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Phonak’s newly released Phonak Audéo Paradise is designed to provide “the next level of excellent sound quality” through its new PRISM (Processing Real-time Intelligent Sound Management) sound processing chip which includes approximately double the memory of Phonak’s chip in previous devices. Therefore, the Phonak Audéo Paradise will deliver a crisp natural sound, have brilliant speech understanding, personalised noise cancelling, voice assistant with a tap, and a wide variety of colours.

It also contains universal connectivity options (smartphone, TV, myPhonak app) which allows you to control your hearing aids, access useful features and personalise your settings. Additionally, a new fitting formula (designed for better fits), reduced reverberation, greater dynamic range and reduced listening fatigue in noise are also included. A new version of AutoSense OS (ASOS 4.0) is also being introduced by Phonak; which is the fourth-generation of its successful operating system that enhances the existing feature set found in a previous aid (Audéo Marvel) with a new speech enhancer, dynamic noise cancellation, and motion-sensor hearing technology – allowing even better performance in noisy environments. Not only does the integrated motion sensor detect when the wearer is moving and having a conversation, but it also supports hands-free conversations while connecting with Siri®, Google Assistant™, or Amazon Alexa® via a simple double-tap to the ear.

There is also a wide range of charging options including: the Phonak Charger Case Combi, the Phonak Powerpack and the Phonak Mini Charger Case. A significant feature included in the Phonak Audéo Paradise is the new Tap Control. Paradise users are able to activate Siri or Alexa (double tapping the ear), answer or reject calls and even pause and resume audio streaming by tapping the outer ear (pinna). The Phonak Audéo Paradise also features RogerDirect, which allows the Roger microphones to stream directly to Paradise hearing aids without having to attach to an external receiver – further allowing ease of listening in noisy environments. The Speech Enhancer also boosts soft-level speech so you are able to enjoy conversations with friends and family. The Phonak Audéo Paradise will be offered in all performance levels across four models, all Roger compatible, including the Audéo P-RT, a lithium-ion rechargeable model with telecoil.

The ReSound ONE is GN Hearing’s newest revolutionary hearing aid. The aid includes an additional microphone inside the ear canal. “For the first time, allowing people relying on hearing aids to experience the world with their own ears while preserving the comfort of an open-fit device” states GN Hearing. The pinna (outer ear) is designed to work like an acoustic antenna, helping the brain localise and tune into a particular sound. Unfortunately, the most popular styles of hearing aids (Behind-The-Ear and Receiver-In-Ear models) capture sound from microphones that sit behind the ear; resulting in “averaged and incomplete reproduction of sound, making it hard for the brain to achieve its natural localisation and noise-cancelling function,” according to GN. The ReSound ONE offers a wide variety of colours such as: bronze, champagne, deep black, espresso, gold, graphite, sparkling grey and warm grey.

The ReSound ONE also includes a new receiver system, combined with all-new Digital Feedback Suppression (DFS Ultra III). Additionally, the ReSound ONE contains ‘All Access Directionality’ which automatically adjusts to your listening patterns, as well as rechargeability and connectivity options to both iOS and Android smartphones for streaming and hearing aid control. You can also get live assistance from your hearing care professional via ReSound Assist Live video calls. “Placing a microphone into the ear with an open-fit hearing aid is something the industry has battled for many years to achieve. This technology will allow people with hearing loss to feel that they are literally getting their own hearing back and hearing the way nature intended. ReSound ONE will boost the communication, relationships, and confidence of every individual” says GN Hearing CEO and President, Gitte Aabo.

The ConnectClip is a new addition to Oticon’s range of devices designed to improve users’ experiences. Sound is streamed directly to the hearing aids and the ConnectClip’s wireless microphone picks up the speaker’s voice and also acts as a high-quality wireless headset. With high-quality 2.4 GHz Bluetooth, the ConnectClip enables you to make hands-free phone calls and stream music right from your smartphone. It also can be used as a discreet remote control for your hearing aids – allowing you to control volume, switch programmes, mute your hearing aids and to tune into someone speaking from a distance (up to 20 metres) and in noisy environments using the remote microphone functionality. The ConnectClip is designed for everyday use and is an additional accessory available for purchase (not included in the hearing aid package). 

The TV Adapter 3.0 allows users to easily enjoy watching TV at their preferred volume whilst the rest of the family can continue watching at the volume level that suits them. The sound quality is clear and natural with no delays in delivery, meaning the sound still matches what is being shown on TV. The TV Adapter 3.0 is designed for everyday use, and the many features, such as volume, can be easily controlled by the Oticon ON app. There is no streamer needed for the adapter, and it also has a sound range of 15 metres. The TV Adapter 3.0 is an additional accessory available for purchase (not part of the hearing aid package).

The Oticon ON app is a compatible smartphone app that can be used to easily and discreetly control your Oticon Bluetooth hearing aids. Some of the great features include: adjusting the volume of your hearing aids, switching between programs, checking the battery level, locating a lost hearing aid, control the sound from Oticon TV Adapter, ConnectClip, and EduMic, stream a person’s speech directly into your ears with the remote microphone function and much more.

HearingFitness is another feature on the Oticon ON app that gives you an overview of your hearing data and provides insights that you can use to improve your health behaviours, allowing you to nurture your own health.

You can start using the Oticon ON app today in 3 easy steps:

• Step 1: Download the Oticon ON App in the App Store or Google Play
• Step 2: Make sure your hearing aids are connected to a compatible smartphone
• Step 3: Begin easily controlling your hearing aids!

Three of the best hearing aids were tested by Oticon in a realistic, noisy environment in order to show users how well they can help. Conversations were recorded with a 360° microphone that captured their speech, as well as the surrounding sound and noise. The tests showed that ‘Oticon More 1’ was the best hearing aid at giving you speech. The tests also showed that the Oticon More aid can help you hear other people around you significantly easier. The aids gave far more access to speech that came from the side – resulting in users becoming more aware of their surroundings where the head does not have to be turned to hear others.

The Oticon More offers a clearer quality of sound that also delivers significantly faster than its competitors. The test also revealed that the Oticon More hearing aids provide sound in higher fidelity. Good sound fidelity is what makes it easier for the brain to separate sounds from each other, and to overall understand what is being said. Overall, Oticon More aids are brain-friendly; this means they support the way the brain naturally works instead of cutting off peripheral sounds – which is the reason Oticon believes these aids outperform their competitors.

The new Oticon Ruby is a line of behind-the-ear hearing aids that are designed to improve speech understanding which will give you the confidence needed to get the most out of life. The Oticon Ruby includes superb sound quality, easy connectivity, rechargeable solution and the choice of different styles and colours. The styles include: miniRITE, miniRITE T (telecoil), miniRITE R (rechargeable), BTE and BTE Power Plus, and five popular colours.

As the Oticon Ruby is designed to make life easier, the 2.4 GHz Bluetooth wireless connectivity distributes high quality sound streaming. This allows you to connect to endless devices and people, as well as being able to watch videos, stream music, take phone calls and much more. Patients can pair Oticon Ruby with multiple TV Adapters and use the ‘Oticon ON App’ to stream from any TV. The Oticon ON App also allows patients to adjust volume, switch settings, check battery level, and access features such as ‘Find My Hearing Aid’ and ‘Oticon HearingFitness’.

The long-lasting, new lithium-ion rechargeable batteries helps provide a full-day’s charge in a few hours, and also comes with a sleek and stylish charger. Oticon states that a 30-minute recharge provides an additional six hours of power. The Oticon Ruby is powered by the Velox S platform, where it introduces the new SuperShield feedback management system that analyses incoming sound levels and “helps prevent feedback before it occurs, so patients can enjoy hearing without interruptions from unwanted whistling and squealing.”

A WORLD first hearing aid, supporting how the brain naturally works, has been launched in Australia.

Thanks to ground-breaking artificial intelligence (AI), rather than focus only on speech, the Oticon More aid allows the wearer to hear more, while helping the brain interpret and focus on what it needs to hear.

The device was developed after research revealed people with hearing loss need access to all sounds for their brains to make sense of their environment.

The hearing aid was recently awarded a prestigious Consumer Electronics Association Award.

The international awards program annually selects the best of the best in consumer electronics.

Oticon More uses one of the most advanced technologies, a Deep Neural Network platform which has been trained using 12 million everyday-life sound scenes, collected in nature using a special 360-degree spherical microphone.

Oticon Australia National Audiology Manager, Jonathan Constantine, said: “Most people think we hear with our ears, but our brains are our main tool for hearing”.

“In background noise, traditional hearing aids block out surrounding sound, but Oticon More scans and analyses a sound scene at 500 times per second allowing the brain to process key sounds”.

“When you limit what you can hear to just a single person speaking, which traditional hearing aids do, your brain is forced to work harder in an unnatural way, and you can be cut off from other conversations around you”.

“It is the world’s first hearing aid to support the brain to work in the most natural and effective way taking in a full sound scene”.

“We understand that it is essential to give the brain as much sound information as possible in order to hear properly, which our recent research revealed was the best way for the brain to handle sound”.

“Hearing loss often forces people to avoid situations with too much noise, but Oticon’s progress in the use of AI is a quantum leap in processing sounds with clear contrast and balance”.

Call to book your FREE HEARING CHECK with Acoustic Hearing Clinics by phoning 5443 6633.

See if this world first technology is right for you. Always read the instructions for use. Follow the instructions for use.

A DECADE of research had led to the release of breakthrough technology which will address one of the biggest difficulties facing hearing device users. Beltone, a hearing care retailer with over 1500 locations in North America, has just announced Beltone Imagine, the first ‘made-to-measure’ hearing device to combine a microphone and receiver in the ear, along with two microphones behind the ear. This had led to the first-t0-market hearing device with triple microphone technology. This technology is ‘unprecedented’ and Beltone says it will address the ‘unnatural’ sound experience that is sometimes reported by hearing device users.

Currently, hearing devices worn behind the ear capture sound with two microphones placed behind the ear. While providing helpful sound amplification, this process works differently to the way sound is naturally channeled to the eardrum. Consequently, some device users describe the resulting sound as ‘unnatural’, reporting less depth and reduced ability to determine sound direction.

Beltone Imagine seeks to resolve this problem, with a third microphone placed directly in the ear canal to collect sound using the unique acoustics of the user’s ear. This provides greater depth, improved sound localisation, improved sound of your own voice and ‘significantly’ reduced wind noise, for what Beltone describes as a ‘naturally immerse’ hearing experience.

GN Audiology & Medical Affairs vice president Dr John Nelson agrees that sound quality has previously been an unexpected disappointment for some users of popular (behind-the-ear) devices styles. “By figuring out how to eliminate feedback, we were able to add [the third microphone] directly in the ear canal,” Dr Nelson says. “This delivers sound the way we are more naturally accustomed to hearing. We think this advancement will get more people to use hearing aids.” Dr Nelson says there is ten years of research and profound understanding of a user’s unique requirements behind the new device, which goes beyond the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. “… [previous] hearing aids used algorithms of the ‘average ear’ shape when delivering sound. Most of the time, [Beltone Imagine] will be collecting sound using the microphone in the canal, delivering that individualised sound. It truly lets each person experience the world with their own ears.”

This technology is available through Acoustic Hearing Clinics. With five clinics located throughout the Sunshine Coast and one in Gympie, there is a clinic close to everyone. Call 5443 6633 now to book your FREE HEARING CHECK.  See if this hearing breakthrough is suitable for you.

Oticon, the manufacturer of the popular Opn family of hearing aids, has just launched the new Opn S hearing aid. The introduction of Oticon’s Opn hearing aids in 2016 changed the way hearing aids support people with hearing loss in noisy environments. Now, Oticon Opn S takes the features of Opn hearing aids to a new level, with further improvements to speech understanding and reduced listening effort.

Opn S enables users to join in and keep up with conversations with multiple speakers. Users can experience speech understanding at the same level as people with normal hearing in noisy environments, such as a family dinner or at a restaurant. Opn S makes it easier for the brain to decide who and what to listen to, and when to switch attention, if needed.

In other hearing aids, feedback occurs when sound escapes the hearing aid and is then amplified by that hearing aid, creating a whistling or static noise. This commonly occurs when something comes close to the hearing aid. The Opn S combats this problem with Oticon’s OpenSound Optimizer – a ground-breaking new feature, which analyses sound so fast that it can detect and prevent feedback before it even occurs.

Oticon has introduced a new setting in their improved OpenSound Navigator feature, which allows users to give their Opn S hearing aids an extra boost regardless of their hearing aids’ pre-defined settings. To use this extra support, users can simply activate the OpenSound Booster in their Oticon ON App.

When compared with traditional hearing aids, Opn hearing aids provide significantly increased speech understanding, reduced listening effort, and improved memory recall. The new Opn S hearing aids even further increase speech understanding by another 15%, reduce listening effort by another 10%, and improve memory recall by another 10%.

Opn S hearing aids are available in three performance levels and four different styles, including a rechargeable solution. With the rechargeable Opn S miniRITE, a 3-hour charging time provides a full day of power, including streaming. For a quick recharge, 30 minutes of charging time will provide up to 5 hours of power.