Information overload

I went to see two hearing aid vendors.  first one was an independent audiologist that a friends mother had used.  He showed me a few different brands but kept taking me back to the Sonic ION @ $2400 EACH.   Ouch.   Not a hard sell but kept steering me back to that particular one and offered 4 yrs of service and batteries.   Didn't offer to let me try them out.
Then, I went to Costco.  Costco has licensed HA dispensers.  Not Drs of Aud.  Didn't even know they existed.  He programmed a set of HA for me and let me walk around the warehouse to try them out.   They worked well.  I could hear the ladies handing out samples of food.  I went back to the guy and we talked for an hour about the HA business, different technologies and what Costco offers.   The Kirkland (Costco) brand is actually a Rexton premium HA which is a division of Siemens.  He showed me that the device and software is the same without the marketing of the Siemens name.   He showed me a chart that compared all the brands and the Costco HA had the same features that the Sonic did.  For half the price.   A feature I really liked about the Costco brand was that it was rechargeable.  No batteries to replace every week.   My hearing is not so bad that I need a super powerful device.
The Costco device worked well in my walk around and I have 90 days to try it out and bring it back if it is not the one.   Plus, I can go to any Costco if I have problems.
I am seeing my ENT next week to go over all my tests and "talk about amplification".   I would have like to talk about that two visits ago but that is another story.  He hits me up for $30 each time I walk in the door.   The doc has an audi attached to his practice and I remember seeing the Sonic brochures in the waiting room.   I expect that the doc will give me the hard sell to use his audi but I am seriously leaning toward going for the Costco HA.

hearing aids tomorrow

My sister went deaf 8 years ago in her forties.  No cause found.  Just one of those things that happen in life.     My tinnitus became constant 3 months ago, I think.  It's been a while.  I would get it intermittently.  I thought everyone had it at some time or another.   Don't know when that started.  A long time.  Looking back is the only way I can recognize what was happening.   When our TV was new, I listened at 25-30.  Two years later, I need to turn it up to 40-50.  I didn't even realize that I was turning it up.  Same story at work.  It became harder to hear people speak with masks on, especially women.  Higher pitches.  I adjusted.  It wasn't until the tinnitus became constant that I realized I had a problem and sought out a doc. 
I've had the tests done.   Tomorrow, I am meeting with two vendors of hearing aids.  I think it is as important as any purchase I ever made.  A couple thousand dollars and it's all on me.   I'm anxious to talk to them and see what is out there.  I've done a lot of research on the subject but still feel like I am walking in there blind.