Sonova has finally released products suitable for the OTC hearing aid market in the US with the release of two Senheisser products. The Senheisser All Day Clear and All Day Slim represent the culmination of both their ongoing experimentation with direct to consumer models and the overarching brand strategy for the acquisition of Senheisser. They are interesting products and it should be interesting to see how the buying public react.

The explosion of non-traditional tech designed to help people hear better in the last year or so has fascinated me. It seems that more players are considering the wider needs of an underserved population who might want to hear better sometimes, without using hearing aids. Noopl is one such device, an iPhone peripheral that uses directional microphones and Chatable's AI to help people hear better in noisy situations. The device is fascinating, it can be used with either Airpods Pro, which will automatically steer the directional microphones or Made For iPhone hearing aids. I recently gave it a whirl, let's talk about my experiences.

I have said more than once that I can't understand why GN hasn't delivered a hearable up to now, it is probably the one company with the experience and product offerings to make it a no-brainer. They have the hearing aid legacy of ReSound and the huge audio legacy of Jabra, I always believed that they could leverage both to deliver a hearable type device that would be world-class. Anyway, they have finally done it, a collaboration between Jabra and the hearing aid division will see the release of the new Jabra Enhance Plus wireless earbuds later this year. They promise to be outstanding wireless earbuds with self-customised hearing enhancement for people with mild to moderate hearing loss, lets' talk Jabra Enhance Plus.

I came across an attractive remote microphone accessory recently that could be used by people with mild hearing loss and without hearing aids. It could also be used for children with attention difficulties in the education setting. The device was designed by Nuance Hearing who were collaborators with Starkey on their table microphone. Nuance has a strong background in microphone beamforming technology, among other audio-based manipulation, so I expected the devices to be pretty good. They were kind enough to send me a test device, and I was not disappointed, it was excellent.

I came across an interesting little device from an Israeli company recently that is designed to help people without hearing aids to hear better in complex sound situations. The device is a directional microphone accessory that uses beamforming and some pretty cool automation to allow you to hear the people you want to, over the noise that you don't.

Amazon has taken a step into the ear space with the introduction of their new Echo Buds. They offer wireless connection, Bose noise reduction technology and will work with Alexa. It is just another example of the increasing disruption of ear level devices and opens some intriguing possibilities for the future of hearing aids and hearables.

Wear & Hear have not rested on their laurels, they continue to introduce new products that are designed to attract people looking for an alternative to traditional hearing aids. Their latest, the BeHear Access will be introduced soon, it's an interesting device. The Access is similar in nature to the original products but they have added a telecoil function.

We have spoken to many people on Know who have some problems hearing, but they don't feel the handicap is worth the expense of hearing aids. There are alternatives to hearing aids that may well help you hear better in some of the situations that you have a problem. They aren't hearing aids, they most definitely aren't a replacement for hearing aids, but nevertheless, they may well do the job.

Hearing Tracker broke a story on the new Bose hearing aids a couple of days ago, they look remarkably similar to their Hearphones. It looks like the new hearing aid will be similar to the Wear and Hear devices we have discussed already.

Google is rolling out two new Android apps to help people with hearing loss. The first, Live Transcribe, gives persons with hearing loss live text-to-speech capabilities and the second, Sound Amplifier, amplifies the volume of incoming speech and music.

Nuheara announces the launch of two new products, the IQbuds MAX smart wireless earbuds and the new IQstream TV accessory, at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in LasVegas.

I originally tried the beta version of the BeHear in June, they have now released the product to market and I got to try the finished version recently. They have ironed out the issues and the devices deliver some amazing benefits, let's talk about the BeHear Now.

In an unprecedented move, the FDA has given approval to Bose to market a device as a self fitting hearing aid. It means that Bose will be able to sell the devices as hearing aids in the US where state laws allow. The move is unprecedented because the FDA is still in the process of defining what Over The Counter hearing aids will be, and this device will for all intent and purpose be just that.

NuHeara have just pushed out a firmware upgrade for their IQbuds Boost which they are calling Focus. In essence, they just gave users the ability to focus the sound capture to their front, just like any device with directional microphones. The lines between so called hearables and hearing aids are beginning to blur considerably.

I have been using Be-Hear headsets for a little while now and I have been exceptionally impressed. These are just the Beta testing version an there are issues, but when they sort them out, they will be pretty amazing.

The NuHeara IQbuds Boost have hit the market and I have been using a pair for a little while now, the original devices were excellent and could give people with generally normal hearing a little boost in speech clarity. These devices will actually give people with hearing loss some real clarity with speech. Let's take a look at hwat is different and why you could consider them if you have a hearing loss.

I got my hands on a set of IQBuds from NuHeara recently and I have been using them for a couple of weeks. I have to say, I am pretty impressed by the sound quality. I am also impressed by their performance when it comes to hearing processing as they label it. Are they a good replacement for dedicated hearing aids, probably not. However, at under 300 quid they do a pretty good job and they offer excellent audio streaming abilities from your phone. Let's talk about the IQBuds

Bose has introduced a new product they are calling Hearphones, they are ear phones with hearing aid capabilities. Using directional microphone technology they can focus on speech to the front , allowing the user a better chance to understand conversation in noisy situations. The product has it's own smartphone app which gives user control over how the product is working, interestingly enough, Bose have recently advertised for a research Audiologist to work with their R&D team. Is Bose testing the water for a possible entry into the hearing aid market?