New Developments in Hearing Aid Technology
By Susan Russell, Educational Audiologist
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Are you due for new hearing aids? If you are, you should know about some of the exciting developments in hearing aid technology.
Both Phonak and Oticon have added some amazing features with regard to hearing assistance technology (otherwise known as FM) and Bluetooth. Read on for more information about new hearing assistance technology at both companies, and then click on the buttons at the bottom of this article to explore the technology more on the Phonak and Oticon websites.
Phonak Marvel Hearing Aids
What's New at Phonak?
What's New at Phonak?
Phonak Marvel hearing aid
Activation tool for Marvel receivers
Phonak Marvel hearing aid with earmold
Phonak's new hearing aid line is called Marvel. These hearing aids now have a rechargeable battery option. Here are some of the other features these new hearing aids offer:
The FM receiver is no longer attached to the hearing aid. It is now inside the hearing aid…amazing! Your audiologist with the school board has a special tool that allows the receiver to be magically activated inside the Marvel hearing aid. Your hearing teacher no longer has to put on a receiver in September and take it off in June. You do still need a transmitter though, such as the Roger Touchscreen, Easy Pen or Select. If you are not familiar with all of these transmitters yet, please be sure to ask your school board audiologist.
All types of Bluetooth (Apple and Android) are also available inside these hearing aids. You no longer need the Phonak ComPilot streamer to connect to Bluetooth devices. Your phone, tablet and any other Bluetooth device can be paired directly to these hearing aids. Imagine listening to music right through your hearing aids without using anything else. You don’t need to worry about losing wireless Bluetooth headphones, like “air pods”, as your hearing aids are your “air pods”….cool!
What's New at Oticon?
What's New at Oticon?
Oticon has a new line of Opn hearing aids called Oticon Opn Play. They too have the rechargeable battery option. These hearing aids do not require any receivers attached to them and a receiver does not have to be activated inside them…incredible! They have Bluetooth compatibility for Apple Products only. You can connect these hearing aids directly to your iPhone, iPad and iTouch.
These hearing aids offer two different types of microphones:
Oticon EduMic is a small transmitter that has one button to make it all work. Once your school board audiologist pairs the EduMic to your hearing aids, all your classroom teacher has to do is push one button and you are good to go. If you like to use multiple microphones in your classroom like the Phonak Pass-around mic, you can plug a Phonak receiver into the bottom of the EduMic and your teacher can wear the Phonak Touchscreen transmitter. The Roger receiver also works with the Roger Pen and Select so you have lots of options.
Oticon ConnectClip is a small device that can act as a microphone that your teacher could wear and it also acts as a Bluetooth streamer. If you do not have Apple products, the ConnectClip can act as a Bluetooth streamer for Android products.
As you can see, both companies offer some exciting technology that you might want to learn more about. Here are direct links to each company….happy exploring!
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