Hearing aid technology continues to evolve, advancing so that you can enjoy every word! Here, the Associated Audiologists team summarizes the latest technology and features you may benefit from.
Widex Moment
The latest generation of hearing aids from Widex, called Moment, restores the sense of more natural hearing as many people remember it. This is a fundamental shift for general consumers plagued by hearing loss at increasingly younger ages. This technology can be especially beneficial for new hearing aid users or those with mild to moderate hearing loss.
Benefits:
- Location services within the app will pull up a GPS map to show you where your aids were last connected to your phone. This is helpful in locating your hearing aids if you’ve accidentally pulled them off, when removing a mask, for example.
- Ability to mute your hearing aid mics to reduce interfering sound when streaming a phone call.
- Directional focus capability to choose the sounds most important to you. This comes in handy if your grandkids are in the back seat of the car, for example.
- Lowest soft sound knee point in the industry, which provides you the best access to soft speech sounds.
- Highest bit rate in the industry, giving you the widest dynamic range for optimal sound quality for all listening situations and music.
Phonak Paradise
This new processor is designed to improve sound quality and boost gain for soft speech. The wearer can switch between two Bluetooth devices and utilize a “tap control” in some levels of technology to start/stop streaming, answer/end a call, or activate a voice assistant.
Benefits:
- The hearing aid mic used during phone conversations allows for hands-free calling.
- The tap control (tapping the side of the hearing aid instead of a smaller push button or switch) allows for more user flexibility while streaming.
ReSound One
This new ReSound product has a third microphone built into the receiver wire that fits in the ear canal. There are two mics on the hearing aid and a third fits in the ear canal, which improves directionality and overall perception.
Benefits:
- May reduce wind noise for some users.
- Uses the natural ear properties to aid with directional focus.
Signia CROS/BICROS
The Signia Pure CROS is for patients with single-sided deafness. CROS technology is worn behind the poorer ear to detect sounds coming from that side. It then transmits it to the hearing aid on the other side, allowing an individual to hear sounds from both sides.
Benefits:
- First CROS product that is also compatible with direct Bluetooth streaming from an iPhone.
- Delivers brilliant sound and speech from every direction.
- Rechargeable options also available for some models.
Roger FM
Roger FM is a state-of-the-art wireless microphone that can help boost hearing aid performance and bridge the understanding gap. It is helpful for all, but especially for those with poor speech clarity, a greater degree of hearing loss, or anyone who needs to hear well from a distance. Now with masks and social distancing, anyone who relied heavily on visual information previously (lip reading), may benefit from this technology, too.
Benefits:
- Improves the volume of the speaker over the competing noise.
- An option for most existing users as an accessory with current hearing aids.
- Demonstration and demo technology are available by appointment.
Schedule an appointment with a doctoral-level audiologist to talk about the latest hearing aid technology options so that we can help you hear your best!
