Starkey Hearing Aids

Starkey Hearing Aids

 4.0/5 (341 reviews)
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Starkey Hearing Aids
4.0(341)

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About Starkey Hearing Aids

Starkey is a privately held, global hearing technology company headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Founded by Bill Austin in 1967, Starkey is known for its innovative design, development and distribution of comprehensive digital hearing systems. Led today by President and CEO Brandon Sawalich, Starkey is the only American-owned provider of hearing technologies. The company has more than 5,000 employees, operates 29 facilities and does business in more than 100 markets worldwide.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • State-of-the-art technology
  • Thrive Hearing Control app
  • Styles for all levels of hearing loss

Cons

  • Not always covered by insurance

Bottom Line

Starkey Hearing Technologies develops hearing aids under three brand names. Starkey manufactures 10 different styles of hearing aids for all levels of hearing loss.

Starkey hearing aids

How do Starkey Hearing aids work?

Start by visiting your local audiologist or hearing professional to find out if you’re a candidate for Starkey hearing aids. Your health care professional can help you pick the best style of hearing aid for your lifestyle and level of hearing loss.

Some of the most popular models of Starkey hearing aids include:

Receiver-in-canal
  • For mild/severe hearing loss
  • Easy adjustments
  • Discreet design
Completely-in-canal
  • Custom-made
  • For mild/moderate hearing loss
  • Virtually undetectable
Behind-the-ear
  • Easy-to-use buttons/dials
  • For moderate/severe hearing loss
  • Discreet design
In-the-canal
  • Custom-made
  • For mild hearing loss
  • Multiple technologies available
In-the-ear
  • Custom-made
  • Easy adjustments
  • For mild/severe hearing loss

What features come with Starkey hearing aids?

Some of Starkey’s hearing aids come equipped with state-of-the-art technology that allows you to stream music and phone calls. These hearing aids also let you use the Thrive Hearing Control app to control hearing aid settings from your smartphone. This controls three main settings:

  • Hearing Performance controls sound quality and clarity with speech enhancement features and noise control. It allows you to create presets for regular settings.
  • Healthable Technology keeps track of your steps, daily activities and social engagement. It comes equipped with a fall-detection feature and heart rate monitoring.
  • Information Assistance lets you ask the Thrive Assistant questions to troubleshoot issues. You can request remote adjustments to your hearing aids without needing to schedule an office visit, and the app can even transcribe conversations to your smartphone.

Starkey hearing aids require a four-month adjustment period. This process of reacclimating to certain noises can be strenuous on the brain, especially if your hearing has been declining for a while. Your Starkey hearing aids could require several adjustments, so the company recommends staying in contact with your hearing professional during this period.

How much do Starkey hearing aids cost?

The cost of Starkey hearing aids varies based on the model and features. Most hearing professionals offer hearing aid payment plans, so ask your local audiologist about payment options. You could qualify for free hearing aids or a discount through:

  • Your union
  • Your employer
  • Veterans Affairs benefits
  • Your insurance provider/HMO
  • A local charity

You could be eligible for partial or full coverage through Medicare or Medicaid. While most Medicare plans don’t cover hearing aids, you might receive benefits if you’re Medicare Advantage plan member. Medicaid often covers hearing aids for adults and typically gives full funding for children’s hearing aids.

Are Starkey Hearing aids worth it?

Starkey hearing aids are customizable and come in a variety of options. With the ability to easily adjust your hearing aids through the Thrive Hearing Control app, they’re a great option for all levels of hearing loss. The company also creates a variety of styles to help fit every person's preference for appearance and comfort. If you struggle with hearing loss, Starkey hearing aids could be the right choice for you.

Starkey Hearing Aids Reviews

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Page 1 Reviews 0 - 5
Verified Reviewer Verified Buyer
Original review: May 11, 2023

The rep from Starkey was very nice. I really like her, and I prefer her over any of the others that I've come in contact with. She's very professional. She seems to know how and what these hearing aids do. She knows the product really well. My hearing aids go behind my ear, and the bud goes into the ear. They made things much better because now, I can fully participate in conversations, which I could not do before. My husband has a pitch in his voice that I was able to always hear. So, I could always understand what he was saying. I would just look at him and say, "Am I supposed to be answering something here or what?" He would nudge me and say, "Oh, yeah." I'd answer. I don't have to do that anymore. As a matter of fact, when he talks, I have to turn my hearing aids down.

Also, my hearing aids made things a lot easier. When I visit my kids and they're watching the TV, their sound system is different than my sound system, and I can still hear what's going on on the television. Plus, I am able to keep up with the conversation in the room. They've been really good. With the first hearing aid that I had, I would have problems here and there. I had to send them in because I was getting a lot of feedback into my hearing aids. Now, I was a little disappointed that they charged me for that because I hadn't had the hearing aid that long. The ones that I have now worked a lot better than the ones that were being repaired. So, in between the time that I got the repaired ones back, I got talked into buying better ones.

I ended up spending another $5,000, and they didn't credit me for the repair of the other hearing aids. They just kept the other hearing aids and said that they were gonna be giving them to disadvantaged people. As far as the representatives, they did a really good job. If people need it, they could try a pair of hearing aids and see what a difference it makes in their lives. Starkey has a good program to do that with.

Starkey Hearing Aids response

Thanks for sharing your kind words. We're glad that you're able to #HearBetterLiveBetter.

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    Verified Reviewer Verified Buyer
    Original review: April 27, 2023

    I've been with Starkey ever since I've had hearing problems. I went into a place here in Marble Falls that was Starkey, and I talked to the guy there and told him I had bad hearing problems. I said my dad did too. My dad bought hearing aids that stayed in the dresser drawer, and I told the guy, "I don't want to wear mine in the dresser drawer. I want to wear them." He said, "Well, I can fix you up." I have all the respect in the world for him. He got me started on Starkey, and then as I got to hearing better and technology improved, I got newer ones and newer ones. The reps are great. They call to check on me and to remind me of stuff. They're not like telemarketers. They're like normal people and they talk to me like normal people.

    I've been struggling the last couple of years with the hearing aids I had. I had to piece together what people were saying and I needed to really look at their face to be able to have a conversation. In a room full of people, I was isolated even though I could hear everything. I went in to get my hearing aids adjusted, and the girl said, "I got something for you." She gave me these new ones. The cost is outrageous, but quality is the best of it. I can now carry on a conversation with my family and my wife. I still have problems and they still need to speak clearly, but it's like a whole new world. I'm a different person all together.

    Starkey Hearing Aids response

    Thank you for sharing your experiences, David. We love reading that you are really receiving the benefits of wearing your hearing aids.

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    Verified Reviewer Verified Buyer
    Original review: April 18, 2023

    I hadn't been able to hear out of my right ear since 1980 and my left ear was getting worse and worse over the years. Now, I can hear well out of both ears with my Starkey hearing aids in. It's hard to tell what direction sound comes from, but I can hear it. I like the hearing aids. I was having a lot of problems with them to start with, but lately, they're doing good. I've had to send them back to the shop four times in the past two years. The battery that wouldn't last very long. Another time, the one on the right quit working. I sent them off, and they repaired them every time. The warranty took care of everything. It hadn't cost me anything.

    The translation part is cool. I like the idea that it has a GPS so that I can find them. I also have the thing that you can put on your TV so that my TV goes straight to my hearing aids. I teach at a school, and if I want to, I can set a setting that it automatically goes to when I go there. When I go to church and if I want a different setting there, I can set it. It automatically does that without me making any changes. When I'm driving, I put my phone in my pocket and it goes straight to my hearing aids. It started picking up the car noise and everything got louder. It started amplifying the outside noise every time somebody would call. I called Starkey and the rep told me he could fix the problem. He asked if I had my charger with me. I didn't because I was at work and I was supposed to call him back but didn't.

    Starkey Hearing Aids response

    Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. We appreciate your feedback.

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    Verified Reviewer Verified Buyer
    Original review: Feb. 23, 2023

    My mother-in-law, Ruth, has very severe hearing loss and without her hearing aids, she hears nothing. You have to scream at the top of your lungs to get her. And even then, she doesn't seem to process. The hearing aids are adjusted up as high as they'll go but she still has difficulty understanding. It's a combination of reading lips and listening. Starkey has corrected her hearing as much as they can.

    My mother-in-law has lived with us 11 and a half years. These are probably the third or fourth hearing aids that she's had. She was with another company that suddenly went out of business and sold their business to Audibel. And Audibel has been wonderful. We've been very happy with their product. They completely replaced both of the hearing aids at no charge. They're no longer warrantied, but we've had them long enough. They sent her new ones and she’s had them now for five years. She won't feel bad letting them set her up with new hearing aids at any time now. Also, Starkey keeps them clean for free. The hearing aids she's got now are good. Plus, they're rechargeable. She quilted for many years and she doesn't have feeling in her fingertips. So messing with those teeny-tiny little batteries has been a constant challenge for her. So these new rechargeable hearing aids has been great for her.

    Starkey Hearing Aids response

    Thanks for sharing your feedback. We're glad that the rechargeable hearing aids are making a difference for your mother-in-law. We hope they continue to help!

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    Verified Reviewer Verified Buyer
    Original review: Aug. 16, 2022

    Starkey had a girl named Julia, and she was like a superstar. It was good dealing with her, but she's gone. They need to hunt her down and get her back ‘cause she can do anything. She’d go back there and get on the computer and reset my hearing aids. She wasn’t certified, but she knew how to do it. For two years, she got my hearing aids running a lot of times. They would quit, and she'd get them to working. She was real nice, and she stayed on top of my appointments. She would call me if I missed an appointment too.

    There's a new girl now, and she's okay, but I don't know her. I went back to visit a few days ago, Monday. One of my hearing aids quit working, and I just took them in. The girl tried to fix it, but she couldn’t, so she said she's going to send them back to the factory. She said my warranty was good till September, and it was gonna take a week.

    Starkey Hearing Aids response

    Thanks for sharing your feedback, Mark. We look forward to continue providing you with stellar service!

    3 people found this review helpful
    Verified Reviewer Verified Buyer
    Original review: May 22, 2023

    The hearing aid performs okay but the reason I'm not wearing them as much as I should is that there is a sound that's like the wind is blowing in my ear and I don't like that, especially when I'm in the car. It's not a loud sensation but it's an interference. Also, I got the ones with the little batteries in them versus the charger. I wish I had gotten a charger because I almost never remember to pull out that battery and the battery life would last longer life if you pull it out. Other than those, it’s a nice set of hearing aids if I wear them. I hear a whole lot better.

    Starkey Hearing Aids response

    Thanks for sharing your feedback.

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    Verified Reviewer Verified Buyer
    Original review: May 19, 2023

    I've had the Starkey hearing aids for three years and I have had issues with them. I go back, and they will take them, and then they will send them back and then send me new ones. But this has happened quite often with the Starkey. A couple of weeks ago, I went to them and they couldn't offer me anything that is like the ones I have when they have to take a hearing aid or both and send them back. They said, "Yeah, we'll get this fixed and we'll send it back." But these hearing aids are supposed to last six years. From the very beginning, when they started to not work and I had to send them in, it wasn't as if they would send my own back. The ones that I have in my ears right now, I have no idea how old they are. They're not my originals. I told this to them when I was there, and I'm going to tell them again when I pick it up. I'm not really a fan of this brand anymore.

    When you pay this much money for something, they should last. I should not have to go without them. I should not have to keep going in to get them fixed. I'm just struggling with that part of it right now. My warranty ended a couple of months ago, so I'm about to embark on getting a new service plan or a warranty. But I love the hearing aids. I love that this happened. It changed my life. There are so many things about them that I do love. I love that they're small, and that they charge quickly, I love that they help me do my life and my job. I also love the way they work with my app.

    Starkey Hearing Aids response

    Thanks for sharing your feedback, Sandy. Please connect with our customer service team about your experience at (800) 328-8602.

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    Verified Reviewer Verified Buyer
    Original review: May 13, 2023

    I bought the hearing aids from NuSound. I had planned to buy it at this wholesale house. But NuSound told me that they would match that price, and they had a continuing service plan that for a fee, I would be provided batteries, and about every three months, I go in for earwax cleaning as far as this plan. So not only did I buy the hearing aids, but I bought a service plan. I've been very pleased for doing so. I can hear quite well with the hearing aids so I’m pleased with it.

    Starkey Hearing Aids response

    Thank you for sharing your feedback.

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    Verified Reviewer Verified Buyer
    Original review: May 13, 2023

    When I went to the hearing aid place, they offered Starkey and I was impressed with the service I got. I also go in every three months, and I feel good about the adjustments. However, I might need them to be readjusted because I'm not picking up some pitches. Other than that, I like the hands-free phone. I'm talking to someone, and my phone's sitting in the other room.

    Starkey Hearing Aids response

    We appreciate hearing from you. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience.

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    Verified Reviewer Verified Buyer
    Original review: May 12, 2023

    Starkey's reps were good and very prompt. The only thing is having the hearing aid is funny. When I'm here in the house, once it's quiet, I don't need it. But when I go out into the world, when I do need it, it helps. It's just not nearly as good as natural hearing. Everything is good except these things are so freaking expensive. One costs like $3,400. I was wondering with the new regulations coming out on hearing aids if the prices are gonna come down.

    Starkey Hearing Aids response

    Thank you for sharing your feedback.

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    Starkey Hearing Aids Company Information

    Social media:
    Company Name:
    Starkey
    Company Type:
    Private
    Year Founded:
    1967
    Address:
    6700 Washington Avenue S.
    City:
    Eden Prairie
    State/Province:
    MN
    Postal Code:
    55344
    Country:
    United States
    Website:
    www.starkey.com

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