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Widex Launches Moment Hearing Device

Widex-moment-hearing-aids-Bristol

Widex Launches Moment Hearing Device

 

Widex Moment Hearing Device available at the Keynsham hearing centre

Widex announced the launch of the Moment, a device that has “broken new ground by addressing one of the great unsolved challenges in the industry—no matter how good the sound, it still sounds like a hearing aid.”

Widex Moment hearing aids at the Keynsham hearing centre

According to Widex, “hearing aids can sound ‘tinny’ and ‘artificial’—which often prevents their adoption by those with hearing loss—when sound processed in the hearing aid reaches the eardrum a split second later than the sound that travels directly through or around the hearing aid’s ear-tip.”

Widex is reportedly “the first in the industry to eliminate that ‘out of sync’ sound for patients with mild to moderate hearing loss, without sacrificing the trademark Widex natural sound—which already has the lowest time delay compared to competitors.”

According to Lise Henningsen, Global Head of Audiology at Widex, this launch marks a fundamental shift not just for the hearing aid industry, but also for a general consumer public plagued by hearing loss at increasingly young ages.

“To lose your sense of hearing is to lose a fundamental part of yourself, often resulting in increased social isolation, subsequent depression, and other downstream psychological and neurological effects,” she said. “Though the traditional hearing aid has made tremendous strides in areas such as speech intelligibility, active noise cancellation, and more, a key frontier has been left uncharted—until today. Widex Moment doesn’t just allow you to hear better, it restores one’s sense of perfectly natural hearing, as you remember it before any loss occurred.”

The Widex Moment platform achieves this hearing experience by leveraging two distinct signal pathways. The ‘classic’ Widex signal pathway is paired with a second ultra-fast signal pathway that adds extra gearing to the platform, the company says.

The Widex ZeroDelay™ Accelerator reduces the processing delay between microphone and receiver to below 0.5 milliseconds, which Widex says enables the two sound signals to meet at virtually the same time in the eardrum, helping eliminate the artificial sound quality and creating a more natural sound experience. This new sound experience is called Widex PureSound™.

However, though Widex Moment “breaks new ground in the area of sound purity, it doesn’t do so at the expense of other cutting-edge features—such as rechargeability and smart streaming to electronic devices—found in the industry’s most state-of-the-art hearing aids and demanded by tech-savvy consumers.”

Widex Moment has what the company says is “the smallest lithium-ion rechargeable RIC on the market, ensuring that no matter one’s lifestyle users will never miss a moment.” Furthermore, Widex Moment’s smart streaming capabilities are said to offer “robust connectivity to the devices one uses every day (iOS and Android).”

Widex Moment also comes compatible with the SoundSense Learn smartphone app, which leverages AI and machine learning to personalise one’s hearing experience and create hearing programs based on a user’s typical environments—a daily commute, an open-office floor plan, a favourite restaurant, and more.

The app gathers a variety of anonymous data such as how often the user adjusts the volume, which sound presets they most regularly use, and how many custom settings they create. Based on these real-world preferences, a complete personalized listening experience is created for the user. These adjustments and custom settings can then also be shared directly and securely with their hearing care professional, which helps the professional tailor their consultation more and improve their service.

“The future of hearing aids will be unlocked through the combination of perfectly natural sound with the latest in streaming, rechargeability, and customisation—and that’s exactly what we’ve created with Widex Moment,” said Henningsen. “We’re breaking down the hearing aid stigma, across all generations, by equipping users with a way to experience one’s natural hearing, customised for any environment, while enabling connectivity with all of your favorite apps and devices. It’s a seminal moment for not just our hearing aid industry but for the technology industry, in general.”

Widex Moment is available in 13 colours and six different styles and is available for purchase. For more information on WIDEX, click here.

Source: Widex

Images: Widex

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Starkey Introduces Livio Edge AI

Keynsham hearing centre, Bath hearing centre, Bristol hearing centre,

Starkey Introduces Livio Edge AI

     

Starkey Introduces Livio Edge AI-Keynsham hearing

Building on the success of “the world’s first Healthable hearing aid,” Livio AI, Starkey announces the release of Livio Edge AI. Livio Edge AI is said to “combine the best of both worlds: industry-leading sound quality and sound processing for challenging listening environments.” With a simple double tap, Edge Mode helps bring “the power of artificial intelligence to a patient’s fingertips, by instantaneously conducting an AI-based analysis of the acoustic environment and making immediate adjustments,” according to the company.

“As a global leader in innovation, Starkey continues to defy the limits of what others thought was possible,” said Starkey CEO Bill Austin. “By using artificial intelligence, we’ve transformed the hearing aid into a tool that can unlock the ear’s ability to be a source of complex biological information. In doing so, we’re bridging the gap between a patient’s hearing health and their overall health and wellness.”

As part of this new product launch, Starkey introduces “the world’s first 2.4 GHz lithium-ion ITC and ITE custom rechargeable hearing aids.”

A variety of other new features includes improvements to the usability and performance of the Thrive Hearing Control app, a 2.4 GHz Table Microphone with eight built-in microphones to help users enjoy group settings, and AI for all. This means Livio AI is now available in the 2000, 1600, 1200, and 1000 technology tiers.

“We are proud to be leading the hearing industry at the speed of innovation,” said Starkey President Brandon Sawalich. “Livio AI broke barriers by becoming the first hearing aid to use artificial intelligence to monitor body and brain activity. It even achieved high-profile recognition from the likes of TIME Magazine, but, at Starkey, we don’t rest on our laurels. We continue to push ourselves to make the impossible possible, so we can help people live better lives through better hearing.”

For more information on the new products available now, please click here. 

Source: Starkey

Images: Starkey

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Phonak Marvel Technology

Keynsham hearing centre

Phonak Marvel Technology Now Available in Customs and BTE Hearing Aids

 

 

Somerset hearing aids

Phonak, a provider of hearing aid solutions, announced its Marvel technology availability in additional styles and form factors spanning “nearly ever degree of hearing loss.” This includes an expanded portfolio of custom in-the-ear (ITE), super-power, and pediatric hearing aids across multiple performance levels, according to Phonak. Marvel connectivity is said to allow “hand-free calls as well as audio streaming to virtually any Bluetooth enabled devices like smartphones, tablets, computers, or TVs.”

Somerset hearing aids at the Keynsham hearing centre
Phonak Virto Black Marvel and Naida Marvel

At January’s 2020 International CES, Phonak unveiled Virto™ M Black, described as “a fully-connected hearing aid shaped like a hearable.” Virto M Black is said to be Phonak’s first custom-made hearing aid equipped with Marvel technology, including universal Bluetooth®streaming, hands-free phone calls, and a personalized hearing experience via the myPhonak app. Virto M Black was named a “Best of CES Winner in Accessibility” from Engadget, the “Best Medical Device” by Slashgear, and was included among Newsweek’s “Best of CES 2020: The Top Tech Products You Can Actually Buy This Year.”

The Keynsham hearing centre
Phonak Virto Black Marvel

Continuing this momentum is the release of Virto M NW and Virto M-Titanium, which Phonak says offers Marvel’s “signature exceptional sound quality in a smaller device, down to an invisible-in-canal (IIC).” Thanks to the Titanium FitGuide, over 50% of people are said to get an “even more discreet Virto M-Titanium fitting by an average of 2.5 mm.1” All Virto M hearing aids include Biometric Calibration, which is said to analyze “over 1,600 biometric data points to precisely calibrate the device to a patient’s individual ear anatomy,” according to Phonak.

The Phonak Sky™ portfolio now includes the new Sky M-SP in all four performance levels. Sky Mis powered by AutoSense Sky OS 3.0, the next generation of Phonak’s operating system designed specifically for children. All Sky M hearing aids can stream audio from virtually any Bluetooth device and directly connect to Roger microphones, helping give children “easier access to words and conversation at school and home.”

Also available today is Naída™ M-SP, offering “powerful, rich sound, universal Bluetooth streaming from iOS®and Android™ devices, and RogerDirect™ connectivity for unparalleled hearing in noise and over distance.2” Naída M is suitable for people with severe-to-profound hearing loss and provides 24% less listening effort in noise and with StereoZoom.*3 For words which are difficult to predict, StereoZoom improves recall in noise by 10%.*3

Phonak’s expanded Marvel portfolio will be available in various countries around the globe over the coming weeks and pre-orders in the US began on February 19.

For more information, please visit: www.phonak.com.

  1. Bishop R, Stewart E, Loyola N. Titanium FitGuide—helping more than 50% of people get an even more discreet Virto B-Titanium. www.phonakpro.com/evidence. Accessed February 19, 2020.
  2. Thibodeau, L. (2014). Comparison of speech recognition with adaptive digital and FM remote microphone hearing assistance technology by listeners who use hearing aids. American Journal of Audiology. 23(2): 201-210.
  3. Winneke A, Schulte M, Latzel M. The effect of spatial noise processing in hearing aids on neural correlates of listening and memory effort: an EEG study. 2019. Manuscript submitted for publication.
  4. At the time of publication, datasheet analysis on 2cc coupler full-on-gain, Compared to Oticon Xceed SP, Widex EVOKE FP, and Starkey Livio.

*compared to Real Ear Sound

Bluetooth® word mark is a registered trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such mark by Sonova AG is under license.

iOS is a trademark of Cisco Technology, Inc

Android is a trademark of Google LLC

Source: Phonak

Images: Phonak

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Widex Unveils BEYOND Hearing Aid Keynsham

Widex-Beyond-hearing-aids-Keynsham-hearimg-centre

Widex Unveils BEYOND Hearing Aid with Advanced Connectivity

 

Keynsham hearing Blog    

 

Widex Unveils BEYOND Hearing Aid with Advanced Connectivity

With an intuitive swipe-function app, personalised sound programs, and multiple ways of connecting, the just-unveiled Widex BEYOND made-for-iPhone hearing aid is designed to deliver a high level of connectivity and sound.

According to Widex, BEYOND provides exceptional 2.4 GHz direct connectivity, while advanced TRI-LINK™ technology lets wearers instantly connect to iPhones, T-coils and a full range of DEX communication solutions. An integrated signal processing chip-set design, with 100% independent channel separation, minimal delay filters and 4 A/D converters, means BEYOND offers the cleanest sound of any hearing aid in the industry–even while streaming, reports Widex.

The company says that what makes Widex BEYOND special is its easy-to-use and customisable made-for-iPhone app. It allows full streaming functionality and control over the listening environment so hearing aid wearers are seamlessly connected anywhere and anytime – and provides unparalleled connectivity between their hearing aids. The app interface can be personalised by wearers, and also utilises the familiar swipe functionality for easy navigation – so users can quickly and easily navigate through various intuitive commands and screens.

Other BEYOND highlights include:

  • A clean sound hearing aid rated by wearers as significantly better than others. Brilliant sound – even when streaming.
  • Up to 30% better speech understanding in wind with the SMARTWIND MANAGER™ that significantly reduces wind noise annoyance
  • Better power consumption than many made-for-iPhone streaming hearing aids; with PowerSaver Plus™ technology, designed specifically for the demands of connectivity
  • Soft Level Noise Reduction that allows soft speech sounds to be heard, while reducing bothersome soft noises
  • WidexLink™ – the supreme InterEar communication technology

Widex BEYOND app, available at the Keynsham hearing centre

Widex-Beyond-hearing-aids-Keynsham-hearimg-centre

Widex-Beyond-hearing-aids-Keynsham-hearing-centre

According to Widex USA President Jeffrey Geigel, Widex BEYOND is ahead of the game when it comes to made-for-iPhone hearing technology. “Widex is already known for leading technology and sound, but now we allow the end-users to control that sound from their pockets via their iPhone.”

“BEYOND was already presented at EUHA in Germany to great success–it created a lot of positive attention,” added Widex CEO Jørgen Jensen adds. “We are proud to have a product that sets new standards. Our customers live active lives, and BEYOND really helps them live their lives the way they want.”

Widex is a global hearing aid technology company and has been developing hearing aids for 60 years. Widex products are sold in more than 100 countries around the world, and the company employs over 3,800 people worldwide.

Source: Widex

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Hearing Aids May Lead to Lower Rates of Dementia

Keynsham hearing centre, Bath hearing centre, Bristol hearing centre

Hearing Aids May Lead to Lower Rates of Dementia, Depression, and Anxiety

 

According to a report, hearing Aids May Lead to Lower Rates of Dementia, Depression, and Anxiety

 

This article appeared September 2019 in the Hearing review

 

Older adults who get a hearing aid for a newly diagnosed hearing loss have a lower risk of being diagnosed with dementia, depression, or anxiety in the following three years, and a lower risk of suffering fall-related injuries, than those who leave their hearing loss uncorrected, a new study finds. A summary of the study’s findings were published on the University of Michigan’s website.

Bristol hearing

Yet only 12% of those who have a formal diagnosis of hearing loss actually get the devices—even when they have insurance coverage for at least part of the cost, the study shows. It also reveals gaps in hearing aid use among people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, geographic locations, and genders.

The findings, made by a University of Michigan team using data from nearly 115,000 people over age 66 with hearing loss and insurance coverage through a Medicare HMO between 2008 and 2016, are published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Unlike traditional Medicare, Medicare HMOs typically cover some hearing aid costs for members diagnosed with hearing loss by an audiologist.

Elham Mahmoudi, MBA, PhD, the U-M Department of Family Medicine health economist who led the study, says it confirms what other research has shown among patients studied at a single point in time—but the new findings show differences emerging as time goes on.

Ear wax removal Bristol

“We already know that people with hearing loss have more adverse health events, and more co-existing conditions, but this study allows us to see the effects of an intervention and look for associations between hearing aids and health outcomes,” she says.

“Though hearing aids can’t be said to prevent these conditions, a delay in the onset of dementia, depression, and anxiety, and the risk of serious falls, could be significant both for the patient and for the costs to the Medicare system.”

Long-term Tracking

Mahmoudi and her colleagues at the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation looked at anonymous insurance data to perform the study, and looked at the data for each person with hearing loss one year before their diagnosis, and three years after, so they could see only newly diagnosed dementia, depression, anxiety, and fall injuries.

They intend to keep studying further data from this population, to see if the differences in health outcomes continue beyond three years.

The study shows that men with hearing loss were more likely to receive a hearing aid—13.3% compared with 11.3% of women. Only 6.5% of people of Latino heritage received a hearing aid for their hearing loss, compared with 9.8% of African-Americans and 13.6% of whites.

Nearly 37% of people with hearing loss who lived in the north-central part of the country, as designated by the Census Bureau, used a hearing aid, compared with just 5.9% of people in the mountain states.

Differences in Diagnosis

When the researchers looked at the path that patients who received hearing aids took over three years, compared with those who didn’t get the devices, significant differences emerged.

In all, the relative risk of being diagnosed with dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, within three years of a hearing loss diagnosis was 18% lower for hearing aid users. The risk of being diagnosed with depression or anxiety by the end of three years was 11% lower for hearing aid users, and the risk of being treated for fall-related injuries was 13% lower.

The study also confirms previous studies’ findings that people with hearing loss had much higher rates of dementia, depression, and fall injuries than the general population.

The reasons for this are complicated, and can include loss of social interaction, loss of independence, loss of balance, and less stimulation to the brain. Some researchers also believe that the loss of nerve impulses from the ear to the brain, and loss of cognitive ability leading to dementia, could be part of the same ageing process.

What’s to Come

The study only included individuals who billed their insurance company for part of the cost of their hearing aid, Mahmoudi notes. The coming of FDA-approved over-the-counter hearing aids in 2020 for people with mild to moderate hearing loss could make the devices much more accessible for many people.

But those new devices could also complicate researchers’ ability to study the effects of hearing aids on other health outcomes, if people don’t use insurance coverage and researchers can’t tell if they have one.

“Correcting hearing loss is an intervention that has evidence behind it, and we hope our research will help clinicians and people with hearing loss understand the potential association between getting a hearing aid and other aspects of their health,” says Mahmoudi.

She notes that Medicaid in the state of Michigan is now covering hearing aid testing, fitting, and purchase, since a policy change in 2018, and that it will be important to study impacts in this population as well.

In addition to Mahmoudi, the new study’s authors are IHPI statisticians Tanima Basu, MS and Neil Kamdar, MA, and IHPI members Kenneth Langa, MD, PhD, Michael M. McKee, MD, MPH, Phillip Zazove, MD, and Neil Alexander, MD. Langa and Alexander are professors in the U-M Department of Internal Medicine; McKee and Zazove are assistant professor and chair, respectively, of the U-M Department of Family Medicine. Langa also holds faculty positions in the U-M Institute for Social Research and the VA Ann Arbor Center for Clinical Management Research.

Original Paper: Mahmoudi E, Basu T, Langa K, et al. Can hearing aids delay time to diagnosis of dementia, depression, or falls in older adults? Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.16109

Source: University of Michigan, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

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Starkey’s Livio AI Featured in ‘TIME’s 100 Best Inventions of 2019′ List

Starkey’s Livio AI Featured in ‘TIME’s 100 Best Inventions of 2019′ List

The Keynsham hearing centre are excited to learn that Starkey’s Livio AI has featured in the ”Time’s 100 Best.

Starkey Hearing Technologies announces that Livio AI, “the world’s first multi-purpose hearing aid,” has earned a place on TIME’s 100 Best Inventions of 2019 in the accessibility category. This list is said to “highlight inventions that are making the world better, smarter, and even a bit more fun.”

Bath hearing centre

Starkey Livio AI hearing aid available at the Keynsham hearing centre.

Starkey Livio AI, at Keynsham hearing

TIME uses a multi-step process to assemble the annual list. Contenders from around the world are evaluated on key factors, including originality, effectiveness, ambition, and influence. The result: One hundred groundbreaking inventions that are changing the way we live, work, play, and think about what’s possible, according to Starkey’s announcement.

Livio AI  features integrated sensors and artificial intelligence, providing what the company says is “superior sound quality and the ability to track both body and brain health.” By providing direct monitoring of physical and cognitive activity, including fall alerts and transcription features, Livio AI helps raise awareness about the connection between treating hearing loss and reducing health risks, like cognitive decline and heart disease.

Somerset hearing centre

“I’d like to thank TIME for this incredible recognition. We are humbled and proud to be on this list and in the company of other innovative companies that are truly making the world a better place,” said Starkey President Brandon Sawalich. “I’m grateful to the entire Starkey team for its relentless dedication to helping people hear better, so they can live better. Thank you for continuing to push us to break technological boundaries and transform hearing health as we know it.”

The new issue of TIME, featuring Starkey and Livio AI, goes on sale November 22.

Source: Starkey Hearing Technologies 

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New Signia hearing aids announced

Bath hearing aids, Bristol hearing aids, Frome hearing aids

Signia Introduces Xperience Platform with Motion Sensor Technology

A post by the Keynsham hearing centre

The new Pure 312 X hearing aid: a discreet personalized hearing aid with direct streaming.

The new Pure 312 X hearing aid: a discreet personalised hearing aid with direct streaming.

Signia, a brand of WS Audiology A/S, has launched Signia Xperience, a new platform that reportedly introduces the world’s first combination of advanced acoustic sensors with a built-in motion sensor. Signia Xperience hearing aids are designed to provide a complete analysis of the wearer’s dynamic soundscape, allowing for automatic adjustments between sounds in front of and all around the wearer for a personalised listening experience.

Bath hearing Company

Many hearing aid wearers have an active lifestyle and are always on the go—yet, current hearing aids don’t always keep up relative to hearing in noise. Existing hearing aids are sometimes unable to adapt to diverse listening environments as the wearer moves around. The Signia Xperience platform, built upon YourSound technology, was developed to fill this crucial gap and respond to rapid changes in the wearer’s environment.

YourSound Technology

Patricia (Tish) Ramirez, AuD

Patricia (Tish) Ramirez, AuD

With the new YourSound technology, Signia Xperience hearing aids can identify more variables from the environment than ever before and ensure they know what is important at every moment, according to the company. They also include a built-in motion sensor to take into consideration how the wearer’s movement affects their hearing in each situation. In a conversation with The Hearing Review, Signia Vice President of Clinical Education & Professional Relations Tish Ramirez, AuD, provided information about how the system can identify soundscapes in dynamic listening situations, and then intelligently apply omni-directional, directional, and narrow-band microphone technology in addition to advanced processing algorithms to improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in changing acoustic environments. For example, she described a “cocktail party” scene where a listener might wish to walk through the party and hear the “omni” environment, then stop to chat and enjoy a one-on-one conversation where narrow-band directionality might be engaged, but also benefit from detection of important noises in back (eg, a waiter asking if you need something) as the hearing aid adjusts accordingly.

Bath and Bristol hearing aids and Ear Wax Removal

In essence, the new Signia Xperience is designed to enable wearers to continuously benefit from the proper amount of frontal focus, says Dr Ramirez, while still being able to hear relevant speech from other directions, like when running in a park with friends or walking down a busy street. Although inertial sensors have been employed in other hearing aids, Dr Ramirez says this is the first time these sensors have been employed for addressing SNR, ambient modulation, own-voice features, and more, enhancing the hearing aid’s speech-in-noise performance in a wider variety of acoustic settings.

The three key features of YourSound technology are:

  • Acoustic-motion sensors for a complete analysis of each wearer’s dynamic soundscape;
  • Dynamic Soundscape Processing for natural sound and speech from any direction, in any situation—even when moving, and
  • Own Voice Processing (OVP™) for a natural sounding own voice.

YourSound technology is delivered by the powerful Signia Xperience chip. It includes 80% more transistors and 7 times the memory of the previous Signia Nx chip, while being 60% smaller. As a result, the first two hearing aids on the platform, the Pure® 312 X and the Pure® Charge&Go X, are smaller yet more powerful than their predecessors.

A New Sound and New Look for Pure 312 X

Available now, the Pure 312 X includes all the benefits of the Signia Xperience platform in a new, appealing design created in collaboration with hearing care professionals and hearing aid wearers. With long-lasting exchangeable batteries, plus an optional telecoil (available in December), this high-performing receiver-in-canal (RIC) hearing aid is said to deliver a more personal hearing experience, with a clean, ergonomic design. Pure 312 X also has Bluetooth® connectivity for effortless streaming of phone calls, music, and TV audio.

New Features for Pure Charge&Go X

Pure Charge&Go X combines all advantages of the Signia Xperience platform with lithium-ion rechargeability and full Bluetooth (BT) connectivity.

Pure Charge&Go X combines all advantages of the Signia Xperience platform with lithium-ion recharge-ability and full Bluetooth (BT) connectivity.

Bath hearing aids

Coming in November, Pure Charge&Go X is a RIC with Bluetooth connectivity that combines the advantages of the Signia Xperience platform with lithium-ion recharge-ability. With 20% more charging capacity and 16% smaller than the previous Pure Charge&Go Nx, wearers benefit from a slim device that can support a long wear time even with streaming, says Signia.

Pure Charge&Go X features a rocker switch for easier adjustments and comes with a new inductive charger with a lid to protect the hearing aids as they charge. The charger also works as a dehumidifier and is designed to fit custom ear molds.

The new charger will be backward compatible to existing rechargeable Signia devices, and also affords a 30-minute fast-charge that can give wearers 6 hours of operation.

The Signia App: Three Apps in One

The Signia app provides hearing aid wearers with everything they need for a personalized wearing experience, including remote control, remote support, and audio streaming.

The Signia app provides hearing aid wearers with everything they need for a personalised wearing experience, including remote control, remote support, and audio streaming.

Bristol Hearing aids

Along with these two new products, the Signia Xperience introduces a new app. The Signia app combines the three existing Signia apps—the myHearing app for remote telecare, touchControl app (for non-BT), and myControl app(for BT aids)— into one unified environment to meet every user’s needs, including:

  • Providing wearers with direct support from a hearing care professional;
  • Remote control so the wearer can personalise their hearing experience, and
  • Easy management of streaming accessories to fully enjoy phone calls, music, and TV.

Available in S-Demos. As with the Signia Nx, the new hearing aids will also be available for hearing care professionals in models that can be demonstrated to patients on a timed-trial basis.

Additional information about the Signia Xperience platform can be found at: https://pro.signiausa.com/signia-xperience/

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New custom hearing aids Bath

Bath hearing aids, Bristol hearing aids, Frome hearing aids

New custom hearing aids Bath

New custom hearing aids Bath, at the Keynsham hearing centre near Bristol and Bath

 

 

New custom hearing aids Bath are now available at the Keynsham hearing centre. Hearing aids have transformed the way people live and work in recent technology advances. Today hearing aids can be tailored to an individual like never before.  The days of plain analogue amplification of every noise in the room or outdoors have pretty much gone.  The latest digital hearing aids are so clever that they can in most instances only increase the level of the frequency loss and not any other frequency making the hearing aids more uncomfortable sonic wise.

Hearing aids Bath

Here at Keynsham hearing we know what how to get the best from your new hearing aids. After a comprehensive hearing test we will know what level of hearing loss you maybe experiencing.  With this knowledge we then can decide what type of hearing aid you may need to make your hearing a lot better.  Once we have this information we can then go onto tailoring the actual aid. New to the market are hearing aids that sit in the ear canal and are now more powerful in helping you hear far better than the traditional over the ear type. This is new and exciting times fro hearing aids. Stephen Neal is an expert audiologist at Keynsham and will gladly take you through the process of getting your hearing back on track.

Below is a press release explaining how the new in ear hearing aids have advanced. It’s an interesting read!

 

Please call or book an appointment with Anita on reception to start your journey back to hearing again.

 

 

Keynsham Hearing News:

 

Great Sound in Miniature: GN Hearing Introduces New Custom-crafted Hearing Aids

Published: Aug 30, 2019

Logo
Aug. 30, 2019 11:00 UTC

BALLERUP, Denmark–(BUSINESS WIRE)– GN Hearing, the global leader in hearing aid connectivity, today launched a suite of new custom-crafted hearing aids. The new portfolio packages the industry renowned ReSound LiNX Quattro™ technology – a brilliant experience with Layers of Sound, great speech intelligibility even in noisy situations, and excellent streaming – into discreet custom-crafted hearing aids. While taking up as little space as possible in the ear canal, users will benefit from an impressive listening experience.

Bath hearing aids

Great hearing is in high demand. Not only are 466 million people around the world living with disabling hearing lossi, ReSound LiNX Quattro has also seen a positive reception in the market, which has led to the launch of new custom hearing aids for this popular model. The new custom-crafted hearing aids can enrich people’s lives with all the qualities of hearing, such as socializing, learning, and working optimally. In addition, each hearing aid is designed to fit exactly to the ear canal of every individual user, using a 3D scanner and advanced personalized modelling. Sitting discreetly in the ear canal, the design can also bring extra confidence to the user.

Beristol hearing aids

ReSound LiNX Quattro is a clear number one for streaming. In an independent study, streaming music and speech from an iPhone was top-rated for ReSound LiNX Quattro compared to other hearing aidsii. Users can benefit from using the new small and discreet custom-crafted hearing aids for taking calls and streaming their favourit music and TV shows. They can also stream sound directly to the hearing aids from an iPhone with no need for intermediate devices and the hearing aids are built for direct Android™ streaming, tooiii.

“ReSound LiNX Quattro has been very well received by people with hearing loss. We are dedicated to bringing the technological benefits to more users, who prefer wearing their hearing aids discreetly in the ear canal,” said Jakob Gudbrand, President and CEO of GN Hearing. “These technological wonders in miniature are truly personalized and custom-crafted to fit each person’s hearing, yet with the brilliant experience with Layers of Sound and excellent streaming that people appreciate.”

Four new options are available: the first Completely-in-Canal (CIC) 2.4 GHz wireless hearing aid for direct streaming, high-quality In-the-Canal (ITC) and In-the-Ear (ITE) models, and the industry’s only Mic-in-Helix (MIH) hearing aid. Each custom-crafted hearing aid comes in five skin-tone colors to ensure that they are personal and discreet for every user.

Browse the ReSound customs portfolio.

The new custom-crafted hearing aids are now also available in the Beltone AmazeTM collection.

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Hearing aids available Bristol

Oticon hearing aids, Hearing aids Bristol, hearing aids Bath Somerset,

 Hearing aids available Bristol

 

Hearing aids available in Bristol by Oticon hearing

 

Hearing aids available Bristol at the Keynsham hearing centre. A new style of hearing aid is now available for the younger generation. Made by Oticon. OPN Play. These hearing aids are available at specialist children’s centres who cater for children hearing loss. Many people suffer from hearing loss and we at the Keynsham hearing centre do cater for the older generation. We also conduct hearing tests and remove ear wax by appointment. Digital hearing tests are available again by appointment. The new Oticon Opn Play are designed for children only.

Ear wax removal Bristol

Once we conduct a full spectrum hearing test we will go through the results with you to determine what hearing loss you may have and if any what type of remedy we can offer. This maybe through hearing aids or ear wax removal.

Please go here to watch our video on how we remove ear wax using Microsuction.

Hearing aids available Bristol

 

Keynsham Hearing News:

Oticon Introduces Opn Play

Oticon Opn Play

Keynsham hearing centre

Oticon announces Opn Play™, a new child-friendly hearing solution, is said to “improve speech understanding in simple and complex listening environments and provides access to multiple speakers, without reducing environmental sounds important to incidental learning and safety.” The new Velox S™platform fuels Opn Play to provide children with the best possible conditions to grow, thrive, live, and learn, according to the company.

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According to pediatric best practice guidelines, it is crucial to give children as much of the auditory environment as possible, in particular speech, to create the best opportunities for learning and language development.* Opn Play featuring OpenSound Navigator™ (OSN) helps accommodate best practice by delivering the “optimal signal-to-noise ratio across varying listening environments to constantly optimize learning opportunities.” Unlike traditional omnidirectional and directional approaches, OSN reportedly gives children the best of both worlds—“always open” access to a balanced soundscape that helps support the natural way the brain makes sense of sound, even in difficult listening environments.

A study at Boys Town National Research Hospital with children ages 6-15 reported that OSN offered an average of 4 dB SNR improvement in speech recognition (up to 30%) whether the child faced the speaker directly or faced away. The same study found that OSN preserves competing speech to allow access to multiple talkers, supporting incidental learning for children.

“Young children naturally learn a tremendous amount from overhearing or incidental listening, but children with hearing loss have fewer opportunities to learn by overhearing, especially when they are not looking directly at the talker,” said Maureen Doty Tomasula, AuD, senior product & marketing manager, Oticon Pediatrics. “The ability of OpenSound Navigator to preserve speech coming from different locations allows access to other talkers in the background, which is fundamental to incidental learning in school-age children.”

In a separate study of listening effort for children, researchers at VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam found that OSN improves speech understanding by up to 5 dB SNR with less perceived effort compared to traditional omnidirectional technology.**

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Powered by the new Velox S platform, Opn Play reportedly analyzes sound at 56,000 times/second to give children access to speech details with “more natural sound and increased comfort,” according to Oticon.  OpenSound Optimizer™, a new technology in Opn Play, uses “ultra-fast” detectors and a patented breaker signal to proactively manage feedback, even before it occurs. Hearing care professionals can now fit children with up to 6 dB more gain, helping to allow more stable gain for closed fittings and more open fittings. This helps enable Opn Play to provide the brain with up to 25% more speech cues, without the risk of feedback.***  The new technology helps ensure stable access to speech details to support better language development and is said to allow children to play, hug, interact, and wear hats and helmets without feedback.

Easy Connectivity at School and Home

Opn Play offers compatibility with existing classroom solutions. A new option—Opn Play plus Oticon ConnectClip—can enhance incidental listening and communication between parents and children with hearing loss, especially when there is distance or noise present, such as when riding in the car, at the playground, or in a stroller. ConnectClip helps make it easy for children to stay connected to the most important speakers in their lives, parents, friends, teachers, and coaches. Opn Play is Made for iPhone® and connects with smartphones, laptops and other Bluetooth®-enabled devices. 

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The Opn Play miniRITE R offers a rechargeable lithium-ion solution in a “discreet design,” helping to eliminate the hassle of handling and replacing batteries every few days. The charger features a stable magnetic connection and is said to deliver a full day of power, including streaming, with an overnight charge.

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The Oticon Opn Play family is available in fitting ranges from mild to severe across all styles and in an array of kid-friendly colors. For more information about the entire Oticon Opn Play family, visit: www.oticon.com/opn-play.

* American Academy of Audiology (AAA) Clinical Practice Guidelines Pediatric Amplification June 2013
** Ng E, Goverts T, et al. (2019). Oticon Whitepaper.

*** Speech Intelligibility Index. ANSI S3.5.

Source: Oticon

Image: Oticon 

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