So What’s It Like Wearing Hearing Aids? Part 2

August 6, 2025 — Back in June I ordered a set of Philips hearing aids from Costco. In Part 1 of this series, “Hearing Aids Selection“, I discussed the various types of hearing aids, why I selected the Philips brand over Jabra, and the decision to buy at Costco. This is Part 2, which will cover what my experience has been like wearing the Philips Hearlink 9040 hearing aids that I chose (a Receiver in Canal model). Hopefully this will be useful to others who are experiencing hearing loss. See bottom for more articles on baby boomer “Rite of Passage” articles including Social Security and Medicare.

So how am i doing with my new hearing aids?

Overall, it has been a good experience. Not as perfect as I would like, but they have definitely improved the quality of my life.

It has been a positive experience mainly because I don’t have to lean forward and strain to listen to people when they are talking. The sound comes through and I am not missing out on the conversation, which i was starting to do before. The connection to my phone is great. I can not only adjust them from there, but I can use them to listen to music, podcasts, books, and phone calls, instead of wearing my airpods. While the fidelity of the sound from the hearing aids the sound isn’t quite as good as from the Airpods, it is more convenient. The phone rings, you answer, and you hear through the hearing aids.

The installation meeting and the scheduled followup session provided by the Costco hearing aid specialist were helpful. I got a good orientation on how to wear, adjust, and clean them (important because ear wax can build up and impede performance). To me the luxury of having the personalized service and followup was worth any extra money I might have saved by buying them online.

As the saleswoman advised me, no hearing aid is going to let you hear like you could when you were 5 years old. They tend to pick up stray sounds, and at times there is some crackling. At times I hear the noise of someone speaking, but have difficulty distinguishing words. However that is quite minor compared to what it is like when I am not wearing them. At first they were hard to insert, since they are very small and you have to do it by feel. But, as promised, that got a lot easier after a few days. Sometimes I forget to wear them, or choose not when I am not going to be around anyone else. But the more I wear them, the less I seem to notice them.

For the first few weeks the left one was often uncomfortable. When I went back for my followup visit the rep put in a smaller cap, and that definitely helped. We also adjusted the volume, as they were a little too loud. When I attended a recent concert, there was way too much noise from everywhere, but I was able to turn down the volume from my phone. I Have worn them into the shower a few times, which is not good, but quickly realized that and took them out with no damage. If I am watching a TV show where the actors have accents I still prefer having the subtitles on, unfortunately. Other than that, the whole experience has been good, although not perfect. Finally, they are not noticeable unless you look very hard. If you have longish hair, no one will know.

The salesperson had some great advice, and a caution

Here are her top 2 pieces of advice for anyone who thinks they might benefit from wearing hearing aids:

1. Do it earlier rather than later. Being hard of hearing tends to imprint your brain, and you could lose some of your ability to process sound. What’s more, as long as you don’t hear well you will miss out on important social connections from the conversations going on around you.
2. Wear them. It takes a while to get used to wearing hearing aids. At first they can be hard to insert as well as uncomfortable. The more you wear them the more you will get used to wearing them. If you only put them in sporadically you might never get used to them.

The cautions she gave are these:

1. Hearing aids are no replacement for your natural hearing. There is a lot of little noise that comes in that doesn’t seem natural, like the crunch of walking on gravel. They will not give you back the effortless hearing that you had as a young child.
2. No matter what the salesperson tells you, no hearing aid is perfect in a noisy situation. They can help, and they might have features that try to help in a busy restaurant with loud diners and clanging dishes. But unlike what that masked man carried on his holster, they are no silver bullet.

Bottom line

Glad I bought them. They are not perfect, but my life is better with them. Fewer exchanges with the wife asking her to repeat what she said, likewise with others. If you think you don’t hear so well and keep asking people to repeat, or tuning out of conversations, go get your hearing checked.

Comments? Please share your experiences with hearing aids or the process to get them. What kind did you get or consider – fitted by a professional or online/OTC?

More Rite of Passage Articles:

Applying for Social Security Online: Our Experience

Medicare 101

Online Retirement Course (multiple modules)