> I'm not seeing where "markup" is coming into this.

In the spot where a couple hundred bucks worth of services and a couple hundred bucks worth of electronics becomes $2,500.

There is a difference between “good” and “audiophile.”

Not everyone needs to be specially fitted but every hearing aid is priced as such. I know I'd like to try the lower end of the spectrum before I decide I need a specialized hearing aid.

I have a stellar pair of four-driver custom molds from Alclair. Including mild-taking, costs were around $700 all-in. Your $2500 figure seems very high, unless your “good” means “absolute top of the market”.

Fitting is $100-$200. Then you can expend 200-1500 in your in-ear monitors depending on what you want, and the ones that are in the $300 range are already pretty good sounding.

Of course, the same as with headphones, you can spend $5K, 6K or even 10K in some top of the line planar magnetic whatever Audeze, Stax or Hifiman, but really, you don't need them.

Think also about the economy of scale. Hearing aids are more common than hi-fi high end in-ear monitors. If any big player in the electronics field enters this game, prices (and features) could be way better than they are now.

I got some good ones for 600-700 5-6 years ago fitted. Maybe with inflation they are 2x now but still not what you quoted