Customer Reviews

Bell & Howell Silver Sonic XL Personal Sound Amplifier

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

A while back I bought a hearing aid from Beltone for around $900. Later I bought the Secret Stealth and the Silver Sonic XL. All 3 devices have a lot of ambient noise background (wind, fans, traffic noises, feet on the floor, etc.)

The only one I found that does not have a lot of ambient noise amplification (in addition to the desired sound amplification) is called Loud 'N Clear. It's unfortunately not available via Amazon but it works just great. It can be had for around $25. It's not rechargeable like Stealth, but the batteries are inexpensive (312 hearing aid batteries) and they last a long time.

FDA approved hearing aids, like the one I got from Beltone, are a bit of a racket. The manufacturing costs are no more than the $25-40 devices like Stealth or Loud 'N Clear, but because of the FDA label, manufacturers jack up the price a thousand fold.

Try one of these cheaper devices before buying an actual hearing aid. There is really no difference in performance--only price.

This is a real piece of junk,all I could hear was a bunch of static and buzzing,I am returning it as many others will also be doing. If you think about it most of that seen on tv stuff is mostly junk.It even felt cheap like something you would get out of a box of cracker jacks.

Bought this unit for my 82 year old Pop. Worked great for him for two days and then crapped out, just didn't work at all. We changed the battereis, took it apart to check connections and switch, even banged it on the counter a few times. Nada. Oh well, shoulda' known. The problem is that Pop really loved the little bug. Now we will have to find something to replace it.

I decided to try the Sonic XL just for the hell of it, I figured what the heck, $20. Well I went online and like a previous gentleman wrote, I ended up with two purchased when I just wanted one. They have no way to edit or correct an order. This outfit is pretty awful, I immediately called to correct the order and was told that they couldn't correct it until it had been in the system for 24 hours. I have purchased quite a bit of stuff on the internet and had never been told anything like that. The next day I was traveling so my wife called and, get this, they said so sorry but they have been shipped. Now I am certain that was bs because that was 10 days ago and they have not been received. They could have been packed on a slow mule and been here by now. I am convienced that this company is crooked as can be and they need to be investigated by someone who has some control over "(lack of) Truth in advertising.
I am really getting tired of the bogus ads on line, it seems like they have gotten worse over the last year.
I would not have given them one star if I had the option of no stars!!

I tried to order three of these from their web site. They didn't give the option for buying the rechargeable version before giving the credit card number. When I got to the subsequent pages, they offered to sell me the rechargeable versions for $10 more. What they didn't say was they were selling me three more units. Now I was in the red for six of these things. To add agony to the situation, they charged me $6.95 shipping for each unit I ordered. So shipping for these 6 little guys is $41.70. By the time I was done, they charged my account for $206.40 and NO WAY TO BACK OUT OF THE TRANSACTION. I'll try and get my money back, but they are not answering their phone until Monday.
Update: I phoned on Monday to cancel. They gave me a cancellation number and said they would not ship the items.

You should be aware that on April 10 '09 I received a phone call- unidentified offering me $13.00 to rescind my comments about this product. This confirmed my unfavorable reaction to the product. I would never deal with those individuals again. I refused.

Not worth the price if it was free. Background noise distorts sound making it useless. Heard better without it.

Not only is this product a piece of junk but the 60 money back guarantee is untrue. I returned this product after trying it for a week and asked for a refund. Although I was charged $36 on my VISA the Bell and Howell company insists they have no record of my purchase. They are a poor company to do business with.

Like everyone else, I am looking for an inexpensive yet reliable personal sound amplifier. I am already wary of merchandise from Bell & Howell, as I happen to know that the original company went out of business some 20 or more years ago. The B&H name was purchased, and no longer represents the high-quality electronic equipment that the original company produced. And, once again, my concern about the quality of this item from B&H is confirmed by honest reviewers. Thank you all for your input! :^)

Back ground noise is unacceptable because of hiss or humm. Ordering system is set up so you select the rechargable option and you end up with 3 units instead of one with no way to appeal this. Note this below in other's comments. My extra two units are going into the trash. A bad deal at best.