In an article we undertook quite a while ago called “Nano Hearing Aids, An Outrageous Hearing Aids Rip Off Site, nanohearingaids.com”, we explained why the devices from nanohearingaids.com were an outrageous rip-off and pointed out the blatant lies that they tell consumers. Anyway, we pointed out that those Nano CIC hearing aids looked just like cheap Alibaba amplifiers that could be bought for around thirty dollars. Dr Cliff Olson a highly respected Doctor of Audiology who provides hearing care and hearing aids in Phoenix, Arizona went one better. He got his hands on both the Nano CIC and the cheap Alibaba amplifier. He ran a load of diagnostics on the devices and surprise, surprise, they are almost identical. Let’s talk about what he found out and the video he undertook.

Who is Dr Cliff?

First of all, let me tell you who Cliff Olson is and why his opinion matters and can be trusted implicitly. Cliff has dedicated himself to producing high-quality educational videos which allow consumers to be informed about hearing aids and hearing care. His Youtube channel is by now famous and he has over 27,000 subscribers. His videos get thousands of views. Cliff knows what he is doing and he prides himself on giving clear unbiased info.

What Did He Do?

So Cliff ordered the two separate devices from Nano and Alibaba. When they turned up, he did a physical comparison between the devices. In essence, apart from the branding, the two devices were exactly the same. More than that though, they were both packaged with an accessory pack that was exactly the same right down to the little screwdriver to turn the volume control. But hey, that could simply be a coincidence, you know, these things happen. Sometimes if it walks like a duck, looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a swan in disguise right? Well, no, actually, it’s usually a duck.

Electro-Acoustic Testing

Cliff undertook electroacoustic testing of the device using an industry standard testing device (hearing industry). What he found out was fascinating. The Otometrics hearing instrument test box allows us to measure the Diagnostics of hearing aids with an extremely high level of accuracy by doing a diagnostic test.  With the equipment, Cliff could directly compare the output of the Nano hearing aids with the Alibaba amplifiers in a very controlled environment that eliminates variability of measurement. 

He ran the Nano hearing aid through the diagnostic testing sequence first and he found that he couldn’t complete the full usual set of tests because the volume control on the Nano hearing aid was only set for two levels of volume, minimum and maximum, there was no in-between. It seems that even though the Nano devices have volume wheels they only have two volume settings maximum volume and minimum volume no matter how much he adjusted the volume wheel.

After completing the testing with the Nano hearing aid he undertook the test sequence with the Alibaba amplifier There was a striking similarity between the results of the Nano devices and the Alibaba devices right down to the exact same issues with the volume control occurred with the Alibaba devices just like they did with the nanos. The finished output comparison between the nano devices and the Alibaba devices showed the numbers are almost identical almost as if he was testing the exact same device. Imagine that?!

Performance in The Ear

Cliff, not being one for half measures then used a real ear testing device to see how both the Nano devices and the Alibaba devices actually worked in the ear. Yes, you guessed it, exactly the same, identical performance from both. However, we learned a rather worrying thing from this test. Cliff set the targets for a normal sloping to moderate sensorineural hearing loss which is a very easy type of hearing loss prescription to match. He found that the outputs from both devices set to low volume just didn’t match the targets needed. Even worse, the ouputs on the maximum volume could in fact further damage someone’s hearing.

Cliff Olson finished off his video by saying that he couldn’t advise anyone to even try either of the devices. He, like us is an unbiased source of information who is simply concerned that consumers get good solid easy to understand information. While it is difficult to say that these devices are the same device without deeper investigation, the simple fact is this:

• Same crap build quality
• Same volume wheel functionality
• Same crap sound
• Exactly the same electro-accoustic characteristics
• Exactly the same output curves in the ear

In an article we undertook quite a while ago called “Nano Hearing Aids, An Outrageous Hearing Aids Rip Off Site, nanohearingaids.com”, we explained why the devices from nanohearingaids.com were an outrageous rip-off and pointed out the blatant lies that they tell consumers. Anyway, we pointed out that those Nano CIC hearing aids looked just like cheap Alibaba amplifiers that could be bought for around thirty dollars. Dr Cliff Olson a highly respected Doctor of Audiology who provides hearing care and hearing aids in Phoenix, Arizona went one better. He got his hands on both the Nano CIC and the cheap Alibaba amplifier. He ran a load of diagnostics on the devices and surprise, surprise, they are almost identical. Let’s talk about what he found out and the video he undertook.

Who is Dr Cliff?

First of all, let me tell you who Cliff Olson is and why his opinion matters and can be trusted implicitly. Cliff has dedicated himself to producing high-quality educational videos which allow consumers to be informed about hearing aids and hearing care. His Youtube channel is by now famous and he has over 27,000 subscribers. His videos get thousands of views. Cliff knows what he is doing and he prides himself on giving clear unbiased info.

What Did He Do?

So Cliff ordered the two separate devices from Nano and Alibaba. When they turned up, he did a physical comparison between the devices. In essence, apart from the branding, the two devices were exactly the same. More than that though, they were both packaged with an accessory pack that was exactly the same right down to the little screwdriver to turn the volume control. But hey, that could simply be a coincidence, you know, these things happen. Sometimes if it walks like a duck, looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a swan in disguise right? Well, no, actually, it’s usually a duck.

Electro-Acoustic Testing

Cliff undertook electroacoustic testing of the device using an industry standard testing device (hearing industry). What he found out was fascinating. The Otometrics hearing instrument test box allows us to measure the Diagnostics of hearing aids with an extremely high level of accuracy by doing a diagnostic test.  With the equipment, Cliff could directly compare the output of the Nano hearing aids with the Alibaba amplifiers in a very controlled environment that eliminates variability of measurement. 

He ran the Nano hearing aid through the diagnostic testing sequence first and he found that he couldn’t complete the full usual set of tests because the volume control on the Nano hearing aid was only set for two levels of volume, minimum and maximum, there was no in-between. It seems that even though the Nano devices have volume wheels they only have two volume settings maximum volume and minimum volume no matter how much he adjusted the volume wheel.

After completing the testing with the Nano hearing aid he undertook the test sequence with the Alibaba amplifier There was a striking similarity between the results of the Nano devices and the Alibaba devices right down to the exact same issues with the volume control occurred with the Alibaba devices just like they did with the nanos. The finished output comparison between the nano devices and the Alibaba devices showed the numbers are almost identical almost as if he was testing the exact same device. Imagine that?!

Performance in The Ear

Cliff, not being one for half measures then used a real ear testing device to see how both the Nano devices and the Alibaba devices actually worked in the ear. Yes, you guessed it, exactly the same, identical performance from both. However, we learned a rather worrying thing from this test. Cliff set the targets for a normal sloping to moderate sensorineural hearing loss which is a very easy type of hearing loss prescription to match. He found that the outputs from both devices set to low volume just didn’t match the targets needed. Even worse, the ouputs on the maximum volume could in fact further damage someone’s hearing.

Cliff Olson finished off his video by saying that he couldn’t advise anyone to even try either of the devices. He, like us is an unbiased source of information who is simply concerned that consumers get good solid easy to understand information. While it is difficult to say that these devices are the same device without deeper investigation, the simple fact is this:

• Same crap build quality
• Same volume wheel functionality
• Same crap sound
• Exactly the same electro-accoustic characteristics
• Exactly the same output curves in the ear

In an article we undertook quite a while ago called “Nano Hearing Aids, An Outrageous Hearing Aids Rip Off Site, nanohearingaids.com”, we explained why the devices from nanohearingaids.com were an outrageous rip-off and pointed out the blatant lies that they tell consumers. Anyway, we pointed out that those Nano CIC hearing aids looked just like cheap Alibaba amplifiers that could be bought for around thirty dollars. Dr Cliff Olson a highly respected Doctor of Audiology who provides hearing care and hearing aids in Phoenix, Arizona went one better. He got his hands on both the Nano CIC and the cheap Alibaba amplifier. He ran a load of diagnostics on the devices and surprise, surprise, they are almost identical. Let’s talk about what he found out and the video he undertook.

Who is Dr Cliff?

First of all, let me tell you who Cliff Olson is and why his opinion matters and can be trusted implicitly. Cliff has dedicated himself to producing high-quality educational videos which allow consumers to be informed about hearing aids and hearing care. His Youtube channel is by now famous and he has over 27,000 subscribers. His videos get thousands of views. Cliff knows what he is doing and he prides himself on giving clear unbiased info.

What Did He Do?

So Cliff ordered the two separate devices from Nano and Alibaba. When they turned up, he did a physical comparison between the devices. In essence, apart from the branding, the two devices were exactly the same. More than that though, they were both packaged with an accessory pack that was exactly the same right down to the little screwdriver to turn the volume control. But hey, that could simply be a coincidence, you know, these things happen. Sometimes if it walks like a duck, looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a swan in disguise right? Well, no, actually, it’s usually a duck.

Electro-Acoustic Testing

Cliff undertook electroacoustic testing of the device using an industry standard testing device (hearing industry). What he found out was fascinating. The Otometrics hearing instrument test box allows us to measure the Diagnostics of hearing aids with an extremely high level of accuracy by doing a diagnostic test.  With the equipment, Cliff could directly compare the output of the Nano hearing aids with the Alibaba amplifiers in a very controlled environment that eliminates variability of measurement. 

He ran the Nano hearing aid through the diagnostic testing sequence first and he found that he couldn’t complete the full usual set of tests because the volume control on the Nano hearing aid was only set for two levels of volume, minimum and maximum, there was no in-between. It seems that even though the Nano devices have volume wheels they only have two volume settings maximum volume and minimum volume no matter how much he adjusted the volume wheel.

After completing the testing with the Nano hearing aid he undertook the test sequence with the Alibaba amplifier There was a striking similarity between the results of the Nano devices and the Alibaba devices right down to the exact same issues with the volume control occurred with the Alibaba devices just like they did with the nanos. The finished output comparison between the nano devices and the Alibaba devices showed the numbers are almost identical almost as if he was testing the exact same device. Imagine that?!

Performance in The Ear

Cliff, not being one for half measures then used a real ear testing device to see how both the Nano devices and the Alibaba devices actually worked in the ear. Yes, you guessed it, exactly the same, identical performance from both. However, we learned a rather worrying thing from this test. Cliff set the targets for a normal sloping to moderate sensorineural hearing loss which is a very easy type of hearing loss prescription to match. He found that the outputs from both devices set to low volume just didn’t match the targets needed. Even worse, the ouputs on the maximum volume could in fact further damage someone’s hearing.

Cliff Olson finished off his video by saying that he couldn’t advise anyone to even try either of the devices. He, like us is an unbiased source of information who is simply concerned that consumers get good solid easy to understand information. While it is difficult to say that these devices are the same device without deeper investigation, the simple fact is this:

• Same crap build quality
• Same volume wheel functionality
• Same crap sound
• Exactly the same electro-accoustic characteristics
• Exactly the same output curves in the ear

In an article we undertook quite a while ago called “Nano Hearing Aids, An Outrageous Hearing Aids Rip Off Site, nanohearingaids.com”, we explained why the devices from nanohearingaids.com were an outrageous rip-off and pointed out the blatant lies that they tell consumers. Anyway, we pointed out that those Nano CIC hearing aids looked just like cheap Alibaba amplifiers that could be bought for around thirty dollars. Dr Cliff Olson a highly respected Doctor of Audiology who provides hearing care and hearing aids in Phoenix, Arizona went one better. He got his hands on both the Nano CIC and the cheap Alibaba amplifier. He ran a load of diagnostics on the devices and surprise, surprise, they are almost identical. Let’s talk about what he found out and the video he undertook.

Who is Dr Cliff?

First of all, let me tell you who Cliff Olson is and why his opinion matters and can be trusted implicitly. Cliff has dedicated himself to producing high-quality educational videos which allow consumers to be informed about hearing aids and hearing care. His Youtube channel is by now famous and he has over 27,000 subscribers. His videos get thousands of views. Cliff knows what he is doing and he prides himself on giving clear unbiased info.

What Did He Do?

So Cliff ordered the two separate devices from Nano and Alibaba. When they turned up, he did a physical comparison between the devices. In essence, apart from the branding, the two devices were exactly the same. More than that though, they were both packaged with an accessory pack that was exactly the same right down to the little screwdriver to turn the volume control. But hey, that could simply be a coincidence, you know, these things happen. Sometimes if it walks like a duck, looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a swan in disguise right? Well, no, actually, it’s usually a duck.

Electro-Acoustic Testing

Cliff undertook electroacoustic testing of the device using an industry standard testing device (hearing industry). What he found out was fascinating. The Otometrics hearing instrument test box allows us to measure the Diagnostics of hearing aids with an extremely high level of accuracy by doing a diagnostic test.  With the equipment, Cliff could directly compare the output of the Nano hearing aids with the Alibaba amplifiers in a very controlled environment that eliminates variability of measurement. 

He ran the Nano hearing aid through the diagnostic testing sequence first and he found that he couldn’t complete the full usual set of tests because the volume control on the Nano hearing aid was only set for two levels of volume, minimum and maximum, there was no in-between. It seems that even though the Nano devices have volume wheels they only have two volume settings maximum volume and minimum volume no matter how much he adjusted the volume wheel.

After completing the testing with the Nano hearing aid he undertook the test sequence with the Alibaba amplifier There was a striking similarity between the results of the Nano devices and the Alibaba devices right down to the exact same issues with the volume control occurred with the Alibaba devices just like they did with the nanos. The finished output comparison between the nano devices and the Alibaba devices showed the numbers are almost identical almost as if he was testing the exact same device. Imagine that?!

Performance in The Ear

Cliff, not being one for half measures then used a real ear testing device to see how both the Nano devices and the Alibaba devices actually worked in the ear. Yes, you guessed it, exactly the same, identical performance from both. However, we learned a rather worrying thing from this test. Cliff set the targets for a normal sloping to moderate sensorineural hearing loss which is a very easy type of hearing loss prescription to match. He found that the outputs from both devices set to low volume just didn’t match the targets needed. Even worse, the ouputs on the maximum volume could in fact further damage someone’s hearing.

Cliff Olson finished off his video by saying that he couldn’t advise anyone to even try either of the devices. He, like us is an unbiased source of information who is simply concerned that consumers get good solid easy to understand information. While it is difficult to say that these devices are the same device without deeper investigation, the simple fact is this:

• Same crap build quality
• Same volume wheel functionality
• Same crap sound
• Exactly the same electro-accoustic characteristics
• Exactly the same output curves in the ear

In an article we undertook quite a while ago called “Nano Hearing Aids, An Outrageous Hearing Aids Rip Off Site, nanohearingaids.com”, we explained why the devices from nanohearingaids.com were an outrageous rip-off and pointed out the blatant lies that they tell consumers. Anyway, we pointed out that those Nano CIC hearing aids looked just like cheap Alibaba amplifiers that could be bought for around thirty dollars. Dr Cliff Olson a highly respected Doctor of Audiology who provides hearing care and hearing aids in Phoenix, Arizona went one better. He got his hands on both the Nano CIC and the cheap Alibaba amplifier. He ran a load of diagnostics on the devices and surprise, surprise, they are almost identical. Let’s talk about what he found out and the video he undertook.

Who is Dr Cliff?

First of all, let me tell you who Cliff Olson is and why his opinion matters and can be trusted implicitly. Cliff has dedicated himself to producing high-quality educational videos which allow consumers to be informed about hearing aids and hearing care. His Youtube channel is by now famous and he has over 27,000 subscribers. His videos get thousands of views. Cliff knows what he is doing and he prides himself on giving clear unbiased info.

What Did He Do?

So Cliff ordered the two separate devices from Nano and Alibaba. When they turned up, he did a physical comparison between the devices. In essence, apart from the branding, the two devices were exactly the same. More than that though, they were both packaged with an accessory pack that was exactly the same right down to the little screwdriver to turn the volume control. But hey, that could simply be a coincidence, you know, these things happen. Sometimes if it walks like a duck, looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a swan in disguise right? Well, no, actually, it’s usually a duck.

Electro-Acoustic Testing

Cliff undertook electroacoustic testing of the device using an industry standard testing device (hearing industry). What he found out was fascinating. The Otometrics hearing instrument test box allows us to measure the Diagnostics of hearing aids with an extremely high level of accuracy by doing a diagnostic test.  With the equipment, Cliff could directly compare the output of the Nano hearing aids with the Alibaba amplifiers in a very controlled environment that eliminates variability of measurement. 

He ran the Nano hearing aid through the diagnostic testing sequence first and he found that he couldn’t complete the full usual set of tests because the volume control on the Nano hearing aid was only set for two levels of volume, minimum and maximum, there was no in-between. It seems that even though the Nano devices have volume wheels they only have two volume settings maximum volume and minimum volume no matter how much he adjusted the volume wheel.

After completing the testing with the Nano hearing aid he undertook the test sequence with the Alibaba amplifier There was a striking similarity between the results of the Nano devices and the Alibaba devices right down to the exact same issues with the volume control occurred with the Alibaba devices just like they did with the nanos. The finished output comparison between the nano devices and the Alibaba devices showed the numbers are almost identical almost as if he was testing the exact same device. Imagine that?!

Performance in The Ear

Cliff, not being one for half measures then used a real ear testing device to see how both the Nano devices and the Alibaba devices actually worked in the ear. Yes, you guessed it, exactly the same, identical performance from both. However, we learned a rather worrying thing from this test. Cliff set the targets for a normal sloping to moderate sensorineural hearing loss which is a very easy type of hearing loss prescription to match. He found that the outputs from both devices set to low volume just didn’t match the targets needed. Even worse, the ouputs on the maximum volume could in fact further damage someone’s hearing.

Cliff Olson finished off his video by saying that he couldn’t advise anyone to even try either of the devices. He, like us is an unbiased source of information who is simply concerned that consumers get good solid easy to understand information. While it is difficult to say that these devices are the same device without deeper investigation, the simple fact is this:

• Same crap build quality
• Same volume wheel functionality
• Same crap sound
• Exactly the same electro-accoustic characteristics
• Exactly the same output curves in the ear

HHTM do a great article each month on hearing aid related patents that are filed in the US. In their latest hearing aid patent article, a few things from a few established manufacturers caught my eye. Not the least of which was a system to check if a receiver is full of wax, the possible return of spectacle hearing aids and finally a new firmware system that will allow hearing aid functionality upgrades in the clinic. Let’s talk about hearing device patents.

Upgrade Your Hearing Aids Anytime in Clinic

Resound has filed a patent for an upgradeable hearing aid and the system to upgrade the firmware. The patent makes it clear that upgrades will be applied by third parties in person. So I guess that means in the offices of hearing care professionals.

Unitron already uses a system like this and I mused about a year or two ago that I felt many of the hearing aid manufacturers would probably move toward this as the consumer market changed. Well, it looks like Resound is certainly thinking about the benefits of the system to users moving forward. Of course, just because they are working on the invention, doesn’t mean it will ever see the light of day. 

But, if it does, it will mean that you can more happily pick a level of Resound technology that you think will meet your needs. And if it doesn’t, you can then pay for a simple upgrade of the devices to a higher level of technology. 

Spectacle Hearing Aids Making a Comeback?

Resound again with this one, they have filed a patent for spectacle hearing aids. I may well be wrong but I don’t think they have ever produced spectacle hearing aids before? Anyway, these aren’t exactly the spec aids of the past. Spectacle hearing aids used to be popular enough, most of them were originally bone conduction devices (they conducted sound through the bone of the skull rather than through the ear), but there was some air conduction (just traditional tube into the ear canal to transfer sound) devices as well. 

Some people absolutely loved the bone conduction spec aids, especially if they had a conductive hearing loss (problem with the middle ear usually, but can be ear canal). But, they were a bit of a pain for the professional to be honest. In order for them to work well, the bone conductor pad on the spec frames needed to be held tight to the head. 

Over time, the arm of the frames would loosen and would have to be re-bent. That problem became more frequent the older the spec aids got. The air conduction devices didn’t have the same problems but they could break down often. The real issue when they were sent for repair was that not only was the user now without their hearing aids, they were also without their glasses!

Anyway, as I said before I went wandering off on a tangent, these aren’t the spec aids of the past. Resound has filed a patent for a device that wirelessly transmits processed sound to a receiver device in the ear. Basically, they have separated the function of traditional hearing aids and leveraged wireless transmission to offer something really interesting. 

The spectacle frames will contain most of the business end of the hearing aid, it will have directional microphones and a binaural digital signal processing system. It will also have a wireless audio transmitter. That transmitter will be used to send audio wirelessly to separate receiver devices in the ear canals. Almost like wearing glasses and very small invisible hearing aids, but they work as a system. 

It makes sense in some ways, it means the device that goes in your ear can be small. The fact that most of the business end is in the glasses means that you can use a big battery to power the system and you get the added benefit of huge antennas for the wireless radios. Again, just because they patent it doesn’t mean it will ever exist, but I think this would be a fascinating one, not sure how popular it would be though. 

Self Check System For Wax or Moisture in the Receiver

Widex has filed a patent for a new system that will allow the hearing aids to check if there is a mechanical blockage (ear wax, debris or moisture) in the receiver sound tube. It will allow users to check what is going on with their hearing aids if the sound begins to deaden or stop altogether. It will mean a simple check will tell them if they need to change the wax guard. Alternatively, I would imagine it will also tell them if they need to go to the hearing care professional. 

I bemoaned the fact that Widex hadn’t made their self-check system available on their Made For iPhone enabled Beyond or their new Evoke Fusion 2 devices. Their existing self-check system runs on the fitting software and it enacts a little sub-routine on the hearing aids that throws up any problems. This patent represents a new development though, however, it seems they are determined to make this available to the user. 

Touch Interface

Phonak has registered a patent for a touch interface system to control a hearing aid. Interesting move, and one that makes sense. Many people who are used to hearable devices or wireless earbuds are used to using tap systems to control them. They are easy, tend to be simple to remember and are especially useful if you are on the move. 

Own Voice Handling

It appears that Starkey is interested in a system that will allow them to recognise and control the perception of the user’s own voice. I am surprised other manufacturers aren’t interested in this feature. I was honestly astounded by the feature in the Signia Nx platform and it makes a lot of sense if we can use it to close off the ear canal. Anyway, it looks like Starkey may well be introducing it in the future. 

There were plenty of other very interesting patents, looks like there are a few companies very interested in hearable type devices. If you are interested, follow the link at the beginning of the article to the HHTM article and you can click from there into each individual patent. Like us on Facebook or subscribe to the newsletter to keep up to date with our latest burblings. 

In the last few days, it has been announced that Phillips is re-entering the hearing aid market with the launch of a new hearing aid range called Hearlink. The range has been introduced in collaboration with Demant (the owners of the Oticon, Bernafon and Sonic hearing aid brands). This isn’t the first time that Phillips has had their name on hearing aids. Quite a long time ago Phillips hearing aids were renowned for quality and reliability. However, they decided to leave the business, what has brought them back, why now and what have they got to offer? Let’s talk Phillips Hearlink hearing aids.

Phillips is collaborating with Demant and for the moment, Demant is providing the hardware involved. Anyone familiar with Oticon, Bernafon or indeed Sonic will recognise the hearing aid models and accessories that Phillips are offering. The audiological strategies inside the hearing aids are pretty similar to Bernafon core strategies, at least for the moment. That may change as Phillips gears up their own research and design team. Let’s look at the announcement and then look at the range available. 

Copenhagen, Denmark, April 10th, 2019 – Demant is pleased to announce the introduction of Philips branded hearing aids to the global hearing aid market. A new player, the Philips brand is entering the hearing healthcare market with a complete range of premium hearing aids, accessories, and applications to best serve hearing aid users. These Philips Hearing Solutions will quickly become a trusted brand with hearing care providers and users, as it has great potential around the world to present unique opportunities for hearing care professionals in an ever-evolving market.

“Based on a shared vision of improving the lives of people through innovative healthcare this new cooperation will not only change the way we see hearing healthcare, but also widen the definition of hearing healthcare, supporting healthier lifestyles and active aging,” says Spencer Ramsey, Senior Director, Brand Licensing, Philips. “Combining Demant’s world-leading hearing aid technology with Philips’ global brand presence in healthcare, the cooperation will enrich the hearing healthcare experience”.

“The Philips hearing aids will provide users with an innovative, future-proof hearing solution,” says Søren Nielsen, CEO & President, Demant. “We live in an age where user engagement and digital services are shaping the future of healthcare technology. More and more people are conscious of taking control of their own personal healthcare and are using electronic devices to do so. In this light, Philips Hearing Solutions offers new and exciting premium solutions alongside Philips’ healthcare ecosytem, which will attract interest and generate significant benefits to users, ultimately supporting our valued customer base of hearing care professionals.”

The new premium Philips hearing aids, named Philips HearLink, are now available for trained and educated hearing care professionals in selected countries across the globe: Philips HearLink will enable users to listen better so that they can better connect with the people they care for. Users will also benefit from connectivity between their hearing aids and the devices they use in their everyday life, such as smartphones and televisions. The look and feel of the Philips HearLink hearing aids caters to today’s baby boomer generation with design and usability developed for this expanding market.

“With this partnership, we take connected hearing healthcare to the next level and offer new and exciting solutions within integrated healthcare services to the benefit of both professionals and people suffering from a hearing loss. Health, caring and innovation are cornerstones in the vision of both Demant and Philips, which makes the partnership a great match for the future. Furthermore, it will strengthen and add value to both companies’ ambition to improve people’s lives,” Søren Nielsen concludes.

Phillips’ Healthcare Ecosystem

To be honest, the only part of that statement that caught my eye was the mention of the healthcare suite that Phillips provides. The rest is just the typical blurb of any press release. The Phillips’ healthcare ecosystem is a wide-ranging cloud-based tool for healthcare.  Phillips says “HealthSuite digital platform offers both a native cloud-based infrastructure and the core services needed to develop and run a new generation of connected healthcare applications.”

In the context of both the brand, the hearing devices and the market aspirations, what could that mean moving forward? I think there are many possibilities, for instance, leveraging a smartphone the system could be used to undertake a deep analysis of sound situations and changes made by users, ala Widex Machine Learning. The system could also be used to allow deeper manipulation of the function of hearing aids and background data analysis of those manipulations.

Hell, the system could be used for self-fitting and fine-tuning moving forward while allowing deep analysis of those protocols If combined with other health data from other Phillips health suit apps it could lead to better understanding of patterns in relation to hearing and wider health. I have said it before, we are only limited by our imagination here, or at least the imagination of the designers.

The Strategy

As per the announcement, the new Hearlink range will be available in only a few global markets initially with the UK and USA being two of them. I think that the use of the brand Phillips can help with consumer awareness for the wider market. The theory is that no consumer recognises the brand of the hearing aids they wear. I don’t believe that is the case any longer, in fact, this site and others have worked diligently to ensure that is no longer true over many years. Having said that, Phonak, Oticon or Widex are not exactly household names.

Moving forward, it will be interesting to see what Phillips do with the brand and what channels they will decide to use. While Demant has become involved with them in order that the wider consumer recognition strategy can be used. Phillips probably has its own plans in relation to channels. I rather think Demant will find it an interesting ride. For the moment and with the Hearlink range it seems you will need to go to a hearing care professional to try them out. The question is though, will that remain the case? That will be an interesting one.

The Hearlink Range

The range is made up of seven hearing aid models at five different technology levels or price points. The devices are three receiver in canal devices, the miniRITE, the miniRITE-T, the miniRITE-TR. One behind the ear device the BTE PP and finally three custom in the ear hearing aids, the IIC, the CIC and the ITC.

The technology levels are named as follows:

• Hearlink 9010 (premium range
• Hearlink 7010
• Hearlink 5010
• Hearlink 3000
• Hearlink 2000

In a later article, I will give you a full rundown of the hearing aids and their features.

Hearing Aid Accessories

The accessories for the devices are exactly as you would expect if you are familiar with Oticon or Bernafon. There are a multi-functional remote mic streamer, a TV streamer and a small remote control. Again, when I am covering the hearing aids I will also detail the accessories.

Interesting times ahead I think, it will be fascinating to see what Phillips decides to do over the next couple of years. 

Geoff wrote the other week about Sonova purchasing Blamey & Saunders, which brings up the conversation about buying hearing aids online or over-the-counter, without the need for hearing care professionals to fit them for you.

I wrote about the disruption in the hearing industry and the future of hearing aid sales many years ago, that article is not dated but I bet it must be fives years ago at least, and to be honest, I am surprised that in 2019 we are not further forward with self-fitting options. I would have expected that by now we would be able to either go into a high-street electronics store or browse online and buy a proper hearing aid, take it home and be able to accurately tune it to our own individual hearing loss.

Technology has moved on since I wrote that old article, all manufacturers now have Bluetooth-enabled devices that connect hearing aids directly to smartphones, which means your phone becomes a remote control for your aids that are currently used to change volume and programmers but could be improved to also walk you through setting up a brand new hearing aid.

So how close are we? Could it work for the masses?

An App on your phone could perform the various hearing tests that are required to accurately programme the hearing aid for your loss by playing sounds via the hearing aids, this would mimic the tests a hearing professional does on your first visit. This provides a baseline setting that should mean sounds are amplified to the point that you can hear speech. This is the real meat of self-fitting, if this is done right the rest of the process will fall into place.

Earwax is a problem, people may think they have a hearing loss but actually just have a lot of wax, so they don’t even need an aid.

Another problem is that there will be people with a hearing loss so bad that it requires a custom earpiece to be made that is moulded to their ear to avoid feedback, as the sound amplification needed is so powerful. I”m in this bracket, I would not be able to wear an off-the-shelf hearing aid, I’d need something custom made.

Having said, the majority of people will have a hearing loss that falls into the range that does not need a custom earpiece and they would be able to purchase an aid with a one-size-fits-all rubber ear piece.

A further problem would be the time needed for someone to get used to a new hearing aid, this is not a problem specifically for self-fitting purchases as many hearing practices find that many people return their aids quickly, upset that they aren’t hearing as well as they wanted because they have not taken the time to retrain their ears and brains to comprehend the new sounds they are experiencing. People want instant success, plug-and-play but it is often not going to be like that, not because of the hearing aid, but because of your brain – for this reason, there will be returned hearing aids, bad reviews, and upset customers.

Tele-audiology is now a thing, meaning you can talk to a hearing professional via a Skype-like video service and have them help you with your hearing aid issues without having to visit their clinic, so that would solve the majority of issues people would have with their new purchase.

So all of the technology pieces are now in place to make this a reality for a large percentage of those with hearing loss. Blamey & Saunders, Audicus, Hearing Direct, and others are already in the game. One of the large hearing aid manufactures should be ideally placed to start selling direct to customers via the high street and the Web, the technology is no longer the barrier.

Why do we even want to buy hearing aids over the counter and self-fit them?

For me, moving towards a self-fitting model and using a professional for advice and support where needed is not about getting rid of the professional audiologist/dispenser because they are bad in some way or even because self-fitting is better. It’s not about getting rid of the professional for the sake of it, or just because we can. The real benefit to doing this is making it quicker and easier for people to get a real fully-functioning hearing aid and to get major benefits from it, without having to book an appointment, travel across town and so on. But even more than that, having hearing aids for sale in every electronics store normalizes them, they become just another consumer electronic item that someone might pick up with their new TV – hearing aids stop being a medical device for people with medical deficiencies and become a lifestyle accessory that people are happy to wear, even want to wear.

Currently, only a tiny percentage of the people who need a hearing aid actually wear one, the barrier to wearing is too high for them, maybe that’s because of the price, the hassle or the stigma of needing a medical device – self-fitting can fix all of these issues and sky-rocket the number of people hearing better.

Interesting Purchase, But What Could it Mean For Consumers?

In a really interesting turn of events, I found out that Sonova purchased the Australian hearing aid business Blamey And Saunders. Blamey And Saunders are a business that we have discussed here a few times. They sell their own brand hearing aids online in Australia and they are one of the few online hearing aid sellers that we would be happy to support. They have designed and manufactured both their own hearing aids and the underlying logistics to support a direct online sale. There have been persistent rumours that they were finding it difficult to reach profitability, mainly because of the economy of scales and the fact that their manufacturing was undertaken in Australia. So why is the purchase important to Consumers and what might it mean moving forward?

A Blended Model

Blamey And Saunders quickly realised that not everyone is confident enough to buy a hearing aid online. It quickly became obvious that to maximise sales and take care of customers they needed to look at a blended model of online sales and physical locations for offline sales and service. They launched their blended model a couple of years ago but haven’t expanded past three physical locations in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney. They do however offer a limited travelling clinic service across some areas in Queensland, Western Australia, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory. 

Economies of Scale

The Sonova purchase will mean that there should be an instant change to the economy of scale issue. It should mean that the business should more easily reach profitability. The might of Sonova should also mean that the business may see more penetration into the Australian market, maybe widening it’s physical footprint and possibly even looking further afield for new markets.

Why Might it Matter to You?

Yes, I can hear it from here, hey fat lad, why would I care? Well, that’s an interesting one, to be honest with you. The purchase of Blamey And Saunders is more than just the purchase of that company, it is the purchase of a whole new delivery channel and the experience that is inherent within the business. It gives them an in-depth insight into how a DTC (Direct To Consumer) model works in an online manner. It also gives them a clear experience of how a blended (both online and offline) model works.

Buying Hearing Aids is Going to Change

How you buy hearing aids is without a doubt going to change within the next five years. How it will change is not set though. Over The Counter, (OTC) hearing aids can be expected within the next year or so. If the big hearing aid brands become involved with that, we will probably see some sort of blended model offer. You can buy your OTC device online or at a shop knowing that there may be further services such as in-depth hearing testing, upgrades of devices and ongoing care available at hearing aid outlets.

That model may well lead to a situation where we may see all hearing aids being sold directly to the consumer with the option of physical locations to offer service and care. The purchase of Blamey And Saunders allows Sonova to understand the possibilities of this model implicitly. For many consumers, online delivery with blended options is attractive.

How attractive is the question though? New users or prospects tend to think very differently to existing users. New users have no terms of reference or experience, that forms their view of price, product and service. Experienced users, on the other hand, have experience and that changes the equation for them.

Price Versus Service

While price is always an issue, it is easier to understand when value for money enters the equation. The problem within the audiology profession has always been their lack of focus on the value for money that they provide. A blended model where device purchase is separated from ongoing service means that the value of the service is clear to the consumer.

The key with these business model changes is that they give you, the consumer, choice. I think that for many years, that has been a real bugbear for consumers. They feel the current model is rigid and doesn’t necessarily provide choice. I think the real question for me is how many of you would like to be able to buy a hearing aid online, knowing that you can engage with a physical service location if need be for an added fee?

It’s Deaf Awareness Week from the 6th to the 12th May 2019, here’s what I want you to do during this time, this is your challenge:

Every day, from the 6th to the 12th, tell one person about your hearing loss.

This could be a positive mention, “Even though I wear hearing aids I heard everything you just said perfectly”, or, “Thanks for repeating yourself, I heard you clearly”.

Or something more negative, “I’ve had a rough day, I couldn’t hear what the train announcer was saying and didn’t know which platform I should be on”.

The point is this: get into the habit of telling people about your hearing issues, just drop it into a conversation where you can, you don’t need to bore someone to death with it but just bring it up, get it into the open.

Why?

Well, of course, there are benefits for you: the more people around you who know about your hearing loss the easier our life becomes. But I’m thinking of the bigger picture and during Deaf Awareness Week I think it is your duty to tell the world about your hearing loss so that more people become aware of it, become more accepting of it, know how to deal with it and, eventually, it becomes a non-issue like sight problems and wearing glasses.

Let’s help all those people struggling to accept their hearing loss, the people hiding their hearing aids, those laughing when they didn’t hear and hoping for the best. Each and everyone one of us can do our little bit to make hearing loss an everyday issue that is widely accepted and understood. I think it’s up to us, the people with hearing loss, the hearing aid wearers, to show the world it’s totally fine, something we deal with while we go about our day and not something we shy away from or are embarrassed about.

Attitudes towards hearing aids have already shifted a lot in the last 20 years, sleeker/smaller/cooler aids have helped with that and manufacturers are also starting to market them as everyday accessories and not medical devices as such, all that helps. If we treat our own hearing problems as one-of-those-things, don’t show any embarrassment and don’t apologize for it we can make hearing aids as cool and accepted as glasses.

Try it, you’ll probably quickly notice your own attitude to your hearing loss changing, you’ll soon realize that people don’t judge you for not hearing and are perfectly understanding of it. You’ll ditch your own negative views about your hearing problems, so you’ll be more happy to tell people when you can’t hear, making your life easier.

It’s a win for you and a win for everyone else.