Yes, they're expensive. I think I payed $6000 total for 2 hearing aids with a 3 year service contract and expect them to last 5-6 years (possibly longer). You can certainly get cheaper ones though without all the bells and whistles. You're right though, Bose is going to have to come in way below that price ;)

I've been amazed for a long time at the cost of hearing aids. Surely the tech is not that costly nor that specialised? How much do those $6k devices cost to make, I can't imagine it's even a 10th of the sale price?

I mentioned it in another post, but my guess is that it's due to insurance companies footing the bill (and government subsidies in Canada) so they can get away with charging more.

Thanks for the response. What kind of ongoing service do they require that a service contract would be desired?

I have a degenerative hearing disease called otosclerosis so my hearing changes pretty frequently. My contract includes yearly adjustments to change the amplification vs frequency curve of the aids to compensate for my personal hearing loss profile, and free batteries for 3 years (zinc-air batteries that last ~5 days).

I'll second the pricing - you can figure around $3,000 per ear, plus another $500-$1,000 for the premium accessories. Price varies of model and included services, but that's the ballpark, as is the 5-6 year lifespan if well cared for (I had older analog aids that could last 10+ years and even survived submersion in water. Digital, not so much).