Phonak Naída B – The 5th generation power hearing aid from Phonak

Phonak complete their Belong platform with the release of the Naída B

Phonak have just launched the 5th generation of their power hearing aid. The Naída B is Phonak’s most powerful hearing aid range and developed for those who need the most amplification. Featuring a suite of dedicated technologies that modify, compress, amplify and help distinguish sounds that bring people with a severe to profound hearing loss closer to the beauty of sound.

Benefits include

• More audibility of high-pitched sounds
• Excellent speech understanding
• Enhanced hearing performance in nearby noise and over distance when combined with Roger microphone technology
• New easy-to-use rechargeable model

The official word

“Around the world, hearing care professionals trust Phonak to deliver innovative hearing solutions that solve even the most challenging situations,” said Thomas Lang, Senior Vice President of Phonak Marketing. “Today Phonak builds on this legacy of trust by introducing products that redefine expectations in power, pediatrics and Roger connectivity. Our now-complete Belong platform portfolio means professionals have the flexibility to offer the industry’s most comprehensive rechargeable suite of hearing solutions to ensure the best possible care.”

Technologies include

• SoundRecover2 – maintains the sound quality of low-pitched sounds, while making high-pitched sounds easier for you to hear again.
• Binaural VoiceStream Technology – both hearing aids communicate with each other in real-time meaning you benefit from excellent speech understanding and reduced listening effort in background noise and in challenging listening situations.
• Rechargeable B-R model – The Naída B-R RIC (receiver-in-the-canal) is a rechargeable hearing aid featuring a lithium-ion battery that is capable of being fully charged in just three hours for 24 hours of use.

What we say

The Phonak Naída range is our go to hearing aid for those who need the most help with their hearing. We have already had our first successful fitting with the new technology and look forward to many more. The Naída B is available in four different models and four technology levels with nine different colours to choose from. Contact us today if you would like to know more about the Phonak Naída B range and are looking for a trusted Phonak hearing aid provider in the Bournemouth area.

References

[Phonak]: Phonak to strengthen its market position by expanding industry leading rechargeable portfolio [https://www.phonakpro.com/uk/en/about-phonak/press-center/2018/2018-february-14-expanding-rechargeable-portfolio.html] [Feb 14 2018]

Unitron Insera – The new ITE hearing aid from Unitron

Unitron expand the Tempus platform with the release of Insera

Unitron have announced the forthcoming release of Insera their new ITE hearing aid family to feature their Tempus platform. The Tempus platform was successfully launched earlier this year for Unitron's behind-the-ear hearing aids. 

Unique design improves speech understanding

Focusing on how unique our ears are the Insera ITE EarMatch process optimises directional microphone performance by adjusting to individual differences in your ears. Tempus technologies such as SpeechPro and Spatial awareness will help provide you with fantastic speech understanding in conversation.

The official word

“Unitron has engineered its unique Tempus sound processing platform around a philosophy of realism, so everything naturally sounds just the way it should. This means patients are aware of what’s happening around them and know, not only where sounds are coming from, but also perceive the emotional undertones that accompany those sounds,” explains Andre de Goeij, Senior Director, Product Management and Strategic Initiatives for Unitron. “Driven by Tempus, Insera provides our very best directional performance in custom products, bringing patients closer to the heart of conversations and ensuring they don’t miss out.”

What we say

We look forward to the Tempus platform finally being available in ITE designs. Customers we have fitted with Unitron Tempus behind-the-ear (BTE) and receiver-in-canal (RIC) style hearing devices have been really pleased with the performance. The Insera ITE's will launch in the UK in October.

References

[Unitron]: Unitron extends and advances Tempus platform line up with Insera ITE family and new Stride M R rechargeable [http://unitron.com/content/unitron/us/en/about/news.html: [Aug 22 2017]

Phonak announce Virto B hearing aid with Biometric Calibration

At the sametime as announcing the Audéo B-Direct, Phonak also announced the latest additions to their Phonak Virto B range. Following on from the Spring launch of the Phonak Virto B-Titanium the newest  models to the Virto B range sees the Phonak Belong platform incorporated into a range of custom in-the-ear (ITE)  hearing aids to suit your needs. 

World's first hearing aid with Biometric Calibration

The Phonak Virto B are the world's first hearing aids with Biometric Calibration. Using over 1600 biometric data points, unique to your ear, Phonak calculate the unique calibration settings for each Virto B hearing aid. Phonak claim this results in a 2dB improvement in directionality leading to better hearing performance.

What this means for you

As your ears are unique, just like your fingerprints, the characteristics of our ear anatomy influences on how sound is captured, directed towards your ear drum and converted into information that your brain can understand. The custom-made fit to your ears, ensures the Phonak Virto B will be able to reliably sense where sound is coming from and provide a better hearing performance. This improvement is to be confirmed in a soon to be released study by Phonak. The Biometric Calibration combined with Phonak's AutoSense Operating System (OS), which automatically senses your surroundings and adjusts your hearing aids, should result in an improved performance and sound quality.

A model for you

Six models will be available from launch in four performance levels from the truly invisible Virto B-10 Invisible-in-the-canal (IIC) to the larger Virto B-13 Full Shell (FS). See the Phonak Virto B brochure for further details.

References

[Phonak]: Phonak to release a game-changing Bluetooth hearing aid that connects directly to any cell phone* and TV, based on a revolutionary new chip technology [https://www.phonak.com/uk/en/press/bluetooth-hearing-aid.html]: [Aug 17 2017]

[Phonak]: Phonak Virto™ B [https://www.phonak.com/uk/en/hearing-aids/phonak-virto-b.html]

Phonak Audéo™ B-Direct - Order now at Key to Hearing, Bournemouth

Phonak release a hearing aid that is Made For All mobile phones

Phonak have announced the launch of their new Made For All (MFA) hearing aid the Phonak Audéo™ B-Direct. The Audéo™ B-Direct directly connects to iPhones however unlike their competitors products it can also connect to Android and Windows phones without the need for a body worn streamer or microphone. Phonak Audéo™ B-Direct features Phonak's new propitiatory SWORD™ (Sonova Wireless One Radio Digital) chip and uses the innovative Belong platform on the AutoSense OS (Operating System).

Bluetooth Connectivity works with all mobile phones

The Phonak Audéo™ B-Direct works with all mobile phones that have Bluetooth® 4.2 wireless technology or newer and will work for phone calls with any mobile phone supporting at least Bluetooth 2.1. This should cover any Bluetooth mobile phone released in the last 10 years and may even work with phones older than this.

Remote Control App

The updated Phonak Remote is an app that primarily allows you to control the volume and change the program of your Audéo™ B-Direct hearing aids. The Phonak Remote app will work on smartphones that feature Android OS 6.0 or iPhone 5s and newer running iOS Version 10.2 or newer.

Truly Hands Free

The Phonak Audéo™ B-Direct is truly hands free. As long as your hearing aids are connected to your mobile phone you can accept calls by a short press of the button on the hearing aid. The most amazing part is that you do not need to hold the phone to your mouth to talk with the microphones on the back of your hearing aid picking up your voice. The iPhone and Android compatible hearing aids released to date have required you to have your mobile phone microphone within range of your mouth or required an intermediary device to allow the caller to hear your voice.

Easier TV listening with new TV Connector

Phonak are also releasing a new TV Connector which, using Phonak's new AirStream technology, connects the Phonak Audéo™ B-Direct hearing aids to your TV via a headphone jack or optical out connection. Unlike their previous TV Link which required an intermediary streamer to pass the sound to your Phonak hearing aids the new TV Connector will connect directly to your Phonak Audéo™ B-Direct hearing aids as soon as the TV is turned on. The TV Connector is also capable of connecting to multiple Phonak Audéo B-Direct hearing aids simultaneously, ideal for watching the TV with your partner or friends who may also wear Audéo B-Direct devices.

Don't miss a call whilst listening to the TV

If you are using the TV Connector and have an incoming call the TV audio will cease and an alert will be played in your Phonak Audéo™ B-Direct hearing aids. Once the call has finished the TV audio will automatically begin streaming into your hearing aids.   

Colours, Size and Fitting

The Phonak Audéo™ B-Direct will be available in nine colours and can be fitted with domes, SlimTips or cShells. It is powered by a size 13 zinc-air battery which makes the Audéo™ B-Direct larger than the current Audéo B-10 and Audéo B-312 models. 

Our thoughts

This looks to be a significant technological advancement by Phonak. Over 80% of smartphones purchased are Android and Phonak are the first major manufacturer to launch a phone that caters to the largest user base. 

The fact that the Phonak Audéo™ B-Direct hearing aids do not require you to hold your mobile phone to your mouth or alternatively use a neck worn microphone is really impressive. As a comparison the recently released Apple AirPods have forward facing Dual beam-forming microphones that point towards your mouth so it will be interesting seeing how the microphones on the back of the Audéo™ B-Direct hearing aids cope with picking up your voice when using the phone in noisy situations.

The Phonak Remote app does not currently appear to have as many features as those offered by Starkey and ReSound for use with their smartphone compatible hearing aids. Will Phonak develop the app to allow the user more individual adjustments or allow setting to automatically change based on GPS location tags?

How long will the batteries last? For those that use there Phonak Audéo™ B-Direct hearing aids to talk more on the phone or use the TV Connector for long periods of time the battery will drain more quickly. Will they last a minimum of 5 days?

The new SWORD™ chip will be used in future releases across the Sonova platform so expect to see this Bluetooth connectivity in future releases from Unitron next year.

We look forward to finding out more at the official UK launch on Friday 8th September in London.

Register your interest

The Phonak Audéo™ B-Direct is available to pre-order from today with delivery in the UK from Friday 1st September. Find out more by looking at the official Phonak Audéo™ B-Direct brochure and if you are interested by drop us a message on our contact page and we'll keep you updated.

References

[Phonak]: Phonak to release a game-changing Bluetooth hearing aid that connects directly to any cell phone* and TV, based on a revolutionary new chip technology [https://www.phonak.com/uk/en/press/bluetooth-hearing-aid.html]: [Aug 17 2017]

Let us help you take care of your hearing aid

Hearing Aid Care Advice

Caring for your hearing aid is important to ensure long life and reliability. Damage to you hearing aid can be caused by exposure to sweat, earwax and dirt. By maintaining your hearing aid’s physical condition you can assure a long-term functioning device.

Oticon Alta hearing instruments

General Advice to Protect your Hearing Aid

Protect from Dirt

Ensure that your hands are clean and dry when inserting or removing your hearing aid. The microphone area is very small and can become blocked if not handled correctly.

Protect from Moisture

Hearing aids like to be kept clean and dry. Ensure that you do not expose your hearing aid to excessive moisture. Remove your hearing aid(s) before showering/bathing or swimming.

General Tips for Hearing Aid Maintenance

• Store your hearing aid in a cool dry place.
• Protect your hearing aid from excessive heat.
• Protect your hearing aid from sprays such as hairspray.
• Use the cleaning tools provided to brush or wipe any excess wax or moisture off of the device/earmould.
• Do not insert the tools into the sound outlet (receiver) as this could damage the hearing aid.
• Only use the wax filters and instructions provided.
• Change the wax filter regularly.
• Switch your hearing aid off when not using it.
• If you are not wearing the hearing aid for a long period of time, remove the battery

Let us help you take care of your hearing aid

Ask your hearing care professional if you are unsure about cleaning and maintenance.