RemoteCare works a bit like FaceTime in that you can video-call with your provider, but also, they can alter your hearing aids and then send the updates directly to your ears over the app.

It must be EUHA time again, every manufacturer is announcing the launch of new products. Phonak, not to be outdone has announced the launch of a new hearing aid platform they are calling Lumity. Rechargeable models only, I wonder how the buying public will react to that?

ReSound announced the launch of a new hearing aid platform they are calling Omnia on the 16th of August. The platform will initially be available in Receiver In Canal devices and the rollout will begin on the 25th of August in the US and Canada. Here is what we know.

It irritates me greatly when I hear that someone in my profession is taking the piss out of consumers, it really irks me. A friend of mine wrote a cautionary tale on his website recently that drove it home that slightly shady practices are still a feature in some parts of our business. So let me tell you about the man that was recommended a £4,000 fix for a £4 hearing aid problem.

ReSound announces the launch of a new hearing aid model, a hearing aid that will hide in plain sight. Their new rechargeable custom hearing devices look very like wireless earbuds and fit well into that new and growing segment. It should be interesting to see how this segment pans out over the next few years and just how welcoming the marketplace will be.

I got a hold of a pair of Jabra Enhance Plus earphone hearing aids quite a while ago. Because of a series of events in my personal life they never got reviewed, which was a shame, because they aren't bad at all. So, I am finally fixing that.

Slim-RICs were first introduced by Signia with their Styletto model. The audiological world was divided, some liked it and some hated it. Obviously Phonak considered the model type as a winner because they have just introduced their own type of Slim RIC for the Paradise platform

One of the more fascinating devices recently introduced by Phonak is the new Audeo Paradise Fit. The devices will work with a special receiver with a heart rate sensor embedded in it. Not only will it help you hear better but it will also help you track your activity and heart rate.

I have been very quiet on here since December 21, and almost non-existent during February and March. Unfortunately, there are reasons for that which I will explain, I will also give a quick round-up of what has been happening while I have been gone.

Jabra has received 510K clearance from the FDA for their Enhance Plus earbuds. It means that the devices can now be sold as self-fit hearing aids in the US. The press release says that the devices will be sold in the offices of hearing care professionals for $799, which doesn't include any professional services. It is just another example of the expansion of hearing aid provision that we expect to see explode this year.

ReSound has announced the expansion of their One range with two rechargeable Behind The Ear hearing aids. The devices offer the One technology to people who prefer BTE styles over receiver in canal devices.

As I said in the last article, 2022 will see a major change in the opportunities to purchase hearing aids in the US. I believe that there will be seven possible hearing aid purchase models available to consumers in the US. I also think that those models will spread globally over the next few years. Let's take a look at the possible models and the choices that consumers may have available to them.

We can expect 2022 to be one of those years for hearing aids, a seminal year, one where evrything moving forward is different from what went before. While we expect the OTC regulations to be finally published, a couple of recent events are harbingers of the future. No matter what, you can expect the provision of hearing aids to change forever in the United States next year. The question is though, will it be a good or bad thing for consumers?

Lively Hearing launched in 2019 offering online sales of ReSound hearing aids to the States. In an interesting move, GN has acquired the company and will now have direct access to the largest telehealth market in the world. I think we can expect some interesting moves from Lively Hearing as the OTC and DTC hearing aid market begins to grow once the regulations are in place.

HelloGo is Sonova's new direct to consumer offering in the Australian market, sold online for $1599 a pair. The devices and the strategy are interesting and it is obvious that Sonova has put lessons learned from their Shift Hearing offering into action. While you can buy the aids online and fit them yourself, you can also avail of a Pro Service Package as an added extra priced at $250. This type of blended model makes a lot of sense, both for the customer and the company. Let's take a look at HelloGo

Signia introduced the rechargeable custom hearing aid on the AX range at the beginning of November, they also introduced some other models including a new smaller Styletto, and a host of CROS styles. It is interesting to see that nearly all the models are rechargeable, with one lone Pure 312 powered by zinc-air batteries. Rechargeables are hugely popular in the marketplace, maybe we are seeing a drop in demand for traditionally powered hearing aids.

The guys at Hearing Health and Technology Matters asked us to contribute to a new podcast series they are running on the changing landscape of hearing technology. I have to say, both of us quite enjoyed the conversation and it helped us realise a couple of things about the service we offer on Know. Anyway, here is the podcast details, it is split into two videos on Youtube or, you can download an audio version.

Rechargeable In The Ear hearing aids are a rare beast at the minute, up to recently, Starkey was the only manufacturer with the devices available. Funnily enough, Signia introduced them on the AX range, but didn't make a big deal about it. The Signia Insio C&G AX is a wireless rechargeable device that offers both Made For iPhone and Made For Android connectivity.

Starkey announced the introduction of their latest platform of hearing aids they are calling Evolv AI on a virtual launch recently. The Evolv AI range will now include a Bluetooth CIC device and the renderings show it as a true CIC. While that in itself is exciting, they say that they have further refined their Edge mode and reduced the impact of noise with their latest strategies

Oticon appears to be drip feeding the market with model types for the More range, they have now announced the introduction of a zinc-air powered mini-RITE-t device. That's a Receiver In The Ear hearing aid with a telecoil onboard powered by a 312 battery. They have also announced that they are introducing a new CROS device and a charger that provides mobile use and has a couple of charges onboard.

Phonak has announced the introduction of a new hearing aid model, the Audeo Life. The new model is re-designed slightly with a new case, but the big news is that it is both waterproof and rechargeable. The Audeo Life will be available on the Paradise range and it is coming soon.

Are you having problems hearing clearly in certain situations, maybe when you are in a noisy restaurant or in a meeting? Just occasional problems from time to time but they are irritating right? But you aren't ready for hearing aids, you don't see the benefit to investment ratio. Well, there is an ever growing list of products that offer you a possible solution, let's talk about the ever growing list of situational solutions and what they can offer you.

I have been recently wearing the new Active Pro devices from Signia. The devices are an interesting departure from the form factor of traditional in the ear aids, designed to look more like wireless earbuds than hearing aids. I see one issue with them but I am not sure if the target market for the devices will care. While they are really decent hearing aids, they don't compare well to wireless earbuds, let me explain what I mean.

I think many professionals and users will be happy. that finally after years of drought, Phonak has finally introduced a new CROS that will work with the Paradise platform. They have also introduced a new rather interesting receiver for the Paradise RIC platform. While a new receiver may seem like something that isn't usually celebrated, their new ActiveVent is a sea change intelligent vent receiver. Of course, as with any tech, it has some pros and cons.

The Roger devices from Phonak are truly outstanding at what they do, if you have real problems with speech discrimination in noisy situations, they are a god send. Phonak has now introduced a new Roger device that blends the best of their Roger Pen and Roger Select in one device. Roger On will allow you to use it either as a pointing device or a desktop microphone depending on the situation you find your self in. Let's talk about Roger devices, why you might use them and what benefit you can expect.

The new AX platform from Signia marks an interesting step forward in the strategy to deal with background noise. Using separate sound processors to handle different inputs appears to lead to a marked reduction in the effects of background noise. They have also brought their fantastic mobile charging case to the Charge & Go alongside a new charging and drying case. It will be interesting to see what both professionals and users will make of the new hearing aids.

With the recent announcements from both Apple and Google, it appears that a slew of new abilities including hands-free calls will be coming to all hearing aids later this year. Unfortunately, and as usual, with the possible exception of the Oticon More, it will only be available for new hearing aids and new phones, here is what you need to know.

The last two articles covered innovation and technology both inside and outside the traditional hearing aid industry. We looked at the different channels for the purchase of devices and the exciting technology coming to the fore in the augmented audio world. In this article I look at what the future of hearing aid buying will look like.

In part one of this article I discussed the latest innovations and changes in the more traditional hearing aid world. In this article I would like to look at the advancements in augmented audio in consumer electronics and other offerings to help people correct hearing problems. I also want to take a look at what it could all mean for the future. In five to ten years, will hearing aids and the provision model we now know still exist? If it does, what will it look like and what other competing solutions and provision models will exist?

There have been many interesting events recently pertaining to both hearing loss correction, hearing aids and indeed the provision of hearing devices. Recent entries into the hearing aid market possibly signal great change moving forward, more than that, the innovation and development around artificial intelligence could mean great change. Where does that leave both hearing aid users and the current traditional model of provision though? No crystal ball here, just intelligent what ifs.

Lexie hearing has just announced a new partnership with Walgreens that will see Lexie Lumen hearing aids available in select Walgreens stores in the US. The partnership makes a lot of sense for both players, it means a wider audience for Lexie, and a pretty hassle free hearing aid offering for Walgreens. Here is what you need to know.

Well the mystical unicorn that Bose hearing aids were have finally solidified and to be honest, I don't think they are nearly as exciting as many people thought they might be. Bose announced the introduction of their SoundControl hearing aids which will be self programming and offered direct to consumers. Here is what you need to know.

Unitron announced the introduction of their new Blu hearing aid platform in April. The platform will be powered by the PRISM chipset from Sonova, the new chipset that powers the Paradise platform among others. Even though they are a stablemate of Phonak, Unitron has always walked their own path with features and strategies. The Blu should be no different.

Costco US have been selling their Kirkland 10 hearing aid for a super-cheap price of $1399 for a few months now, Costco UK has now followed suit are selling the same for £1149. The Kirkland 10 is basically the Phonak Paradise under another name.

Signia announced the launch of a new earpod style hearing aid device they are calling Active. The devices are a hybrid with fully functional, high-technology hearing aid features packed into a wireless earbuds style device. It is an interesting move designed to both tap into growing familiarisation with wireless earbuds and address stigma issues for some new hearing aid users. It will be interesting to see how it works out for them, other manufacturers have worked along similar if different lines, think Virto Black from Phonak or the rechargeable Edge custom from Starkey. I am not sure how successful these have been in relation to overcoming stigma, but Signia has pretty much gone the whole hog by adopting a completely new form factor. Here is what you need to know.

The Naida from Phonak has a long legacy as one of the premium offerings for people with severe to profound hearing loss. It is only in recent years that it has been challenged by the ReSound Enzo and the Oticon Xceed. Phonak updated the Naida range with the new Paradise hearing aid technology in February 2021, here is what you need to know.

Costco went with Sonova again for its new Kirkland Signature 10 hearing aids which makes sense considering how successful the Ks 9 was. Looking closely at the specs and feature set, the new Ks 10 is for all intent and purpose, a Paradise 90. Here is what you need to know.

I have worn Lexie Lumen hearing aids for several weeks now and they are pretty good hearing aids. During my day to day experiences I have found them to work well and the sound quality offered to be more than acceptable. Would I change my ReSound Ones for them, no probably not, having said that, during the time I wore them, they didn't let me down once. The customer experience offered by Lexie through the app is outstanding, it will help new hearing aid users through their experience admirably well. Let's talk Lexie Lumen hearing aids

I wear Phonak Paradise and I work in a noisy kitchen. I struggle to hear the timer beeping so I don't know when food is ready, my hearing aids are generally working well but it seems like the timer is actually quietier with them in. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen and this is where I need the hearing aids to work.

I decided a couple of weeks ago that I likedthe conceptual thinking around Lexie Hearing and their delivery model of Lexie Lumen hearing aids. I wanted to experience it first hand and they sent me a pair of hearing aids and set me up on their system. This is how it went and what my experience was like.

ReSound has announced the launch of a new essential range of hearing aids they are calling Key. The range offers a full line-up of models including their outstanding rechargeable RIC across three technology levels. They say that it will offer wider access to their hearing aids no matter the budget available. It means ReSound has one of the broadest portfolios covering wide price points.

I get to wear a lot of hearing aids in my role for Hearing Aid Know. I know some people are jealous of the fact, but to be honest, sometimes I feel like it is an imposition. I have to take my well worn daily hearing aids off to programme up a new set and then wear them for a couple of weeks. It's like taking off a well worn, comfortable pair of shoes to break in a new set. However, I was happy enough to give the Oticons a try. I like the Oticon stuff, it has been fascinating to see what they have been doing with directionality and how they believe it offers the best processing to activate the natural ability of the brain. Let's talk Oticon More

We dream of innovative disruption that will ensure hearing care is affordable for everyone, it is what underpins Steve's Netflix article and the series of articles that followed. We have parameters though for that innovation that we feel will keep consumers safe. To be honest, Lexie Hearing is probably exactly what we had envisaged. Decent hearing aids that are self-fit, outstanding online support and processes that are designed to keep the consumer safe. Here is what you need to know.

2020 was an interesting year for a whole lot of reasons, in the hearing aid space we saw the introduction of the Edge from Starkey, ReSound One, Widex Moment and Phonak Paradise hearing aids. We also saw a huge expansion in remote support for hearing aids and the willingness to use it. So what can we expect for 2021, what will be the best hearing aids available?

Steve has written a couple of articles recently that focus on the possibility of self-fit hearing aids, one of the articles detailed the reasons why some people with hearing lossdon't wear hearing aids. The biggest reason was cost and that is what spurred him to explore a different way that we might access hearing aids. I would like to address a couple of things and I would like to dig deeper into those reasons and explore them.

Hearing aids aren't any different to other great tech products out there. The latest MacBook Air is hugely impressive, smartphones are amazing technology and a huge leap from the old bricks that people used to carry around in the 1980s. High-end technology is all around us.

The hearing aid industry needs a Netflix to come in and shake it up, to give people options about how they want to buy and use their hearing aids. If you look back to the earliest articles on Hearing Aid Know (going back 15 years now!) I was probably moaning about this back then, but change is slow...

I was thinking recently about why some people take such a long time to get hearing aids when they need them. It struck me that actually, it's partially the fault of people like me, we haven't communicated the true value of hearing aids. We haven't communicated what I would call the overarching truth. We have tacitly gone along with the concept that hearing aids offer solutions to older people who have problems. In the main, that's correct, they are devices that provide a solution for problem areas with hearing. But there is a much greater truth, one that really only occurred to me the other night. Hearing aids aren't about getting old, they truly help you to stay young. Let me explain.

Oticon has announced the introduction of a new hearing aid platform, and not to be outdone in the stupid naming category, they are calling it More. In fairness, I can see the evolution of that name in the marketing department. So what do we know about More hearing aids and when can we expect them to be launched?

Artificial Intelligence systems are becoming more widespread in hearing aid technology and a new start-up named Whisper Hearing is to launch their first devices driven by the technology. It's an interesting development for several reasons, one is that it is a system as opposed to simply a set of hearing aids and the second thing is that Whisper is a complete outsider, new to the industry.

Steve reviews the new ONE hearing aid from ReSound. This is the third year in a row I've reviewed GN's new hearing aid. I reviewed the ReSound LiNX 3D, then the ReSound LiNX Quattro, and now the ONE. To be honest, I think I'm becoming a bit of a ReSound fanboy.

In general, for many years, ReSound hearing aids have been my daily wear items, the LiNX 3D and then the Quattro after them delivered what I wanted on a daily basis and they were the first set of hearing aids I reached for. Using the ReSound One over the last couple of weeks has affirmed that choice for me, they offer everything I am used to with excellent sound quality and even better localisation of sound. More than that, because of the shape and placement of the hearing aids they make it easier to take a mask off without flipping them across a car park. It isn't all plain sailing though and I have a complaint, but I always do. Here are my experiences of the devices

Matthew Pearson from Zone1 Hearing reviews the new ONE hearing aid from GN ReSound.

I was asked recently what are the best hearing aids by a consumer, that isn't a question I can answer, because it is the wrong question. There is no particular set of hearing aids that are the best, however, there might be a set of hearing aids that are the best for you. Let's talk about the best hearing aids.

The Marvel was perhaps one of the most successful hearing aids that Phonak has ever produced, so it was going to be hard to top it. However, it feels like Phonak has risen to the challenge. In my experience so far I have been exceptionally impressed with the balance of sound and features introduced with the Paradise. I also think that the amazing tap control system makes it a world-beater. Honestly, I think the Paradise may well outdo the Marvel, and I think that is saying something. Let's talk about day to day experiences with Phonak Paradise

Phonak has announced the introduction of the Paradise range of hearing aids, damn stupid name for a fantastic hearing aid platform. Built on a completely new chipset, they have new features and outstanding hearable like abilities to offer. Let's talk about the Phonak Paradise.

The connection between your Bluetooth hearing aids and your smartphone is fantastic, until it isn't. Yes, Bluetooth is a pain in the arse, but those issues are generally fixable, let's talk troubleshooting Bluetooth hearing aids.

The advent of Bluetooth hearing aids has led to an explosion of accompanying smartphone apps to help control them. Some people really don't use them because they are a little afraid of them. They shouldn't be, they offer so much power and on-the-go customisation. Let's talk hearing aid apps.

The use of masks during this pandemic has made it more difficult for people with hearing loss to understand what is being said, even when they are wearing hearing aids. Signia has introduced a new mask mode for their hearing aids that gives a boost to clarity making it a simple exercise for Signia hearing aid wearers to adjust their hearing aids. But if you are not wearing Signia devices, what can you do to help you hear clearer?

Many older people are a little afraid of their mobile phones, but with the rise of virtual voice assistants, using them has become as easy as speaking a command. As the connectivity of hearing aids increases and changes along with Bluetooth LE Audio, voice assistants could be your best friend as a hearing aid user.

I get to review a lot of hearing aids on Know and they generally are exceptionally good at what they do. The Widex Moment is no slouch, but the sound is different than anything I have ever tried before. They were the very first hearing aids I ever tried that I had to keep checking they were on, they really and quite astonishingly sound that natural.

I have tested several NuHear devices over the last few years and each rendition is just that little bit better. The new IQbuds2 Max are no different, fantastic sound, really good noise cancelling and better than ever support for hearing loss in tough sound situations. Getting them out of the damned case is an exercise in gymnastics and swearing. Okay, maybe I exaggerate, but there was a lot of swearing! That is actually pretty much the only fault I found with them really. They provide really good support in varying sound situations for someone with a hearing loss and are at least as good, if not better than modern basic hearing aids and probably represent a lot of value for a little over 300 sterling. They are situational though, they are never going to be a replacement for hearing aids, however, for someone who wants simple situational help, they might just be the ideal thing.

As reported by our friends at Hearing Tracker, Apple has introduced hearing aid like features to their Airpods Pro devices with the release of their latest IOS. I think it is a really interesting development and the beginning of a wider change to audio delivery in technology. I wouldn't be throwing my hearing aids away just yet but they could easily end up as a situational solution for people with mild or even moderate hearing loss. Let's take a look at this and some other recent developments that point the way forward for customised audio and help for people with hearing loss.

I reached out to Costco about the firmware update for the KS 9 hearing aids and they came back to me. The new firmware update is being pushed out and it offers the same functionality as the Marvel 2.0 update including the Roger Direct functionality

We spoke last year about the new Ks 9 hearing aids from Costco and how they were based on the Marvel technology. A couple of things have happened since then that passed us by I am afraid, the first is that the Ks 9 now has a telecoil option. That's great news for people with hearing loss as loop systems are ever growing in popularity in the US. The second is that there are rumours that the Ks 9 is getting a software upgrade that appears to be similar in nature to the Marvel 2.0 upgrade.

Signia has moved forward with a brand new remote care system that offers everything from a hearing test, through hearing aids to aftercare virtually. Let's take a look at it and what it means for consumers moving forward.

If you have Starkey Livio hearing aids and you need support but are afraid to leave the house, there is still an option for you. Starkey have now made remote care available across all Livio hearing aids, this is how it works

Signia were one of the first to introduce live remote support with a video link and their remote support system is really comprehensive for Bluetooth Nx and X hearing aids. However, that doesn't mean that if you have older or non-Bluetooth Signia hearing aids you can't get support too. So if you have Signia hearing aids and you are on lockdown, there should be remote support for available. Here is how it works

The Little Book of Hearing Aids 2020 is now available for purchase on the site in electronic form and on Amazon in both e-book and paperback. The book has been updated as usual and I have added some sections.

The Widex remote care system offers the full possibilities of an in-poerson visit with your professional. If you are in a lock down situation, which most of us are, you should be able to access telecare for your Widex hearing aids. Here is how it works.

If you have Phonak Marvel hearing aids and you need support but are afraid to leave the house, there is still an option for you. Phonak have been one of the frontrunners in tele-care in hearing aids and they introduced it with the Phonak Marvel, this is how it works

GN ReSound has today announced the launch of a brand new telehealth solution in partnership with hearing care professionals. The solution will allow innovative at-home access to hearing aids and hearing care.

Widex has changed its hearing aid model range with the introduction of the new Moment platform, gone are some of the old aids we are familiar with. At present, there will be a good Receiver In Canal model offering and In The Ear models. The Behind The Ear hearing aids are expected to follow in time.

Widex is famous for innovation and its sound quality, they are also a very conservative company not known for outrageous claims. So when they recently started using words like paradigm shift and game-changer,many started to sit up and take notice. Well here comes the Moment, find out more about the range and the breakthrough here.

As both a hearing aid user and a hearing healthcare professional I believe in tracking and measuring how the people I work with are doing. One of the tools I use is the COSI (Client Orientated Scale of Improvement). It is a simple document, but it delivers so much power, let's talk about what it is and how you should use it.

Phonak has now released the Virto Black to market and the first devices are making their way to customers. As expected, they have also expanded the Virto Marvel range to include the typical devices you would expect including a Titanium and a CIC.

MD Hearing Aids has been around for a while providing hearing aids that they sell online. They offer several different models from their website, but one particular model piqued my interest. The LifeEar Core is a self-programmable twin mic hearing aid, I thought I would take a look at it and see how it worked.

The Quattro range is finally complete with the announcement of the introduction of three Behind The Ear hearing aids and a new mini Receiver In Canal device. That pretty much means that there is a Quattro powered hearing aid suitable for every body.

Many people have been waiting for news of a new Enzo release, the wait ends today. Resound have announced the launch of a new Enzo platform using the Quatro technology. Here is what you need to know.

Starkey has announced that their Livio AI devices will provide direct audio streaming from the latest Samsung Galaxy phones. Starkey are the second hearing aid brand to offer true Made For Android functionality with their hearing aids.

2020 has just started, but we can already see it shaping up to be an interesting year for custom hearing aids. With recent events in mind, I thought that I should look at what could be the biggest Bluetooth In The Ear hearing aids for 2020.

There have been many people waiting for custom rechargeable hearing aids and up to now, it looked like they were going to be technically difficult. Well Starkey thinks they have solved the problems, they have announced the introduction of the first-ever Bluetooth, lithium-ion powered rechargeable In The Ear hearing aid.

The release of the new Phonak Naida Marvel has been welcomed by many people with severe to profound hearing loss. The Roger Direct system is really big news for these users as it makes life better and more convenient. For existing Phonak Roger Users there could well be some good news, if you have Roger X receivers, they may well be compatible with the Roger Direct system, it will just be a case of transferring them to the Marvel.

I think that many people with severe to profound hearing loss have been waiting for Phonak to extend their Marvel platform to the Naida Range. From the end of February, they won't have to wait any longer.

Remote hearing care has been around now for a while and nearly every hearing aid brand offers some sort of system. It hasn't really taken off though, there are signs that 2020 is the year it goes mainstream. Let's talk tele-audiology.

The last couple of weeks has seen some really interesting technology introduced that will begin to change hearing aids and their function in 2020 and beyond. Some of it is inspirational as opposed to ready to go, some of it though could be in hearing aids within the year. Let's take a look at what's new and interesting.

Hearing Aid Smartphone Apps gives users a lot of control over how they hear but there's problems with compatibility across devices and phone updates breaking everything. How can we make sure you app will work as long as you need it?

Valencell introduced the world’s first calibration-free blood pressure (BP) sensor system for integration in hearables and wearables at CES 2020. It is just another example of how hearing aids and other hearables can be a central part of healthy living and a primary care model.

The introduction of the Virto Black has brought a lot of excitement within both the more traditional audience of users and professionals and the non-traditional audience of the wider consumer electronics world. Details on the Virto Black and indeed the wider Virto Marvel have started to firm up, here is what you need to know.

It appears that Widex has finally decided to add a lithium-ion rechargeable hearing aid to their offering with their new platform. Not sure what that means for the fuel cell product that we were expecting in 2019, but it's about time that they did something.

Myself and Dave Kemp had a great conversation recently on his Future Ear podcast about the changes we expected in the hearing aid world. It is always interesting to do a bit of navel gazing and even more so when you do it with a smart guy like Dave.

The world of Bluetooth hearing aids can be a confusing one, with MFI hearing aids, Made For Android hearing devices, Made For Any Phone from Sonova and finally Bluetooth compatible hearing aids. All of them are different, all of them offer different things, so what's the difference and how will it affect what you might buy? In this article, I try to make sense of the different protocols so that you understand what you are dealing with.

The Direct To Consumer hearing aid market certainly seems like it is about to explode in the US. A new company called Novidan has launched a specially designed direct-to-consumer hearing aid in the US and they seem to be looking for retail partners. Let's take a look at them

Sonova has launched a new direct to consumer, self fitting hearing aid range in Australia in conjunction with Blamey Saunders Hears. The new initiative represents the first time that a mainstream hearing aid brand has offered either a self fit hearing aid or a hearing aid direct to consumers.

Bernafon launched their new Leox range of hearing aids for people with severe to profound hearing loss in the UK today. The Leox range is two Made For iPhone hearing aid models over two levels of technology. This is what you need to know

Unitron has announced the expansion of the Discover platform with two new hearing instruments, the Stride P R (BTE) and Moxi Jump R Receiver-In-Canal with telecoil. The hearing aids will be introduced globally soon.

I saw a really neat trick that a forum user uses to remember the programmes on their hearing aids recently. I thought to myself, that's worth sharing, I also thought to myself that the hearing aid manufacturers are gobshites. Let's talk about hearing aid programmes, audible indicators and why one hearing aid brand is on the ball.

While Australian consumers have been able to buy hearing aids direct online from Blamey Saunders Hears for a long time, it appears that Sonova, the new owners have decided to expand and drive the model.

Every time Apple updates their operating system and their phones, hearing aid research departments break out in a sweat. For good reason though, it appears that every time they sort out connectivity issues, Apple comes along with a new update that breaks it. Apparently, IOS 13 and the iPhone 11 is no exception. It is causing issues with connectivity and specifically the apps that most hearing aid brands make available.

Well Made For Android has finally arrived, at least for people with LiNX Quattros and Google Pixel phones. What does it offer and how does it sound, here is a quick run down of my experiences with the system.

Many hearing aid users probably haven't heard of voice first, even the ones who are actually using voice first devices. So what is it and why might it be relevant to the future of hearing aids? Let's talk.

Signia has announced the introduction of their new Xperience hearing aids, the devices are their first ever to use onboard motion sensors to help people hear better. The devices should be available near you in the next couple of months.

While most of the hearing aid manufacturers have gone with BTLE, one of the manufacturers has gone with Bluetooth Classic. They both have big pros and cons, but what are they and what do you need to consider when choosing.

Oticon has introduced a new CROS/BiCROS device that is based on the Velox S platform. The device has TwinLink technology which means that it can support speech awareness from your bad side and wireless streaming at the same time.

So Made For Android is now a real working thing, and the lucky few with Pixel 3 phones and LiNX Quattros are doubtless loving it. The question on the lips of many is when will it make it to other phones, and when will it make it to other hearing aid brands?

It seems that ReSound has a couple of things to celebrate, the announcement of the first Made For iPhone CIC, and now the announcement that Made For Android has finally arrived. Android 10 has begun to roll out to Pixel phones and it has the ASHA protocol on it, it means that if you have a Quattro and a Google Pixel 3, you will get direct streaming of audio and calls when you update your phone.

Upgrades can be a tricky thing, sometimes, they go horribly wrong, Windows Vista anyone? Anyway, there appears to be widespread reports of problems with the Marvel 2.0 upgrade. Issues with connection between the app and the hearing aids and bad call quality and drop outs. There also appears to be a pretty easy fix, here is what you can do.

We suspected they were going to do it, and it seems we were right. Just in time for EUHA, Resound has announced the introduction of their LiNX Quattro custom hearing aid line. The range consists of four styles and includes a Made For iPhone, direct connection CIC. That's a first of its kind.

Modern hearing aids are better than they have ever been, but sometimes, for some people, in some situations, they still don't deliver. That's why assistive listening accessories are so important, remote mics and table mics can really help in those really challenging situations. While the Marvel can now use RogerDirect and all of the fantastic Roger products, sometimes a simple remote mic is sufficient. Meet the new PartnerMic from Phonak

Phonak remote control apps have always been terrible, they never offered the consumer any real type of power over their hearing aids. With their latest upgrade to the myPhonak app, that has all changed. Let's have a look at the new app.

The Bolero (BTE) Marvel hearing aids will soon be with us, at present, we are looking at just two models which will only help people with moderate to severe hearing loss. Here is what you need to know

Phonak has announced the release of Marvel 2.0, they say it will bring more connectivity, more choice and more hearing performance. The upgrade offers new Bluetooth connectivity opportunities as well as the RogerDirect capability. On top of that, there is a brand new app and finally, the Bolero hearing aid is released.

The traditional model of buying hearing aids has been under pressure for many years. New business models and new players have shaken up the market, however, to now, the process really hasn't changed. It seems though, that the market is about to change dramatically as is the way you may purchase a hearing aid. Let's talk about the different pressures and business models we may see in the next five years.

Induction loop technology is not nearly as prolific as it should be in the USA, however, the HLAA and grassroots activists are working to change that. As part of their efforts they have an outstanding toolkit of resources for anyone who is interested in driving the change.

We have released the Little Book of Hearing Aids for 2019, I have expaned the sections again introducing new sections on hearing loss and how to read the audiogram among others. Here is what you need to know.

Adam Savage of Mythbusters and Tested fame recently spoke about how hearing aids had made a huge change to his life. He has had a conductive hearing problem since he was a child, but it is only in the last ten years that he decided to wear hearing aids. Here is his story

Everyone loves the summer, but if you live in a humid climate, your hearing aids don't. There are some steps you can take to make sure they keep on keeping on. Drying them is the key.

We have had a couple of readers contact us about the new Kirkland 9.0 from Costco and how it compares to the Phonak Marvel 90. We did some digging around, talked to a few people we know, and found out a few things. Here is the best run-down we can give.

Costco has now launched their new Kirkland 9.0 hearing aids and the rumours are confirmed, Sonova is the new manufacturer of the Kirkland range. The devices are a hybrid device using the Sword chip which means that they will connect to any Bluetooth enabled cell phone. While the underlying technology in the device is used in both the Discover from Unitron and the Marvel from Phonak, the device is neither. Here is what you need to know.

Digital disruption has affected many industries and it has already been felt within the hearing aid business. Phonak has a vision for disruption of the current delivery model that will suit both consumer needs and the needs of the hearing healthcare profession. Let's take a deeper look at what that is.

A strong rumour has surfaced that the new Kirkland 9.0 hearing aids from Costco will in fact be Phonak Marvel hearing devices in disguise. From what we are hearing though, it isn't quite as simple as that, it does appear that Sonova will be making the new Kirkland 9.0 under contract. However, for what I think may be the first time ever, the brand associated with the hearing aids will be Sonova, not Phonak or Unitron. Let's take a look at the rumours.

Direct-to-Consumer Hearing Solutions Leader iHEAR® Medical Expands Top-Rated Products to Drugstore Locations Nationwide. The expansion into additional drugstores includes the iHEARtest™, the only FDA-cleared home hearing screener, and the TReO™ Personal Sound Amplification Product (PSAP).

As hearing aids and the way they are provided is changing, one of the things that occurred to me recently was how attractive would upgradeable hearing aids be to consumers. Unitron has offered an upgradeable system for many years, they are the only hearing aid brand to do so. Let's explore upgradeable hearing aids and what the future may hold.

GN ReSound's Smart 3D phone app has a remote assistance feature that lets you get changes/fixes to your hearing aid without having to leave your house to visit anyone. This is great for anybody who lives far from the audiologist practice, struggles with mobility or is too busy.

At the Sonova Global Media Day I toured the new Real Life Lab at Sonova HQ, I know I am a nerd, but it should excite everyone with a hearing loss. The new lab is set up like no other research facility I have seen before and I think it will lead to even greater innovation in hearing aids moving forward.

We attended the Phonak Global Media Day at their headquarters in Switzerland recently, amongst one of the things we got to discuss was the Phonak Marvel. The Marvel has been exceptionally successful, even more so than Phonak were planning for. That meant there has been a shortage of devices, but they say they are fixing that issue as we speak. They also released the details of a survey of consumers who are using Marvel and the results are impressive.

In this article, Kian Northcote discusses his own struggle with hearing loss and why he found hearing aids were an outstanding solution. He also explains why they might be a fantastic solution for you

Costco recently added the HearLink range from Philips to the their hearing aid offerings. They have been pretty aggresive with the pricing and they appear to be betting on the brand recognition. There has been a little bit of confusion about the Phillips hearing aids, with some thinking that they are the Oticon Opn in disguise. They aren't, although they use the same hardware, they don't use the same features. Let's talk about Costco and Philips HearLink

Oticon medical has just announced the launch of their new Ponto 4 BAHA system which they say is the smallest Bone Anchored Hearing Aid ever. The Ponto 4 will use the new Velox S chip and the famous Opn Navigator, more than that it will offer direct connectivity to iPhones and internet connectivity. Let's take a look at the Ponto 4

Review of Oticon OPN S rechargeable hearing aid

A reader informed us recently that an audiologist had told them that modern hearing aids have real ear measurements built in so they wouldn't need to do probe microphone measurements. Yes, about that, that's complete and utter bullshit and here is why. Let's talk

Hearing aid verification measures can be subjective such as the COSI or aphab questionnaires, or objective measures such as speech mapping or aided speech testing. They are important because they measure how well hearing aids are working for you, but it is important to understand the differences between them.

Unfortunately for some people, hearing aids still have limitations in what they can help with, Phonak Roger systems may help over come those limitations. When hearing aids aren't enough, you need to follow other strategies, the Roger system is an excellent example of that.

Bernafon has launched the Viron range in the UK, the range will be made up of four hearing aid models over three technology levels. The Viron range will also include their first ever lithium-ion powered rechargeable hearing aid. Here is what you need to know.

Unitron as a hearing aid brand has always fascinated me, while they are perceived as a second brand, I have always respected them for their innovation and consumer focus. Last week I got to learn more about their new Flex Experience concept and why they think it is an ideal process to deliver to the needs of modern hearing aid consumers.

We are here at the Unitron Engage event in beautiful Amsterdam to learn more about their new devices and their new strategies

We received an email today from a legal company in Arizona, representing one Charles Crawford of King Crawford LLC in Arizona. The letter asks us to take down our Nano articles as they contain several falsehoods and defamatory statements concerning our clients and their products. Interestingly, the only evidence they reference in relation to that is mention of the removal of automatically adjusting hearing aids. Let's talk about the letter.

May looks like a pretty busy month for us, both Bernafon and Unitron are launching their new platforms to the market. Unitron has been heavily teasing something they are calling Discover. While Bernafon have being doing the same with something called Viron. Let's take a look at what we know.

I read with horror recently that a prospective patient was told that hearing loops and hearing aid telecoils were obsolete technology now replaced by Bluetooth. It's simply not true, while telecoils are damned sure old technology, both them and loop systems are just as relevant today as ever. Even with the ever growing Bluetooth hearing aid market. Let's talk about why you should always consider a telecoil in your hearing aids.

HHTM do a great article each month on hearing aid related patents that are filed in the US. In their latest article, a few things caught my eye, not least a system to check if a receiver is full of wax, the return of spectacle hearing aids and finally a new firmware system that will alow hearing aid functionality upgrades in the clinic. Let's talk about patents.

We often hear consumers say that they wished their hearing aids could do this or that. Well we have begun to undertake surveys to get a clearer idea of consumer experience and needs. You can help to shape the future of hearing aids by answering some questions.

Real Ear Measurements and live Speech Mapping are elements of hearing aid verification and validation. They are the best practice, gold standard in hearing aid fitting. Let's talk about what they are, how they are done and why you aren't getting the best service if a hearing care professional doesn't carry them out.

Receiver In Canal hearing aids are exceptionally popular devices, they are versatile, easy to use and relatively easy to maintain. They come with standard instant tips mostly, but you should consider custom made tips, here are the reasons why.

The Hearlink range has a full range of hearing aid models across five technology levels, learn about the models available here

Philips have re-entered the hearing aid space with the launch of their new Hearlink hearing aid range. In collaboration with Demant, the hearing aids will now be available to order. Let's take a look at the range and talk about what could be happening moving forward.

I am surprised that in 2019 we are not further forward with self-fitting hearing aid options. I would have expected that by now we would be able to either go into a high-street electronics store or browse online and buy a proper hearing aid, take it home and be able to accurately tune it to our own individual hearing loss.

People ask us all the time, what's the best rechargeable hearing aid? The problem is that it depends on what you want from them. In this article we discuss the latest rechargeable hearing aids and what they are best for.

I recorded an interview with Achin Bhomik PHD, Cheif Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Engineering at Starkey. We discussed AI, hearing aids and the opportunites for a wider feature set.

Starkey launched their Livio AI in London on the 20th of March, the hearing aid breaks new ground on functionality. It offers live translation of 27 languages, health tracking and fall detection and there is more to come.

For a lot of people, buying a new hearing aid is not as simple as "stick it in your ear and away you go", it takes time to get used to the new sounds that you are hearing.

In this article I want to dig a little deeper into the new range of hearing aids from Oticon. So what can you expect from the Opn S, the models, the technology levels and when you may be able to try them out.

Dr Cliff Olson undertook a comparison between the hearing device from Nano Hearing .com and a cheap amplifer that could be bought from Alibaba, he found that they were for all intent and purpose identical. In fact, they both displayed the same volume control issue which meant they were either at minimum volume or maximum volume, imagine that?

In an interesting turn of events, Oticon has ensured that the lithium-ion battery pack on their new Opn S rechargeable hearing aids will be easily replaced in the clinic. That means that when the time comes to replace it, it can be done immediately without having to send it away.

We are at the Oticon Drive event today and Oticon are launching the Open S to UK Independents. Really interesting hearing aids with some really interesting claims.

Widex has stuck with the ZPower system for their rechargeable hearing aids, the new system should be more reliable and deliver less problems.

Oticon has decided to go with a lithium-ion powered rechargeable hearing aid for the new Opn S platform. The specs look good and it means that finally Oticon has joined many of the other big brands to back lithium-ion as a power source.

Got my hands on a pair of Signia Styletto Connect hearing aids today and my first impressions are really good. I liked the original Styletto but the lack of connectivity ensured it wasn't for me. The new devices are just as attractive as the old and the connectivity is outstanding, add rechargeability into the mix and Signia might have a world beater on it's hands.

Widex and Sivantos have finally completed their merger and they are now jointly the third largest hearing aid behometh in the world. WS Audiology is born, but what will it mean as the business moves forward for consumers?

Signia has announced the introduction of a new Bluetooth enabled Styletto, the original Styletto was impressive but the lack of Bluetooth connection hampered it a little. Well apparently that won't be a problem moving forward, it is bound to make the interesting little hearing aid more attractive to many new consumers.

Phonak has extended the Audeo Marvel range with two new model types, a 312 with a telecoil and a size 13 with a telecoil. It makes the Audeo Marvel range a really strong contender for pretty much everyone. The sooner the better that they introduce the RogerDirect though, the range suffers badly from the lack of access to assistive devices.

Signia has been dropping heavy hints about a launch of new products within the next few weeks. While teasing around the Styletto, they appear to be keeping it close to their chest.

The Opn from Oticon has been a huge success and we still rate it as one of the top hearing aids available even though it has been around for years. Oticon has announced that the will be releasing abrand new Opn platform called the Opn S in March this year. They say that it is even better than the Opn and for the first time will introduce a lithium-ion powered rechargeable hearing aid type.

The recent announcement of a subscription model got me thinking, never a good thing. Consumers want change in the hearing aid business model, but it strikes me that many don't know exactly what they want. I think some of the problem is knowledge, or the lack of it. I also think that some of the issue is the inability of professionals to communicate their worth, while it has all been compounded by professionals who don't do the job properly. Let's talk.

Interested in finding out if the LiNX Quattro is for you? Amplifon is offering a trial of the hearing aids at their hearing aid centres in the UK and Ireland. Simply book an appointment with them at your local hearing centre.

Hearing devices with Bluetooth are proving very popular, so I decided to do an article on the five best Bluetooth hearing aid ranges available for 2019. They are in no particular order, because to do so wouldn't make sense because people'sindividual needs are different. This article will probably change as the year goes on, because we are expecting some new products to appear.

We came across another fake hearing aid review site connected to nanohearingaids.com called besthearingaidreviews.com during our second look at them last week. It is an old and tested ruse for conmen, support the con with a seemingly independent validation. Here is what they are up to

The recent CES conference in Las Vegas was a hotbed of new innovation from hearing aid brands. Not to be outdone, Starkey made an announcement about a host of new features and capabilities they were launching as an upgrade to Livio AI hearing aids.

A new year and already we have a host of new announcements relating to innovative tech from hearing aid brands. Innovation is not new in the hearing aid world, but there are some things that occur that change hearing aids forever. So what will be the real game changers in hearing aids in 2019? Let's take a look.

We were asked a question recently about NHS provided Oticon Spirit Zest hearing aids, can they be used with Bluetooth for audio streaming? The answer is no but maybe yes, but we found a solution.

Changes, changes, changes, a new website has been launched called Lively Hearing Aids with some pretty heavyweight Audiological backing in the US. The site offers hearing aids sold online with remote care back-up and services. Let's talk about www.listenlively.com

The end of 2018 proved to be fascinating with the introduction of the LiNX Quattro and the Phonak Marvel. I think 2019 will be another interesting year with many of the brands introducing new stuff. Let's talk about the what the best hearing aids are for 2019 and what we might expect.

Signia started it, now Resound, Oticon and Phonak are offering it. What do you need to know about remote hearing care and what are the differences between the systems?

The Phonak Marvel has been pretty much a joy to wear, good quality sound, amazing connectivity and pretty solid battery life. There are things you need to consider though, let's talk about the Phonak Marvel.

I have worn the new Phonak Marvel for a while now, the devices have been met with what seems like universal approval across the profession, but what are they like in the real world? So far, I have to say they are pretty impressive providing unique features and a prett excellent sound experience. In this, the first article in a series, I cover the my experience with streaming.

Remember that time that you thought to yourself I can't wait to wear hearing aids? Nah, I didn't think so, but you know what, you might change your mind about that when it comes to the time. Hearing aids are changing, changing so much that even people without hearing loss may well be interested in wearing them.

Oticon has introduced a new app called Kaizn, it is a personal assistant for their Opn hearing aid users. Powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence it will ensure that their hearing aids will further meet the needs and preferences of their users.

Made For iPhone hearing aids aren't exactly easy to purchase on a budget, but Bernafon have released budget Bluetooth hearing aids to their Zerena platform. The new Zerena 3 and Zerena 1 ranges of hearing aids mean that there is now budget Bluettoth hearing aids with a huge amount of model choice.

I had a lovely chat with a very nice lady from Unitron lately, we were discussing the launch of their new Max hearing aid range for people with severe to profound hearing loss. The new Max will be based on the Tempus range which has proved so successful for Unitron. It also offers a couple of interesting settings that give users some new and interesting choices, let's talk about the Max.

Phonak is the latest company to introduce remote support with their new Marvel hearing aids. The system is quite impressive offering the ability to have your hearing aids fine tuned in real time anywhere. Let's talk about the system and what it may mean to users.

The Phonak Marvel hearing aids were launched in the UK on Friday the 2nd of November, we found out a bit more about the devices and their availability. Here is the latest news on the Marvel hearing aids, the models, the technology levels and the availability.

Online hearing iads rip offs kind of piss us off but we don't often talk about them because the claims made on the sites are within reason. Then someone sent us a link to nanohearingaids.com and I felt we kind had to address it. So let's talk about why nanohearingaids.com is a pretty outrageous con job.

Signia has introduced their new Motion Charge N Go NX hearing aids, here is what you need to know about the latest rechargeable hearing aid from Signia

Hearing loss affects a portion of our society, and unfortunately, many of those affected fail to seek help due to the stigma surrounding hearing loss and hearing aids. In this article Karen Simpson identifies some of the ways we can break that stigma

The new Bernafon IIC appears to fit more people than even Bernafon thought it would. In early trials they were able to fit the device to everyone involved. They ensured that participants were not selected carefully in order that they got a true sense of how many people the new model type would fit.

At EUHA I was lucky enough to speak to Professor Andrew Hugill about his experience with the new LiNX Quattro. Andrew is a professor of music and a composer, but he hasn't been able to listen to music for over ten years. LiNX Quattro has changed all of that for him and reinvigorated his thoughts on music composition and enjoyment.

Phonak has just announced the launch of their new Marvel hearing aids and they are pretty impressive devices. In fact, there is a lot to talk about , so much so that it is hard to decide where to start. I think the first thing is, that they appear to sound pretty good, on top of that there is a completely new sound, direct streaming from any Bluetooth device and finally a completely new remote care and app ecosystem. So like I said, a lot to speak about so let's get started.

I have been wearing the new Quattro hearing aid from ReSound for the last couple of weeks, find out why they give a great hearing experience

I attended a Bernafon launch event yesterday introducing the new custom hearing aids and two new technology levels to the Zerena platform of hearing aids. The customs were big enough news, but I was particularly interested in the two new technology levels. It will mean that for the first time there will be direct connection Made For iPhone hearing aids in the budget section.

Can't wait for the LiNX Quattro? Well here is your chance to get early access. Resound has given early access to the LiNX Quattro to some of the Premium hearing care centres in the UK and Ireland and you can book a demonstration on Hearing Aid Know.

I have been testing the Signia Styletto since last week and I have to say it sounded as good as I expected it would. It offers discretion, while still reminding you of high quality consumer electronics. It also offers freedom from batteries with a fantastic recharger case which is small enough to throw in your pocket. In fact, it is a really good hearing aid, however, there are things you need to know before choosing it.

Made For Android has been a big ask for quite a while, with the launch of the Linx Quattro and the fanfare around the partnership between Resound and Google to deliver the protocol there has been renewed interest. I was in Denmark last week with the guys at Resound and I asked them about when we can expect the feature to go live. They reckon sometime in 2019, here is what they said.

Signia have just launched a new Lithium-ion powered rechargeable hearing aid they are calling the Styletto (that's pronounced Style-Etto). While the device is a Receiver In Canal, it is a completely new form factor concept. They also have some interesting early market research around it as well.

Bernafon has also revealed more information about their new Zerena custom Made For iPhone hearing aids (MFI). It means that they will be one of only three hearing aid brands with in the ear MFI hearing aids

A new Facebook marketing campaign sees Oticon reveal some more information about the new Opn customs to consumers. The new hearing aids are due to arrive soon but Oticon haven't given a firm introductory date yet. It appears though that the introduction must be soon, otherwise they risk increasing interest too early.

Are Over The Counter (OTC) Hearing Aids legal and available? Those are good questions and I will try and answer them clearly. Firstly, OTC hearing aids don't actually exist right now in 2018, because the FDA has yet to specify what they are. While the legislation has passed in the US, there are currently no lagal OTC hearing aids under that legislation. There are devices labbelled as OTC hearing aids available, but that unfortunately is a crock of shit. Let's talk OTC

Resound will collaborate with Google to finally introduce Made For Android hearing aids, the Linx Quattro will be the first ever Android direct streaming hearing aid. Finally Resound captures the holy grail of direct connectivity.

Resound has announced the introduction of their new Linx Quattro, but what do we know about it so far. they haven't been really free with details, but we can make a few educated guesses to fill in the blanks.

"Does Medicare offer any coverage for hearing aids?" If you are one of the millions of Americans who experience hearing loss, know that there are steps you can take to find assistance with the phenomenal costs of hearing aids

As I said in the last article, I found the Phonak Lyric to deliver an experience that I can only describe as almost normal hearing. In this article I want to speak about my daily experience, how it performed and how it seems to prove that placement may deliver almost normal hearing abilities.

I have always thought the Lyric hearing aid to be a fascinating hearing aid, I mean the premise of a hearing aid that lives in your ears for months! When I was asked to try them out, my initial reaction was hell no, read the article and I will explain that. Anyway, I did try them out and here is what I found out.

Hearing in noise can be a problem, even with hearing aids, but there ae ways to give you the very best opportunity to hear well in noisy situations. The first thing you should consider is a remote microphone system, they really deliver outstanding understanding in noisy situations. There are also a couple of things that you can do to give you the best opportunity to hear better in noisy situations even without a remote microphone.

ZPower has pushed out a firmware upgrade for their charger, Widex in particular are pushing it out for their Beyond rechargeable hearing aids. The firmware upgrade is available on the ZPower site and it is pretty easy to undertake. If you own rechargeable hearing aids that use ZPower systems, it might be worth your while downloading the update and running it or getting in touch with your hearing professional to do it for you.

Our friends at Hearing Tracker have just published details from a survey they and other put together on hearing aid prices in the US, it's interesting reading to say the least. Let's take a look at the numbers.

Finally, another hearing aid brand will introduce Made For iPhone custom hearing aids, Oticon have just announced that the will launch their Opn custom hearing aids in quarter four 2018. The custom hearing aids will be Made For iPhone down to the in the canal model which is pretty much inline with what is on offer elsewhere.

Every major hearing aid brand now has at least one style of rechargeable hearing aids. Most of them went for the ZPower system because it cut down on lead time to market. That may be changing though, rumours are that more hearing aid manufacturers will go down the route of Lithium-Ion powered systems this year and next.

Deciding on a BAHA device for your child can be a difficult experience, deciding on any surgical intervention can be hard. Cochlear has introduced a new instant fit BAHA device that allows a child to explore the benefits of BAHA without having to go down the surgery route. The Soundarc will be beneficial for children with conductive or mixed hearing loss, or single-sided deafness (SSD), who are not yet eligible or ready for an implant.

I was asked to give a presentation recently on my thoughts about the future hearing aid customer. I used the presentation to explore the history of hearing healthcare and its effect on modern day practice. I also discussed modern consumers, their changing wants and needs and how technology was already changing to meet those needs.

First date jitters are always a bit tortuous, but it can be even worse when you wear hearing aids, here are some solid tips to prepare for your first date when you are wearing hearing aids.

Attending the BIHIMA conference today and tomorrow, exploring the future of hearing aids, I will be live blogging as we go, updating the article

Thanks to the Android Open Source Project, interested parties are able to track some of the upcoming features in the next Android release, and there’s one feature that has been spotted that made us very happy: support for Bluetooth hearing aids. According to a series of code commits that were spotted by XDA Developers, the Google Pixel and Pixel 2 smartphones will natively support connecting to Bluetooth hearing aids.

If you have bought hearing aids at a Miracle Ear outlet, these people would like to hear from you for a small research project, they will pay for your time

With the introduction of machine learning to hearing aids, we seem to be at the leading edge of a major change. What will machine learning mean to users and how may it change things going forward?

A lot of people think that Unitron hearing aids are just cheaper Phonak devices re-badged, they are wrong, Unitron use similar chipsets but design very different features to run on that chipset. I have always known that, mainly because I pride myself on leaving personal bias and pre-conceived ideas at the door. Well, up to now in anyway, and just to prove I am a Gobshite, along comes Bernafon, sure they are omly cheap Oticon aids re-badged right? Well no, it turns out that was my pre-conceived idea and personal bias, stand in the corner Geoff.

The new Phonak CROS B-R has been formally launched around the world, the new rechargeable CROS hearing aid is an addition to the Phonak CROS Belong range. Let's take a look at what it has to offer.

Widex have been pretty tight with their information about the new Evoke hearing aid platform. While we know it is the first ever hearing aid that utilises machine learning, they haven't really been free with much else. This is what we have been able to find out so far.

Widex announced a much awaited new hearing aid platform today called the Evoke, over the last couple of months they have been teasing a major breakthrough. The new platform will be the first ever devices to use machine learning to continually improve the sound for users. These are the first ever hearing aids to use any type of cloud based artificial intelligence.

ZPower rechargeable hearing aid battery technology is different from traditional hearing aid battery technology, it requires a different care routine; and as their batteries become more and more popular, they’ve recognized the need for some additional information to help users get the most of their experience.

We don't support many online providers of hearing aids on Hearing Aid Know, but Australian hearing aid manufacturers Blamey and Saunders is one of them. They have just launched a new rechargeable receiver in canal hearing aid that they are calling the Facett.

Signia have quickly moved to widen their new nx hearing aid line up with the new Pure nx Charge & Go. Now Own Voice Processing comes in easy to use rechargeable. Let's take a look at the new device and what it has to offer.

More news about the Moxi All has leaked out and it makes the aids look pretty impressive. Unitron have said that a full charge will deliver sixteen hours of use along with two hours of phone calls and up to five hours of TV streaming. Alongside that, there is no degradation in efficacy or limitation of features, the Moxi All will have all of the Unitron features working as normal at every level of technology.

We figured that it probably wouldn't be long before Unitron launched a Made For All hearing aid like their Phonak stablemate. However, in true Untiron style they have done so in their own inimitable way. Meet the Moxi All, the first ever rechargeable Made For All Phones hearing aid.

The Veterans Hearing Fund was set up to ensure that UK Veterans had access to the best equipment available to ensure they could live their lives. But many Veterans feel conflicted about what they perceive is making a claim against the British Legion. They couldn't be more wrong, this isn't a legal claim system in the normal sense, the Veterans Hearing Fund is in fact financed by fines that occurred because of the Libor Scandal. Let's take a look at it

The latest Naida range has finally been introduced, it means that all of the latest hearing aids from Phonak now run on the Belong platform. The Naida has become the go to hearing aid for people with severe to profound hearing loss and upgrading it to the latest platform and adding a rechargeable hearing aid option to the line-up will be welcomed by many

I swear, if I hear I am too old, I might not live much longer, or I don't know, I can't handle these new technologies again, I might just shake someone. When are you too old for quality of life? When are you too old to learn something new? When are you too old to enjoy simple conversation? Let's talk about Cyrill Blewitt and why I think he rocks.

I was glad to see the recent announcement from Phonak in relation to the extension of their rechargeable hearing aid options. For the first time ever there will be a reliable rechargeable super power hearing aid for people with severe to profound hearing loss.

This is a guest post by Narry Nance of Network Testing Labs, they have undertaken a review of five different in the ear hearing aids that are available either online, or through an Audiologist in combination with an online retailer. While some of the review is a little technical, it is easy to follow and they have piced a clear winner in their own mind

In this departure from the norm, Dr. Tish Ramirez, the Sr. Manager of Education and Training for Signia delivers an article about the intertwining of different technologies and how it brings benefit to you in your search for better hearing.

The new rechargeable hearing aids from Starkey are now available across international markets. It is of course a Lithium-Ion powered system and in a first for the industry, it is also offered as a CROS. That's the first rechargeable CROS available from any hearing aid manufacturer.

We take our hearing for granted really, that is until it has gone. A recent encounter in a UK airport reminded me of how much being able to hear enriches someone's life. Let's talk about 27 types of cement.

As we have done for a few years now, this article will be a constantly updated living document that details the very latest and best hearing aids from the biggest hearing aid brands during 2018. If you want to know what hearing aidss are on the cutting edge, then this is where you should start.

Innovation this, disruption that, game changer the other, innovation is not new in the hearing aid world, but there are some things that occur that change hearing aids forever. So what will be the real game changers in hearing aids in 2018? Let's take a look.

Leading on from our Irish hearing aid funding article yesterday, I was asked about the hearing aid funding and hearing aid grants available in the United Kingdom. So here we go, what is available and to who?

This article has a bit of an Irish connection, recently I was asked a few questions about hearing aids in ireland. Questions like, doers the VHI cover hearing aids, and are hearing aids tax deductible? So I figured it was time I wrote an article that covered most of the questions I get asked.

The Starkey Expo seems to have proved to be an exceptionally interesting one, not just new rechargeable hearing aids, but also a teaser about hearing aids that may change the feature set and use case forever. The teased a brand new hearing aid that included sensors that would not just track activity, but also detect falls and report them.

Starkey has announced that they will be introducing a new rechargeable hearing aid system this year called the Muse IQr. In a change in their direction so far, the new devices are Lithium-Ion powered. Here is what we know.

We have finally released the 2018 edition of The Little Book of Hearing Aids, we updated and expanded the information in the book in order that readers could have the latest information on hearing aids and the people who sell them.

I am often asked "How long do hearing aids last?" Most people have read somewhere that hearing aids need to be replaced every five years, that's not quite true. Hearing aids can last up to ten years and more, however, it is worth explaining the five year thing and why hearing aids may well end up dead as a dodo after ten.

Ear wax and hearing aids, pretty much everything you need to know, why they go together, what the issues are and what you need to know about the effects of hearing aids on the build up of ear wax in the ear canal and the effects of ear wax on hearing aids.

Which hearing aids work directly with the iPhone is a question we get asked a lot, people seem to like the idea of direct connection without a streamer. So, I decided to write up a quick rundown on exactly what hearing aids are Made For iPhone.

Tinnitus can be a very difficult condition, the impact can range from mildly irritating to devastating. The condition is still not well understood, however, ongoing research has made things clearer. One thing that we do know is that when there is an accompanying hearing loss, that amplification helps. So how can hearing aids help with tinnitus.

Hearing aids, wonderful devices that can be sometimes infuriating, the most infuriating thing for many is a hearing aid whistling. So why do hearing aids squeal? That whistling is called feedback and it is caused by leaking sound generally. Let's talk about feedback, why it happens, what causes it, and what you may be able to do about it.

In this the last article of three, I want to tie my experiences together and give a rundown on the features, models and technology around the newest hearing aid platform from Signia. Let's dive in.

Just in case no one told you, Christmas is coming, whoop whoop. It is the ideal time for you to think about treating yourself to wireless hearing aid accessories if you are still having some problems hearing in certain areas.

An interesting conversation recently got me thinking, it was in relation to the Beyond Z from Widex. Anyway, the new rechargeable is finally ready to be delivered. The Beyond, Rechargeable, what's not to like right? I said to the chap from Widex, about damn time! He said, yeah, but it took us ages to get the CE approval. Let's talk the Beyond rechargeable option and an interesting insight.

Oticon fitness app represents an new concept in hearing healthcare, one where hearing health is part of a more holistic approach to health in general

I get asked all the time, why are hearing aids so damned expensive? Well, the answers are both complex and simple. Part of it si down to research and design, part of it is down to "We got to eat!" Here is the no bullshit guide to why hearing aids cost what they do.

Oticon's Opn hearing aid is bluetooth enabled and works seamlessly with Apple and Android devices. It also connects to the Internet Of Things via IFTTT

There are a few times that something happens in hearing care that represents a paradigm shift. I think the new telecare upgrade from Signia is probably representative of that. I believe it will probably change the face of hearing care and how you have your hearing aids adjusted forever. Let's take a look

Details of the new NX platform from Signia are starting to leak out, a completly new dual processor set up, better own voice experience, Made For iPhone and a new "open" directionality system. Let's take a look at the details that are available.

We are attending the latest Oticon UK launch event and we will be live blogging, you can keep updated on the day here.

It is EUHA time again and as expected some of the hearing aid brands have announced new ranges of hearing aids. Widex and Signia have made announcements today of new hearing devices and we expect more details to follow.

There are many standard reasons that people give for not using hearing aids, the biggest is the "My hearing isn't that bad". Let's take a look at that little cherry and all the others. Strap yourself in though, I ain't going to be gentle.

People always hate hearing a recording of their own voice. Hearing aid wearers just usually hate their own voices full stop. Signia may have fixed that problem

Hearing aid technology is changing as is cultural acceptance of the devices. Changing technology outside the hearing aid world is also beginning to play its own part. I wanted to explore what may be possible, what will a day in the life of a hearing aid user look like in five or ten years time?

Wind noise is a real problem for hearing aid wearers. Depending on what hearing aids you have this can be a very loud noise that more or less makes your aids unusable on windy days.

The Audeo B-Direct has now been fully introduced across the US, the UK and Ireland. We have the full run down on the hearing devices and the important things you need to know about them to make an educated decision about purchasing

As Steve's recent article suggests, the Oticon Opns are very different hearing aids than much of what has gone before. They have been hugely well received and it seems that most people are really happy with them and their performance. But what is different and what do you need to know about them?

I have noticed on a few web sites that some slightly older hearing aid technology is marked Obsolete, Do Not Buy, but is buying older hearing aids bad? Maybe not, in fact buying older hearing aids at a good price might just be a really good move.

I have been thinking lately, wife says it is never a good thing, in anyway, we don't talk enough on Know about tricky hearing losses. We also don't focus enough on devices past the hearing aids. For people with severe, severe to profound or profound hearing losses, the hearing aids are rarely enough. So let's talk about ecosystems.

We undertook an interview with Dave Fabry of GN Resound which covered the new Enzo 3D, the needs of people with severe to profound hearing loss, Resound Assist and differentiation of the Independent, the future of hearing aids and other topics

So Phonak have introduced a new Bluetooth hearing aid and it is a very interesting hearing aid, but how does it fare or weigh up against the existing Made For iPhone hearing devices? We decided to compare it to the Resound LiNX 3D as a methaphor for all Made For iPhone concepts, so let's talk connectivity

Today in Copenhagen Resound announced a further expansion of their 3D platform, they are bringing 3D hearing to people with severe to profound hearing loss. Let's talk about the new Enzo 3D hearing aids and when we can expect to see them.

I've been running quite a bit recently and have been having problems with sweat getting in to my hearing aids and either reducing sound quality or stopping them from working altogether. I've ordered a pair of Ear Gear, which I hope will save the day.

Sarah Vokes of Correct Hearing, part of the Hearing Aid Know Hearing Provider Network, was on BBC Radio Nottingham recently. The piece was excellent with a complete outline of the effects of hearing loss and the difference that hearing aids can make. It is worth listening to.

Triton Hearing, a New Zealand based company announced in April that it would be providing hearing aid services to rural communities via the internet. If the measure is accepted globally, your next hearing aid could be fitted remotely. Would you want it to be?

Receiver in canal and thin tube hearing aids are exceptionally popular devices, they are often fit with instant tips which are small rubber tips that go in the ear. However, if you are buying a set of thin tube or receiver in canal digital hearing aids, you should consider custom tips. Better sound, less feedback issues and more comfort, why wouldn't you? Let's talk custom tips.

So you need hearing aids, but you aren't ready for a pipe and slippers? What you need is to know what's the best hearing aids for an active lifestyle. Let's take a look at the different considerations you need to take and what you should be looking at.

So, what are the pros or benefits of Made For iPhone hearing aids and why would you want them? Made For iPhone hearing aids have become popular, but what do they offer and why might you choose them?

After losing the hearing in my left ear due to sudden sensorineural hearing loss I decided to try a CROS hearing aid. Receiving my CROS hearing aid was a positive experience. I was hoping it would give me some hearing ability on my left side. I was hoping it was going to give me a chance of hearing some elements of speech on my left side; to help me gain some confidence in communicating with others. I was hoping the hearing aid would provide me with some support with hearing in situations with background noise.

In the last article we talked about the Widex Beyond, however, it is far from the only hearing aid with iPhone problems. It seems that the Oticon Opn as a Made For iPhone is problematic as well. Again, this is sad, because they are outstanding hearing aids, as with the Beyond, the problem isn't the hearing aids, it's the phone.

We have been undertaking some research into the Widex Beyond in the recent past, mostly driven by some of the feedback we were getting. It seems that The Beyond as a Made For iPhone is a failure in some cases. Which is sad, because they are outstanding hearing aids and when the streaming does work, the sound quality is the best in the business.

A recent conversation with a Twitter user who follows us got us thinking, even if you have old hearing aids or NHS hearing aids that aren't Bluetooth compatible. It doesn't mean that you can't make them so. A little bit of quick thinking and a few products all under seventy pounds can have you streaming music and phone calls to your devices.

What exactly can you expect when you have been fitted with a new set of hearing aids? Well hearing better is one thing, but it's not as simple as that. Let's take a look at what happens when you first start to wear a new set of hearing aids.

I want to hear one person's voice, who is being amplified over speakers and I don't want to have my ear drums assaulted by the laughter of the crowd. So I'm dealing with short bursts of loud noise interspersed with the comedian's voice. The aids need to be quick as comedian's are pretty rapid-fire with their jokes, if I'm a second or two behind because noise-reduction is still dapenning the laughter then I've missed the start of the next gag.

In this article we look at the models and features sets in the latest Made For iPhone platform from GN Resound, the Linx 3D. With this release GN did not bring wireless transmission to their smaller customs and ear to ear communication is reserved for their larger custom devices. Let's take a look.

Attending the launch of the Linx 3D in London today, quite excited at finally meeting the hearing aids that Steve has been raving about for two weeks. More on that later, let's meet the Linx 3D

Sometimes I have people in my clinic who report hearing the TV as a problem and maybe some problems in noisy situations. However, when I test their hearing it shows that they have a mild hearing loss. Too mild for hearing aids but they still have the problem. So this is the first of a series of articles looking into solutions that are ideal for the problems that won't break the bank. I want you to meet the Senheisser RS 5000

You are being ripped off when you buy hearing aids! Great headline, gets lots of people interested, but is it true? Yes, no and maybe, kind of depends on what you are buying. I want to take a deeper look at buying hearing aids, what is involved and why the damned prices are so high.

Well the wait is nearly over, GN Resound have announced the launch of a new product line up which will be officially be launched to the UK Market later this month. Details are tight but here is what we know so far.

While a new trial questioning different hearing aid delivery models shows that professionally fitted devices were almost as good as OTC models, it's not quite that simple. Firstly, all of the participants were given the same high end hearing aids. Let's take a look at the study and what it means.

The recent changes introduced by the Minister Of Social Protection in Ireland now mean the the hearing aid grant is now available for people who are self employed for the first time ever.

Signia has introduced it's own Made For iPhone hearing aid for the first time, they are calling the concept the Connected Ear. Meet the Pure BT 13 Primax

In the recent past we have written two articles about a new company who were selling hearing aids on ebay. They have now set up an e-commerce website to sell hearing aids from the big hearing aid brands online. So we thought it was high time we wrote another article on what you need to know when making a purchase of any hearing aid online.

Yup you guessed it, part three of a a continuing look at what is available new for 2017

Page Two of our series on the latest hearing aids available from the big manufacturers for 2017

2017 has already seen the introduction of new hearing aids from both Phonak, Unitron and Oticon, we expect GN Resound to deliver something new at the end of April. Let's take a look at what is available for 2017

We spoke earlier about the strange case of new top of the range hearing aids being sold on ebay. Well apparently, that was in essence a market research trial. The people behind the ebay sales have just launched a new e-commerce website, where they say you can buy hearing aids online at wholesale prices. The question I think is should you? Let's take a looka t the site and what it offers.

Recently we had a reader ask us what we thought about online sale of hearing aids? It's a large question really and to answer we need to be more specific. But actually what he was talking about was the sale of high quality hearing aids at exceptional prices on ebay.

Rechargeable heaering aids really seem to have reached their zenith of popularity lately, and I don't see that stopping anytime soon. The modern wave of rechargeable hearing aids have a lot going for them, but there are essentially two different types available. What are the pros and cons of rechargeable hearing aids. Let's explore them in detail.

Invisible hearing aids are probably never going to go away, they remain exceptionally popular in the minds of first time users in particular. The idea of discretion is often paramount in the minds of people when first thinking about hearing aids. Many hearing aid brands call them different things, invisible hearing aids, IICs, Nano and more, but to the public they will probably always be hidden hearing aids.

I said a while ago that I thought Lithium-ion rechargeable Behind The Ear Devices were soon to be introduced and Phonak have proved me right with the introduction of their latest Bolero range. An announcement yesterday indicated that the ne Bolero Belong range would have a rechargeable option called the Bolero P-R

Sonova announces new rechargeable hearing aid from Unitron and a new custom Virto product, the Virto B-Titanium.

I have had a few people lately ask me about hearing aids and itchy ears, does wearing hearing aids cause itchy ears? As is the case in life, nothing is simple, the answer is yes, no and maybe. Let me explain.

It is a problem that we hear a lot, I have problems hearing the TV and my family complain about the volume all the time. Do I need hearing aids? Sometimes the answer is no, in fact sometimes even if you have a hearing loss, the answer may still be no. Let me explain.

Over The Counter hearing aids are big news lately and I spoke about them in an article recently. I wondered would traditional manufacturers offer OTC or self fitting hearing aids? Signia have introduced a new platform aimed at developing markets called the Lotus. In essence the tech is there for self fitting, I wonder will Signia be the first to offer OTC hearing aids?

Unitron in typical Unitron style have not only delivered a rechargeable hearing aid option, they have made it backward compatible. Meet the Moxi Fit R, from the company that focuses on user experience, even users that have bought their product before.

I decided to update the Little Book of Hearing Aids for 2017, while I was doing it, I thought why not make it the definitive hearing aid guide. So I have expanded it beyond the scope of the original with sections about providers, hearing aid prices, hearing aid manufacturers and much more. Thank you to the people who keep asking us questions, you are our inspiration.

I think the one of the biggest hearing aid product storys of last year was lithium-ion rechargeable hearing aids. I said in an article last year that I would expect every hearing aid brand to introduce them. It seems I may have been right, so what can you expect for rechargeable hearing aids in 2017?

It's the 11th January, which means if you are anything like me you've probably given up on your New Year's resolutions about nine days ago. Even so, here's a few New Year's resolutions for hearing aid wearers to help you get the most from your hearing and hearing aids in 2017.

A Norwegian start up is the latest company set to bring a smart phone based hearing aid app to the market, they have just raised more funding and expect their offering to become a reality in the New Year. They well be attending CES looking for possible partners to drive the product and perhaps manufacture new hardware that they plan to introduce.

Recent moves in the US seem to indicate that over the counter hearing aids will become legal there in the near future. The idea is that it will lead to low cost solutions for the bulk of Americans who need hearing aids but don't have them. That may well be the case if price is the true impediment to hearing aid adoption, but what will the introduction of these devices really mean to consumers? Will it lead to deeper adoption, what will the satisfaction rates be like and what can consumers expect their experience to be?

Signia has re-introduced the instant fit CIC hearing aid range, it is almost invisible and can be fitted at the first visit with no waiting and no impression taking. Instant fit CICs have been around for a while and never really caught on, the silk may be the one that catches the imagination of professionals and userss alike.

I had a good conversation recently with someone from Widex and I realised something important. Because Widex is using a separate radio for streaming and connection to the smart phone, it still has all of it's inter ear features working even when streaming. That could actually be important, depending on the situation and the sound being streamed. It made me wonder about the other manufacturers and what their hearing aids were doing.

I had a great question from one of our readers in the UK recently about the differences between free trial and money back guarantees. You know, I thought it was a good idea for an article. So here goes, let's talk about free trials and money back offers.

Google’s DeepMind and the University of Oxford are working on a lip-reading system powered by artificial intelligence. The system is already scoring better than professional lip readers and could have uses in a host of consumer electronics for the hard of hearing. It is another possible step forward in ensuring the communication ability of people with hearing loss and may work in tandem with traditional amplification strategies.

Rechargeable hearing aids are most definitely the big news right now, however, there is another break through technology that could change things forever. A technology that has been hanging around in the background since 2009. It looks like things might be speeding up with it though, is 2017 going to be the year of Fuel Cell powered hearing aids?

In recent news it seems that Starkey will definitely be introducing rechargeable hearing aids, however, it seems their partnership with Humavox might mean that they will introduce the most advanced rechargeable system yet with near field charging capability.

It looks like rechargeable hearing aids are going to be one of the bigger storys in 2016, Signia have also introduced a rechargeable hearing aid range using a Lithium-ion rechargeable system. Their capacity seems to be a little bigger then the Phonak B-R as they say that the devices will deliver 24 hours of use with unlimited streaming.

Sivantos, formerly Siemens, now the Artist who is called Signia (confused? don't worry we will explain) has just introduced a groundbreaking telehealth innovation that will help to change the hearing aid user's experience for ever. The app will allow direct comunication between the user and the professional and remote fine tuning of hearing aids. It is an amazing step forward and hopefully it will drive other manufacturers to follow.

Widex have finally joined the Made For iPhone hearing aid market with the launch of their newest device the Beyond. They have retained the their outstanding Widex Link technology while adding a direct to iPhone radio which allows streaing and phone calls without intermediary devices. The new Beyond hearing aid is a Fusion type hearing device that is powered by their latest Unique technology.

The popularity of the Belong B-R rechargeable range has caught Phonak by surprise, so much so that they are scrambling to keep up with demand. We think Phonak have a winner on their hands with the new rechargeable RICs, but what could it mean for the wider hearing aid industry and the future of hearing aids?

Unitron has just introduced their latest addition to the Moxi RIC range, they calll it the Now, it is the smallest ever wireless RIC hearing device. While it is a tiny hearing aid, it is a really powerful one, so if a RIC is what you are after that is discrete but powerful, then the Now might just be the one for you

As you may well know, we aren't mad about RICs here at Hearing Aid Know, don't get us wrong, they are fantastic devices that offer real discretion even for moderate to severe losses. However, the placement of the receiver in the canal introduces its own problems, failed receivers or broken wires. In short, RIC devices need consistent care to ensure they continue to work, care that a lot of people don't actually give them. Thin tube BTEs however, don't need so much effort and keep on keeping on. Unitron have just released the Stride M BTE and it might just be a RIC killer, all the size and discretion of a RIC delivered in a mini BTE. Not just that, it even has a telecoil!

Sometimes I giggle, I know I shouldn't but it strikes me as so incongrous, the questions are always about the little ones, you know the invisible ones in your ear? Honestly sometimes I imagine it is like buying a top shelf magazine in a 70s newsagent, yes, you know that one, I only read it for the articles! Anyway, enough about reminiscing about the un-needed embarrassment felt by some, let's talk about invisible hearing aids.

Widex is introducing a new Mini BTE which will be the replacement for their iconic M, not before time either. The new device is almost as discreet as the M was but with some nice new additions and two new easywear earware thin tube configurations.

The phrase Smart Hearing has been coined over the last few years. It usually relates to GN Resound hearing aids, specifically the Made For iPhone devices. However, the term can cover many of the most modern hearing aids available from the biggest manufacturers. For the purpose of this article though, we will really concentrate on the Resound hearing aids.

The latest Naida V hearing aid range was introduced at a launch event held in Dublin last Thursday. The range includes new styles that are considerably smaller and more powerful than their Naida Q predecessors. The launch was attended by Matt Gilbert (the only professional deaf sportsman in English Rugby) who discussed his experiences with Naida hearing aids.

Let's take a look at what is new in hearing aids for 2016 from each of the manufacturers, most of the technology was launched late last year but there has been some stuff launched this year and we expect some of the manufacturers to launch new devices this year. For instance, Phonak is just about to launch a new super power hearing aid to replace the Naida Quest. Outside the traditional hearing device manufacturers there is still rumours about Samsung and Apple launching hearing devices of their own.

Phonak have just released their updated CROS solution, the CROS 2. The new products are based on the Venture platform and the CROS 2 is actually a range of hearing aids that includes custom ITE hearing devices for the first time. The devices can be used with any Ventur platform hearing aid or technology level, however, for the best results it makes sense to match them with a V90 or V70 technology level hearing aid.

The Audeo V 10 is the smallest of the Audeo Venture hearing aid range, it is a RIC device that runs on a size 10 battery. It can be fitted with two receiver types which make it quite versatile and gives it the ability to cover many hearing losses. Even with its small size it has a push button which allows manual programme changes. The devices also have Phonak's fantastic phone solution.

Widex introduced the Fusion RIC (Receiver in Canal) hearing aid a couple of years ago. It is a truly versatile hearing aid with inter changeable receivers that allows it to cover a lot of hearing losses, let's take a closer look at the device.

Widex introduced the Fashion a couple of years ago, it has replaced the 19, the 9 and the M hearing aid types in their line up. A truly versatile hearing aid that covers a lot of hearing losses, let's take a closer look at it.

Samsung look set to enter the hearing aid industry, they will probably unveil a new hearing aid in 2016 and it will almost certainly tie in with a release of their Galaxy smartphones. Samsung are creating quite a stir in the industry, with lots of speculation about their pending products. They have filed a number of hearing-related patents in the US, which got tongues wagging. They had a number of people attending International Hearing Aid

Hearing Direct are a Web-based company that provide hearing aids, amplified telephones and other products through their website. My Mum was not happy with her NHS-supplied behind-the-ear hearing aids so we decided to get a pair of in-the-ear aids from Hearing Direct. This is a review of the aids and a round-up of Mum’s experience of buying online. Mum has been wearing a pair of Oticon Spirits supplied by the NHS for a few years. She had two

Disability rights groups have long been praising Apple for its dedication to developing accessible technology for people with visual and hearing impairments. Many people with these impairments have even gone as far as saying that iOS devices have dramatically changed their lives for the better. Apple’s newest device, the Apple watch, is the latest device to hit the headlines for its fantastic accessibility features, particularly for those with

When you want the latest and greatest in hearing aid technology, Bluetooth is a must-have feature. Bluetooth allows hearing aids to wirelessly communicate with other devices, including the hearing aid in your other ear, your computer, television, cell phone and digital music player. Picking the best Bluetooth hearing aid requires some attention to detail as you examine its features and choose the right aid for your needs.

It is much harder to fit hearing aids to someone who has a severe hearing loss than to someone who has only a minor loss. Turns out that a lot of the time it isn’t like that, it’s just as hard, or even harder, to fit a hearing aid to someone who has lost only a small amount of hearing as it is to someone who can hardly hear a thing. The reason is that the person with the minor loss is chasing after the perfect hearing they had a few years ago,

I visited the audiologist yesterday. I’ve not been hearing much at all at work for a few months now and I’ve been putting off and putting off going to the audiologist; not for any particular reason other than I was being lazy and I was “doing OK, hearing bits of what was said and filling in the gaps, just scraping along”. Finally, I realised I was missing too much and I needed to sort it out. So, visited my Aud yesterday, explained that I was

The Hearing Aid Repair Shop is part of the Mary Hare Foundation, a UK charity that provides schooling for deaf and severely hard-of hearing children. The repair shop began operating in 2002 by repairing aids for children and young adults. Recently they’ve started fixing hearing aids for adults too and now offer a post service. Impressively, they will fix any make and model of hearing aid. At the time of writing, you can get your hearing aid

I’ve written before that I think that hearing aid vendors need to split the product from the service so I decided to try and breakdown a hearing aid’s price a bit to find out if it is too expensive or not. I did a bit of Googling and found that an average price for a top of the range hearing aid in the UK is about £1500. This is the rough ballpark for new models from all manufacturers. How much would you guess that a hearing aid costs to make?

ReSound, the technology leader in hearing aid solutions, has released extensions to its wireless hearing aid, Alera™. Originally released in August 2010 and the winner of a 2011 CES Innovations Design & Engineering Award, Alera is now available with configurable BTE and Remote Microphone Technology custom enhancements. “Every few years, technology takes a significant leap forward,” said Laurel A. Christensen, Chief Audiology Officer, ReSound.

This is a press release from Phonak about their Audéo S SMART Ceramic hearing aid: The world’s most sophisticated hearing aid is being launched in the UK combining an unrivalled level of performance with a stylish design. Enclosed in a luxurious ceramic housing, the tiny device – just 2cm in length – sits discreetly behind the ear and allows optimum hearing in all environments. The Audéo S SMART Ceramics, developed by Phonak, the world’s leading

I’ve just discovered the ExSilent hearing aid brand thanks to the always-informative Hearing Mojo. ExSilent is a young company from the Netherlands that produces invisible hearing aids that sit deep in the canal. Hearing Mojo is covering ExSilent’s new QLeaf Pro aid that has a feature that allows you to change programmes by tapping gently the outside of your ear. The problem being that invisible hearing aids sit so deep that it would be very

Hearing aids are expensive and when you’ve spent a lot of money on a pair you expect them to fix your hearing problems. After all, that’s what they are for, to correct your hearing loss. I remember (it’s probably about five years ago now) visiting an audiologist because I was struggling to hear at work and wanted to replace my pair of aging hearing aids. I didn’t really have a lot of money to splash on new aids but I knew I needed to do

I got an email from Michael about a problem that he is having with his Starkey 5 RIC aids – I’ll let him explain: In the higher registers of an instrument there seems to be two notes, side by side, one slight flatter than the other and one of them slightly late. So every note, whether from an instrument, voice, whistle, cell phone beep, car door beep, ignition warning, etc. has the distortion. Not all speaking voices but some. And it is all the

When people think of hearing aids, they might think more of old ear trumpets than high-quality, advanced devices, but the integration of Bluetooth with hearing aid technology is changing that. Hearing aid manufacturers are lately using Bluetooth as a tool to improve their products, and each manufacturer is taking a different approach. I first became aware of Bluetooth technology and hearing aids in 2009, when I purchased a set of Oticon Epoq

Envoy Medical’s Esteem is the world’s first implantable hearing aid. It doesn’t use a microphone and a speaker like a traditional hearing aid. There is nothing at all in your ear, the aid is completely internal and is therefore invisible. You can watch Envoy’s video to get a better idea of what it is about. The Esteem is not a cochlear implant. A CI is fitted to those with profound hearing loss and is fitted in the inner ear whereas the Esteem

I visited Ascent last week for a bit of re-programming and while I was there I managed to get a quick look at the new iNSTAFit hearing aid from Audiosync. The iNSTAFit is part of the iSync family and is running on the same S Series technology from Starkey. What makes it different from the iSync is that it is not moulded to fit your ear, instead the aid is a thin straight tube and so one size fits all. It’s about as wide as a pencil and about 2cm

Daniel Taft is an engineer with a PhD in cochlear implant sound processing from the University of Melbourne and the Bionic Ear Institute. He is the Chief Technology Officer for Blamey & Saunders Hearing, a company that offers hearing aids scientifically designed to order online and adjust at home. You will need to buy hearing aids that you can adjust at home, from a reputable dispenser. The company I work for, Australia Hears, offers hearing

Want to add a bit of pizzazz to your hearing aid? Does your child wear hearing aids and love jewellery? Stuck for a gift idea for the aid wearer in your life? Hayleigh’s Cherished Charms is just the thing for you! Here’s Hayleigh explaining her awesome product and how it came about: Hi! I’m Hayleigh and I am 11 years old. When I was little and attended a school for hearing impaired children I noticed that a lot of kids tried to hide their

This is from a Sonitus Medical press release. Sonitus Medical Inc, developers of SoundBite, a nonsurgical and removable hearing device to transmit sound via the teeth and bone, has announced the publication of the first peer-reviewed article on its hearing system. “Preliminary Evaluation of a Novel Bone-Conduction Device for Single-Sided Deafness,” has been published in the most recent issue (31:492-497, 2010) of the Otology & Neurotology

If you are trialling a new hearing aid and you can’t decide whether to keep it then try this: Wear your new hearing aid(s) for a week. Wear them in all the environments you are normally in – at home, at work, at a party, in the street, etc. After one week of that switch back to wearing your old hearing aids for a day or so (or no aids if this is your first pair) and see what the difference is like.

People don’t seem to know what to call the things in my ears. I’m pretty open about the fact that I can’t hear much and that I wear hearing aids. Most people around me day-to-day know I wear them, some even know I write on here. I quite often talk with people about hearing loss and aids – sometimes people ask where their Mum/Gran/whoever should go to buy some or what the best one to get is. And yet people can’t seem to say hearing aids. It’s

I got fitted with a new pair of hearing aids the other day (more on these soon) and one thing that really struck me almost straight away was how much quieter silence is with them on. Seems like a weird thing to say. Silence is silence, right? It’s no noise. That’s what I thought but the difference in my perception of a silent room while wearing my old Starkey Destinys and wearing these new aids is amazing.

When my car goes in for a service or repair I get given a courtesy car to use while mine is out of action. It’s a given that the courtesy car will be available, all garages are offering one these days. So what about when my hearing aids need servicing? Can I get courtesy aids to use while mine’s away? Because there’s no way I can go two weeks without my hearing aids, I need to go to work, I need to hear.

Picture the scene: You are in an audiologists office, you’ve had a hearing test and you need to decide which hearing aid you are going to buy. You’ve saved up for a long time to get some money together for an aid because you really need to hear better. It’s a lot of money. It’s a big decision and you can’t afford to not make the right one. Based on your test results your audiologist suggests a few different aids that would suit you. The three

Yes they are. No they’re not. Yes they are. No they’re definitely not. Siemens have decided to hold on to their audiology division. To reinforce their desire to push forward their hearing aid business, they’ve appointed a new CEO in Roger Radke. A quote from them: “With this nomination, we hope to reinforce our activities in the domain of hearing aids, especially with the solid experience and vast network that Roger Radke obtained when he worked

Despite all the advances in hearing technology over the past few years, a survey conducted by the Phonak Hear the World initiative has found that people still associate hearing aids with old age more than any other accessory, including wheelchairs, glasses, canes and crutches. 4,405 people, aged from 14-65 in the United Kingdom, America, France, Germany, Switzerland and Italy were questioned. The top three reasons given for not wearing a hearing

This is a mock-up from Designaffairs Studio. Can’t imagine ever wearing one of these – “Yes, sir, this hearing aid is state of the art, to wear it we simply need to stretch your ear lobe slowly over six months until it is dangling around your mouth”. Me: “uh… the behind the ear model will be fine, thanks”. It’s great to see people pushing the design of hearing aids. It’s one more step towards the day when hearing aids are as cool and ubiquitous

I’m looking for a bit of help and advice. Does anyone have any information on getting hearing aids for a 3 year old? What style of aid works best? Are there any particular manufacturer or brands that are better? How often will ear moulds have to be changed? Will kids have to have their moulds changed often until their ears stop growing? There seems to be a myth about how long our ears grow for and lots of people say that they never stop, but

January 11, 2010 – Hansaton, the German-based provider of award-winning hearing systems, announced today they are now offering their products to US-based audiologists and hearing aid dispensers. Hansaton (hanz-a-tone) has designed and manufactured superior hearing devices for more than fifty years. The family-owned company currently has licensed dealers in 70 countries worldwide. Hansaton recently named industry veteran Robert Eastman as

Siemens is selling its hearing aid business. It has shortlisted one strategic buyer and five private equity firms as potential buyers. The New York Times reports that the sale price could be over 2 billion euros (1.8 billion pounds). Siemens Hearing, which competes with Switzerland’s Sonova Holding and Denmark’s William Demant Holding A/S, is projected to make pre-tax earnings of some 170 million euros in 2010.

The iPod Touch and the iPhone have an app for everything it seems. There’s apps for using Twitter, tracking stocks, playing games, creating new recipes and making sure you don’t burn them, learning French, the list goes on and on. When is someone going to build a hearing aid app? An app that turns an iPod into a fully-functioning hearing aid, it isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds. The iPhone already has everything it needs: a microphone, two

Should buying a hearing aid be like buying a TV or buying a pair of glasses? When you buy a new TV you can go into your local electronic store and try out a bunch of different models and pick the one you like. You get hands-on with the TV before you part with your money and you can see the differences between them side-by-side. Some people will know the different brands of TV, which ones are better, their strengths and weaknesses, they probably

Hearing aids come in lots of cool colours and shapes these days but I’ve never seen a pure white one. White hearing aids would look quite a bit like iPod earphones and would maybe help to give them that cool factor? Everywhere you look these days someone has a pair of white buds in so it’s not unusual to see people with things in their ears. Possibly manufacturers are worried about a lawsuit from Apple?

Could we build a hearing aid? By we I mean me, you, the guy studying audiology at university, the hard of hearing electrical engineer and all the other people. In computer software there’s a thing called open source. What it means is that someone, or some people, build something and they don’t just release the finished product they also give the source code away too. Source code is the programming language statements that were used to make the

All digital hearing aids are programmable. Some analogue hearing aids have programmable options too. It means that an audiologist can modify a hearing aid’s settings for your personal hearing loss – it also means that they can set the aid up so that you can hear the sounds that you want to hear in your everyday environments. There will default options for common situations such as: at home, at a party, at the theatre, listening to music, and so

Starkey have recently introduced touch controls to their S Series hearing aids, a feature they are calling Sweep. The BTE S Series models have a touch-sensitive area that takes up most of the top side of the shell. You can use this control to either change volume or switch between programs. By default, an up or down motion increases/decreases the volume and a tap changes the program – but this can be configured differently if you want.

Hearing aids and cochlear implants act as tiny amplifiers so the deaf and hard-of-hearing can make sense of voices and music. Unfortunately, these devices also amplify background sound, so they’re less effective in a noisy environment like a busy workplace or café. But help is on the way. Prof. Miriam Furst-Yust of Tel Aviv University’s School of Electrical Engineering has developed a new software application named “Clearcall” for cochlear

I see a lot of adverts in the newspapers and on the TV for glasses. Every day there are full-page adverts in the papers and prime-time adverts on the big TV channels. Everyone is doing “Buy one get one free” offers or “Designer frames for free” etc etc. Glasses are cool, the designer frames are expensive, celebrities endorse them. According to the Royal National Institute For The Blind there are two million blind or partially sighted people in

Hearing Aid Market has been up and running for a week now and it has already enabled someone to get a free pair of hearing aids! Carol kindly offered to donate her late Mother’s hearing aids so that they could be put to use by someone else. On the same day that I received an email from Carol I also got one from Angel in Texas. He was in need of hearing aids. I put the two in touch with each other and I am delighted to say that Carol shipped the

The Starkey S Series hearing aids have a feature called T2. This basically enables you to control the hearing aid with a touch-tone mobile phone. Once your audiologist has switched your aids to use the T2 feature it is easy to use your mobile to change volume and programme settings – you just need to hold the phone a few inches from your ear, press the * button twice and then use the keypad to increase/decrease volume or change programme.

Shareholders of Sonic Innovations Inc, Salt Lake City, overwhelmingly approved the renaming of Sonic Innovations Inc to Otix Global Inc at the company’s recent annual shareholder meeting. The name and ticker symbol change have already been adopted. “The move is designed to create a holding company that will allow the Sonic Innovations’ brand and Sonic’s other brands to operate independently from each other,” said Sam Westover, the company’s

I have a new pair of Starkey’s S Series hearing aids – I got them fitted at Banbury Hearing Centre. Over the next few weeks I’m going to review their performance against my old aids and write about them on here. I’m very impressed already. In the office last week I managed to listen in to someone else’s conversation from another desk – that was a welcome surprise! The noise reduction seems really good, I can listen to music in my car now –

Thank you very, very much to those of you who took the time to check out the Market site and send some feedback. Your comments have all helped to make a better site – I really appreciate you taking the time. Testing is now over and I plan to make Hearing Aid market available to everyone from tomorrow. Any hearing aids that were listed up until now will be deleted but the users who signed up will remain.

Firstly, I want to to say sorry for not writing much recently and thanks for waiting it out and not unsubscribing from this RSS feed. Even though I haven’t written much I have not been totally idle. I’ve been building a new part to the site called: Don’t know if you remember but I wrote a long time ago asking if people would buy/sell or give hearing aids through this site – a lot of people replied saying that they would. I even managed to put

Sonova is reporting record sales of CHF 1.249 billion (USD $1.124 billion) and further expanded its market share on the back of organic growth of 7.8% in local currencies and 3.0% growth from acquisitions. Profitability was maintained at a high level, with an Earnings Before Interest, Tax and Amortisation (EBITA) margin of 26.6%. Income after taxes amounted to CHF 284 million (USD $255 million). The rise in net profit in the year to end-March,

The comment below is from Paul Weston, he originally wrote this as a comment on here but I felt it was worth posting separately as it raises some good points. I don’t necessarily agree with everything he is saying but moving his comment to its own page gives people room for comment. A quick straw poll of friends shows that of four people that have had hearing aids fitted, four of them are not used. The hearing aid has not been adjusted in a way

Whenever someone buys a hearing aid they have a trial period in which they can decide whether they want to keep the hearing aid or not. If you are buying a hearing aid and aren’t offered a trial period then shop somewhere else. Normally the way the trial works is that you pay up-front in full for your hearing aid and you take it away. You get an amount of time for the trial and at the end of that you can give it back or keep it. During the trial

Starkey Laboratories, Inc. is proud to introduce S SeriesTM with Drive ArchitectureTM, the extraordinary new family of hearing aids that combines art and science to create unparalleled levels of performance, comfort and personalization. S Series, developed using Starkey’s evidence-based design approach, is available in custom and a first-ever full line of receiver-in-canal (RIC) options. At the heart of every S Series hearing instrument is

Does anyone know if it is possible to get a soft-shelled ITE, ITC or CIC hearing aid? A shell made from silicone or something similar? The question comes from Paul Murata, an athletic trainer and the University of Virginia. One of his basketball players wears in the canal hearing aids and occasionally gets hit on or around the ears during games, causing pain and sometimes even bleeding in the ear canal.

Cochlear implants, introduced 20 years ago, have given 83,000 people the ability to hear human speech; they are worn by people who are either severely hard of hearing or profoundly deaf. Surgeons drill a hole in the skull, embed a sound receiver, and weave an electrode array into the cochlea. Once the hardware is in place, software engineers take over, upgrading the devices as needed so users can enjoy more complex sounds, like music.

Phonak has announced that the material used for all custom product shell colors in its digital manufacturing process has been certified to be nontoxic and nonirritating according to independent laboratory biocompatibility testing. In 2007 after several years of development, Phonak introduced an advanced digital manufacturing process to all major custom production centers worldwide. This process uses proprietary 3D modelling software to create a

Patients with cochlear implants may want to steer clear of certain magnetic imaging devices, such as 3T MRI machines, because the machines can demagnetize the patient’s implant, according to new research published in the December 2008 issue of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. The study, conducted by a team of German reasearchers from the International Neuroscience Institute, Hannover, and the Medical University of Hannover, and American

It’s always encouraging to learn of progress in technologies that help the hard of hearing. This report of studies into Infrared being used in cochlear implants comes from The News website: Researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago have made a new discovery that could lead to better cochlear implants for deaf people. They have found that infrared light can stimulate neurons in the inner ear as precise as sound waves, reports New

Everton FC are another football club from the English Premier League that are launching a range of hearing aids in their club colours. Young Evertonians with hearing difficulties can now proudly wear their team’s colours – on their ears. The Blues have joined forces with scientists to tackle the problems hard-of-hearing children face while wearing hearing aids. Together they have created special clear hearing aids carrying Everton’s world-famous

I have ITE hearing aids with a volume control on them. I tend to change the volume quite often – for example I have them up full when in the office but I usually turn them down a bit when I go outside to stop some of the traffic noise. It hadn’t occurred to me until just now how weird it must look when I’m changing volume. I use my thumb to give the volume knob a twist. I’ve also got this thing where I rotate the knob backwards and forwards a

Be careful not to have your hearing aids turned up too much and put excessive strain on your ears. If you find yourself wincing at loud noises while wearing your hearing aids, if you start to get ringing in your ears, or if your ears hurt then you should see your audiologist and get them to test your hearing and check your volume settings. If your aid has a manual volume control then don’t be scared to turn it down a bit when you know you will

This is cool. A company called Good Morning Design have produced hearing aid packaging for Widex that produces what looks like a moving sound wave when the box is opened. Not only that, apparently the sound wave represents someone saying Widex’s “High Definition Hearing” slogan.

Nokia have announced the release of a new cell-phone accessory designed for users with hearing aids: The Nokia Wireless Loopset works with T-coil equipped hearing aids or cochlear implants, and slips around the user’s neck. The Wireless Loopset is compatible with Bluetooth-ready handsets, essentially transforming the user’s hearing aid into a headset. The device features adjustable sidetone levels, optimized volume range, single-button calling,

If you are thinking about buying a hearing aid, it’s good to do a bit of market research to find out what’s available. After all, hearing aids are expensive items and you want to do everything you can to make sure you purchase the right one for you. When you visit a hearing aid vendor / audiologist they will surely recommend certain makes and models to you. With a bit of market knowledge you will be better placed to ask why a certain aid is

Found this funny video on YouTube. Will your hearing aid blend?

The Latest in “Ear Candy,” Vibe Reflects Wearer’s Fashion and Moods with Interchangeable, Ready-to-Wear Casings CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 2, 2008 – For the growing number of people with mild hearing loss, due in large part to the aging of 78 million baby boomers, hearing instrument options just leaped into a fashionable new realm where bold is “in.” Today, Siemens Hearing Instruments introduced the world’s first crest-fit hearing aid – Vibe®.

The Sonova Holding AG (previously Phonak Holding AG) have posted their 2007/2008 financial report. Sales across all brands, including Phonak and Unitron reached a new record of US$1.16 billion (1.2 billion CHF) – with 59% of hearing system sales being generated from products launched less than 2 years ago. New product releases in the last year have included Phonak’s Exélia and Naída, and Unitron’s Yuu and Next, as well as the iCom, iPilot, and

America Hears (www.AmericaHears.com) announced it will offer its popular Freedom SIE (speaker-in-the-ear) hearing aids in an array of six colors for fashion-conscious consumers demanding up-to-date looks along with high-performance digital hearing assistance. The new hearing aids now are available in off-white, slate-grey, ebony, cobalt-blue and ruby-red in addition to the original flesh-toned version.

Newsweek has an interview with Howard Weinstein, the designer of the SolarAid. He talks about the hurdles he faced when trying to get it into production and how he hopes it will help bring better hearing to Africa: Weinstein knew what he had to do: change the business model. Drawing on his years in the corporate bunker, he started working the phones, chatting up financiers, consulting with electronics wizards and haggling with manufacturers. He

Why is there no established market for second hand hearing aids? Given the high price of a new aid, you would think that a cheaper second-hand model would be very tempting to a lot of people. It’s not so different from buying a second hand car The second-hand car market is huge. People have the option of buying privately and taking some risk on the quality of the car or they can buy a re-conditioned/serviced/checked car from a dealer. The same

You could hear more by taking your hearing aids out. How does that work? Well, I was in a meeting yesterday, sat around a table with seven other people – after a while I realised that I wasn’t hearing several of them as well as I normally would be. I did a quick check that the volume settings on my aids were correct – they were. I didn’t have a cold. I couldn’t think of any reason why I couldn’t hear them.

Melinda Beck has written in the Wall Street Journal about her experiences with a Widex Inteo aid. It’s an interesting article because it touches on some of the problems that new hearing aid wearers face, such as: A rush of new sounds: New aid wearers will be hearing many sounds that they haven’t heard for a long time (if ever) – this can be overwhelming to begin with, but as Melinda noted with the rustling crisp packets, it soon becomes

Open fit hearing aids are similar in style to BTE aids in that a shell sits above your ear and a wire travels down from there into your ear canal – but that’s where the similarities end. Open Fit BTEs are much newer technology than traditional BTEs – the shell above the ear is much smaller and the whole aid is lighter. The open in the name comes from the fact that the earpiece does not fit tightly into your ear canal – as is the case with

If you are a hearing aid wearer, can you go without them? Do you feel comfortable leaving the house if you haven’t got your aids in? I have a severe hearing loss in both ears – if I am not wearing my aids and somebody wants to speak to me then they have to be close and have to be talking loudly and straight at me. I don’t feel comfortable talking to people if I don’t have my hearing aids in and I wouldn’t even think about leaving the house

I previously wrote about how letting hearing aid wearers program their own aids would be good thing. To briefly recap: I think that giving us wearers a simplified version of the software that audiologists use to program digital hearing aids to an individual’s requirements would allow us to get maximum benefit from our aids. A comment from David made me realise I’d missed a few important things in that article and got me thinking some more….

Oticon’s new distribution guidelines state that they will only supply their products to distributors who directly fit and sell Oticon products to end-users through face-to-face in-person consultations. These new guidelines effectively bring an end to customers being able to buy Oticon products via the Internet, mail order or catalogues. In a -->press release, The American Academy of Audiology welcomes Oticon’s decision and hopes that other

Microbattery.com offer a wide range of hearing aid batteries at good prices. Their front page has a handy little section that lets you pick the battery you need based on its colour or size code. They are stocking batteries from: Rayovac, Panasonic, Energizer, ZeniPower, Duracell, PowerOne, Renata, Sony and iCellTech. Well worth a look if you need to stock up. Do you have a particular battery brand that you swear by? Do you get better performance

Bionica Corp have filed patents relating to their Clio hearing aid. Up until now they have been very quiet about the Clio but now Bionica’s chief executive officer, Peter T. Hahn, given some details of it’s design. The Clio’s controls are simple to operate, modeled after popular digital music players, Hahn said in an interview. The acoustic feedback triggered by many hearing aides, he said, was eliminated by separating the microphone from the

The American Chronicle has published a nice article about purchasing hearing aids – you can read it here. I’ve previously written about buying your first hearing aid.

Starkey are poised to launch their Destiny hearing aid in India by November 2007. This news comes from the ExpressHealthcare website – they are reporting that the Destiny will be sold for up to 50,000 Rupees, which according to XE.com, is around £650. From ExpressHealthcare on Starkey’s move into the Indian market: The biggest concern is that there are not many qualified audiologists in India and hence awareness is low. Said Rohit Misra,

I was tidying out some drawers the other day and I found my old hearing aids. I have some Siemens ITCs and two pairs of Starkey ITEs – I’m sure I also have at least one pair of BTEs somewhere but they didn’t turn up. My first thought was to throw them into the bin with the rest of the stuff from the drawer but I remembered reading something somewhere about charities that recycle old hearing aids and give them to people who aren’t able to own a

When buying hearingaids, it can be tempting to buy one instead of two. It’s cheaper for a start. If you are worried about how you will look with hearingaids, one aid would be easier to hide then two. It might be case of, “I’ll buy one and see how I get on with it“. If you are suffering from hearing loss in both ears, you need two hearingaids. If you bought glasses, would you consider buying just the one lens?

Widex have rejected speculation it was in talks with headset maker GN Store Nord and its hearing aid arm Resound over a potential merger. Shares in GN rose as much as 7 percent on Friday on speculation the companies were in talks, but lost some positive ground once Widex had denied the rumour. “We haven’t been in talks and are very surprised over the rumours we were to buy Resound,” Widex Sales and Marketing Chief Tom Westermann told Reuters.

David from Hearing Mojo reports that Songbird Hearing have received venture capitalist funding in order to re-start their disposable hearing aid business. He gives a good writeup so I’m not going over it here again. I will say though, that I think there’s still a huge market for throwaway CIC hearing aids, for two reasons: Check out David’s article and while you are there, subscribe to his feed – it’s a great blog.

The occlusion effect occurs when a hearingaid completely fills the outer part of the ear canal. It can cause the wearer’s voice to sound funny. Many people complain that they sound hollow or it’s like they are talking into a barrel. Chewing food can also sound odd, and even cause discomfort, to someone with occluded canals. Normally when people talk or chew, the produced sound vibrations escape through the unblocked ear – nothing is heard. But

I have some questions for you, dear reader. I’m guessing that many of you already wear a hearingaid, so, I’d like to know what model you have and what you think of it. It would be cool to put together some stats to see what aid is most popular and which ones are rated best. So, if you can spare 5, can you leave a comment and answer these?

Different hearingaids use different sizes of battery, they also consume battery power at different rates. A battery may last a week in one aid, but only 3 days in another. I’ve written before about testing a new hearingaid and making a decision whether you want to buy it – it’s also a good idea to test the batteries to find out how long they will last. During your hearingaid’s trial period, use the same battery until it runs out – did it last

OK, so people buy hearing aids to improve their hearing. That much is obvious. But what do you really want from your hearing aid? It’s worth thinking this over before you go out to buy a hearingaid. You want to make sure you get the right aid for you. When you visit an audiologist, go armed with a checklist of the things you want and also the things you don’t want. Some things to think about: Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Even stuff that

What is a digital hearing aid? What does it do and how does it work? Very simply put: a hearing aid is a device used to help hard of hearing people to hear sounds better. A digital hearing aid achieves this by receiving sounds through a number of microphones, processing the sound and outputting it into your ear. The processing of the sound is performed by what is essentially a mini computer inside the hearing aid – this is where the digital part

I visited my parents today. My Mum was telling me about how bad my Auntie’s hearing is these days. Turns out that she visited her GP about her hearing 2 years ago, was referred to the local hospital and was fitted with digital behind-the-ear hearing aids not long after. So, why is her hearing still so bad? She doesn’t wear her hearing aids, they sit in the cupboard at home. She is one of the many who prefer to stay in denial about their hearing

Once you have visited an audiologist, had a hearing test and picked a hearing aid, you need to try out the aid and make sure it is suitable for you. You should always be given a trial period when you buy a hearing aid – some time in which you can determine if the aid is right for you and return it if it is not. If you have visited a hearing aid vendor that does not offer you a trial period with a full money back guarantee go somewhere else. It

If you are not hearing as much as you would like and you think you may benefit from a hearing aid you should seek professional advice. An audiologist will be able to test your hearing, assess the damage and recommend hearing aids that are right for you. This is a guide to getting getting the most from your first visit to an audiologist. The audiologist will probably ask you some background info. When did you start to notice your were not hearing

We may have just been given a sneak peek into the future of hearing aids by Sun Kyung Sunwoo from the University of Technology, Sydney. She entered her Wirear design into the Australian Design Awards. It’s a radical departure from the in or behind the ear models we are used to seeing. My initial impression is that it looks ugly but I guess it could grow on me, what do you think? It’s interesting to see an attempt at a different design – all new

Currently, there is a trend in the hearing aid industry toward smaller and more discreet hearing aids, including the recent development of open fit hearing aids (also known as open ear hearing aids). Open fit hearing aids have one major limitation, however; they are not appropriate for many people with a more severe hearing loss and are best used by those with high frequency hearing loss and normal low frequency hearing.

Rayovac is the #1 best selling hearing aid battery in the world. Rayovac produce a range of specially designed batteries for all hearing aids types and also cochlear implants. I have been using Rayovac batteries in my Siemens ITE hearing aids for a very long time. I honestly cannot remember ever having a dud battery, not once, every one has worked and that’s a lot of batteries over the years! I tend to change them once a week, I think they would

A well-fitting hearing aid that is working properly should not whistle. Whistling can be caused by:

Analogue and digital hearing aids are completely different beasts. Up until now I have worn only analogue aids and I’m in the process of getting some digital ones so I thought I’d write about a few things I’ve noticed during the switch. Analogue hearing aids amplify all sounds at the same level – this can make it difficult for wearers to hear conversation when there is a lot of background noise. Digital hearing aids are much cleverer in that

There are for main types of hearing aid: Behind The Ear (BTE), In The Ear (ITE), In The Canal (ITC) and Completely In Canal (CIC). Each have their own set of advantages and disadvantages. If you are thinking of buying a new hearing aid, it is worth spending some time thinking about which type would be best for you – ideally you should visit an audiologist or aid vendor who will give you a hearing assessment and advice on which aids would be most

There are four main types of hearing aid: Behind The Ear (BTE), In The Ear (ITE), In The Canal (ITC) and Completely In Canal (CIC). Each have their own set of advantages and disadvantages. If you are thinking of buying a new hearing aid, it is worth spending some time thinking about which type would be best for you – ideally you should visit an audiologist or aid vendor who will give you a hearing assessment and advice on which aids would be

There are for main types of hearing aid: Behind The Ear (BTE), In The Ear (ITE), In The Canal (ITC) and Completely In Canal (CIC). Each have their own set of advantages and disadvantages. If you are thinking of buying a new hearing aid, it is worth spending some time thinking about which type would be best for you – ideally you should visit an audiologist or aid vendor who will give you a hearing assessment and advice on which aids would be most

There are for main types of hearing aid: Behind The Ear (BTE), In The Ear (ITE), In The Canal (ITC) and Completely In Canal (CIC). Each have their own set of advantages and disadvantages. If you are thinking of buying a new hearing aid, it is worth spending some time thinking about which type would be best for you – ideally you should visit an audiologist or aid vendor who will give you a hearing assessment and advice on which aids would be most

A not always completely serious look at the technology that might, or might not, be available for hearing aid users in the future. I like listening to music but I always find it uncomfortable to wear headphones over the top of my hearing aids. There’s a few basic reasons why it can be uncomfortable: So, I think it would be really useful, and cool, to have a hearing aid with a built-in music player and radio! You could have the player in your