New hearing technology pushes boundaries further

According to the National Center on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (MNIDCD), nearly 30 million Americans could benefit from using a hearing aid. Despite these numbers, hearing aids are used by only a small number of those with hearing loss - just under 30 percent of those aged 70 and older and just 16 percent of those aged 20 to 69.

They are missing out. Although amplifying sounds was the sole purpose of hearing aids when they were first made, today, technology has taken things to a whole new level. Hearing aids are filled with smart and innovative technologies that go beyond amplifying sounds and enrich the user's life.

Already leveraging the power of lithium-ion rechargeable power and direct Bluetooth connectivity, here are three hearing aids in 2020 that are taking things one step further.
‍

ReSound One

This is the latest model from ReSound, which builds upon the success of their LiNX Quattro range.

Most of the hearing devices on the market are either receiver-in-ear or behind-the-ear hearing aids. Both types most frequently pick up sound from a microphone outside the user's ear. Due to this design, these models may make it challenging to identify where sounds are coming from in terms of direction and depth.

ReSound ONE is the world's first hearing aid with a Microphone & Receiver-In-Ear design (also known as M &RIE) that collects sound using the unique shape of every person's ear. It does this by placing an additional microphone within the ear canal. This design uses the specific form of each person's ear to capture sound, unlike approximately 80% of the hearing aids sold today.

This radical new receiver system is combined with the all-new Digital Feedback Suppression (DFS Ultra III), powered by ReSound's most powerful sound-processing chipset ever.By picking up sound directly in the ear, the ReSound One gives the brain all it needs to respond to individual voices and dramatically decreases background and wind noise.‍

Phonak Paradise‍

Phonak's previous model, the Phonak Marvel, opened the door for universal Bluetooth connectivity in the hearing aid world. Their latest model combines this with vastly improved hearing performance and speech understanding.

Building on the Phonak Marvel's worldwide popularity, the next generation PRISM (Processing Real-time Intelligent Sound Management) sound chip built into the Paradise hearing aid has the even better processing power and twice the Marvel's memory.

It can be challenging to understand someone talking quietly or from a distance in a quiet environment. The Paradise's Speech Enhancer function enhances soft-level speech so that you can continue to enjoy conversations with peers, colleagues, and loved ones.

It often takes effort to understand conversations when the speech comes from the front, and noise is entering from the side and behind you. Using the Adjustable Noise Cancellation, you can configure the amount of noise cancellation you like in real-time, all with the myPhonak app.

It also can answer phone calls, stream or pause music, and activate voice assistants by tapping your ear. This is made possible by Paradise's motion sensor, which gives you an effortless way to do this and much more. ‍

Widex Moment‍

Many people who have worn a hearing aid dislike them because of the "tinny" and "artificial" sound of many models. This is generated when the sound produced in the hearing aid enters the eardrum a split second later than the sound directly passing through or around the hearing aid's ear-tip.

For those with mild to moderate hearing loss, Widex is the first to remove the 'out of sync' sound without losing the hallmark Widex natural sound, which already has the lowest time delay compared to other hearing aid models.

This latest product results from a landmark technical advance, creating a flawless listening experience using two separate signal paths.

The two different signal pathways consist of a 'classic' Widex signal pathway combined with a second 'ultra-fast' signal pathway. This is known as the Widex ZeroDelay Accelerator, decreasing the processing latency between microphone and receiver to below 0.5 milliseconds and allowing the two sound signals to meet practically simultaneously the eardrum.

In addition to solving the artificial sound of hearing aids, the company has developed the first and only artificially smart hearing aid in the world that learns what a person likes to hear and updates their sound preferences at the moment. In the WIDEX MOMENT App, the Widex Artificial Intelligence engine analyses user preferences collected through SoundSense Learn. SoundSense Learn delivers the tailor-made sound you're looking for in real-time after answering just a few questions.

By integrating themselves further into other aspects of a wearer's life, Hearing aids are likely to become even more essential for those with hearing loss. Thanks to new models, various sizes, and wireless technology, the time is right for those who haven't yet tried them to take the leap.

‍