Widex are renowned for being an innovative company that provides amazing sound. They are also a very conservative, engineering-based company. During my time working there, they introduced some absolutely groundbreaking hearing aid technology. Their attitude was that the technology would speak for itself. In the run-up to the Moment launch, Widex has been saying things like ground-breaking and paradigm shift. That really piqued my interest, Widex engineers don't speak like that without good reason. So I was fascinated to see just what they had done, well the moment is here, every pun intended, and it really is an interesting new hearing aid range with a groundbreaking new sound. Let's talk about the Moment.
What's New
There are a few new things with the Moment range to discuss including the change in hearing aid type offerings and the lithium-ion based rechargeable hearing aids. The biggest thing is the massive change in the signal delay that is at the core of the signal processing strategy in the Moment
Every hearing aid suffers a delay in signal processing, in essence, it takes time to process sound and present it at the eardrum. While sound that enters the ear canal normally doesn't, leading to an out of sync signal. If the signal delay is 11 milliseconds or over, it produces an intolerable echo. Under 11 milliseconds the echo is still there but is tolerable and eventually, the brain will blend it out.
That signal delay ensures that hearing aids sound like hearing aids. The brain perceives the delay and the sound is perceived as abnormal. Over time, the brain normalises the sound to a large extent, but it is never what you would call natural.
No Delay
The Moment is the first hearing aid that offers no delay in signal processing. Something that is quite astonishing, to be honest. That really is a game-changer and without doubt, it is a paradigm shift in hearing aid sound. Below is a graph presented by Widex detailing sound delays, the sound delay of some competitors, their own Evoke range and the new Moment range.
The Moment offers zero delays, which basically means natural delivery of processed sound at the eardrum which should translate to very natural sound experience. Widex say that the Moment is the most natural-sounding hearing aid ever produced, and technically it should be.
They have also introduced a new way to assess the venting of the ear canal with the device in the ear. This new strategy should offer an even more accurate understanding of what is happening in your ear canal with the aid inserted. The new system is called TruAccoustics will ensure that the hearing aids are offering at an optimum manner in the ear. The feedback from early testers is outstanding.
The Headlines
The headlines of the launch include:
- New platform offers three RICs and three ITEs at present
- ZeroDelay sound processing, a real breakthrough
- TruAccoustics, offering an even better fit
- Lithium-ion powered rechargeable hearing aid
- New updated Bluetooth radio which offers iPhone connection and Android connection in the future
I think the Widex Moment will go down as a device that changed hearing aids, just like the Widex Clear did in 2009 and the Widex Senso back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. I will follow up with an article on the hearing aids available and the features and technology levels.
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