If you have been researching hearing aids recently, you may have noticed something unusual: almost every major hearing aid manufacturer seems to have launched something new at the same time.
Phonak has introduced its new Audéo EON range, Oticon has launched Reveal, Signia has introduced its new MaX platform, Widex has expanded Allure with Allure AI, and ReSound has recently introduced its new premium Sensia range.
And there is one word appearing almost everywhere:
AI.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming one of the biggest developments in modern hearing technology. Manufacturers are using increasingly sophisticated processing to analyse the sounds around us, identify speech, understand different listening environments and decide what the hearing aid should prioritise.
But with so many new hearing aids arriving within such a short period, there is an obvious question:
Which one is the best?
The answer may surprise you.
There isn't one hearing aid that is automatically the best for everybody.
Each manufacturer approaches hearing differently, and the right technology depends much more on your hearing loss, your ability to understand speech, the environments you struggle in and your lifestyle than simply choosing the newest hearing aid on the market.
Let's look at what some of the latest technology is trying to achieve.
Phonak Audéo EON – AI Clarity That Adapts Around You
Phonak's latest generation is the Audéo EON family, which includes Audéo EON R and Audéo EON Sphere.
EON uses AI-driven sound processing to continually analyse the listening environment and adapt automatically as the surroundings change. Phonak's new AutoSenseOS AI 8.0 is designed to classify listening situations and adjust the hearing aids without the wearer having to constantly change programmes.
The flagship Audéo EON Sphere takes this further with Spheric Speech Clarity 3.0, powered by Phonak's new HYPERSONIC chip. The aim is to separate speech from surrounding noise in real time, helping conversations stand out even when sound is coming from several directions.
Phonak has also strengthened connectivity. The EON family retains its broad compatibility with Bluetooth-enabled smartphones while adding Auracast broadcast audio, making it suitable for the next generation of public and shared wireless audio systems.
For somebody whose biggest difficulty is understanding conversation in busy restaurants, social gatherings, meetings or other challenging environments, EON Sphere's speech-in-noise technology could be particularly interesting.
Oticon Reveal – Two AI Systems Working Together
Oticon Reveal takes a slightly different approach.
Reveal uses what Oticon describes as a Dual AI system. One part concentrates on providing access to speech while another analyses and preserves important sounds from the surrounding environment.
The philosophy behind this is important.
Rather than attempting to remove everything except the person speaking, Oticon's BrainHearing approach aims to provide the brain with a richer representation of the whole sound environment, while still making speech accessible.
For some listeners, preserving that broader and more natural soundscape can be just as important as strong noise reduction.
Signia Pure Charge&Go MaX – Understanding the Conversation Around You
Signia's new Multi-adaptive Xperience, or MaX, brings another interpretation of AI hearing technology.
Its Acoustic Intelligence system combines several AI-driven processes designed to understand different parts of the listening environment.
One particularly interesting feature is RealTime Conversation Enhancement AI, which is designed to track and enhance several conversation partners during changing group conversations.
Signia also combines this with Own Voice Processing AI, Ambient Scene Adaptation AI and Dynamic Noise Control AI. In simple terms, the hearing aids are continually trying to understand the people speaking, the surrounding environment, background noise and even the wearer's own voice.
That may make MaX particularly interesting for somebody whose daily life involves meetings, restaurants, family gatherings or conversations involving several people.
Widex Allure AI – Natural Sound With Extra Help When You Need It
Widex has traditionally placed considerable emphasis on producing a natural listening experience, and the latest Allure AI continues that philosophy.
The new Widex Allure AI combines the Allure platform with intelligent personalisation and additional support for more difficult listening situations.
AI-assisted tools can help personalise the hearing-aid settings around particular environments and individual listening preferences.
For people who place particular importance on sound quality, music and maintaining a natural perception of their surroundings, Widex remains an interesting option.
ReSound Sensia – AI That Works Out What You Want to Hear
ReSound's latest premium generation is ReSound Sensia.
Sensia combines AI processing with environmental classification, directional microphone technology and advanced noise reduction.
One of ReSound's aims is to avoid simply assuming that the loudest person is necessarily the person you want to hear. Instead, the technology considers the listening environment and the direction you are naturally focusing towards to help prioritise relevant speech.
For somebody who regularly moves between complex social environments, this type of adaptive processing may be particularly useful.
So Which Hearing Aid Is Best?
This is where hearing care becomes more important than hearing-aid marketing.
If five people have hearing loss, they may need five completely different solutions.
One person may hear relatively well in quiet but have significant difficulty separating speech from background noise.
Another may have excellent speech discrimination but need more high-frequency information.
Another may need considerable power.
Someone else may have troublesome tinnitus.
One person may spend most of their time having one-to-one conversations, while another attends meetings, restaurants and social events several times every week.
These people shouldn't automatically be fitted with the same hearing aid simply because one particular product happens to be the newest.
Your hearing test is only the beginning
A good hearing assessment should tell us much more than simply how loud a sound needs to be before you hear it.
We also need to understand:
- how clearly you understand speech
- how much difficulty you experience when background noise is introduced
- whether one ear performs differently from the other
- how much amplification you require
- your comfortable listening levels
- the environments in which you need the most help
- and what you actually want to achieve from hearing aids.
This is why two people with audiograms that look surprisingly similar can have completely different experiences with hearing aids.
AI Is Impressive – But It Cannot Replace a Good Hearing Assessment
The technology inside today's hearing aids is extraordinary.
A modern hearing aid can analyse the acoustic environment, distinguish between speech and noise, identify changing conversations and automatically alter its processing as you move between listening situations.
But there is something it cannot determine on its own:
What matters to you.
A computer chip doesn't know that hearing your grandchildren around the dinner table is your biggest priority.
It doesn't know that you attend a busy pub every Friday.
It doesn't know that music is particularly important to you.
And it doesn't automatically know how well your auditory system can process speech when noise is introduced.
That information comes from a detailed hearing assessment and a proper conversation with your audiologist.
The Audiologist Matters Just as Much as the Hearing Aid
With so much emphasis on AI, specifications and new product launches, it is easy to start thinking of hearing aids in the same way we think about smartphones.
But hearing aids are different.
They are medical devices that need to be selected, programmed, verified and fine-tuned for an individual person.
The same premium hearing aid can provide two people with very different results depending on how appropriately it has been selected and fitted.
Good hearing care therefore involves much more than simply choosing a brand.
It involves understanding your hearing loss, carrying out appropriate speech and speech-in-noise testing, discussing your lifestyle, selecting suitable technology and then verifying that the hearing aids are actually delivering the amplification your ears require.
That is also why Real Ear Measurement and ongoing fine-tuning are so important.
Don't Choose a Hearing Aid From a Specification Sheet
The recent surge in hearing-aid innovation is genuinely exciting.
Phonak, Oticon, Signia, Widex and ReSound — see our hearing aid range — are all approaching the challenges of hearing loss from slightly different directions.
Phonak is using adaptive AI and, with EON Sphere, powerful real-time speech-from-noise processing.
Oticon is using AI to balance speech with awareness of the wider sound environment.
Signia is concentrating heavily on changing group conversations and multiple speakers.
Widex continues to combine intelligent processing with its emphasis on natural sound.
ReSound is using AI to analyse the listening environment and help prioritise relevant speech.
So, which approach is best?
The one that works best for your ears and your life.
And sometimes the only reliable way of discovering that is not by reading another specification sheet.
It is by trying the hearing aids in the situations where you actually need them.
At Premium Care Hearing, we believe hearing technology should be selected around the individual rather than choosing the individual around the technology.
We assess your hearing, speech understanding and real-world listening difficulties before discussing which technology may suit you. And where appropriate, we believe you should experience the hearing aids in your own everyday environment before making your final decision.
Because ultimately, the question isn't:
“What is the best hearing aid?”
The better question is:
“What is the best hearing aid for me?”