Best Hearing Aids of 2015
Year of the Hearable
Dubbed by Entrepreneur magazine as “Year of the Hearable,” 2015 was a banner year for hearing aids. Beginning in January 2015, at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), a number of international hearing aid manufacturers introduced their newest models of hearing aids. This year’s hearing aids are faster, more powerful, and smarter than ever before, enabling wearers to connect wirelessly and seamlessly, with a richer listening experience with high-quality, clearer sound.
Starkey – Halo Made for iPhone
Born and bred in the United States, the Starkey Halo Made for iPhone hearing aid received the Edison Award Silver Prize in 2015 for its design and innovation. The Halo is equipped with directional microphones and sound reduction programming that filters out background noise, giving wearers a more comfortable listening experience in challenging noise situations. With features such as feedback cancellation and high-frequency audibility, the Halo treats hearing loss of mild to severe degrees. The Halo is designed specifically to connect to iPhones, which wirelessly streams phone calls, FaceTime, music, and media directly to the hearing aid, for an unfettered listening experience. Halo is available in receiver-in-canal and behind-the-ear styles.
Siemens – binax hearing aids
Recipient of the Edison Gold Award in 2015, the Siemens binax hearing aid is the world’s first hearing aid that outperforms normal hearing in challenging noise situations. Simulating the experience of natural, binaural hearing with a network of eight microphones, through the technology named e2e, the binax is an incredibly powerful hearing aid that performs well in a range of environments. The sound quality of the binax is crystal clear with the High Definition Sound Resolution feature. The binax connects to iPhone and Android devices, giving wearers ease of access through the easyTek app. Through this app, wearers are able to control the directionality of the microphones. The binax also connects to home entertainment systems to provide a seamless listening experience. Siemens binax hearing aids are available in receiver-in-canal and behind-the-ear styles, as well as tinnitus therapies.
GN ReSound – LiNX2
This year, the Danish manufacturer ReSound introduced the new and improved LiNX2, a made for iPhone hearing aid with smart hearing technology. The LiNX2 builds on the successes of its predecessor, the LiNX, giving wearers a natural hearing experience with their features: Surround Sound, Spatial Sense, and Binaural Directionality II. The LiNX2 utilizes wireless connection to the smart phone to allow wearers control over program functions and volume. Additionally, wearers are able to stream phone calls and FaceTime, as well as music and media, directly to their hearing aids through a wireless connection. Perhaps the LiNX2’s greatest innovation is the ability to geo-tag locations, storing wearer preferences in specific locations and automatically adjusting to preferred volumes and levels when returning to that location. The LiNX2 is available in a wide range of styles, from completely-in-canal to in-the-ear to receiver-in-canal to behind-the-ear.
Oticon – Inium Sense and BrainHearing Technologies
Based on the research that hearing happens in the brain, Oticon’s hearing aids are equipped with BrainHearing technology, which received a boost this year with its new Inium Sense sound processing platform, available in new hearing aid models Alta2, Nera2, and Ria2. The Inium Sense platform processes sound 30% faster than previous models, which in turn delivers a faster, clearer sound signal for the brain to process. Oticon has also equipped these new hearing aid models with Voice Aligned Compression (VAC+) and Soft Speech Booster, which helps wearers recognize speech in varying volumes. Oticon hearing aids increase sound perception and empower cognitive ability. They also treat tinnitus with their updated Tinnitus SoundSupport software which provides sound therapies (ocean-sounds and broadband sounds). These new models are available in behind-the-ear and receiver-in-canal styles, and have a high degree of water resistance.