technology is changing so quickly that I'm always amazed at how much better my new hearing aids are.
After you get your hearing aids, don't be afraid to make a pest of your self. I'd try to find someone local and make sure they adjust them to your satisfaction. I'm a part time musician. When I got my Destiny H.A.s I found that the noise filtering of the hearing aids filtered out the sound of my guitar. I couldn't hear myself play. I returned to the audiologist and he adjusted one of the settings for music, so that it had minimal noise filtering. Now my hearing aids, which have four settings are 1-normal, everyday situations. I use this on 90% of the time. 2-small group..this is useful in restaurant type situations and 3-music. 4-telephone.
As others have suggested, make sure you understand the warranty and return policy and use it. Some hearing aids just don't work for me so back they go. I tried Phonaks a couple of times and just didn't like them so now I insist on Starkeys. Other's, including my audiologist, who's hearing impaired, love Phonak. It's what works for you that's important.
Good luck. If it doesn't work at first keep trying. It can get really frustrating but once everything is working properly it's worth the effort.