A Run Down Of All The Latest Hearing Aid Introductions

Unitron

Stride M R Hearing Aids

A Rechargeable BTE

Unitron have rounded out their rechargeable offerings with a new rechargeable BTE, the Stride M R. It is their first ever rechargeable behind the ear hearing aid. here is what they said.

Wearers simply charge the hearing instrument overnight, for just 5 – 7 hours, and the hearing instrument is ready to perform for a full 24 hours, including 90 minutes of streaming or 16 hours of continuous streaming. Because hearing happens around the clock, Stride M R offers wearers the flexibility to swap rechargeable battery cells with traditional zinc-air batteries at any time, ensuring patients will never run out of charge.

It appears that the new rechargeable runs on Silver Zinc rechargeable batteries and a similar charger to their Moxi. It also looks like they have made sure there is an auto on feature when you take the hearing aids out of the charger. Something that many users will welcome. The system that Unitron picked is a pretty good all round rechargeable system. It offers some pretty serious running time and also the benefit of being able to shove disposable batteries in when you forget to charge. 

It is early yet, but we believe the hearing aids should be available in most of their levels of technology. As we receive more information, we will update you. 

Unitron

Insera Hearing Aids

Unitron have now introduced the custom in the ear hearing aid range on their new Tempus Chipset. Like their sister company Phonak, the Insera hearing aids will use Biometric Calibration, which take your individual ear anatomy and hearing needs into account.

They say that they will identify over 1600 biometric data points in and on your ear, and the unique calibration settings are calculated for each Insera hearing aid. In this way, the hearing aids are able to more reliably sense where sound is coming from, thereby giving you access to better hearing performance.

They say that the new process will deliver a 2dB signal to noise ratio improvement. Basically means it will make the signal (what you want to listen to) 2dB higher than the noise. While 2dB doesn't sound like much, but combined with all the other strategies that Unitron use it should deliver some real improvement. The Insera will be available in six models to match your hearing needs and in all of their usual levels of technolgy

Resound

LiNX 3D LT61 DRWZ

The new addition to the LiNX 3D range is a completely new form factor and is similar in size if a little different from their existing LT61. The device is officially designated the LT61-DRWZ and it runs on a 312 rechargeable battery which is supplied by Z Power as is the recharging cradle technology. That means there should be plenty of power for a full day of use even if you are streaming audio and taking phone calls. The device is expected to available on the market in September.We would expect the prices to be similar to the LiNX 3D prices.

The device will be available in the three levels of technology, the 9, the 7 and the 5. They will also have the full feature set and will have access to the remote fine tuning option. I said earlier this year that I expected Resound to introduce a rechargeable option, however, I didn't expect them to introduce a completely new model. The device is pretty neat, close to the size of the LT61 just with a slightly different shape. 

Phonak

Audeo B-Direct

Phonak Delivers Made For Any Phone

Phonak have just introduced a device called the Audeo B-Direct. It is a revolutionary hearing aid that changes wireless connection to a mobile phone forever. The Audeo B-Direct connects to any Bluetooth® enabled mobile phone, directly without a streamer. Even better, it offers true hands free calling. As it supports the classic Bluetooth protocol, it provides direct connectivity to cell phones – including AndroidTM, iPhone® and even classic cell phones – with no extra body-worn streaming device required.

True hands-free calling is now a reality

The hearing aids offer real hands-free voice calling. The wearer can answer or reject a phone call by simply pressing the push button on their hearing aid. The ringing of the phone is heard through the hearing aids and once the call is accepted, the conversation is instantly streamed. You don’t even need to pick up your phone. Your voice is picked up by the hearing aid’s intelligent microphone network and transmitted to the other caller similar to a wireless headset. 

Three levels of technology

The new device will be available in three levels of technology, the 90, the 70 and the 50, so no entry level device this time around. Although that was to be expected based on the introduction of the rechargeable devices.

The device uses a size thirteen battery and Phonak reports some excellent battery life figures. They say that the battery should last for six days with one hour of phone use and 3 hours of TV per day. That isn’t bad, I would say though real world experience will vary, some people like to talk more and watch a lot more TV. Even though the device is a size thirteen, it isn't actually much bigger than their Audeo B 312.

New Accompanying App

There is a new app to go with the devices for smart phones; the app offers the typical features you would expect.

Volume adjustment, programme changes, you can also rename the programmes to make them easier to remember. The app will show a list of the available audio sources and allow the user to control the balance of audio when streaming.

Phonak

Virto B Hearing Aids

Meet The New Phonak Virto B Range

Phonak have now introduced the full range of their new Virto B in the ear products. They say that they are custom-made to perfectly fit in your ear, Phonak Virto B are the world’s first hearing aids with Biometric Calibration, which take your individual ear anatomy and hearing needs into account. That's an interesting description.

They say that they will identify over 1600 biometric data points in and on your ear, and the unique calibration settings are calculated for each Virto B hearing aid. In this way, Virto B is able to more reliably sense where sound is coming from, thereby giving you access to better hearing performance.

What does that all mean? Well, we think that Phonak are the first ever hearing aid manufacturer to carefully map the outer ear to take advantage of its natural abilities. They say that the new process will deliver a 2dB signal to noise ratio improvement. Basically means it will make the signal (what you want to listen to) 2dB higher than the noise.

Four Levels of Technology

2dB doesn't sound like much, but combined with all the other strategies that Phonak use it will be a marked improvement. Phonak Virto B is available in six models to match your hearing needs. The Virto B-10 NW O, Virto B-10 O, virto B-10, Virto B-312 NW O, Virto B-312 and the Virto B13. It is also available in the usual four levels of technology, the 90, 70, 50 and 30. That means that Phonak custom hearing aids are now all available with their Belong platform. 

If you have any questions about hearing loss, hearing care or hearing aids in Edinburgh or Gullane, don't hesitate to give us a call or book an appointment online.