Hearing Aid Technology 2014

Hearing Aid Technology 2014

It wasn’t all that long ago that hearing aids were simply amplification devices with little in the way of advanced technology. But with researchers discovering more about the way we hear, the year of 2014 set a new standard for the hearing aid industry. This year, hearing aids designed to integrate into our daily lives took center stage, with devices that are more lifestyle-friendly and intuitive than ever before. These are the advancements and new technologies that proved the most exciting this year.


Waterproof/Water Resistant

Waterproof and water-resistant hearing aids are part of a new wave of lifestyle-friendly devices. These aids are capable of still operating even after being submerged in water or exposed to sweat. This means that waterproof and water resistant devices can be used in a pool, during strenuous exercise or in heavy rain. Part of a new trend of tough and durable hearing aids, waterproof and water resistant aids have set the standard for aids that are designed for our lifestyles.

Siemens Aquaris

Siemens Aquaris’ best feature is certainly its waterproof casing, which makes it the perfect hearing aid for swimming, walks in the rain and for active wearers. But while the Aquaris might be best known for its waterproof features, it’s also one of the most durable aids on the market – with both shockproof and dustproof features, too. That means that the Siemens Aquaris is not just tough in water, but tough in nearly every outdoor activity – and perfect for active wearers who don’t want a hearing aid to slow them down.

Phonak Naida

Although not completely waterproof like the Siemens Aquaris, the Phonak Naida is designed for highly active wearers who need a hearing aid that can handle exposure to humidity, sweat, dust, etc.  That means that Phonak Naida has a water-resistant and dustproof casing that makes it tougher and more durable than its competitors. But along with tougher design, the Naida hearing aid also comes with highly advanced sound technology for better hearing in speech and over distances. This is perfect for wearers that want a durable hearing aid that can help them hear in more difficult and demanding sound environments – especially outside.


Frequency Compression

Frequency compression is one of the most ground-breaking technologies behind better hearing. Rather than simply amplifying sound, frequency compression is designed for aid wearers that have difficulty hearing high frequency sounds. Hearing aids with frequency compression technology “listen” for these high frequency sounds, and then translate them into lower frequency sounds that an aid wearer can hear more easily. While this changes the sound slightly, it also means that a wearer can finally perceive sounds they couldn’t before. For people who suffer from more severe or complex hearing loss, frequency compression is game-changing technology.

Phonak SoundRecover

Just like its name suggests, the Phonak SoundRecover is capable of hearing, translating and amplifying sounds that a wearer would otherwise miss. With a highly advanced algorithm that’s designed to pick up sounds key for understanding in speech, the SoundRecover hearing aid creates a richer and more extensive sound picture for people who have particular difficulty with those higher frequencies. But with even more technology to limit distortion and feedback in the sound it amplifies, the Phonak SoundRecover has some of the clearest sound available for high frequency hearing loss on the market.

Starkey iQ

The Starkey iQ is aptly named, since its frequency compression technology also comes with “smart” features that make it a highly intuitive hearing aid. Not only can the Starkey iQ pick up those high frequency sounds a wearer might miss, it also has learning technology that uses logged information about manual adjustments made in certain sound environments. Eventually, the Starkey iQ can make automatic adjustments in similar environments, based on information it has logged. This means that the Starkey iQ can start to anticipate the changes a wearer would make in particularly loud or quiet environments, and automatically change those settings.


Rechargeable Batteries

Traditional hearing aids require new batteries on a regular basis to continue operating. With rechargeable batteries, hearing aid wearers can avoid the annoyance of continuous battery replacements and instead, simply plug their hearing aids into specialized “docks” to charge. So, just like our laptops and phones, rechargeable hearing aids can easily be recharged every night before use the next day. These lower maintenance aids means wearers can enjoy better hearing with a lot less hassle.

Siemens eCharger

The Siemens eCharger is a made-for-hearing-aids charging dock that makes charging aid batteries as easy as plugging in a cell phone. With a stylish and slim compartment with specialized slots for hearing aids, the Siemens eCharger is the faster and more convenient alternative for replacing batteries entirely.


Made for iPhone Technology

It’s no surprise that with the rise of smart phones and iPhones® comes the “Made for iPhone®” hearing aid, designed to work with the devices we use every day. Unlike other hearing aids which rely on settings adjustments via a hearing specialist or automatic changes, “Made for iPhone®” hearing aids come with special iPhone® apps that can make adjustments to a hearing aid’s levels with the touch of a button. This puts more control into the hands of a wearer for a hearing aid that is more customizable than other, less advanced aids. Plus, “Made for iPhone®” hearing aids can work like Bluetooth headphones with phone calls and music played from an iPhone® streamed directly to the aids. This means that phone calls and music that would otherwise be difficult to hear are incredibly clear and easily audible.

ReSound LiNX

The ReSound LiNX was one of the first Made for iPhone® hearing aids on the market, and thus has some of the best iPhone® technology in the business. Not only can the LiNX connect with an iPhone® to adjust sound settings via an app, the LiNX can also use the iPhone® as its hearing aid by streaming sound picked up via its microphone directly to the hearing aids. Like much more advanced Bluetooth headphones, ReSound LiNX hearing aids are great for wearers that use their iPhone® for almost everything else.

Starkey Halo

Starkey Halo also has a connected iPhone® app called the TruLink app, which allows a wearer to make small adjustments to sound levels for a more personalized hearing experience. But alongside its app and Bluetooth connection to the iPhone® for sound streaming, Starkey Halo also has a geotagging function. This allows the Halo to make automatic adjustments to hearing settings that have been set for a particular location. Just like Google Maps, it uses a geo-tag to log where that location is, so that a wearer never has to make adjustments manually.


Extended Frequency Range

Just like our ears, hearing aids are designed to pick up the many sounds we hear every day. But the sounds our ears are designed to perceive aren’t all the same – sounds range in frequency, which means that some are higher than others. In speech especially, high frequency sounds are important for perception and understanding, but hearing aids rely on their “frequency range” to hear and amplify sounds that are higher frequency. New hearing aids have much wider frequency ranges so that they can perceive high sounds that other hearing aids cannot pick up and amplify. For hearing aid wearers, this means a better sound picture and better understanding in speech, since extended frequency range hearing aids are as close to our actual ears in their ability to hear sound.

Oticon Inium Platform

The Oticon Inium Platform isn’t a hearing aid, but a processing platform with highly advanced processing technology that allows it to perceive and amplify much higher frequencies than ever before. The Inium Platform is designed to help a wearer hear even more by working with the way that our brains perceive sound. By providing the clearest sounds for the brain to decode up to 12,000Hz, the Inium platform makes it easier for a wearer to hear the entire sound picture that their ears are designed to perceive.

Siemens Micon

Siemens Micon technology is designed to create rich, clear sound that perceives the entire range of frequencies. By picking up sound frequencies up to 12,000Hz, the Siemens Micon platform can translate sound that many hearing aids can’t pick up, which can have enormous impacts on clarity in speech cues and sounds. Just like the Oticon Inium platform, Micon technology is designed with our brain’s functionality in mind, and creates the clearest possible sounds for our brain to decode.


We welcome you to contact us to schedule an appointment with one of our licensed

hearing professionals.

Lifestyle Hearing Solutions

Hearing Aid Technology 2014

Tucson, AZ 85710

(520) 323-0099